Spring Training Results (Three Exhibitions Tues., One Wed.)

[Mass Haas]

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www.al.com/sports/huntsvi...amp;coll=1

 

Stars come out early for exhibition against UAH

New faces on display as proceeds benefit Chargers

By PAUL GATTIS

Huntsville Times Sports Staff pgattis@htimes.com

 

It's professional baseball season again in Huntsville.

 

Well, sort of.

 

The Huntsville Stars will make their Joe Davis Stadium debut tonight at 6:05 in an exhibition game against the UAH Chargers.

 

It's a sort of extension of the spring training the Stars have been going through since late February at the Phoenix suburb spring headquarters of the parent club Milwaukee Brewers.

 

The Stars arrived in town on Monday and worked out at the stadium. Then there is today's seven-inning exhibition game, a Media Day on Wednesday before a bus ride to Pearl, Miss., near Jackson to open the season against the Mississippi Braves.

 

But tonight's game against the Chargers offers fans a sneak preview of the 2006 Stars - which feature a roster loaded with new faces.

 

Gone are familiar names such as Tony Gwynn Jr. and Brandon Gemoll, as well as the former prospects - such as Prince Fielder, Corey Hart, J.J. Hardy and Rickie Weeks - who are now a part of the present for the Brewers.

 

The new names that will soon be familiar include highly regarded catcher Lou Palmisano.

 

Those new names will squeeze in the exhibition game while also getting moved into their apartments and familiarizing themselves with the trappings of Memorial Parkway in preparation for the next five months.

 

"This is a good opportunity for our guys to get one final preseason game under their belts before our opener (Thursday) in Mississippi," said Tom Van Shaack, who is back for his second season as the Stars general manager.

 

"It's something (UAH baseball coach Lowell Mooneyham) and I have talked about since last spring."

 

The game will also benefit the UAH baseball team financially. The Stars will donate 50 percent of the $5 general admission and $1 parking fees to the Chargers.

 

"Fundraising can be a headache at the Division II level," Mooneyham said. "It's tough, and the Stars were good enough to help us, and that says something about them."

 

A significant difference to a typical minor league spring training game will be that the Stars batters will face Stars pitchers and UAH batters will face their own pitchers.

 

The Stars will start the 2006 season at Mississippi with a five-game series - a new twist this season in the Southern League that will allow fans to see the entire starting rotation of an opponent.

 

The Stars open at home a week from tonight with a five-game set against the Birmingham Barons.

[Mass Haas]

Sounds site:

 

The defending Pacific Coast League champion Nashville Sounds will renew their annual rivalry with the Belmont Bruins this spring with a pre-season exhibition game on Tuesday, April 4 at 6 p.m. at Greer Stadium.

 

The game, which offers Music City its first look at the 2006 Sounds squad, features free admission for all fans.

 

The Division I Bruins, who play the majority of their home schedule at Greer, are a member of the 11-school Atlantic Sun Conference.

 

The teams will meet for the seventh time in the last nine years. The Sounds have won all six previous meetings, including a 9-4 victory last season.

 

The Nashville Sounds open their 2006 regular season with an eight-game road trip to Omaha and Iowa from April 6-13 before returning to Greer Stadium on Friday, April 14th for their 7:00 p.m. home opener against the Oklahoma RedHawks, the Triple-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers.

[Mass Haas]

West Virginia Site:

 

www.wvpower.com/news/deta...?newsID=56

 

The West Virginia Power, Class A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers will play an exhibition game against Shawnee State on Tuesday, April 4 at Appalachian Power Park, two days before Opening Night.

 

On Tuesday, April 4, the Power will host an exhibition game against Shawnee State beginning at 7:05pm. The Shawnee State University Baseball Team, led by Coach Tom Bergen, is coming off a 21-20-1 2005 season. The 2006 team features 12 returning players as well as 16 newcomers providing the Bears a mix of experience and young talent.

 

The Power and Shawnee State will play a full nine-inning game with minor league baseball rules. Tickets to the event are $3 dollars and all tickets are general admission. The West Virginia Power are also utilizing this exhibition game to help local high schools with their fundraising efforts.

 

NCAA and SSAC rules prohibited the West Virginia Power from playing any local college or high school teams.

[Mass Haas]

Manatees Site:

 

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

 

The Brevard County Manatees will host the Florida Tech Panthers in an exhibition game before the 2006 season begins. The game, scheduled for Wednesday, April 5th, at 7:00 pm at Space Coast Stadium, will be free to the public.

The Panthers are members of the Sunshine State Conference. Florida Tech, located in Melbourne, FL, is headed up by Coach Paul Knight, in his 4th season with the Panthers.

 

"This is a great opportunity to expose some of the best baseball Brevard County has to offer. The Brevard County Manatees and the Florida Tech Panthers offer many residents in Brevard County an outstanding opportunity to watch great baseball. We're looking forward to playing at Space Coast Stadium, one of the best facilities in the state, and giving the Manatees a great game before they open up their season," said Knight.

 

Immediately following the game the Manatees will have a meet the team/autograph session.

 

"We're pleased to be able to host this game with Florida Tech. Not only will it give our 2006 squad a chance to practice under the lights on our home field, but the Panthers are truly first class competition. We're thankful that Coach Knight and his team have partnered with us. Our parent club, the Milwaukee Brewers, have always been strong supporters of community events throughout the organization and this event again shows their commitment to the Space Coast region," Buck Rogers, Manatees General Manager added.

 

The 2006 Florida State League season will begin on Thursday, April 6th with the Manatees traveling to Daytona Beach to face the Cubs in a four-game series. The Manatees home opener at Space Coast Stadium is scheduled for Monday, April 10th, at 7:00 pm against the Palm Beach Cardinals.

[Mass Haas]

Looks like the teams scrapped the plans to face their own pitchers in this game -- interesting point about Drew Anderson here as well...

 

Link while active, text follows:

 

www.huntsvillestars.com/n...newsId=773

 

Stars Sharp in Exhibition Game

 

Greg Sain homered and drove in four runs to power the Stars past the University of Alabama-Huntsville 10-1 Tuesday night in a seven inning exhibition game at Joe Davis Stadium. A crowd of 598 turned out to help raise funds for the local school and to get their first look at the 2006 double-A affiliate of the Brewers.

 

The Stars broke open a scoreless game with seven runs in the second inning, highlghted by a two-run single by Guilder Rodriguez and a two-run double by Drew Anderson, who led the Florida State League with 158 hits last season. Sain capped the rally with a run-scoring single and blasted a three-run home run in the next inning. He was the Southern League home run champion in 2004 after belting 28 with Mobile.

 

The Chargers scored their lone run in the fourth inning when Blake Haym singled, moved to third on a hit and run single and crossed the plate on a Ryan Bowerman sacrifice fly.

 

Jeff Housman started and went two scoreless frames for Huntsville and gave up three hits. Stephen Bray, Matt Yeatman, Alec Zumwalt and Joe Winkelsas all tossed an inning of scoreless relief.

 

The Stars open the 2006 season Thursday night in Pearl, Mississippi against the Braves. Follow all the action by listening live throughout the season locally on ESPN Radio 1450 AM and throug the internet at www.huntsvillestars.com.

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

www.nashvillesounds.com/n...ewsId=1885

 

Sounds Warm Up For Season With 10-0 Win

 

NASHVILLE, Tenn. ? Six Nashville hurlers combined on a five-hit shutout as the Sounds picked up a 10-0 victory over the Belmont Bruins in a seven-inning exhibition contest on Tuesday evening at Greer Stadium.

 

Dana Eveland started for Nashville and tossed a perfect inning. Dennis Sarfate followed with a scoreless second and was awarded the victory. Wilton Chavez threw two scoreless frames, Chris Demaria posted a perfect fifth, Jason Kershner logged a goose egg in the sixth, and Mitch Stetter wrapped things up with a scoreless seventh.

 

Returning infielder Chris Barnwell paced the Nashville offense, going 3-for-3 with three RBIs and two runs scored. He missed hitting for the cycle by a home run before being pulled during a planned defensive switch in the fifth inning.

 

Outfielder Tony Gwynn made a strong debut in a Sounds uniform, driving in three runs during a 2-for-4 evening. Jermaine Clark, another new Sound, went 2-for-2 with two runs scored, and Dave Krynzel added a multiple-hit effort with a 2-for-3 night that included a double.

 

Nashville batted around in the bottom of the second against Belmont starter Wes Alsup and took a 4-0 lead. The Sounds scored the first run of the contest when catcher Mike Rivera, who opened the inning with a walk, scored on a wild throw by Alsup while the right-hander attempted to throw out Clark on a bunt single. One batter later, Barnwell ripped a two-run triple to deep center to score Brent Abernathy and Clark. Gwynn followed with an RBI single to right that upped the Sounds? advantage to 4-0.

 

The Sounds added five more in the third with a two-out rally against Belmont reliever French Hobbs. Gwynn struck again, delivering a two-out, two-run single to increase the lead to 6-0. Krynzel plated Gwynn with an RBI double before third baseman Vinny Rottino smacked a two-run homer to left to push the Sounds ahead by a 9-0 margin.

 

Barnwell came within a homer of the cycle in the fourth when his two-out RBI single brought home Brad Nelson to give Nashville its final 10-0 lead.

 

The defending Pacific Coast League champion Sounds depart for Omaha, Nebraska tomorrow and will open their 2006 regular season on Thursday evening at 7:05 p.m. against the division-rival Omaha Royals at Rosenblatt Stadium.

 

Right-hander Ben Hendrickson, who spent the entire with Nashville and went 6-12 with a 4.97 ERA in 28 games, will make the Opening Day start for the Sounds. Omaha will counter with PCL veteran right-hander Kyle Snyder.

 

Box Score:

Vinny Rottino couldn't catch a few innings of this one?

 

www.nashvillesounds.com/n...ewsId=1886

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

www.al.com/sports/huntsvi...amp;coll=1

 

Stars look prime in exhibition

Huntsville hands UAH10-1 setback in exhibition at Joe Davis Stadium

By PAUL GATTIS

Huntsville Times Sports Staff pgattis@htimes.com

 

Maybe it wasn't exactly edge-of-your-seat baseball but it worked for both teams.

 

The Huntsville Stars appear ready to start the 2006 season and the UAH Chargers had a lot of fun.

 

And that's how Tuesday night's exhibition game at Joe Davis Stadium between the Stars and the Chargers played out as the Stars scored a 10-1 victory in the seven-inning game before a crowd of 598 at Joe Davis Stadium.

 

The Stars certainly appeared prime to open the season Thursday at Mississippi in putting the game away with seven runs in the third inning. And UAH, in the words of coach Lowell Mooneyham, enjoyed "the experience of a lifetime" in playing against the pros.

 

Greg Sain hit a three-run homer and drove in four runs to lead the Stars while Drew Anderson was 3-for-4 with two runs scored and two runs knocked in.

 

"Our last game against another team was last Saturday," Stars manager Don Money said. "It was nice to play somebody else. We got good pitching and got a chance to get our feet wet.

 

"Maybe some of the guys got some of the jumpiness out off their system. A game is a game."

 

But it quickly became a lopsided game when the UAH pitchers lost sight of the strike zone.

 

In allowing seven runs in the second, Charger pitchers walked five batters and hit a sixth. Guilder Rodriguez and Anderson each knocked in two runs in the second.

 

"Other than the walks in the second, we played OK," Mooneyham said. "Maybe (the pitchers) were a little bit nervous against (the Stars) compared to the caliber of hitting they're used to facing."

 

The Stars added three more runs in the second on Sain's three-run blast to left field. Sain was 3-for-4 with four RBIs and two runs scored.

 

But Sain, who hit 28 home runs for Mobile in 2004, is nursing a sore hamstring and was playing his first game in a week. In fact, on a long drive off the wall in right in the first inning, Sain made it only to first base.

 

Meanwhile, the Stars used six pitchers and allowed nine hits and one run without walking a batter.

 

"That's what we stress," Money said of throwing strikes. "If you don't throw strikes, you see what (UAH) did (with the walks). I don't care what level you're in. If you throw strikes, we have a chance to catch it. We threw it over the plate and you saw what happened."

 

UAH scored its run in the fourth inning when Blake Heym singled and scored on a sacrifice fly by Ryan Bowerman.

 

Mooneyham employed 19 of his 22 position players.

 

"It was a memorable event for our guys, especially with the way the year has been going," said Mooneyham, whose team is 9-27 so far. "It was the experience of a lifetime for a lot of these kids.

 

"We tried to get everybody in the game."

 

From David Weiser's

 

www.starsboxscore.com/

 

(Link includes box score)

 

The Huntsville Stars opened the 2006 season with a 10-1 exhibition victory over the UAH Chargers on a pleasant, but cool night before 598 fans, many of whom chose to pay $4 for parking even though the paper said $1 and cheer for the Chargers, who are 9-27 in Division II play this year, one of the worst seasons for them in many years......... Playing a professional team for the first time, the results are hardly surprising.........

 

After Greg Sain got UAH starter Daniel Jasper out of a 1st-and-3rd, one out pickle by hitting into a double play in the 1st, the Stars took advantage of the wildness and poor defense that has marked the UAH misfortunes this season......... Jasper, Dustin Davenport (2-2, 7.79), and Jordan Steele (0-4, 2.70) combined to walk eight batters in three innings, five of them coming in a seven-run 2nd for the Stars. Jasper (1-2, 6.08) was charged with four of those runs and was chased after going 0-and-2 on leadoff hitter Callix Crabbe........ The big blows were a two-run single by Ozzie Chavez. (Guilder Rodriguez, despite other reports, didn't come on until the 3rd inning) and a two-run double by left fielder Drew Anderson, who went 3-for-4......... With 2 out and Anderson on 2nd, Steve Moss's hard hit grounder went under the glove of Tony Rogowski into left field for an error that scored Anderson. Moss, who reached 2nd on the throw, then scored on a long single off the right-center field wall. After Jose Acuna grounded to short, three straight walks forced in Sain with the 7th run........ Sain finished the scoring for the Stars in the 3rd inning with a two-out, three-run HR by Sain off the second wall in left-center field......... UAH made it 10-1 in the 4th inning on a long fly ball by Ryan Bowerman (3, 13, .299) to Anderson in left in front of the warning track. That scored Blake Heym (6, 21, .336), who led off with a hard single up the middle off Gerrit Simpson........ Jeff Housman was the winning pitcher for the Stars, and although his line won't show it, he didn't look impressive out there. Of the nine pitches he threw in the 1st inning, only four were for strikes and they were all hit off the bat and the first two batters for UAH singled. A soft liner that Sain turned into a double play saved him. The 2nd inning was a little smoother, with a strike 'em out-throw 'em out double play getting him out of the inning....... Matt Yeatman was particularly impressive among the five relievers, striking out the side in the 5th, his fast ball topping at 92 mph, according to the gun on the scoreboard.

 

The game was a fundraiser for UAH. Their next game is Saturday against Montevallo while the Stars are on the road in Mississippi.......... Thursday, Ben Sheets has the honor of the first starting assignment as the Stars kick off their 2006 season. He is on a 50-pitch count........ He becomes the 2nd major league pitcher on a rehab assignment to take on that role for the Stars in their history. In 1999, Cal Eldred made the first of two starts for the Stars as they began their Milwaukee Brewer era......... It will be Sheets' first appearance for the Stars since June 8, 2000, when he pitched six innings, giving up three hits in a loss to Carolina.

[Mass Haas]

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www.nashvillecitypaper.co...s_id=48949

 

Sounds down Belmont, prep for season opener

By Nate Rau, Nashville City Paper Sports Correspondent

 

In the last inconsequential game of the spring, Nashville defeated Belmont 10-0 Tuesday in the Sounds? exhibition opener at Greer Stadium.

 

The Sounds open the regular season Thursday in Omaha. Although the victory over their Greer Stadium co-tenants doesn?t mean anything, the team?s performance against BU could be indicative of the sort of team Nashville has in 2006.

 

The Sounds displayed plenty of good pitching, solid defense and a healthy dosage of small ball. The team, which is without the services of star prospects Prince Fielder, Rickie Weeks and Corey Hart ? who are now all in the big leagues ? is hoping to hang its hat on pitching, speed and defense.

 

?Last year, it was the quote unquote ?Prospect Team,?? Sounds first baseman Brad Nelson said. ?This year we have more veteran guys who definitely know how to play the game.?

 

Although several of the top prospects have been promoted to Milwaukee, the cupboard is not bare this year in Music City. The starting rotation in particular is loaded with talent featuring three players on Milwaukee?s 40-man roster (Dana Eveland, Ben Hendrickson and Dennis Sarfate). Another member of the rotation is promising prospect Zach Jackson, who was acquired from Toronto in the Brewers? trade of Lyle Overbay.

 

Against Belmont, Eveland got the start and threw a scoreless first inning and Sarfate followed with a scoreless second. For the game, Sounds pitchers allowed just five hits including none for extra bases.

 

?Four of our starting pitchers will be young guys, but I think we?re a little more talented in that area as far as the youth is concerned,? Sounds pitching coach Stan Kyles said.

 

Versatile veterans who can play several positions highlight the rest of the roster. That?s a plus, because Manager Frank Kremblas likes to shuffle his lineup and try players at several positions. Brent Abernathy, Jermaine Clark and Chris Barnwell are veteran infielders who will be used in a variety of roles.

 

Barnwell was stellar against BU, finishing a home run shy of hitting for the cycle. He went 3-for-3 with three RBIs.

 

Speed is another strength. Outfielders Dave Krynzel, Tony Gwynn Jr. and infielder Zach Sorensen each had over 20 stolen bases in 2005. Gwynn, who finished 2-for-4 with two RBIs against BU, had 34 last year.

 

?We definitely have plenty of speed, whereas last year was more of a power team,? Krynzel said.

 

The Sounds collected six extra-base hits against the Bruins ? highlighted by a line-drive home run to left field by third baseman Vinny Rotino. Nelson Cruz, Krynzel, Barnwell and Nelson all added doubles.

 

With all the exhibition games out of the way, the team is eager to start playing for real and begin defense of its 2006 Pacific Coast League championship.

 

?Oh yeah,? Hendrickson said when asked if the team was excited for the regular season to begin. ?That?s what spring?s for but now it?s for the games to count. It doesn?t matter if you gave up 50 runs or throw a no-hitter [in exhibition games], it doesn?t count for anything.?

[Mass Haas]

West Virginia Site:

 

POWER OFFENSE EXPLODES IN WIN OVER SHAWNEE STATE

 

The West Virginia Power scored runs in each of the first five innings of Tuesday Night?s exhibition game against Shawnee State University, and defeated the Bears by the final score of 9-1.

 

The Power scored three times in the first inning to take the lead, and never looked back. Mat Gamel knocked in the first run on an RBI groundout, and Angel Salome followed with a two-run homer to give the Power a 3-0 lead. Kenny Holmberg provided the Power with a run in the bottom of the second inning with an RBI single to give the Power a 4-0 advantage.

 

Gamel hit the second Power home run of the game with a solo shot in the bottom of the third inning to make it a 5-0 lead. Shawnee State?s lone run came in the fourth inning when Ryan Rowland knocked in Justin Craft on an RBI groundout.

 

Lorenzo Cain drove in Darren Ford with a base hit in the bottom of the fourth inning, making it a 6-1 Power lead. The Power then scored three more runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to seal the deal. Ned Yost drove in the first run on a sacrifice fly, and Michael Brantley and Holmberg contributed with RBI singles.

 

Rafael Lluberes earned the victory and Jonathan Venters obtained the loss. The Power used nine different pitchers through the course of the game, with each pitcher throwing one inning a piece.

 

The Power will begin the regular season on Thursday, April 6 against the Delmarva Shorebirds. Magnet schedules will be given away to the first 2,500 fans through the gates. The first pitch is scheduled for 7:05 PM (6:05 Central).