Link Report for Games of Tuesday, May 30th

[Mass Haas]

http://www.brewerfan.net/images/store/dailylinkreport.jpg

[Mass Haas]

Tuesday's Daily Menu: Four helpings of "home" cookin'!

 

All times Central; pitchers subject to change --

 

Nashville: RHP Ben Hendrickson at home vs. Iowa (Cubs), 6:40 PM pre-game, 7:00 gametime

 

Audio link:

www.nashvillesounds.com/listenlive/

 

Huntsville: RHP Travis Phelps at home vs. West Tenn (Cubs), 6:50 PM pre-game, 7:05 gametime

 

Audio link:

www.espn1450.com/

 

Brevard County: RHP Josh Wahpepah at home vs. Daytona (Cubs), 6:00 PM

 

Audio link (opponent's):

voiceoftherepublic.com/live.asx

 

West Virginia: LHP Derek Miller at home vs. Lakewood (Phillies), 5:55 PM pre-game, 6:05 gametime

 

Audio link:

www.sportsjuice.com/provi...e=wvpower.

[Mass Haas]

Follow Tuesday's action as it happens:

Here's what you do, right click on each of the links below and choose "Open in New Window". Activate the Nashville Gameday. For the other links, choose "Log". While you're listening to your minor league game of choice (or watching/listening to the big league Crew when they are playing), simply refresh your game log browsers every so often. It's sweet!

 

Nashville:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_nasaaa_1

 

Huntsville:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hunaax_1

 

Brevard County:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_breafa_1

 

West Virginia:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_wvaafx_1

[Mass Haas]

This link will be included in each daily report when the Nashville Sounds and/or Huntsville Stars are scheduled to play. Normally it is updated an hour or two prior to gametime:

 

Nashville Media Notes (Adobe .pdf format):

 

www.nashvillesounds.com/pdf/notes.pdf

 

Following Nashville's lead, Huntsville now makes its media notes available as well, nice:

 

www.huntsvillestars.com/i...eNotes.pdf

[Mass Haas]

Standings through Monday's action:

 Pacific Coast League (AAA) - American North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [b]Nashville 28 23 .549 - 16-8 12-15 W1[/b] Iowa 22 27 .449 5.0 12-13 10-14 L1 Omaha 20 31 .392 8.0 13-14 7-17 W1 Memphis 18 32 .360 9.5 11-13 7-19 L1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Southern League (AA) - North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chattanooga 33 19 .635 - 20-7 13-12 L1 West Tenn 30 22 .577 3.0 12-13 18-9 W2 Carolina 26 26 .500 7.0 15-10 11-16 W1 Tennessee 24 28 .462 9.0 15-12 9-16 L1 [b]Huntsville 20 31 .392 12.5 9-17 11-14 L11[/b] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Florida State League (A+) - East Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- St. Lucie 28 21 .571 - 14-13 14-8 W3 [b]Brevard County 26 23 .531 2.0 12-10 14-13 W2[/b] Daytona 25 25 .500 3.5 15-10 10-15 L2 Palm Beach 24 25 .490 4.0 11-13 13-12 L1 Jupiter 21 28 .429 7.0 10-15 11-13 W1 Vero Beach 19 31 .380 9.5 11-14 8-17 L2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- South Atlantic League (A) - Northern Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lexington 31 19 .620 - 19-9 12-10 W2 Delmarva 30 19 .612 0.5 16-9 14-10 L2 Greensboro 27 23 .540 4.0 19-9 8-14 L1 [b]West Virginia 26 23 .531 4.5 15-11 11-12 W2[/b] Lakewood 26 24 .520 5.0 14-9 12-15 L2 Lake County 24 27 .471 7.5 12-13 12-14 W1 Hickory 21 27 .438 9.0 11-11 10-16 W3 Hagerstown 18 32 .360 13.0 9-11 9-21 L7

[Mass Haas]

Yo, yo, Yovani!

 

Look where Mr. Gallardo sits on Baseball America's Prospect Hot Sheet this week:

 

www.baseballamerica.com/t...61475.html

[Mass Haas]

Nashville Pre-Game (from Monday) Audio Chat with First Baseman Brad Nelson:

 

www.nashvillesounds.com/a...205-29.wma

[And That]

Look where Mr. Gallardo sits on Baseball America's Prospect Hot Sheet this week:

 

And look where Jeremy Sowers, the guy taken directly after Mark Rogers in the '04 draft, sits. He'd be nice to have around right now.

[brewmann04]

Sowers was a college Pitcher if i remember correctly.

[PrimetimeHater]

Yes, from Vanderbilt....he and Cappy could have played chess together.

[homer]

Well the two guys picked right before Rogers aren't really doing anything either.

[Mass Haas]

Huntsville Site Update:

Link, text follows --

 

www.huntsvillestars.com/n...newsId=856

 

Stars Game Postponed

 

Tonight's game between the Stars and West Tenn Diamond Jaxx was postponed because of a flooded first base dugout after heavy rain fell in Huntsville two hours prior to the original start time of 7:05. The rains lasted 45 minutes and dumped a tremendous amount of water on the playing field and dugouts and the first base dugout was not draining quickly enough to allow the game to go on as scheduled.

 

The Stars will send right-handers Travis Phelps and Carlos Villanueva to the mound and the Diamond Jaxx will counter with left-hander Chris Shaver and right-hander Randy Wells. The doubleheader will begin at 6:05 p.m. on Wednesday evening.

 

Tickets for Tuesday's game will be honored at any other Stars home game during the rest of the 2006 season and can be redeemed and exchanged at the Joe Davis Stadium box office.

[homer]

Lil Ben so far - 6IP, 8K, 0BB, 1H

[1e Corbeau]

Ben Hendrickson: 4A pitcher.

 

How annoying...

 

7 IP 2H 0R 2BB 9K 1.69 ERA on the season.

 

Geez!

[SheetsCyYoung04]

7 IP 2H 0R 2BB 9K 1.69 ERA on the season.

 

On the bright side, it can only help what little trade value he has at this point. Hopefully, a change of scenery will do Ben well and notch the Brewers a good reliever (I can dream). Ben did good in his incredibly short stint as a long man. I would not mind seeing him get another oportunity at that role, if he struggles there, who cares the game is probably already over.

[wibadgers23]

Salome now batting .317 with 6 homeruns and 41 rbi's. Mat Gamel with 3 errors tonight and 21 on the season. Also nice to see Gwynn continue to hit well.

[bullox]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I think I read somewhere that Gamel is German for DH.

[bork]

Stanczyk has been horrible lately. Seems like he went in a tailspin when he was bumped from the Power 50.

 

The organization has fallen below .500 for the year tonight at -1.

 

Miller really can't do much more to earn a promotion. Maybe they're waiting for mid-season?

[Team Canada]

I hope Ben gets his head straight sometime. This is crazy.

[Mass Haas]

Final: West Virginia 11, Lakewood (Phillies) 5

 

West Virginia Site Game Summary:

 

Power score six in the seventh to beat Lakewood

 

Mike Bell provided the go-ahead run on an RBI single and Mat Gamel put the icing on the cake with a three-run homer in a six-run seventh inning for the Power as they went on the beat the Lakewood BlueClaws by the final score of 11-5 at Appalachian Power Park on Tuesday night.

 

The Power scored first on Lorenzo Cain?s RBI single in the bottom of the first inning. Lakewood tied the game in the third on John Urick?s sacrifice fly. Lakewood took their only lead of the game in the fourth inning on Fidel Hernandez?s run-scoring single. The Power scored three runs in the bottom of the fourth on three consecutive two-out RBI singles from Darren Ford, Michael Brantley and Angel Salome. One of Ned Yost?s four hits was an RBI single in the top of the fifth inning to put the Power up 5-2.

 

Lakewood scored three times in the seventh to tie the game. Urick was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to plate the first run, Lou Marson walked with the bases loaded to score the second run and Sean Gamble knocked in the final run on an RBI groundout. The Power scored six times in the bottom of the seventh to take the lead for good. Bell gave the Power the lead on a pinch-hit RBI single. Brantley walked with the bases loaded to bring in a run, Salome knocked a run in on a sacrifice fly and Gamel finished off the seventh with a three-run homer, his ninth of the year.

 

Wil Laureano (3-1) pitched two scoreless innings to earn the win, and Michael Zagurski (2-3) obtained the loss. The Power are 27-23 after the win and the BlueClaws fell to 26-25 with the loss.

 

The Power will take Wednesday off and then start a four game series against the Lake County Captains at Classic Park in Eastlake, Ohio on Thursday night. Lake County will start right hander Albert Vargas (4-5, 3.61) and the Power will counter with left hander Dave Welch (1-3, 3.44). The first pitch is scheduled for 7:05 PM (6:05 Central).

 

***

Link while active, text follows:

 

www.wvgazette.com/section.../200605311

 

Gamel atones for errors in Power win

By Tommy R. Atkinson

Charleston Gazette Staff writer

 

When the top of the first inning was finished Tuesday, Mat Gamel probably wished he could stay in the dugout for the rest of the night.

 

The West Virginia Power third baseman committed two errors in the first, but more than made up for his miscues with a three-run home run to help propel the Power past the Lakewood (N.J.) BlueClaws 11-5. A paid crowd of 2,729 attended the South Atlantic League Northern Division matchup at Appalachian Power Park.

 

The Power (27-23) snapped a 5-all tie after batting around in the bottom of the seventh inning, scoring six runs to take an 11-5 lead. Gamel came through with the big blow to help the Power win its third straight in the four-game series.

 

After working a 1-1 count, the 6-foot, 205-pound redhead muscled the next pitch over the right-field wall for a two-out, three-run homer.

 

The first inning wasn?t a harbinger of things to come from Gamel. He allowed Lakewood?s leadoff hitter to reach after failing to come up with a lazy chopper and, two batters later, he didn?t get his glove down on a ground ball to left field to load the bases. Gamel accounted for all of his team?s three errors, adding a bad throw wide of first in the eighth.

 

Gamel?s teammates picked him up as catcher Nestor Corredor, who made his first start since joining the team Monday, threw out a base runner at second and starter Derek Miller ended the threat with a strikeout and groundout.

 

?Oh no, God help me,?? said Gamel of his reaction after the first inning. ?Sometimes that?s how it goes. Hopefully I?ll limit that. I was kind of pressing the whole night, trying to do a little too much to make up for it. Finally I let it go and settled in there.??

 

Gamel?s only hit of the night turned out to be his ninth homer of the season. The 21-year-old Jacksonville, Fla., resident belted a grand slam and finished with five RBIs in Monday?s 10-8 come-from-behind win. Gamel, the Milwaukee Brewers? fourth-round draft pick in last June?s amateur draft, entered Tuesday?s play with a team-best .316 batting average.

 

Gamel?s hot bat helped the Power win the last three games against Lakewood (26-25). West Virginia was coming off a road trip where it dropped three out of four against the Kannapolis (N.C.) Intimidators, who own the worst record in the league.

 

?We?re playing as a team and stringing hits together, which we didn?t do at Kannapolis,?? said Gamel. ?It?s good to see that we?re starting to do that again.??

 

Power leadoff hitter Darren Ford went 2-for-3 with three runs scored and three walks. Michael Brantley pounded out a pair of hits and two RBIs and Angel Salome drove in two runs.

 

Ned Yost turned in a 4-of-5 performance while Corredor added three hits, including a double that just missed being a two-run homer by a few feet. Power reliever Wilfredo Laureano (3-1) earned the win with two shutout innings. Miller did not figure in the decision but allowed only two earned runs on five hits in six innings.

 

Power points

 

West Virginia only had two extra base hits among its 16 hits. ... Yost continued his hot streak, reaching base in eight of his last 10 plate appearances. ... The Power is off today and hits the road for a four-game set beginning Thursday against the Lake County Captains at Eastlake, Ohio. West Virginia is on the road because the state high school baseball tournament begins its three-day run at Appalachian Power Park Thursday. The Power returns June 5 for a brief two-game homestand against the Hagerstown (Md.) Suns before embarking on a five-game road trip.

 

West Virginia Box Score:

Speedster Darren Ford on base all five plate appearances -- wonderful...

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_wvaafx_1

 

West Virginia Game Log:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_wvaafx_1

[Mass Haas]

Final: Iowa (Cubs) 2, Nashville 1

 

Nashville Site Game Summary:

Link for Ben Hendrickson photo, text follows --

 

www.nashvillesounds.com/n...ewsId=1978

 

Sounds Drop Homestand Opener To I-Cubs, 2-1

 

NASHVILLE, Tenn. ? Iowa left-hander Rich Hill struck out 14 batters, the most by a PCL hurler this season, over seven scoreless innings to lead the visiting Cubs to a 2-1 victory over the Nashville Sounds on Tuesday evening at Greer Stadium in the opener of a four-game series.

 

Hill (2-1), who retired 16 straight batters at one point, allowed only a pair of singles over his seven frames to earn the victory. His 14 K?s were two shy of the Iowa franchise record and the most by a Pacific Coast League hurler this season.

 

The one-run game was the eighth such contest of the 13 played between Iowa and Nashville this season. The Sounds? seven losses to the Cubs in 2006 have come by a cumulative 10 runs.

 

Tony Gwynn (triple, single) and Chris Barnwell (two singles) recorded the only hits on the evening for Nashville (28-24). The four knocks matched the club?s lowest output of the year. Sounds batters combined to strike out 17 times, matching the 2nd-highest single-game total in club history.

 

Iowa broke a scoreless tie with a pair of two-out runs in the top of the eighth inning. After the first two batters of the frame were retired, Ryan Theriot ripped his second double of the contest into the left field corner to chase Sounds starter Ben Hendrickson, who turned in his second consecutive solid performance from the hill.

 

Jason Kershner came on in relief for Nashville and walked Buck Coats before allowing an infield single to pinch-hitter Michael Restovich. Theriot rounded third on the play and scored without a throw to give the Cubs a 1-0 advantage. Micah Hoffpauir followed with a single up the middle to double the visitors? lead to 2-0.

 

Hendrickson (2-1) was nearly as impressive as Hill on the evening, holding the Cubs to one run on three hits over 7 2/3 innings while striking out a Sounds season-high 10 batters. After allowing a game-opening double to Theriot, the right-hander retired 18 consecutive Iowa batters before issuing a pair of walks in the seventh. Despite suffering the tough-luck loss, Hendrickson?s seasonal ERA dropped to 1.89 through six starts for Nashville.

 

The Sounds rallied to break up the shutout bid in the bottom of the ninth against Cubs reliever Michael Wuertz. With one out, Gwynn tripled off the right-center wall and scored a batter later when Barnwell ripped an RBI single to center off Wuertz.

 

AUDIO: Tony Gwynn's 9th-Inning Triple --

 

www.nashvillesounds.com/a...205-30.wma

 

Gwynn went 2-for-4 for the Sounds to extend his hitting streak to five games. He is batting a solid .388 (31-for-80) over his last 19 games.

 

Wuertz worked the final two innings for Iowa, allowing a run on two hits, to earn his third save of the year.

 

The teams continue the series with a 7 p.m. meeting on Wednesday evening. Right-hander Dennis Sarfate (2-2, 3.26) takes the hill for the Sounds to face Iowa southpaw Ryan O?Malley (3-2, 3.05).

 

***

Link while active, text follows:

 

www.nashvillecitypaper.co...s_id=50138

 

Hendrickson?s gem ends in loss

By Nate Rau, Nashville City Paper Sports Correspondent

 

Ben Hendrickson turned in another brilliant outing for the Nashville Sounds, but was one-upped by Iowa starter Rich Hill, who propelled the Cubs to a 2-1 victory on Tuesday.

 

Hendrickson threw 7.2 innings and allowed just three hits while striking out ten. But as good as Nashville?s ace pitched, Iowa?s was even better. Hill went seven innings, surrendered just two hits and struck out 14 Sounds batters. At one stretch, Hendrickson had retired 18 Iowa batters in a row, while Hill had a streak of 16 consecutive outs.

 

?Going out and throwing strike one is the key,? Hendrickson said. ?I threw all three of my pitches on both sides of the plate for strikes.?

 

Hendrickson exited the game after allowing a double to Ryan Theriot with two outs in the the eighth. He was spelled by Jason Kershner, who allowed an infield single to Iowa pinch hitter Michael Restovich, which plated Theriot. Iowa added an insurance run off Kershner Hoffpauir later in the inning.

 

Despite the loss, Hendrickson turned in his second straight stellar performance since being demoted by Milwaukee last week. Hendrickson has given up only four hits in his 14 innings since rejoining the Sounds. His ERA has dwindled to 1.89.

 

?Ben?s pitched good for us, especially his last two outings,? Sounds shortstop Chris Barnwell said. ?Any time you can hold a team to [three hits], you expect to get a win. On the other hand, the other guy?s doing the same exact thing.?

 

The Sounds (28-24) notched their only run in the bottom of the ninth when Tony Gwynn tripled and then scored off the bat of Barnwell. Gwynn and Barnwell accounted for all four Nashville hits.

 

Umps reach deal: The labor dispute between Minor League Baseball and its umpires ended Tuesday when the two sides ratified a new six-year collective bargaining agreement. The umps will return to the field on or before June 12.

 

Nashville Box Score:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_nasaaa_1

 

Nashville Game Log:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_nasaaa_1

[Mass Haas]

Final: Daytona (Cubs) 8, Brevard County 5

 

Brevard County Site Game Summary:

 

Spearman, Cubs drop Manatees

 

Jemel Spearman cranked a homer and drove in two runs to lead visiting Daytona past Brevard County, 8-5, on Tuesday.

Spearman, who also had an RBI single, blasted a shot to center field in the first inning to give the Cubs an early lead. Ryan Harvey and Nick Spears each collected two hits and two RBIs to help Daytona (26-25) snap a two-game skid.

 

Cubs center fielder Sam Fuld went 0-for-4, ending his hitting streak at 17 games.

 

Justin Berg (3-4) yielded three runs on five hits in five innings to notch the win, striking out seven and issuing two walks. Adalberto Mendez struck out four in the final two innings to earn his 10th save.

 

Manatees starter Josh Wahpepah (3-2) surrendered five runs on six hits over three innings to suffer the loss, issuing four walks without a strikeout.

 

Brendan Katin had a solo homer and four RBIs to lead the attack for Brevard County (26-24). -- Christopher Heine/MLB.com

 

Brevard County Box Score:

We've said it before, but reliever Bo Hall needs to be rewarded with a AA bump at some point; Brendan Katin rocks -- it's so fun to follow a power corner outfield prospect in this system -- the rarest of all assets since Brewerfan's inception in 2001...

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...p;sid=t503

 

Brevard County Game Log:

Just a crushing Hasan Rasheed GIDP to end the 7th...

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...p;sid=t503

[Mass Haas]

Link for Mike Rivera photo while active, text follows:

 

www.tennessean.com/apps/p...328/SPORTS

 

Sounds strike out against Iowa

Cubs pitcher records PCL-leading 14 K's

By JESSICA HOPP

Tennessean Staff Writer

 

On the day Minor League Baseball announced the end of its umpires' strike, two pitchers took the field at Greer Stadium ready with strikes of their own.

 

Iowa's Rich Hill and Nashville's Ben Hendrickson put on a pitching clinic Tuesday night, combining for 24 strikeouts and seven scoreless innings. But in the top of the eighth, Iowa scored a pair of runs en route to a 2-1 victory in front of 2,599 fans at Greer Stadium.

 

Nashville (28-24) has now lost four of its last five to the Cubs (23-27). The Sounds lost three of the four games in Iowa last week, before returning home to start Tuesday's four-game series.

 

It was tough to get through it last night as Hill recorded a Pacific Coast League season-high 14 strikeouts. The previous high was also thrown in Greer Stadium when Tacoma pitcher Francisco Cruceta struck out 11 Sounds in 6-2/3 innings on May 19.

 

"(Hill's) breaking ball was electric and his fastball was very alive," said Tony Gwynn, who collected two of the Sounds' four hits and scored Nashville's only run in the bottom of the ninth. "On the flip side we have to do a better job making adjustments at the plate."

 

The Cubs scored in the eighth when pinch hitter Michael Restovich hit an RBI single down the third base line. As the Sounds attempted to get the out at first base, Ryan Theriot kept running from second and sprinted in from third with the game's first run.

 

It marked the end of a solid outing by Hendrickson, who pitched 7-2/3 innings, giving up three hits, one run, two walks and collecting a Sounds season-high 10 strikeouts.

 

Jason Kershner replaced Hendrickson, but gave up an RBI-single to Micah Hoffpauir for a 2-0 lead.

 

The Sounds tried to rally in the bottom of the ninth, as Gwynn hit his second triple of the season with one out. Chris Barnwell drove in Gwynn with a single to make the score 2-1, but Barnwell was thrown out trying to steal second to end the game.

 

***

Link while active, text follows:

 

www.tennessean.com/apps/p...328/SPORTS

 

Umpires to return with higher salaries

By JESSICA HOPP

Tennessean Staff Writer

 

Minor League Baseball announced Tuesday it reached a new six-year collective bargaining agreement with its umpires, ending a strike that began April 6.

 

In the Pacific Coast League the striking umpires will not be back until June 12, which is the start of the Sounds' next homestand.

 

The end of the strike was good news to Sounds Manager Frank Kremblas, who earlier this year had expressed his concern about the replacement umpires with regard to the size of the strike zone.

 

"There was a difference and that was just experience at this level," Kremblas said Tuesday after the Sounds' 2-1 loss to Iowa. "I am happy that it's over and they got what they wanted."

 

Kremblas added that, in general, he thought the replacement umpires had improved as the season has progressed.

 

The new agreement for the Minor League umpires provides a $100 monthly salary increase and also increases the per diem given for meals in each year of the agreement, beginning with a $3 daily increase to $28 this year.

 

Before the new deal was reached, umpires reported their average salary as $15,000 at Triple-A, $12,000 at Double-A, $10,000 in full-season A-ball and $5,500 in rookie leagues.

 

No May heyday: The Sounds are not known for their May performances. With a 12-17 record so far this month, the team will record its seventh-consecutive losing May performance. The Sounds' final May game will be played against Iowa at 7 p.m. today.

 

Iowa has contributed significantly to this month's poor outings, handing Nashville five losses, including four in the last five games.

 

The Sounds started the month with a 7-4 loss to Iowa on May 1, and then dropped three to the Cubs in a four-game stand in Iowa starting May 26.

 

The last time Nashville had a winning record during May was in 1999 when it was 17-13. In 2005 the Sounds were 14-16 in May but went on to with the PCL title.

 

Two to AA: Milko Jaramillo and Brad Nelson will be assigned to the Brewers Double-A affiliate in Huntsville today, and Zach Sorensen will replace Jaramillo on the Nashville roster when he is activated from the disabled list.

 

Sorensen had right biceps tendinitis and was placed on the DL in mid-April. His only appearance for the Sounds was April 8, when he went 0-3.

 

The Sounds will also make an additional transaction to fill Nelson's roster spot today.

 

Restovich revives: Iowa's Michael Restovich has proven to be a big hitter for Iowa as of late. In the four-game series Nashville just completed in Iowa, he hit four home runs. Last night Restovich came in as a pinch hitter for second baseman Mike Fontenot and hit an RBI single to drive in Iowa's first run.

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

www.dailymail.com/news/Sp...006053117/

 

Power infielder makes up for glove with bat

Michael Dailey

Charleston Daily Mail sportswriter

 

A hot bat and a steady glove are very important attributes for any minor league baseball player.

 

Without them, players don't play for pay very long.

 

But sometimes the ability to forget a play or two during the long, grueling summer season is a player's strongest trait.

 

On Tuesday evening, the latter was true for West Virginia Power third baseman Mat Gamel.

 

After booting a pair of routine ground balls in the first inning, Gamel could have buried his head and bolted for the nearest exit.

 

Instead, the 20-year old Florida native shook off the early mistakes, continued to play his game and crushed a two-out pitch over the right centerfield fence with a pair of teammates on the bases.

 

One night after hitting a grand slam against the same team, Gamel's three-run blast highlighted a six-run seventh inning and helped propel the Power to an 11-5 win over the Lakewood BlueClaws at Appalachian Power Park.

 

A crowd of 2,729 looked on as the Power improved to 27-23.

 

Lakewood dropped to 26-25.

 

"Things didn't go well early, but that's how it goes sometimes," said Gamel, a fourth-round selection in last year's June baseball draft. "I was thinking, ?God help me' after the errors, but I wasn't really down.

 

"I could feel myself pressing a little. I was trying hard all night to make up for it."

 

For good measure, Gamel added a third error in the eighth inning, but by then the Power had already sewn up the win.

 

And Gamel wasn't the only one doing damage with his bat. The Power pounded out 16 hits against five different Lakewood pitchers.

 

Ned Yost led all hitters with four hits, while Nestor Corredor chipped in with three.

 

Outfielders Darren Ford, Michael Brantley and Lorenzo Cain each added two hits, while combining to score five runs with four RBI.

 

On the mound for the Power, starter Derek Miller didn't figure in the decision but pitched six strong innings, allowing just five hits and a pair of earned runs.

 

"It wasn't too bad considering I had a little adversity," said Miller of his performance. "My stomach was hurting through the first five innings, but it started feeling better before the sixth.

 

"It stopped hurting after the fifth inning and that's what helped me convince them to let me go out for the sixth inning."

 

Robbie Wooley allowed a hit, two walks and three runs without recording an out in the seventh inning, before giving way to Wilfredo Laureano.

 

Laureano (3-1), who picked up the win in tossing two hitless innings, gave way to Joe Thatcher, who worked a perfect ninth.

 

West Virginia will take today off before beginning a four-game road trip against Lake County on Thursday. The first pitch in that game is scheduled for 7:05 PM (6:05 Central) at Classic Park, with the Captains' Albert Vargas (4-5, 3.61) on the mound against the Power's Dave Welch (1-3, 3.44).

 

Charleston Daily Mail Photo: Bob Wojcieszak

The West Virginia Power?s Mat Gamel (center) is congratulated by his teammates after hitting a three-run home run in the bottom half of the eighth inning Tuesday against the Lakewood BlueClaws. The Power won, 11-5.

 

http://www.dailymail.com/images/0531power.jpg