Link Report for Saturday 9/10 -- Two Big Playoff Victories

[Mass Haas]

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

[Mass Haas]

Saturday's Daily Menu:

 

All starts Central Time --

 

Nashville: RHP Dennis Sarfate at home vs. Oklahoma (Rangers), 5:40 PM pre-game, 6:00 gametime -- Redhawks lead best-of-five series, 2-1

 

Audio link:

www.nashvillesounds.com/listenlive/

 

Nashville Site Gamecast Feed:

www.nashvillesounds.com/live/xlive.htm

 

Helena: RHP Simon Beresford at home vs. Billings (Reds), 7:00 PM -- Brewers lead best-of-three series, 1-0

 

Audio link (opponent's):

www.billingsmustangs.com/

[Mass Haas]

Follow Saturday's action as it happens:

 

Nashville:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_nasaaa_1

 

Helena:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_helrok_1

[Mass Haas]

Nashville Media Notes for Saturday (PDF format):

 

www.nashvillesounds.com/pdf/notes.pdf

[Mass Haas]

In progress: Nashville 3, Oklahoma (Rangers) 1, bottom of the 5th in Nashville

Nelson Cruz's two-out, two-run HR in the 4th gives the Sounds the lead; Trent Durrington's leadoff HR in the 5th pads the lead; Dennis Sarfate seven K's through five innings...

[Mass Haas]

In progress: Helena 3, Billings (Reds) 2, after three innings

Amazing 2B Kenny Holmberg 2-for-2, that's now 6-for-7 in the series; Simon Beresford has induced a GIDP in each of the first three innings...

[brewcru1]

Two outs in the 8th and the Sounds still lead 3-1.

 

Rottino and Gary Pettis tossed after a bad call at first base. Shocking to me that Rottino would get tossed as he is pretty mild mannered from what I hear.

[Mass Haas]

Final: Nashville 3, Oklahoma (Rangers) 1

Best-of-five series tied 2-2...

 

Nashville Box Score:

Jeff Bennett closes it out; all the details from the Sounds site shortly...

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_nasaaa_1

 

Nashville Game Log:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_nasaaa_1

[Mass Haas]

Nashville Site Game Summary:

 

Link for Dennis Sarfate's Sounds photo, text follows --

 

www.nashvillesounds.com/n...ewsId=1800

 

Sounds, RedHawks To Decide Series Sunday

NASHVILLE ? The Nashville Sounds accomplished the task at hand on Saturday evening at Greer Stadium, staying alive in the PCL American Conference Finals by posting a 3-1 victory over the visiting Oklahoma RedHawks to extend the series to a fifth and final game.

 

The teams will compete for a berth in the PCL Championship Series at 6 p.m. on Sunday evening at Greer.

 

Nashville starter Dennis Sarfate (1-0) turned in his third consecutive solid effort for the Sounds, picking up the win by holding the RedHawks to one run on four hits while fanning seven over five innings. The victory was the righthander?s third in three career playoff starts.

 

Four Sounds relievers combined to log four scoreless frames behind Sarfate, anchored by closer Jeff Bennett?s 1 2/3 shutout frames as the Middle Tennessee native picked up his second save of the postseason.

 

Oklahoma center fielder Ruddy Yan, who hit the game-winning home run in Friday night?s game, spotted the RedHawks a 1-0 lead with an RBI single off Sarfate in the top of the fourth inning, driving in Rashad Eldridge.

 

Nelson Cruz powered Nashville to a 2-1 lead when he crushed a two-out, 3-2 offering from Oklahoma starter Kelvin Jimenez the opposite way for a go-ahead two-run homer to right-center. The blast, which brought in Brad Nelson, was Cruz?s first of the postseason.

 

AUDIO: Nelson Cruz's Two-Run Homer

 

www.nashvillesounds.com/a...209-10.mp3

 

Trent Durrington upped the home team?s advantage to 3-1 with a leadoff solo shot off Jimenez in the bottom of the fifth.

 

Jimenez (0-1) was saddled with the loss after giving up three runs on seven hits, including a pair of homers, over his 4 1/3 frames.

 

Sounds third baseman Vinny Rottino was ejected from the game in the bottom of the seventh inning for arguing after he beat out an infield single but was called out by first base umpire Dave Aschwege.

 

The teams wrap up the five-game series with a 6 p.m. rubber match on Sunday evening at Greer Stadium. Right-hander Mike Meyers (7-4, 5.31 in regular season) will take the hill for the Sounds to face Oklahoma southpaw Michael Tejera (3-2, 3.79 in regular season).

[Mass Haas]

Nashville Pre-Game Players Chat With Infielder Warren Morris:

 

www.nashvillesounds.com/a...209-10.mp3

[pogokat]

helena now up 5-2

[Mass Haas]

In progress: Helena 5, Billings (Reds) 4, 7th inning stretch in Helena

Listen in!

[WV Brew]

5-4. The Crew gave away two runs last inning.

[WV Brew]

7-4 after 7. 2 out run scoring single by Ned Yost and a dropped tag out at home by the Billings catcher.

[WV Brew]

Congratulations to your 2005 Northern Division Champion Helena Brewers. Brandon Parillo shut the Mustangs down the last two innings.

[JoeHova]

woot! on to the next round for Helena. I hope Angel can lead them to the title in his MVP year.

[Mass Haas]

Final: Helena 7, Billings (Reds) 4

H-Crew takes best-of-three series, 2-0...

 

Link while active, text follows:

 

www.helenair.com/articles...105_01.txt

 

Brewers crowned division champs

By KEVIN SHIVELY - IR Sports Writer

 

The Helena Brewers are division champs, and are on their way to the league championship series.

 

The Brewers wrapped up their best of three tournament early on Saturday, beating the Billings Mustangs 7-4 to win their second straight over the Billings club.

 

Helena will now travel to Utah, where they will face either the Orem Owlz or Ogden Raptors Tuesday.

 

Orem and Ogden are tied at one apiece and will play game three of the southern division championship today.

 

"We don't know who we're playing yet so it could be hard to study them, but its going to be a good series," said Helena catcher Clay Blevins. "You really can't take anyone in this league lightly. We didn't take Billings lightly and it's a good thing. They were a tough team."

 

The Mustangs outhit Helena 12-10, but stranded ten runners on base, where Helena only stranded seven.

 

Helena's biggest scare was in the top of the seventh when Brandon Roberts led off with a stand-up triple, and Jarrett Reininger doubled to score Roberts. Reininger scored on the same play off a throwing error by Freddy Parejo, bringing the Mustangs within one.

 

The Brewers squashed their own fears in the bottom half of the inning when Ryan Crew singled and scored on a single from Ned Yost and Mat Gamel scored when second baseman Michael De Jesus threw the ball away.

 

"We were just trying to stay level and focused," said Blevins. "But you've got to give some credit to Billings. We were going back and forth. It seemed like anytime one of us scored, so did the other team."

 

Simon Beresford started on the mound and pitched into the fourth, allowing two earned runs. Mathew Kretzschmar took over in the fourth, striking out seven and picking up the win.

 

Brandon Parillo came in in the eighth and got the save.

 

Orem and Ogden will square off today and then Helena and the winner in the south will get a one-day break before playing on Tuesday and coming back for game two in Helena Thursday night.

 

Helena Box Score:

Kretzschmar and Parillo strand all five of their inherited runners -- nice; only four of the Billings outs came on pop-ups or fly balls, again, nice; it doesn't matter how the lineup has been shuffled, the top of the order has been lethal all season...

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_helrok_1

 

Helena Game Log:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_helrok_1

[Mass Haas]

Two playoff games, two stints as a designated hitter for Angel Salome.

 

It'll be interesting to see if he is "trusted" as the backstop in any of the league championship games. With all due respect to a defensively polished college kid like Brad Willcutt, Angel at DH screams out a concession that there's a ton of work for him to do in instructionals.

[Mass Haas]

Link (for photo as well) while active, text follows:

 

tennessean.com/apps/pbcs....328/SPORTS

 

Sounds keep playoff hopes alive

Cruz's two-run homer in fourth ties series 2-2

By CHIP CIRILLO

Tennessean Staff Writer

 

Nelson Cruz isn't ready for the season to end. Neither are his teammates.

 

The Sounds beat Oklahoma 3-1 last night to keep their season alive in the PCL American Conference playoffs.

 

Nashville tied the best-of-five series 2-2 in front of a crowd of 3,775 at Greer Stadium. The final game is set for tonight at 6 at Greer.

 

The winner advances to the PCL Championship Series against the winner of the Sacramento-Tacoma series.

 

Cruz's two-run homer on a full count with two outs in the fourth inning rallied Nashville from a 1-0 deficit.

 

"It's awesome. I don't want to go home yet," Cruz said. "I want to keep going. We never give up. We hit at the right moments."

 

Oklahoma was the highest-scoring team in the PCL during the regular season, but four Nashville pitchers combined to strike out 11 and hold the RedHawks to five hits.

 

Nashville's Dennis Sarfate allowed only one run and four hits in five innings in his second career Triple-A start. He has a 3-0 career record in the postseason, including two wins with Single-A Beloit in the 2003 Midwest League playoffs.

 

Sarfate got out of a bases-loaded jam in the first inning after Rashad Eldridge took a called third strike.

 

"The guys battled a lot today," Sounds catcher Julio Mosquera said. "Sarfate started a little erratic in the beginning of the game, but he came back strong after he got focused.

 

"All of the relievers came in and did their job."

 

Sounds closer Jeff Bennett, a former Gordonsville High star, earned the save by retiring all three batters in the ninth. He struck out Keith McDonald for the final out.

 

Things looked grim for Nashville after the Sounds lost the previous two games, putting the team on the brink of elimination.

 

Oklahoma took a 1-0 lead in the fourth on a two-out RBI single by Ruddy Yan, the No. 9 hitter in the RedHawks' batting order.

 

Nashville rallied for a 2-1 lead in its half of the inning when Cruz belted a two-run homer to right center. Cruz had only six hits in his final 48 at-bats of the regular season, but four were homers.

 

Leadoff hitter Trent Durrington hit a leadoff homer in the fifth, increasing the Sounds' lead to 3-1.

 

What they said: "Sarfate threw the ball pretty well. He pitched out of some trouble, which is normal for him. We played good defense, and got two big hits." ? Sounds Manager Frank Kremblas.

 

Chip Cirillo is a staff writer for The Tennessean. He can be contacted at 259-8240 or ccirillo@tennessean.com.

[colbyjack]

I was thinking the exact same thing about Salome when I saw him as a DH in the box score. At this point in the season, winning takes a priority over development, and the Brewers clearly don't feel comfortable with Salome behind the dish.

 

By the way, there is a nice feature on Salome in the most recent issue of BA.