Link Report for Wed. 9/7 -- Nashville Begins Its Playoff Run

[Mass Haas]

Missoula's in a wild one tonight; if the Osprey lose, then Helena clinches the second half crown in addition to their first half title, and I believe that nets them an extra home game in the post-season, but not sure on that one...

 

You can check the Missoula box score here during the overnight:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_bilrok_1

[Mass Haas]

Nashville Pre-Game Audio Players Chat With Infielder Tony Zuniga:

 

www.nashvillesounds.com/a...%209-7.mp3

 

Nashville Game Audio -- Jeff Bennett Records Final Out Of Game:

 

www.nashvillesounds.com/a...%209-7.mp3

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

www.helenair.com/articles...805_04.txt

 

Brewers lose, still win title

By KEVIN SHIVELY - IR Sports Writer

 

The Helena Brewers couldn't keep their win streak going for more than two games, but thanks to some good luck, they still finished first in the league.

 

The Brewers lost 7-3 to Great Falls Wednesday night, but Missoula also lost, and with one game left for each team, the Brewers are still two games up, locking in the second half of the season.

 

Helena will play their last regular season game with Great Falls tonight and start their first playoff series against Billings Saturday.

 

"We'll be alright," said Brewers designated hitter Kenny Holmberg. "We should come back tomorrow. We all want to pick up a win going into the playoffs."

 

The Brewers held a 3-0 lead after four innings, but a four run fifth and three run eighth gave Great Falls a comfortable advantage.

 

It wasn't that Great Falls outhit Helena. The Brewers had 11 hits to the White Sox 10, and there wasn't a single extra base hit by either team.

 

The Sox were just able to get their hits with runners on base.

 

In the fifth, J.J. Schmidt and Mike Landry hit a pair of singles off pitcher Tyler Morrison to start the inning. Schmidt scored on an error and then a single off the right field wall from Matt Tribble scored two more runs.

 

After the fifth, the Sox didn't have a hit until the eighth, when five two-out singles in a row brought their run total to seven.

 

The Brewers scored once in the second inning on an RBI single from Freddy Parejo off pitcher Paul Moviel.

 

In the fourth, Holmberg started the inning with a textbook bunt up the third baseline, and scored on a single from Stephen Chapman. Parejo had another RBI to score Ned Yost.

 

Holmberg and Yost each had a pair of hits in the game, ad catcher Clay Blevins was 3-for-4.

 

Moviel (4-1, 4.04) pitched into the fifth inning when he injured his ankle making a play to first and took himself out of the game.

 

The two teams will meet again tonight for their last regular season game.

 

The Brewers will give the nod to right hander Ryan Marion, and Great Falls will send lefty Travis Doyle to the mound.

 

The first pitch is scheduled for 7:05 (8:05 Central).

 

Jon Ebelt IR Staff Photographer - The ball bounces away from Helena first baseman Ned Yost, left, as Great Falls baserunner Eric Hollis sprints to the bag Wednesday at Kindrick Legion Field. Hollis would advance to second on the misplay by the Brewers.

 

http://www.helenair.com/content/articles/2005/09/08/sports_top/b01090805_04.jpg

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

www.nashvillecitypaper.co...s_id=44219

 

Bennett saves Sounds against RedHawks

Nashville City Paper Staff report

 

Who needs Prince Fielder, Rickie Weeks or Corey Hart?

 

While the highly touted trio is helping the Milwaukee Brewers try to get to .500, the Nashville Sounds began their run at the PCL title Wednesday night. Nashville won Game 1 of the PCL American Conference playoffs, downing host Oklahoma 5-4 in Oklahoma City. The win means the Sounds are two wins away from the PCL Championship Series.

 

In addition to having their top three hitters in Milwaukee, the Sounds were deprived of two of their top relievers ? Jose Capellan and Kane Davis ? last month as well. That meant the closer?s duties fell squarely on the shoulders of Jeff Bennett, who delivered Wednesday.

 

Oklahoma had the tying run on third base and the winning run on first with two outs in the bottom of the ninth. But Bennett fanned RedHawks slugger Jason Botts with a heater to save the game and secure the win for the Sounds.

 

?I threw a couple of sliders early then figured there it didn?t make sense to trick him and went to the fastball,? Bennett said. ?He swung through a fastball for strike two so I figured I?d come back with it again.?

 

Starting pitcher Gary Glover earned the win for the Northern Division champs, who are up 1-0 in the best-of-five series.

 

Nashville got on the board with three runs in the top of the third and never trailed thereafter. Third baseman Vinny Rottino had a two-RBI base hit in the inning to get the Sounds going. Tony Zuniga followed with a double, which plated Rottino.

 

?You try to think of [playoff] games as just another game but you can?t,? Rottino said. ?In the playoffs, every at-bat is so important.?

 

Oklahoma answered with two runs in the third inning. In the fourth, Ryan Knox singled and scored to give Nashville some insurance. Nashville added another run in the sixth when catcher Mike Rivera doubled and eventually scored, but the RedHawks answered back with two more of their own in the bottom of the inning.

 

Knox paced the Sounds offense. He collected three hits and scored a run to lead Nashville.

 

Ben Hendrickson (6-12, 4.97 ERA) takes the hill tonight for the Sounds opposite MBA product R.A. Dickey (10-6, 6.07 ERA) for Oklahoma.