Link Report for Wed. 5/29 - Sounds and Stars Hang On For Evening Victories

[Mass Haas]

Stars Hold Off Generals Rally, Snap Skid

By Alex Cohen / Huntsville Stars

 

While having a five-run lead cut to one, the Huntsville Stars held on to beat the Jackson Generals by a score of 6-5 on Wednesday night at The Ballpark at Jackson.

 

The Stars began to build their early initial build in the second inning where outfielder Brock Kjeldgaard and designated hitter Robinzon Diaz hit back-to-back doubles off of Generals LHP Anthony Fernandez (L, 2-1) to make the score 1-0. Two batters later, an RBI single from catcher Shawn Zarraga scored Diaz to put the Stars up by two.

 

Fortunately for Huntsville, that was all the run support starting pitcher Ariel Pena needed. The 23-year-old righty earned his fourth win in the month of May and improved to 5-3 overall by giving up just one run in six innings and struck out seven batters. The 20th ranked prospect in the Brewers system (per MLB.com) lowered his team-leading ERA to 2.63 in the process.

 

The only blemish on the ballgame for Pena when he gave up his only run on an RBI single by Generals catcher Michael Dowd.

 

Up by 3-1 to start off fifth inning, the Stars made a commanding charge to take over the ballgame. With one out, left fielder Shea Vucinich walked and second baseman Nick Shaw singled to put runners at the corners. After an RBI single from right fielder Kentrail Davis scored Vucinich and moved Shaw to third, a pickoff attempt to first by Generals reliever Moises Hernandez allowed Shaw to steal home and moved Davis to second for the second run of the frame. During the next at-bat, an RBI single from first baseman Jason Rogers made the score 5-1.

 

One inning later, a solo homer from third baseman Mike Walker put the Stars up by five. For Walker, the homer was his second in as many games.

 

However, the Generals did not go down without a fight. With Pena out of the game starting the seventh, Jackson outfielder Denny Almonte welcomed Stars reliever Santo Manzanillo into the ballgame with a solo homer to cut the Stars lead to four. The next inning, a two-run single from outfielder James Jones off of Stars reliever Casey Medlen made the score 6-4.

 

Then, in the ninth inning, a leadoff homer from designated hitter Vinnie Catricala against Stars lefty Thomas Keeling made it a one-run ballgame.

 

However, Keeling settled down. Following a strikeout and a self-induced throwing error on a comebacker by Dowd, the 25-year-old southpaw retired the final two batters he faced to record his first save of the season.

 

The win for the Stars snapped a three-game losing skid overall.

 

On Thursday, the Stars and Generals will play game three of a five-game series at The Ballpark At Jackson. Huntsville will send RHP Taylor Jungmann (4-5, 4.82 ERA) to the bump as Jackson will counter with LHP Roenis Elias (2-4, 2.88 ERA). First pitch is at 7:05 CT.

[Mass Haas]

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