Link Report for Games of Thursday, July 6th

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

www.helenair.com/articles...706_01.txt

 

Mustangs run roughshod over Brewers

By JEFF WINDMUELLER - Independent Record Sports Writer

 

The Helena Brewers suffered more errors than hits Thursday and fell to the Billings Mustangs 8-0 at Kindrick Legion Field.

 

The Brewers had five errors to just three hits against the Pioneer League?s North Division leaders. The Brewers are now 7-10 while the Mustangs jump to 11-5.

 

Not even the hour-long rain delay in the top of the third inning could give Helena a break from a Billings club that had timely hitting and solid pitching.

 

Mustangs starter Dane Mason had two strikeouts and a no-hitter before the delay and extended his performance even further into the fifth inning, ending his perfect game when he hit Chris Errecart in the batter?s box.

 

It was the first time a Helena batter got on base.

 

?(Mason) threw strikes, that?s the key,? said Mustangs manager, Rick Burleson. ?When you can locate like he did you?re going to be successful.?

 

And his relievers were too. Kevin Gunter had a rough sixth inning against the Brewers, loading the bases for Stephen Chapman, the Brewers top hitter.

 

But Gunter was able to strike out Chapman and then Andy Bouchie to end the inning. Jeremy Burchett closed the last two innings with only one hit for the Mustangs.

 

The Brewers, meanwhile, didn?t have as much luck defensively.

 

In the first inning, Jordan Swaydan missed Billy Rojo?s grounder to third for an error, then pitcher Roque Mercedes errored on a pick-off attempt to first. A wild pitch brought the runner to third and Justin Turner brought him home off a shallow-hit ball into centerfield.

 

Turner would eventually come in off a double to centerfield by Chris Valaika, and Drew Stubbs would bring Valaika home on a nearly identical double as well.

 

The Mustangs scored twice more in the third after the inning was interrupted by the delay. Danny Dorn and Drew Stubbs both scored in that inning, Stubbs batted in Valaika once again in the seventh and Logan Parker and Valiaka came home in the ninth off a bloop to right field by Jason Lowsma.

 

The Mustangs finished with 11 hits on the evening and no errors.

 

Two of the Brewers? three hits came in the sixth-inning jam that loaded the bases for Gunter. Taylor Green and Chuckie Caufield singled after David Parker walked. The final hit came in the eighth when Green singled to third.

 

Swaydan had two of the team?s errors, but it was the first time that the Brewer played at third base. Swaydan is listed as a catcher, one of five on the squad.

 

The Brewers will face Billings again at Kindrick Legion, today beginning at 7:05 PM (8:05 Central).

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

www.wvgazette.com/section.../200607071

 

Power splits K-filled twin bill

By Jim Workman

For The Charleston Gazette

 

The Toastman really got a workout on Thursday night ? and early this morning.

 

Power pitchers struck out 27 Asheville batters in a late-night doubleheader against the Tourists in a South Atlantic League doubleheader before 5,537 fans at Appalachian Power Park. The teams split, with the Power winning the first game 5-1 and Asheville taking the nightcap 9-5 in 10 innings.

 

Power starter Will Inman struck out 10 batters in just five innings work in the first game of the doubleheader to pace the Power.

 

In the second game ? both were scheduled seven-inning contests ? Asheville scored six runs in the 10th to rally for the win. Eric Young Jr. doubled in a run while Travis Becktel singled in a run to make it 5-3. Christopher Cook provided some insurance for the Tourists with a grand slam that sailed over the left-field fence just past the midnight hour.

 

The Power answered with two runs in the bottom of the 10th but came up short. Tony Festa crossed the dish on an error and Darren Ford delivered an RBI single to cut the Asheville lead to 9-5. But the Power ran out of gas at 12:19 a.m. when the final out was recorded.

 

Dexter Fowler got the scoring started in the third inning to give the Tourists a 1-0 advantage.

 

The Power rallied for three runs in the fourth however to take a 3-1 lead. Mat Gamel tied it at 1-1 by stroking an RBI single to right. Michael Bell followed immediately with an RBI single, a flair to right, and Ken Holmberg drew a bases-loaded walk to round out the scoring.

 

The Power missed more scoring opportunities in the fourth and fifth when the bases were left loaded.

 

Asheville plated two runs in the sixth to tie it at 3. Becktel popped an RBI double and later scored from third on a wild pitch.

 

The Power moves to 46-37 overall and 7-7 in the second half. Asheville is 45-40 overall, 10-4 in the second half.

 

In the 5-1 Power win in the first game, Inman (4-1) gave up just three hits and walked just one. Power reliever Dane Renkert gave up an unearned run in the sixth as Hurricane, West Virginia native Daniel Carte singled, scoring a run when Power catcher Nestor Corredor dropped the ball upon contact with the runner. Renkert contributed another four Ks.

 

Eight different Tourists batters went down via the punchout, prompting a flurry of toast showers.

 

Bell and Holmberg were the offensive stars for West Virginia. Bell collected three hits including a double and an RBI while Holmberg went 2-for-3 with a double and three RBIs. Tony Festa added an RBI single in the fifth.

 

Xavier Cedeno (5-5) took the loss for Asheville.

 

The Power will conclude the current homestand tonight with a 7:05 game with Asheville (6:05 Central). It will be the final game in Charleston for the Tourists this season.

 

Asheville manager Joe Mikulik has reached a level of familiarity with sports fans of late following his recent lengthy, colorful argument with an umpire that made several national sports highlight shows ? which also resulted in a 10-game suspension. He endured many friendly and imaginative heckles over the four-game series in Charleston.

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

www.al.com/barons/birming...amp;coll=2

 

Lights shine of Broadway

DOUG SEGREST

Birmingham News staff writer

 

Yovani Gallardo, the Huntsville Stars' 20-year-old pitching prodigy, hasn't allowed an earned run in three Southern League starts.

 

It didn't matter Thursday night. Shortstop Milko Jaramillo dropped a routine pop fly in the fifth inning, allowing Birmingham's Thomas Collaro to score the game's first run.

 

That's all the help Barons starter Lance Broadway needed. The former TCU star pitched eight shutout innings as the Barons snapped a two-game losing streak with a 2-1 victory.

 

Striking out seven and scattering six hits, Broadway (5-6) demoted the Huntsville offense from legendary to ordinary.

 

Keep in mind, Broadway tamed an attack that scored 21 runs in the first two games of the series and averages 11 runs for each of its five wins at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium.

 

"He pitched a darn good ball game," pitching coach Richard Dotson said. "He got ahead, he got his breaking ball over for strikes."

 

The Barons improved to 10-8 with the victory and remained one game off the pace off first-place Montgomery in the Southern League's South Division.

 

Huntsville dropped to 7-11 before a crowd of 4,334 at the Met.

 

For most of the season, Broadway and fellow starting prospects Ray Liotta and Tyler Lumsden have vied for the "wow" factor. ESPN's Peter Gammons predicted the trio would be the key to the success of the Chicago White Sox for years to come.

 

Thus, each time out is a chance for one to get the upper hand on the others.

 

"It's always a friendly rivalry," said Broadway. "But everyone wants to be the ace."

 

That designation goes to Lumsden, tonight's starter.

 

For now.

 

"The good thing is, I don't have to challenge them," Dotson said. The competition for ace status "is already on. In fact, all five guys in our rotation have the potential to help the big-league team.

 

"I think Lance took a step forward tonight, though. When you have a two-game skid where no one is pitching well, you need someone to step up. He did."

 

The Barons threatened to blow the game open twice in the late innings. Chris Getz led off the seventh with a triple, but was stranded. An inning later, Cory Aldridge legged one out, as well, and scored on Collaro's third hit of the game, a double that smoked the left fielder.

 

"He's more comfortable," hitting coach Andy Tomberlin said of the red-hot Collaro. "He's swinging at better pitches and he's learned to make adjustments at the Double-A level. He's picked us up a lot the last 10 days."

 

As for Huntsville's Gallardo (0-1), he left in the fifth with his streak without allowing an earned run extended to 18 2/3 innings.