Link Report for Friday 6/10 -- Hinton, Iribarren All-Star's

 AM-NORTH DIVISION W L PCT GB [b]NASHVILLE SOUNDS (MILWAUKEE) 31 30 .508[/b] MEMPHIS REDBIRDS (ST.LOUIS) 30 30 .500 .5 OMAHA ROYALS (KANSAS CITY) 28 33 .459 3.0 IOWA CUBS (CHICAGO CUBS) 25 36 .410 6.0

 NORTH DIVISION W L PCT GB CAROLINA MUDCATS (FLORIDA) 40 18 .690 WEST TENN DIAMOND JAXX (CHICAGO CUBS) 39 20 .661 1.5 TENNESSEE SMOKIES (ARIZONA) 24 36 .400 17.0 [b]HUNTSVILLE STARS (MILWAUKEE) 24 37 .393 17.5[/b] CHATTANOOGA LOOKOUTS (CINCINNATI) 24 37 .393 17.5

 EAST DIVISION W L PCT GB VERO BEACH DODGERS (LOS ANGELES DODGERS) 34 24 .586 JUPITER HAMMERHEADS (FLORIDA) 33 26 .559 1.5 DAYTONA CUBS (CHICAGO CUBS) 28 28 .500 5.0 PALM BEACH CARDINALS (ST.LOUIS) 28 31 .475 6.5 ST. LUCIE METS (NEW YORK METS) 23 33 .411 10.0 [b]BREVARD COUNTY MANATEES (MILWAUKEE) 22 38 .367 13.0[/b]

 NORTHERN DIVISION W L PCT GB LEXINGTON LEGENDS (HOUSTON) 37 23 .617 HAGERSTOWN SUNS (NEW YORK METS) 35 24 .593 1.5 LAKE COUNTY CAPTAINS (CLEVELAND) 35 26 .574 2.5 KANNAPOLIS INTIMIDATORS (CHICAGO WHITE SOX) 31 30 .508 6.5 DELMARVA SHOREBIRDS (BALTIMORE) 26 35 .426 11.5 HICKORY CRAWDADS (PITTSBURGH) 21 37 .362 15.0 LAKEWOOD BLUECLAWS (PHILADELPHIA) 21 38 .356 15.5 [b]WEST VIRGINIA POWER (MILWAUKEE) 20 40 .333 17.0[/b]

Mass Haas · June 10, 2005

We've lost our coaching thread (at least for now), so we'll plug this in here:

Link while active, text follows:

www.dailymail.com/news/Sp...005061025/

Martin learned from Charleston experience

Michael Dailey

Charleston Daily Mail sportswriter

When 20-year old Norberto Martin arrived at Watt Powell Park in 1987, he wasn't exactly thrilled about the prospect.

Not that Martin, pronounced (MAR-teen), had anything against the already aging ballpark.

Instead, Martin's displeasure was with the Chicago White Sox.

As a second baseman in the Sox's minor league system, and with no roster spots available in the organization, Martin was shipped to the Charleston Wheelers, a first-year Class A South Atlantic League club with no Major League affiliation.

That meant Martin was part of a Wheelers squad that was peppered with players from different Major League organizations.

Not exactly the type assignment minor leaguers dream about.

"The Charleston Wheelers were like a co-op team," said Martin, now a 38-year old roving infield instructor for the Milwaukee Brewers, on Thursday night at Appalachian Power Park. "They sent me here because they didn't have a spot for me on another roster.

"They wanted me to play everyday, so they sent me here to do that.

"I was disappointed at the time, but it helped me."

Martin was able to turn what looked like a negative into a positive by batting .312 with 14 doubles, five homers and 35 RBI in 68 games with Wheelers.

His performance earned a midseason promotion to Class A Peninsula in the Carolina League.

After a year in the Class A Florida State League, Martin spent four seasons in Class AAA before making his Major League debut with the White Sox on September 20, 1993.

"That was a great feeling," Martin said. "It was in Anaheim. I pinch-ran for Robin Ventura and ended up scoring the winning run.

"Another special memory is when I hit my first home run.

"It was a grand slam at Camden Yards. I've seen a lot of players come and go and a lot of them didn't make it to the Majors. I've was very fortunate to get the opportunity."

In seven seasons with the White Sox, Anaheim Angels and Toronto Blue Jays, Martin batted .278 with three homers and 40 RBI, while playing second and third bases, shortstop and two outfield positions.

After playing in his final Major League game on May 4, 1999, Martin stayed close to the game while teaching youth baseball (ages 8-18) in New Jersey.

Last year, Martin joined the Brewers' organization as a hitting instructor at Helena in the rookie Pioneer League, before becoming a roving instructor this season.

For Martin, who now lives in Raleigh, N.C., with his wife and three children, roving not only keeps him closer to home, it also helps him give back to the game he loves.

"It's something that just happened," said Martin of his venture into coaching. "I never thought I would become a coach.

"The good thing about being a rover is that I'm in different cities every 12 to 15 days and then go back home for four. It gets me home.

"I have my wife and kids there, so it's good to go home."

Ironically, Martin's two worlds do intertwine, as he tries to use skills learned while parenting on the baseball diamond.

"Playing and coaching are two different things," said Martin. "I can tell them and show them what to do, but I can't play for them.

"In coaching, you've got to be patient. It's just like with your kids. If you punish your kids for every little thing they do, you're going to be punishing them all the time.

"You've just got to be patient with the players and work with them."

Working on the field, as he has been this week with West Virginia Power players, is exactly what Martin still loves to do.

"I'm just teaching what I learned," Martin said. "It's to give back what God gave me. Now, I want to see if I can help get some of these guys to the big leagues."

Former Major Leaguer Norberto Martin, a roving infield instructor for the Milwaukee Brewers, got his start with the Charleston Wheelers.

Charleston Daily Mail Photo: Craig Cunningham

http://www.dailymail.com/images/BackTown0610.jpg

Mass Haas · June 10, 2005

Right-handed reliever Robert Hinton the Power's only All-Star -- I can think of a couple of middle infielders who might have a gripe, but oh, those errors...

South Atlantic League All-Star Rosters:

Congratulations, Robert!

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...mc=_sal_05

Mass Haas · June 10, 2005

Nashville Media Notes for Friday:

www.nashvillesounds.com/pdf/notes.pdf

In progress: St. Lucie (Mets) 3, Brevard County 2, after six innings

Tim Dillard your starter; this one must have started earlier than the listed time...

DHonks · June 10, 2005

gotta be Baker's longest (and best) start of the year. congrats. So he's had one bad outing in has last 4 or 5, so that's encouraging

Mass Haas · June 10, 2005

Final: St. Lucie (Mets) 4, Brevard County 2

RHP Tim Dillard with Victor Santos-like run support this year...

Brevard County Box Score:

Swept away; first time in their last six losses the winning run didn't happen in the opponent's last at-bat...

 YTD YTD BREVARD COUNTY AB R H BI AVG ST. LUCIE AB R H BI AVG T.Ezi CF 3 0 2 1 .265 C.Ragsdale SS 4 0 1 0 .243 W.Campana 2B 3 0 0 0 .256 L.Milledge CF 4 1 2 0 .297 D.Anderson LF 4 0 1 0 .290 J.Slack LF 4 0 0 0 .263 A.Heether 3B 4 0 0 0 .279 A.Wilson 1B 4 1 2 2 .276 L.Palmisano DH 4 0 1 0 .246 J.Hill RF 4 1 2 0 .218 J.Eure 1B 4 0 0 0 .209 S.Bowman 3B 3 1 2 2 .202 C.Medlin CAT 3 0 1 0 .278 A.Turay DH 4 0 0 0 .201 O.Chavez SS 4 1 1 0 .237 K.Rios 2B 3 0 0 0 .145 R.Deevers RF 3 1 0 0 .162 Y.Garcia CAT 3 0 0 0 .175 T.Dillard PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 E.MacLane PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Lewis PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 T.Worthingto PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Hill PIT 0 0 0 0 .218 TOTALS 32 2 6 1 TOTALS 33 4 9 4 BREVARD COUNTY 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0- 2 6 0 ST. LUCIE 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 1 X- 4 9 2 E--L.Milledge, A.Wilson. DP--BREVARD COUNTY 0, ST. LUCIE 1. LOB-- BREVARD COUNTY 7, ST. LUCIE 6. 2B--J.Hill (11). HR--A.Wilson (10), S.Bowman (6). SB--L.Milledge (12). SF--T.Ezi. SH--W.Campana. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA BREVARD COUNTY T.Dillard (L,2-6) 7.0 8 3 3 1 4 1 2.92 J.Lewis 1.0 1 1 1 0 0 1 5.70 ST. LUCIE E.MacLane (W,4-3) 6.0 5 2 1 1 4 0 3.59 T.Worthingto 2.0 1 0 0 0 3 0 1.42 J.Hill (S,1) 1.0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0.00 WP--T.Dillard. SO--T.Ezi, W.Campana, D.Anderson, A.Heether, J.Eure, O.Chavez, R.Deevers, J.Slack 2, A.Turay, K.Rios. BB--C.Medlin, R.Deevers, S.Bowman. T--2:39. A--1292

Brevard County Game Log:

Very odd double-play ruined the Manatees' 3rd inning...

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_sluafx_1

Mass Haas · June 10, 2005

Final: Lexington (Astros) 7, West Virginia 4

West Virginia Box Score:

SS Alcides Escobar back in the lineup -- unfortunately, also back making errors, as does the Hurricane -- sad; six extra-base hits for the Power, not enough; the team may be young, but Josh Brady and Tony Festa need to start playing like 24-year-old's in low-A ball...

 YTD YTD LEXINGTON AB R H BI AVG WEST VIRGINIA AB R H BI AVG J.Ash 2B 3 1 1 1 .330 A.Escobar SS 4 1 1 1 .311 B.Triplett 3B 5 2 1 2 .253 H.Iribarren 2B 4 1 2 1 .317 H.Pence CF 4 0 2 1 .350 W.Lewis RF 3 1 2 0 .299 B.Zobrist SS 4 0 1 1 .290 C.Corporan CAT 4 0 1 1 .242 O.Sheldon 1B 3 0 0 1 .278 J.Brady 1B 4 0 1 1 .252 K.Vital DH 5 0 0 0 .179 A.Festa DH 4 0 0 0 .067 F.Caraballo RF 5 1 2 0 .279 J.Murray 3B 4 0 0 0 .191 M.Einertson LF 4 1 2 0 .223 H.Rasheed LF 4 1 1 0 .271 L.Santangelo CAT 2 2 1 1 .235 F.Parejo CF 3 0 0 0 .222 R.Martinez PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Baker PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 G.Murdy PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 R.Wooley PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Barnes PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 R.Hinton PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 35 7 10 7 TOTALS 34 4 8 4 LEXINGTON 1 0 0 0 0 0 4 2 0- 7 10 0 WEST VIRGINIA 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 1 0- 4 8 3 E--A.Escobar, H.Iribarren, C.Corporan. DP--LEXINGTON 0, WEST VIRGINIA 1. LOB--LEXINGTON 10, WEST VIRGINIA 4. 2B--B.Triplett (5), H.Pence (12), L.Santangelo (6), H.Iribarren (9), C.Corporan (7), J.Brady (9), H.Rasheed (2). 3B--A.Escobar (6), W.Lewis (2). SB--W.Lewis (4). CS--H.Iribarren. HBP--J.Ash, B.Zobrist. SF--O.Sheldon. SH--L.Santangelo. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA LEXINGTON R.Martinez (W,4-2) 6.0 6 3 3 1 5 0 5.05 G.Murdy (S,1) 3.0 2 1 1 0 3 0 3.18 WEST VIRGINIA J.Baker 6.0 4 1 0 1 3 0 7.33 R.Wooley (L,1-5) 0.1 0 3 3 2 0 0 6.51 J.Barnes 1.2 5 3 3 1 1 0 4.72 R.Hinton 1.0 1 0 0 1 2 0 2.70 HB--R.Wooley, R.Hinton. WP--J.Baker, R.Wooley. PB--C.Corporan. SO--B.Triplett 2, B.Zobrist, K.Vital, F.Caraballo, M.Einertson, A.Escobar, J.Brady 2, A.Festa 2, J.Murray 2, H.Rasheed. BB--J.Ash, H.Pence, O.Sheldon, M.Einertson, L.Santangelo, W.Lewis. T--3:00. A--5066

West Virginia Game Log:

Bullpen efforts simply blew up this contest -- ugh; Legend runner tried to score from first on an errant pickoff throw into the right field corner in the 2nd?

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_wvaafx_1

DHonks · June 10, 2005

but Josh Brady and Tony Festa need to start playing like 24-year-old's in low-A ball...

those two, Richardson, and Rasheed are 4 I expect much more from. Come on guys, get it going. At least maybe Braun will be there to help them soon

BillScottCanRake · June 10, 2005

Ho hum... two more doubles for Nelson Cruz... so far.

Mass Haas · June 11, 2005

Nashville Pre-Game Audio with Manager Frank Kremblas:

www.nashvillesounds.com/a...206-10.mp3

Final: Nashville 6, Iowa (Cubs) 5

Nashville Site Game Summary:

Late Fielder Blast Nets Sounds 6-5 Win In Iowa

DES MOINES ? Prince Fielder snapped out of an 0-for-10 hitless funk in a big way on Friday evening at Principal Park, belting a leadoff solo homer in the top of the ninth inning to propel the Nashville Sounds to a 6-5 victory over the Iowa Cubs.

Fielder?s shot, which came on the first pitch he received from Cubs reliever Ryan O?Malley, was an opposite-field bomb to left that broke a 4-4 tie. It was the slugger?s team-leading 13th blast of the season.

Audio Link of Fielder's HR:

www.nashvillesounds.com/a...206-10.mp3

Nashville catcher Mike Rivera, who went 3-for-5 on the evening, matched Fielder?s feat later in the ninth, swatting his second homer in the series to give the visitors an insurance run and a 6-4 lead. The solo shot off Travis Phelps was the backstop?s second roundtripper in a Sounds uniform.

Rivera's blast proved very helpful when Iowa's Scott McClain smacked a two-out solo homer off Sounds reliever Kane Davis in the bottom of the ninth to tighten the score to 6-5.

With the victory, Nashville (32-30) recorded its second consecutive last at-bat win over Iowa and retained its half-game lead over Memphis in the PCL American Conference Northern Division.

The win was the Sounds' 12th last at-bat victory of the year and the club's ninth in games in which they trailed in the seventh inning or later. Five of Nashville?s seven wins over the division-rival Cubs this season have come in the Sounds? last at-bat.

The Sounds jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning without the benefit of a hit. Trent Durrington led off the contest and reached second on a two-base fielding error on Iowa third baseman Nate Frese. After moving to third on a groundout, the Aussie scored on a wild pitch by Cubs starter Jerome Williams.

The Cubs responded quickly, plating two in the bottom of the frame on veteran outfielder Ben Grieve?s two-out, two-run homer off Sounds starter Ben Hendrickson to grab a 2-1 lead. The roundtripper to right-center was Grieve?s sixth of the season.

Nashville tied things up in the top of the second when Steve Scarborough plated Rivera with a two-out RBI single.

Iowa took the lead in the bottom of the seventh inning when Frese scored from first on an RBI double by pinch-hitter Trenidad Hubbard, which chased Hendrickson. One out and two pitchers later, Mike Fontenot plated Hubbard with an RBI infield single off Sounds reliever Andy Pratt to up the Cubs? advantage to 4-2.

Former I-Cub Kevin Orie continued to haunt his former team, tying the contest at 4-4 in the top of the eighth with a pinch-hit, two-run single off Iowa reliever Jon Leicester. The knock, his second pinch hit of the season, gave the infielder six RBIs against Iowa in the first two games of the series.

Davis (3-1) earned the victory after working the final two innings for the Sounds, while O?Malley (1-2) was tagged with the loss after allowing Fielder's blast in his lone frame of action.

The teams meet in the third game of the four-game set at 7:05 p.m. on Saturday evening. Left-hander Jeff Housman (2-5, 5.55) takes the hill for Nashville to face fellow southpaw Rich Hill (1-1, 5.27).

Nashville Box Score:

 YTD YTD NASHVILLE AB R H BI AVG IOWA AB R H BI AVG T.Durrington 2B 5 1 1 0 .264 C.Murray CF 4 0 0 0 .271 R.Knox CF 4 0 0 0 .227 M.Fontenot 2B 4 0 2 1 .291 P.Fielder 1B 5 1 1 1 .250 R.Cedeno SS 4 1 0 0 .354 B.Nelson LF 5 0 0 0 .243 B.Grieve LF 3 1 1 2 .264 C.Hart RF 5 1 1 0 .269 D.Kelton RF 4 0 1 0 .285 M.Rivera CAT 5 2 3 1 .300 M.Hoffpauir 1B 4 0 0 0 .278 C.Barnwell 3B 3 1 2 0 .254 T.Phelps PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 S.Scarboroug SS 4 0 2 1 .253 M.Johnson CAT 4 0 0 0 .250 B.Hendrkson PIT 3 0 0 0 .000 N.Frese 3B 3 1 1 0 .278 M.Meyers PIT 0 0 0 0 .500 J.Williams PIT 2 0 0 0 .000 A.Pratt PIT 0 0 0 0 .333 R.Rohlicek PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 K.Orie PH 1 0 1 2 .318 T.Hubbard PH 1 1 1 1 .310 K.Davis PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Leicester PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 R.O'Malley PIT 0 0 0 0 .333 S.McClain 1B 1 1 1 1 .266 TOTALS 40 6 11 5 TOTALS 34 5 7 5 NASHVILLE 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 2- 6 11 0 IOWA 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1- 5 7 2 E--M.Fontenot, N.Frese. DP--NASHVILLE 0, IOWA 0. LOB--NASHVILLE 11, IOWA 5. 2B--T.Hubbard (10). HR--P.Fielder (13), M.Rivera (2), B.Grieve (6), S.McClain (11). SB--C.Hart (9), R.Cedeno (7). SH--R.Knox. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA NASHVILLE B.Hendrkson 6.1 5 4 4 3 6 1 4.57 M.Meyers 0.1 0 0 0 0 0 0 6.17 A.Pratt 0.1 1 0 0 0 0 0 8.16 K.Davis (W,3-1) 2.0 1 1 1 0 2 1 2.78 IOWA J.Williams 6.1 7 2 1 0 6 0 2.45 R.Rohlicek 0.2 0 0 0 0 1 0 3.94 J.Leicester 1.0 2 2 2 2 1 0 6.05 R.O'Malley (L,1-2) 0.1 1 1 1 0 1 1 7.24 T.Phelps 0.2 1 1 1 1 1 1 5.23 WP--J.Williams 2. PB--M.Johnson. SO--T.Durrington, R.Knox, P.Fielder 2, B.Nelson 2, C.Hart 2, S.Scarboroug, B.Hendrkson, C.Murray, D.Kelton 2, M.Hoffpauir 2, M.Johnson 2, N.Frese. BB--C.Barnwell 2, S.Scarboroug, C.Murray, B.Grieve, N.Frese. T--2:58. A--9555

Nashville Game Log:

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_iowaaa_1

Mass Haas · June 11, 2005

Final: Huntsville 6, Chattanooga (Reds) 4

Huntsville Site Game Summary:

Link for Dennis Sarfate photo, text follows --

www.huntsvillestars.com/s...newsId=630

Dennis Sarfate spun 6 2/3rd innings of shutout baseball and belted his first home run of the season to help Huntsville past Chattanooga 6-4 Friday night in the first of a two-game set at Joe Davis Stadium. The Stars won their second straight over the Lookouts after dropping the first four games played between the teams to improve to 25-37, while the Lookouts dropped to 24-38. The Stars won back-to-back games for the first time since May 13 and 14 at Montgomery and for just the fourth time in their last 18 games on home soil.

Sarfate stranded two runners in each of the first two innings and retired the side in order over the next two. Brian Peterson led off the fifth with a single, advanced to second base on a sacrifice bunt, stayed put when Norris Hopper walked and was thrown out at the plate by Nelson Cruz on a base hit to right field by Junior Ruiz, his first in 15 at-bats since joining the Lookouts.

Josh Hall worked five scoreless frames for Chattanooga in his first appearance since May 25 after being sidelined with a pulled muscle in his rib cage. The right-hander struck out five and walked just one in his fourth start of the season and second against Huntsville. Eddie Valdez took over in the sixth and retired leadoff man Enrique Cruz on a ground ball out. Sarfate then tucked an 0-1 offering just inside the foul pole in left field for his second hit of the year and joined Manny Parra as the only Huntsville pitchers to hit home runs this season.

Valdez was touched for four runs in the seventh inning on run-scoring singles by Tony Zuniga, Kennard Bibbs and Tony Gwynn, Jr. and a fielder?s choice grounder by Enrique Cruz with the bases loaded that scored another run.

David Bradley, who got the final out in the seventh, opened the eighth on the hill and issued a one-out walk to D?Angelo Jimenez that was followed by a two-run home run by Kevin Howard, his sixth of the year. Bradley issued a walk to Jeff Bannon and hit Rick Asadoorian with two outs before being replaced by Khalid Ballouli, making his fifth appearance in relief. Ballouli walked Bryan Peterson to load the bases and Stephen Smitherman followed with a single to score two runs to trim the Stars lead to 5-4. Ballouli got out of the inning by retiring Norris Hopper on a fly ball and then set down the Lookouts in order in the ninth to earn his second save. The four runs charged to Bradley marked just the fifth time in 20 outings he had been scored upon and only the second during which he allowed more than one run.

The Stars tacked on a final run in the eighth when Nelson Cruz walked, moved to third base on a single by Brandon Gemoll and scored when Howard could not field a sharply hit ground ball by Zuniga, who was given credit for an RBI. Nelson Cruz finished with two hits in three at-bats and has hit safely in 13 out of 14 games during which he has gone 24-for-59 with seven doubles. Gwynn singled twice and walked twice and Bibbs had his second straight two-hit game.

The brief two-game series wraps up Saturday with the left-hander Parra getting the starting assignment against Lookouts left-hander Phil Dumatrait. Coverage of the game gets underway at 6:50 p.m. central time on ESPN 1450 AM and via the internet at www.huntsvillestars.com.

Huntsville Box Score:

Six walks drawn, no errors, nice game...

 YTD YTD CHATTANOOGA AB R H BI AVG HUNTSVILLE AB R H BI AVG N.Hopper RF 4 0 0 0 .349 K.Bibbs LF 5 0 2 1 .286 J.Ruiz LF 5 0 1 0 .059 A.Gwynn CF 2 0 2 1 .292 D.Jimenez SS 3 1 0 0 .218 V.Rottino CAT 4 0 0 0 .272 K.Howard 2B 5 1 3 2 .284 N.Cruz RF 3 2 2 0 .306 J.Bannon 3B 3 1 0 0 .272 B.Gemoll 1B 3 1 1 0 .233 B.Anderson 1B 3 0 0 0 .227 T.Zuniga 3B 4 1 1 2 .262 E.Valdez PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 C.Crabbe 2B 2 0 0 0 .228 J.Renick PH 1 0 0 0 .118 E.Cruz SS 4 1 0 1 .280 J.Schmidt PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 D.Sarfate PIT 2 1 1 1 .091 R.Asadoorian CF 3 1 1 0 .211 D.Bradley PIT 1 0 0 0 .000 B.Peterson CAT 2 0 1 0 .245 K.Ballouli PIT 1 0 0 0 .188 J.Hall PIT 0 0 0 0 .200 S.Smitherman 1B 1 0 1 2 .175 TOTALS 30 4 7 4 TOTALS 31 6 9 6 CHATTANOOGA 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0- 4 7 3 HUNTSVILLE 0 0 0 0 0 1 4 1 X- 6 9 0 E--K.Howard 2, B.Peterson. DP--CHATTANOOGA 2, HUNTSVILLE 1. LOB-- CHATTANOOGA 9, HUNTSVILLE 7. 2B--R.Asadoorian (8), N.Cruz 2 (15). HR--K.Howard (6), D.Sarfate (1). SB--J.Bannon (11), K.Bibbs (12). CS--A.Gwynn. HBP--R.Asadoorian. SH--J.Hall 2. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA CHATTANOOGA J.Hall 5.0 2 0 0 1 4 0 3.68 E.Valdez (L,1-3) 2.0 6 5 5 3 1 1 6.71 J.Schmidt 1.0 1 1 1 2 1 0 5.54 HUNTSVILLE D.Sarfate (W,5-3) 6.2 5 0 0 4 3 0 3.27 D.Bradley 1.0 1 4 4 2 1 1 2.39 K.Ballouli (S,2) 1.1 1 0 0 1 0 0 5.47 HB--D.Bradley. WP--D.Sarfate. SO--N.Hopper, J.Ruiz, J.Renick, B.Peterson, B.Gemoll, T.Zuniga, C.Crabbe, E.Cruz, D.Sarfate, D.Bradley. BB-- N.Hopper, D.Jimenez 2, J.Bannon, B.Peterson 2, S.Smitherman, A.Gwynn 2, N.Cruz, B.Gemoll, C.Crabbe 2. T--3:03. A--4958

Huntsville Game Log:

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hunaax_1

Mass Haas · June 11, 2005

Link while active, text follows:

www.al.com/stars/huntsvil...amp;coll=1

Lookouts can't solve Sarfate's bat or arm

Stars pitcher hits homer, throws scoreless innings

By PAUL GATTIS

Times Sports Staff pgattis@htimes.com

Any chance the Huntsville Stars could just take pitcher Dennis Sarfate and maybe Xerox about 23 copies of him?

He pitches: Sarfate tossed 6 2/3 scoreless innings Friday night against Chattanooga, allowing five hits and retiring eight straight Lookouts at one point.

He hits: Sarfate blasted a long home run down the left field line in the sixth inning to break a scoreless tie.

He wins: Sarfate led the Stars to a 6-4 victory over Chattanooga before a crowd of 4,958 at Joe Davis Stadium.

And in what's been a miserable slump for the past six weeks, the Stars have now won consecutive games for the first time since defeating Montgomery on May 9-10.

Not that it didn't get a little scary for the Stars just when it seemed a little safe after bumping the lead to 5-0 with four runs in the seventh inning - inspired, maybe, by Sarfate's slugging?

Once Sarfate was removed with two outs in the seventh and reliever David Bradley needed one pitch to record the third out, Chattanooga put four on the scoreboard in the eighth off Bradley.

The Lookouts also had the potential game-tying run at second base when Khalid Ballouli retired Norris Harper to end the inning and the threat.

But the play of the game was the towering shot hit by Sarfate - which left no doubt about its distance, only if it would be fair or foul. It remained just inside the foul pole, breaking a scoreless tie with one out in the sixth against Chattanooga reliever Edward Valdez (1-3).

The homer came off a most unlikely bat. Sarfate was 1-for-21 as a batter this season and struck out in the third inning.

Sarfate (5-3) has been much better as a pitcher and he likely hasn't been much better than he was Friday. He even hit 99 mph on the radar gun in the seventh inning and was consistently in the mid-90s.

Apparently determined not to be out-hit by their pitcher, the Stars strung together four hits and two walks for their four-run seventh inning. Kennard Bibbs and Tony Gwynn Jr. came through with consecutive run-scoring singles with two outs - hits that have been scarce as the Stars have gone 11-27 since May 1.

Tony Zuniga drove in the first run with an infield single in the seventh while Enrique Cruz knocked in the second on a fielder's choice.

Chattanooga rallied with its own four-spot, getting a two-run homer from Kevin Howard and a two-run single by Stephen Smitherman.

The Stars pushed across another run in the eighth. Nelson Cruz walked to lead off the inning and scored on a sharp grounder by Zuniga that was booted by Howard at second base. Ballouli closed the game out for his second save, retiring the last four hitters after allowing a walk and a single.

Mass Haas · June 11, 2005

West Virginia Site Game Summary:

The Lexington Legends entered the seventh inning of Friday night?s game trailing the West Virginia Power 3-1. The Legends scored four times in the inning and never looked back, beating the Power 7-4 at Appalachian Power Park.

The Legends scored the first run of the game in the top of the first inning on Hunter Pence?s RBI single. The Power tied the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the fourth inning on Josh Brady?s RBI single. The Power took the lead on Alcides Escobar?s RBI triple and Hernan Iribarren extended the lead on an RBI single making it 3-1 Power.

Bryan Triplett tied the game in the top of the seventh inning with a two-run double, Ben Zobrist provided the Legends with the lead on an RBI single and Ole Sheldon completed the four run inning with a sacrifice fly to make it 5-3 Legends. In the top of the eighth inning Mitch Einertson drove in a run on an RBI double and Jonny Ash knocked in a run on an RBI single to make it 7-3 Legends.

The Power scored the final run of the game on Carlos Corporan?s RBI double in the bottom of the eighth inning but it was too little, and too late.

Ronnie Martinez (4-3) earned the victory, Garrett Murdy (1) earned the save and Robbie Wooley (1-5) obtained the loss. The Power fall to 20-41 with the loss and the Legends move to 38-24 with the win.

The Power will begin a four game series against Lakewood on Saturday night at Appalachian Power Park. RHP Josh Wahpepah (2-3, 3.94) will throw for the Power and the BlueClaws will counter with RHP Carlos Carrasco (1-6, 6.02). The first pitch is scheduled for 7:05 PM (6:05 Central).

Mass Haas · June 11, 2005

Charleston Gazette:

The Hurricane's been added, apparently...

The West Virginia Power will be represented by second baseman Hernan Iribarren and reliever Robert Hinton at the 46th South Atlantic League All-Star Game June 28 in Augusta, Ga.

Iribarren is hitting .311 with 26 RBIs, 31 runs and 21 stolen bases through 57 games. Hinton has a 2-3 record with three saves and a 2.60 ERA. In 27 innings, the right-hander has 28 strikeouts and has walked nine.

Mass Haas · June 11, 2005

Link while active, text follows:

www.wvgazette.com/section.../200506112

Legends? late fireworks sink Power

By Mike Whiteford

Charleston Gazette Staff Writer

One of the intricacies of Class A baseball is tandem pitching ?two pitchers scheduled to divide the nine innings ? and the system has been both good and bad for the Power?s Josh Baker.

This season, Baker has worked in tandem with Robbie Wooley. Baker starts and Wooley relieves on a given day, and five days later they reverse the order and continue to alternate throughout the season.

Making his scheduled start Friday night, Baker did not allow an earned run through six innings and departed with a two-run lead, but watched as the Lexington Legends battered Wooley and the bullpen for a 7-4 victory at Appalachian Power Park.

A Fireworks Night crowd of 5,066 attended, giving the Power a two-night attendance of 15,169. The loss was the Power?s 11th in 14 games against the division-leading Legends this season.

After Baker left with a 3-1 lead, having allowed only four singles and an intentional walk, Wooley entered and walked two and hit a batter, opening the door to a four-run Lexington seventh inning and a 5-3 advantage. The Legends added two more in the eighth.

?Baker pitched his butt off,?? said Power pitching coach John Curtis. ?He did a beautiful job, keeping the ball down, changing speeds, keeping them off-balance and keeping us in the game.??

It seems that Baker, a Houston native and a fourth-round draft pick, performs better as a starter than as a reliever, but the tandem system is designed to distribute the pitching opportunities. In Class A, it?s important that as many pitchers as possible be given starting assignments.

In his last appearance, Baker took his turn out of the bullpen and suffered a miserable outing against Lakewood, surrendering six hits and six runs in just two innings. Wooley also works better as a starter, Curtis noted.

?I don?t know if it?s that they?re not warming up properly or whatever,?? he said, ?but if you look back over the history of this thing, [baker] has been hit when he?s coming in out of that second spot.??

?When he starts, he pitches a lot better,?? said Power manager Ramon Aviles. ?He?s a control pitcher and needs to use all his pitches. Sometimes coming out of the bullpen, he?s not able to do that, depending on the situation of the game. When he starts, he can use his breaking ball, his fastball, his changeup.??

The Legends, who rank second in scoring in the 16-team South Atlantic League, scored an unearned run in the first but nothing thereafter. Baker threw his breaking pitches for strikes and, after the early innings, kept the ball down, making life difficult for the hard-hitting Legends.

?When you throw the ball where you?re supposed to, you?re not going to get hit very hard,?? said Lexington manager Tim Bogar. ?I thought he mixed his pitches and changed speeds very well tonight. I was impressed with him.??

Through three innings, the Power was hitless, but Will Lewis tripled to right in the fourth and scored on Josh Brady?s double. The Power added two runs in fifth as Hasan Rasheed doubled, scored on Alcides Escobar?s triple and Escobar came home on Hernan Iribarren?s single.

POWER POINTS: The Power begin a four-game series with Lakewood beginning Saturday night at Appalachian Power Park. ... Baker entered Friday?s game with a 1-3 record and an 8.51 ERA. ... Average attendance through the first 29 openings is 3,619, which ranks fifth in the league. ... The tall steel poles recently installed outside the park along Brooks Street soon will hold netting to keep foul balls off the Interstate ramp. Also planned for the Brooks Street side is a lighted sign that will say ?Appalachian Power Park.??

Mass Haas · June 11, 2005

www.starsboxscore.com/

Battle for the Basement

You get the two lowest scoring teams with the worst record in the Southern League, and you get what you expect --- at least for the first six innings....... The threat of rain from Arlene didn't stop nearly 5,000 "fans" from stopping by at Joe Davis Stadium, Friday, for a free Dave Krynzel Bobblehead at the gate, if you got there early enough.......

With Saturday's game in jeopardy, and Sunday's to say the least, anyone named Arlene will get into Saturday's game free of charge. All they have to do is prove it with a valid ID at the ticket window........ After that was announced by the Voice of the Stars, Brett Pollock, he asked his compatriot in the booth, Bryan Neece, if he knew anyone named Arlene. Bryan said no. Brett said no, and they carried on this thread on the air for some time, unaware of the long-standing attendance of one of the Stars most loyal fans and Booster members, Arlene Deppensmith....... Arlene was quick to give the station's flagship 1450 a call to let them know, in the course, I'm sure, of trying to win a Kroger gift certificate......... Get to know the fans, guyzos. Commisserate with them. Say hello and know them by name. Steve Kornya saluted us on every broadcast and gave someone recognition every night and it endeared himself to the fans down below, who like to feel that they are part of the action.

The Stars made it two in a row at home for the first time since April 30-May 1 in a game that went along like a speeding express at times and chugged along after the top of the 7th like it was crawling up Lookout Mountain........ No one scored in the first five innings, but while Josh Hall was breezing through the Stars order, Dennis Sarfate had to work to get his zeroes....... He threw 38 pitches, 20 for strikes, in the first two innings, going to a three-ball count on seven hitters and 82 through the first five....... While his fast ball was alive, topping once more at 96 mph on occasion, he had trouble finding the strike zone. Five of the first six hitters he faced saw ball one as their first pitch and the exception was a first pitch grounder by Jeff Bannon to 3rd baseman Tony Zuniga, who made a nice play to force Thomas Howard at second to end the inning........ Sarfate missed the strike zone on the first pitch to 11 of the first 16 batters he faced.

Chattanooga was trying harder to get the upper hand, able to put five runners in scoring position, while the Stars were able to get only Nelson Cruz, who doubled in the 2nd. Cruz wound up being thrown out in a foolish attempt to reach third on a fly out to center by Brandon Gemoll...... The only other hit the Stars had through the first five was a line drive single by Tony Gwynn, Jr. in the 4th.

Nevertheless, Sarfate settled down and started working more economically after the 3rd inning, and was able to keep the Lookouts off the bases. He retired the side in order in the 3rd and 4th and in the 5th, got defensive help from Nelson Cruz, who gunned down Brian Peterson trying to score from third on a single by Junior Ruiz, his first in 15 at-bats since joining the Lookouts........ In the end, Sarfate was able to work into the 7th, when I had thought he wouldn't last past five, and he bowed out after 107 pitches, 59 (55.1%) for strikes.

Sarfate aided his own cause by breaking the tie in the 6th inning with a home run just inside the left field foul pole with one out and no one on....... Sarfate became the 2nd pitcher to launch a home run this year, following Manny Parra (who's scheduled to start Saturday night), who homered vs. Jacksonville, May 16. The ball landed in the left field corner, just beyond the fence, giving the Stars a 1-0 lead........ Despite a pitching staff that's only 14-for-120 at the plate, a .117 average that's the all-time lowest, it's the first to have two pitchers to hit a home run in a single season.

The Stars added some necessary insurance onto Sarfate's home run as they batted around in the bottom of the 7th........ Nelson Cruz started by lining a single into left. Nelson has now hit safely in 15 of his last 16 games for a .393 average with 12 RBIs. After Gemoll walked, Tony Z.,, who's carrying a hot stick, hit a sharp one-hop liner off Thomas Howard's glove on the outer edge of the infield. Tony went to second on the error, but was given a hit, making him 10-for-22 in his last seven games (.455), driving in Cruz. Zuniga would add another RBI on a force attempt in the 9th, giving him eight RBIs in his last seven games...... Callix Crabbe was forced out after he walked, but Enrique Cruz's force play scored Gemoll, making it 3-0, and moving Zuniga to 3rd....... After David Bradley struck out, successive singles by Kennard Bibbs and Junior made it 5-0..

David Bradley came in to retire the last batter in the 7th and the first batter in the 8th, but after heaping praise upon him already for being the oasis of effectiveness in the bullpen, he gave up a walk to D'Angelo Jimenez, a two-run bomb to Howard, and another walk to Jeff Bannon. After striking out weak-hitting Josh Renick, an MTSU graduate like myself, and hitting Rick Asadoorian with a pitch on an 0-2 count, Bradley was gone....... Khalid Ballouli came in and after walking Brian Peterson to load the bases, Steve Smitherman dumped a hit into short left field, scoring two of Bradley's runners to bring the Lookouts within one and suddenly the ghosts of the last homestand were back, but Ballouli bore down and retired the next five hitters to preserve the win for Sarfate...... Despite Ballouli's relief, rocky at first, his ERA in five games in the pen is 6.23.

Due to inclement weather provided by Tropical Storm Arlene, NASCAR Night, scheduled for Saturday, has been postponed and will be held on Saturday June 25. Despite the postponement of NASCAR Night, the game scheduled for June 11th between the Stars and Lookouts has not been cancelled. A final decision on the game will not be made until game time........ Parra will take the mound against Phil Dumatrait........ Manny has lost three of his last four starts with an accompanying 4.10 ERA, but he's had just three runs of support in three of those starts and lost a 6-2 lead he left behind in the other.

Jamie Gann, now back in independent ball with the Bridgeport Bluefish was named Atlantic League Player of the Month for the month of May. Gann, the league's leading hitter (.372) topped off the month of May with a three game consecutive home run streak including two on May 29th against Atlantic City...... In the month of May alone, Gann hit .364 scoring 21 runs, with 40 hits, including 10 doubles and six homeruns and his on-base percentage was an impressive .418 while knocking home 26 RBI?s...... Gann hit .256 for the Stars last year........ Derek Lee, the winningest Stars pitcher of all-time, is pitching successfully in the Atlantic League this year. With the Somerset Patriots, Derek is 3-1 with a 2.54 ERA, 6th best in the league, and holding hitters to a .227 average. Derek was 42-35 as a Huntsville Star over five seasons with a 3.24 ERA, 3rd best mark of all-time.

More from David Weiser:

www.starsboxscore.com/standing.html

Link Report for Friday 6/10 -- Hinton, Iribarren All-Star's

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