Link Report 7/4: Saenz 'precautionary', Dillard forced exit

[MassBrew]

Update, in progress: Rancho Cucamonga (Diamondbacks) 7, High Desert 5, after six innings

Mavs trying to rally after trailing 7-2 earlier...

[MassBrew]

Final: Great Falls (White Sox) 14, Helena 6

Brewers had closed to 5-4 before a nine-run eighth for the White Sox...

 

Helena Box Score:

Gotta believe the Brewers' seven wild pitches is close to a record if it isn't one; when was the last time you saw a first baseman make three errors -- we'll give Grant Richardson a pass in this one; at least Ryan Marion's seven runs against were unearned; Charlie Fermaint's K's remain troubling...

 GAME DATE: 7/04/04 HEL at GRF HELENA 6 AT GREAT FALLS 14 YTD YTD HELENA AB R H BI AVG GREAT FALLS AB R H BI AVG H.Rasheed LF 3 1 0 0 .313 D.Roberts CF 5 1 2 2 .480 S.Sollmann 2B 4 1 1 0 .300 B.Berry 2B 5 2 3 1 .291 A.Festa 3B 4 2 2 2 .302 C.Kelly 1B 6 1 2 2 .344 G.Richardson 1B 4 0 1 1 .429 M.Deuchler DH 3 2 2 2 .229 A.Mannon RF 2 0 1 1 .277 S.Martin LF 4 1 0 1 .289 J.Serfass RF 3 1 2 0 .133 F.Alvarez RF 5 2 0 0 .238 A.Segura Cor CAT 4 0 0 1 .357 D.Lucy CAT 5 2 3 3 .229 C.Fermaint CF 4 0 0 0 .227 D.McNeil SS 4 1 1 0 .184 C.De La Cruz DH 4 0 0 0 .000 M.Perez 3B 4 2 1 0 .222 A.Escobar SS 4 1 2 0 .273 G.Bakker PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 A.Martinez S PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Hurd PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 D.McKenna PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 A.Russell PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 B.Murray PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 M.Zaleski PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 R.Marion PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 M.Garcia PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 36 6 9 5 TOTALS 41 14 14 11 HELENA 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 1 2- 6 9 5 GREAT FALLS 1 1 0 1 2 0 0 9 X-14 14 2 E--G.Richardson 3, A.Escobar, B.Murray, S.Martin, M.Perez. DP-- HELENA 0, GREAT FALLS 0. LOB--HELENA 8, GREAT FALLS 10. 2B--A.Festa (7), J.Serfass 2 (2), A.Escobar (2), D.Lucy (1). HR--M.Deuchler (2). SB--B.Berry (2), D.Lucy (4). CS--H.Rasheed. HBP--M.Deuchler. SF-- G.Richardson. SH--D.Roberts, M.Perez. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA HELENA A.Martinez S (L,2-1) 4.0 7 3 3 1 2 0 2.41 D.McKenna 2.0 2 2 1 1 1 1 4.50 B.Murray 1.0 1 2 2 0 1 0 9.95 R.Marion 0.2 2 7 0 2 0 0 4.82 M.Garcia 0.1 2 0 0 0 0 0 27.00 GREAT FALLS G.Bakker 4.0 3 2 2 2 5 0 3.00 J.Hurd (W,1-0) 2.2 1 1 0 0 1 0 8.64 A.Russell 1.1 2 1 1 2 3 0 6.14 M.Zaleski 1.0 3 2 0 0 2 0 0.00 HB--A.Martinez S. WP--A.Martinez S 2, D.McKenna 2, R.Marion, M.Garcia 2. BALKS--A.Martinez S. SO--H.Rasheed, S.Sollmann, A.Festa, G.Richardson, A.Mannon, J.Serfass, C.Fermaint 3, C.De La Cruz 2, S.Martin, F.Alvarez, D.McNeil 2. BB--H.Rasheed 2, S.Sollmann, A.Festa, B.Berry, M.Deuchler, S.Martin, D.McNeil. T--3:09. A--3318

Helena Game Log:

 

www.sportsnetwork.com/mer...MEID=19397

[Katuluu]

After struggling early, Glenn Woolard is on freaking fire. It's getting to the point where we need to start lobbying for him to get a few AA starts.

[MassBrew]

Final: Rancho Cucamonga (Diamondbacks) 10, High Desert 6

 

High Desert Box Score:

B.J. Weed is still the best name in minor league baseball...

 GAME DATE: 7/04/04 RC at HD RANCHO CUCAMONGA 10 AT HIGH DESERT 6 YTD YTD RANCHO CUCAMONGA AB R H BI AVG HIGH DESERT AB R H BI AVG E.Aybar SS 4 2 3 0 .352 K.Bibbs CF 4 0 0 0 .292 S.Halter 1B 5 1 0 0 .188 C.Crabbe 2B 4 0 0 1 .301 G.Porter 3B 3 0 1 0 .319 D.Boyd LF 5 1 2 2 .293 M.Napoli DH 4 1 0 0 .309 T.Hinton 1B 4 0 1 1 .316 J.Abruzzo CAT 4 2 2 2 .284 J.Vanden ber CAT 4 1 1 0 .303 D.Gates LF 4 0 1 1 .276 J.Frost 3B 4 1 2 2 .264 R.Willits CF 3 2 1 0 .245 B.Van Iderst RF 4 1 1 0 .533 R.Melgarejo RF 5 2 3 4 .259 M.Mendez DH 4 1 2 0 .258 B.Weed 2B 5 0 3 1 .268 E.Cruz SS 3 1 1 0 .200 D.Davidson PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 B.Hall PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 D.Griffith PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 D.Nolasco PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 O.Lugo PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 H.Rivera PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 M.Kusiewicz PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 37 10 14 8 TOTALS 36 6 10 6 RANCHO CUCAMONGA 0 1 1 2 3 0 3 0 0-10 14 0 HIGH DESERT 0 1 0 1 3 0 0 1 0- 6 10 0 DP--RANCHO CUCAMONGA 0, HIGH DESERT 1. LOB--RANCHO CUCAMONGA 10, HIGH DESERT 6. 2B--G.Porter (23), D.Boyd 2 (21), M.Mendez (5). 3B--E.Aybar (8), D.Gates (3), R.Willits (2), R.Melgarejo (3), J.Vanden ber (2). HR--J.Abruzzo (6), R.Melgarejo (3), J.Frost (6). SB--E.Aybar (36), S.Halter (1), B.Weed (9). CS--R.Melgarejo. HBP--E.Aybar, S.Halter. SF--D.Gates. SH--E.Aybar, K.Bibbs. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA RANCHO CUCAMONGA D.Davidson (W,6-4) 6.0 6 5 5 2 2 1 3.76 D.Griffith 2.0 4 1 1 0 1 0 3.49 O.Lugo 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3.12 HIGH DESERT B.Hall (L,4-6) 4.1 7 7 7 3 4 2 5.93 D.Nolasco 2.2 4 3 3 3 2 0 7.94 H.Rivera 1.0 1 0 0 0 1 0 5.17 M.Kusiewicz 1.0 2 0 0 0 0 0 4.50 HB--B.Hall, D.Nolasco. WP--B.Hall 2, D.Nolasco. PB--J.Vanden ber. SO--S.Halter, M.Napoli, J.Abruzzo, D.Gates, R.Willits, R.Melgarejo, B.Weed, K.Bibbs 2, D.Boyd. BB--G.Porter 2, M.Napoli, J.Abruzzo, R.Willits 2, C.Crabbe, E.Cruz. T--2:50. A--5804

High Desert Game Log:

 

www.sportsnetwork.com/mer...MEID=17921

[MassBrew]

Huntsville Site Game Summary:

 

Independence Day belonged to the Biscuits. In the opener of a four-game series at Riverwalk Stadium, Montgomery defeated Huntsville, 4-1, behind a stellar pitching performance from lefty Chris Seddon. The Stars (7-4, 38-42) fell into a first-place tie in the Southern League West second-half standings.

 

Seddon faced his toughest jam in the top of the first. Rickie Weeks singled to left, and Tony Gwynn Jr. dropped down a beautiful drag bunt-single, which second baseman Fernando Cortez threw up the rightfield line, sending Weeks to third and Gwynn to second. Seddon retired Prince Fielder on a popout to shallow center, then Brad Nelson drew a walk. Seddon recovered to fan both Jamie Gann and Chris Barnwell to end the threat.

 

Montgomery snapped a scoreless tie in the third when Cortez led off with a homer to right. One out later, Amado German walked and Chairon Isenia was hit by a pitch. Eric Reece singled in a run and Jace Brewer?s base hit plated another for a 3-0 Biscuits lead. The Stars got on the board with Jamie Gann?s solo homer in the top of the fourth, and Biscuit Dan Massiatte launched a solo drive in the bottom half for a 4-1 lead.

 

Seddon and two Montgomery relievers took care of the rest, holding the Stars to a total of six hits. Seddon (5-4) nabbed his fifth win, fanning eight over seven frames while allowing one run on five hits and one walk. Austin Coose tossed a scoreless eighth and all-star Josh Parker picked up his 13th save, fanning two and allowing one hit and one hit batter in the ninth.

 

Jason Shelley (1-3) ? making a spot start in place of Chris Saenz, a late scratch for precautionary reasons ? suffered his third loss, permitting four runs on five hits and three walks with two strikeouts in four innings. Stars relievers Brian Adams and Glenn Woolard both threw two scoreless frames. Adams allowed one hit and one walk and struck out two. Woolard gave up one hit and one walk and fanned four.

 

Stars lefty Ryan Costello (4-1, 4.31) meets Biscuits right-hander Matt Parker ? the former Star recently released by St. Louis and just signed by Montgomery?s parent club Tampa Bay ? in game two of the series Monday night. Game time is 7:05 p.m and the FPH Financial Services Pre-game Show starts at 6:50 p.m. Stars baseball can be heard on ESPN 1450 and at www.huntsvillestars.com.

[MassBrew]

Beloit Game Summary from the South Bend Site:

 

Before Sunday?s game, manager Tony Perezchica said the Silver Hawks needed to take advantage of the opportunities presented to them to drive runs home. Sunday, they had one opportunity and it was quashed by the visiting Beloit Snappers in a 3-1 loss at The Cove.

 

The Hawks (44-33) got on the board first, when Brian Rose smashed a Greg Kloosterman offering over the left field wall to give the Hawks a 1-0 lead. The Snappers tied the game in the fifth, when Adam Heether led the inning off with a single, advance to second on starting pitcher Chris Kinsey?s wild pitch and after an out was recorded, moved to third on a groundout to third. Josh Murray then followed with a bloop single to left, plating Heether to knot the game at one.

 

The Silver Hawks had a chance to take at least a one run lead in the eighth inning. Brian Rose, who walked, moved to second on a sacrifice. Mike Goss, who came into the game hitting .328 with runners in scoring, singled to left field delivering Brian Rose to the plate. Left fielder Drew Anderson came up with the ball and fired a one hopper to catcher Lou Palmisano to get Rose at the plate.

 

The Snappers (43-37) scored their go ahead runs in the 11th inning. After singles by William Lewis and Anderson, Palmisano was walked. Vinny Rottino followed with a sacrifice fly to center. Heether then walked to load the bases. After Steve Moss fanned to make it two out, Manuel Ramirez singled home Anderson to give the Snappers a 3-1 lead and win.

 

The Silver Hawks and Snappers will continue their series Monday night at The Cove. Game time is scheduled for 7:00 PM. Monday night?s game is a sellout.

[gregmag]

Kat, I was reading through this thread and was just getting ready to say the same thing. Woolard has really stepped up, and unless they think he only has the arsenal to succeed as a reliever at that level, they need to see what he can do in some starts.

 

I hope Saenz is okay . . .

 

Greg.

[MassBrew]

Indianapolis Post-Game Notes:

 

Peter Bergeron singled home Adrian Hernandez in the ninth inning to propel the Indianapolis Indians to a 2-1 win over the Louisville Bats on Sunday.

 

Alex Delgado went 2-for-3 with an RBI single that tied the score in the seventh for the Indians. He then doubled in the ninth inning and advanced to third on a single by Matt Erickson before being replaced by Hernandez, who scored the winning run when Bergeron singled off Brian Reith.

 

"I was looking for a good pitch to hit," Delgado said of his double. "I got a fastball up in the strike zone and I hit it well."

 

Indians starter Ben Hendrickson allowed one run and struck out seven in eight innings. Dan Reichert pitched two innings of shutout relief for the win.

 

Felipe Lopez went 3-for-4 for Louisville, which got a strong outing from starter Matt Belisle, who gave up one run on six hits in 6 2/3 innings.

 

Indians left fielder Peter Bergeron singles in the winning run in the ninth inning against the Louisville Bats. -- Mpozi Mshale Tolbert / The Indianapolis Star

 

http://www.indystar.com/images/pics2/image-160021-1543.jpg

[MassBrew]

Huntsville Times notes from Mark McCarter:

 

Stars manager Frank Kremblas is headed to the Southern League All-Star Game on July 13 in Chattanooga. But his duties will be considerably less than a year ago, when he managed the West Division team in Jacksonville. This time, he'll serve as a coach for Gary Jones, the current Mobile manager and ex-Huntsville skipper. Most importantly for Kremblas, the All-Star trip will enable him to play The Honors Course, Chattanooga's exclusive and highly ranked golf club, with one of his former Lookouts teammates.

 

Let Kremblas beware: In the final round of the 1996 NCAA Tournament at The Honors, a skinny kid from Stanford named Tiger Woods shot an 80.

 

The arrival of Jamie Gann from an independent league isn't the first time the Stars have benefited from signing a player from a team not affiliated with a major league club. Reliever Jason Shelley was the Pitcher of the Year for independent baseball in 2003; others of note with independent leagues in their background include Tim Bausher, who began the season here, longtime crowd favorite Jared Mathis, and Jim Rushford. ... After the Stars rallied from behind three times on Thursday and rallied three times from behind or to break a tie on Friday, Kremblas noted "we would have gotten blown out'' in similar situations in early June. He's been pleased lately with the players' approach at bat, putting more thought into them. ... Reliever John Novinsky leads the staff in wins. With two victories last season for Tennessee, he's a perfect 8-0 in the Southern League. ... Ryan Knox continues to be bothered by a hip flexor. He hasn't started since June 20 and only had one plate appearance since then. ... After Mike Jones went on the disabled list for the second time, and with the Stars nursing a number of injuries, it seemed appropriate that some joker attach yellow "Caution'' tape around the door of the Huntsville training room.

 

After a visit to Montgomery, the Stars return to host Mobile for a second straight home stand beginning Thursday.

 

The Famous Chicken will perform on Friday in what some believe may be his final Huntsville appearance, as he is scaling back his schedule. Friday is Pepsi Glove Night.

[MassBrew]

David Weiser's www.starsboxscore.com Huntsville update:

 

NO CELEBRATION HERE

The celebration belonged to the Biscuits before a sellout crowd. Riverwalk Stadium had been sold out for a week.......... Southpaw Chris Seddon, ranked 17th among the Devil Rays' top 30 prospects, never gave the Stars much of a chance. Their best actually came in the first inning with the bases loaded and Jamie Gann, batting .455 after three games, at the plate. Seddon, who has a hard slider that drives in on right-handers, set Gann up with a fastball outside and shoulder-high to put him behind 1-and-2, then one inside, then jammed him with that hard slider. Seddon was fortunate to get a pitcher's ump tonight......... He used the same sequence to get Chris Barnwell looking.

 

Jason Shelley was given the start tonight instead of Chris Saenz, who complained of discomfort in his forearm Sunday morning. It turned out to be nothing serious, but for precautionary reasons, he was rested. Saenz will miss this start only....... Shelley's only other start this season, as it turns out, was a 4-2 loss to Seddon and the Biscuits in the second game of a June 1 double-header.

 

Shelley escaped a first-inning jam when Amado German, with two out, hit a rocket past Johnny Raburn, playing 1st base tonight, down the right field line. Gann had trouble digging it out of the corner, allowing the speedy centerfielder to dive into third with a head-first slide........ German's triple, his 3rd of the year, was followed by walks to Chiaron Isenia on four in a row, and Eric Reece, who the Stars are seeing for the first time, on four straight........ Shelley got out of his quick mess, though, by striking out Jace Brewer (.216 SO avg.) on an 0-2 split-finger fastball, Shelley's specialty, with the putout oddly having to be made by Joel Alvarado by stepping on the plate after dropping the final pitch.

 

Gann stole a home run from Aaron Clark in the 2nd inning by scaling the wall that measures 10 feet, 6 inches to take one away....... It would have been high off the top of the cement wall, even if Gann hadn't made the catch, but Gann reached over the top of the green padding to keep this game scoreless....... Shelley's luck, however, lasted only to the first batter in the 3rd inning......... Gann couldn't take one away from Fernando Cortez......... With one out, the Biscuits were looking for more in the 3rd. With German on second, and Isenia on first after being hit by a pitch, Eric Reece scorched a 2-2 pitch by Raburn down the line to give the Biscuits a 2-1 lead.......Jace Brewer finished the scoring with a lined single to left to score Isenia....... A home run by Dan Massiatte in the 4th finished the scoring for the Biscuits.

 

Jamie Gann pounded a one-out homer to left in the 4th, his second for the Stars after four games with the club........ Gann is now 7-for-15 with a double, two homers, and six RBIs. He's no spring chicken in baseball years at 29, but his veteran status over many of the younger players in this league serves very well to the Stars' advantage........ Seddon held the Stars to just one more hit -- a single to left by Chris Barnwell in the 7th, before SL All-Star Josh Parker closed the door in the 9th, despite allowing a single to Gann and hitting Barnwell with a pitch.

 

Matt Parker, released by the Cardinals on Saturday, was instantly picked up by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and assigned to the Biscuits....... He will get the start Monday for them against Ryan Costello (4-1, 4.31), who has given up just one earned run in 12 innings in his last two starts. Game time is 7:05.

 

Rickie Weeks tied a club record in the 8th inning when Austin Coose grazed him with a pitch. It was the 19th time this season Weeks has been hit, putting him up there with Ramon Hernandez, who was hit 19 times during the 1998 season.

 

The Stars bullpen has been dazzling over the last 11 games they have played as the Stars begin the second half....... They've allowed just five earned runs in 40 2/3 innings for a 1.11 ERA......... It continued tonight from Brian Adams, who's given up just one earned run in 10 1/3 innings over his last five appearances, and Glenn Woolard, who's been unscored upon in his last 7 2/3 innings over his last five appearances.

[MassBrew]

Helena Game Story from the Great Falls Tribune:

 

Sox start fireworks early, light up Brewers

By George Geise

Tribune Sports Editor

 

Donny Lucy has been waiting two weeks for a game like this.

 

The Great Falls White Sox have been waiting all season for an inning like this.

 

The Sox sent 14 batters ot the plate in the eighth inning Sunday night and scored nine runs as they trounced the Helena Brewers 14-6 before 3,318 fans at Legion Park. The victory boosted Great falls to 9-6 in the Northern Division of the Pioneer League, a half-game behind the Brewers (10-6).

 

The Fourth of July fireworks started early for the Sox, who erupted with their biggest inning of the summer. In fact, they scored more runs in the eighth than they had in any previous game this season.

 

"We're a great offensive team," said Lucy, the 21-year-old Great Falls catcher who went 3-for-5 for his best offensive game of the season. "We've shown glimpses of it, but tonight we put some things together."

 

The White Sox entered the game with a team batting average of .251, worst in the eight-team Pioneer League. But with 14 hits from seven different players, that average was boosted considerably.

 

Lucy entered the game with an anemic .167 average, with just two RBIs in 10 games. But he flashed the form that made him Chicago's second-round pick in the recent draft, ripping a double and two singles to drive in three runs. He also scored two runs, stole a base and threw out a runner trying to steal second.

 

"I've been struggling at the plate," he admitted, "but lately I've had better at-bats. Maybe this will get me going."

 

Lucy has been sharing catching duties with Matt Deuchler, who has had his own woes at the plate, batting just .188 entering Sunday's game. But Deuchler also snapped his slump with a single and solo homer as the designated hitter, while reaching base on two other trips.

 

"Our catchers take a lot of pride in our work, and we know we can hit better than we have," said Lucy, who probably will switch plays with Deuchler for tonight's game.

 

The White Sox led by just one run entering the bottom of the eighth inning, and they might have been trailing if not for a courageous -- and technically correct -- call by home plate umpire Mike Jarboe. With the bases loaded in the seventh inning, Brewer Steve Sollman was hit in the back by Adam Russell's 0-2 pitch, apparently forcing in a run that would have sliced the deficit to 5-4. But Jarboe ruled that Sollman hadn't tried to avoid the pitch -- as is stipulated in the rulebook -- and the pitch was simply called a ball. Sollman eventually struck out and three runners were stranded.

 

That call became less critical when Great Falls sent 14 batters to the plate in the eighth, scoring nine times on six hits, including Lucy's two-run single. The Brewers hurt their own cause by committing four errors, while Helena pitchers threw threw wild pitches.

 

For the game, the Brewers' staff tossed seven wild pitches, hit one batter and committed a balk.

 

John Hurd earned his first victory of the season for the Sox as he took over from Garry Bakker in the fifth inning and threw 2 2/3 innings of solid relief. Russell and Matt Zaleski followed Hurd to the mound and were less effective, although the staff combined for 11 strikeouts against four walks.

 

Boomer Berry had three hits for the Sox and Daron Roberts, Chris Kelly and Deuchler added two apiece.

 

Tony Festa, Jake Serfass and Alcides Escobar each had two safeties for the Brewers, who were batting .287 entering the game.

 

The Brewers still hold a half-game lead over the White Sox in the Northern Division standings.

 

Helena will travel to Billings tonight for a two-game set before returning home Wednesday for three games against Great Falls.

[MassBrew]

 WEST DIVISION W L PCT GB COLUMBUS CLIPPERS (NEW YORK YANKEES) 46 36 .561 TOLEDO MUD HENS (DETROIT) 45 40 .529 2.5 LOUISVILLE BATS (CINCINNATI) 40 43 .482 6.5 [b]INDIANAPOLIS INDIANS (MILWAUKEE) 39 42 .481 6.5[/b]

 WEST DIVISION W L PCT GB [b]HUNTSVILLE STARS (MILWAUKEE) 7 4 .636[/b] BIRMINGHAM BARONS (CHICAGO WHITE SOX) 7 4 .636 WEST TENN DIAMOND JAXX (CHICAGO CUBS) 6 5 .545 1.0 *MOBILE BAY BEARS (SAN DIEGO) 4 7 .364 3.0 MONTGOMERY BISCUITS (TAMPA BAY) 3 8 .273 4.0

 SOUTH DIVISION W L PCT GB *LANCASTER JETHAWKS (ARIZONA) 7 2 .778 RANCHO CUCAMONGA QUAKES (ANAHEIM) 7 3 .700 .5 INLAND EMPIRE 66ERS (SEATTLE) 5 5 .500 2.5 LAKE ELSINORE STORM (SAN DIEGO) 4 6 .400 3.5 [b]HIGH DESERT MAVERICKS (MILWAUKEE) 3 7 .300 4.5[/b]

 WESTERN DIVISION W L PCT GB BURLINGTON BEES (KANSAS CITY) 7 3 .700 QUAD CITY RIVER BANDITS (MINNESOTA) 7 4 .636 .5 PEORIA CHIEFS (ST.LOUIS) 6 5 .545 1.5 *KANE COUNTY COUGARS (OAKLAND) 6 5 .545 1.5 WISCONSIN TIMBER RATTLERS (SEATTLE) 5 5 .500 2.0 CLINTON LUMBER KINGS (TEXAS) 5 5 .500 2.0 CEDAR RAPIDS KERNELS (ANAHEIM) 5 5 .500 2.0 [b]BELOIT SNAPPERS (MILWAUKEE) 4 6 .400 3.0[/b]

 NORTH DIVISION W L PCT GB [b]HELENA BREWERS (MILWAUKEE) 10 6 .625[/b] GREAT FALLS WHITE SOX (CHICAGO WHITE SOX) 9 6 .600 .5 BILLINGS MUSTANGS (CINCINNATI) 8 7 .533 1.5 MISSOULA OSPREY (ARIZONA) 4 12 .250 6.0

 W L PCT GB ROYALS (KANSAS CITY) 8 3 .727 MARINERS (SEATTLE) 7 4 .636 1.0 GIANTS (SAN FRANCISCO) 7 4 .636 1.0 PADRES (SAN DIEGO) 6 4 .600 1.5 RANGERS (TEXAS) 6 5 .545 2.0 ATHLETICS (OAKLAND) 5 6 .455 3.0 [b]BREWERS (MILWAUKEE) 3 7 .300 4.5[/b] ANGELS (ANAHEIM) 3 7 .300 4.5 CUBS (CHICAGO CUBS) 3 8 .273 5.0

[MassBrew]

Quakes light up Mavericks

High Desert loses before season-high crowd

By KRIS REILLY/Staff Writer

 

ADELANTO ? The atmosphere was electric, but the High Desert pitchers didn't show much spark.

 

The Mavericks staff gave up 14 hits, including two home runs and four triples, as High Desert lost 10-6 to Rancho Cucamonga before a season-high crowd of 5,804 at Mavericks Stadium on Sunday night.

 

"We hit the ball, we ran the bases well and we played good defense," Mavericks manager Mel Queen said. "We just didn't get the pitching."

 

Starter Bo Hall (4-6) was chased after 4 1-3 innings and got the loss. He and reliever David Nolasco combined for six walks, three wild pitches and two hit batters in seven innings.

 

"I couldn't command my fastball," Hall said. "When you can't command your fastball, that's what's going to happen to you ? you're going to get hit around the park."

 

Despite the game's result, the Mavericks' front office couldn't have been happier with the turnout. In anticipation of the post-game fireworks, fans packed the stands, the grassy hill near the first-base line, the tables near the bullpen and even the concourse.

 

"We expected a good night, and it was," Mavericks general manager Bruce Mann said. "You know it's going to be a sellout, it's just a matter of how big. It was a great night, and a decent game. It would have been better had we won, but the crowd was happy. This is why you work in minor league baseball, a night like this."

 

The Mavericks attempted to rally from deficits throughout the game but were thwarted by their inability to shut down the Quakes' offense.

 

"The were a lot of runs scored and a lot of hits in the game, and we felt like if we kept it close we had a chance of winning," said catcher John Vanden Berg, who tripled and scored in the eighth inning. "Things just got a little out of hand there in the late innings."

 

High Desert trailed 1-0 with two outs in the bottom of the second when Jeremy Frost smacked a high line drive to left for a game-tying solo homer. Frost was 2-for-4 at the plate with two RBIs.

 

Two consecutive wild pitches from Hall allowed Quakes shortstop Erick Aybar to score in the third, then Jared Abruzzo and Ransel Melgarejo each hit solo home runs off Hall in the fourth, giving Rancho a 4-1 lead.

 

High Desert got its second hit of the game when outfielder Dan Boyd hit a double to left center with one out, then Travis Hinton floated one into shallow left for an RBI single, making it 4-2 Quakes.

 

Rancho exploited control problems by the Mavericks pitchers to take a commanding lead in the fifth. Hall gave up a lead-off triple to Aybar, hit Shane Halter with a pitch, got a grounball out and then intentionally walked Michael Napoli to load the bases.

 

Hall's walk of Jared Abruzzo, however, was not intentional, as it scored a run for Rancho and signaled the end of the line for Hall. Nolasco was able to get out of the inning, but not before Rancho Cucamonga put up two more runs.

 

High Desert fired back in the fifth with three runs on three hits, including a two-RBI double by Boyd, who went 2-for-5, and a double by Mario Mendez, who was 2-fo-4. But High Desert would get no closer, as the Quakes put up three runs on three hits off Nolasco in the seventh, taking a 10-5 lead.

[MassBrew]

Interesrting Beloit Game Story from the South Bend Tribune:

 

Ump makes Hawks face the music

By FORREST MILLER

Tribune Staff Writer

 

SOUTH BEND -- Musical interference from the press box Sunday was costly for the South Bend Silver Hawks.

 

"Come back out here, we're going to do that over again,'' shouted umpire Bob Davidson after Beloit's Drew Anderson popped up an attempted sacrifice bunt in the top of the 11th inning Sunday at Coveleski Stadium.

 

Given a second chance, Anderson's single was critical as Beloit scored twice in the inning for a 3-1 victory over South Bend.

 

Twice earlier in the evening home plate umpire Bill Sorochan stopped play briefly and glared at the pressbox because music was being played during a player's turn at bat.

 

When it happened again, it appeared it was the last straw for the umpiring crew.

 

"This is a problem at a lot of minor league parks, and we've got to stop it," said Davidson after the game. "They play that stupid music, and in this case the ball had been delivered. That puts the hitter at a tremendous disadvantage. We can call it a do-over.''

 

Had the original play been allowed, Beloit would have had a runner on first and one out. Instead it was runners on first and second with nobody out. Another walk loaded the bases and a fly ball from Vinny Rottino brought in Terry Trofholz with the tie-breaking run. An infield hit by Manuel Ramirez scored Anderson with another run.

 

"I've been around the game for 19 years, and I've seen warnings issued, but never anything like that,'' said South Bend manager Tony Perezchica. "The decision affected the outcome of the game, although Davidson had a right to make that decision. It's been a problem here before and we've got to get it corrected. This is a tough one to swallow.''

 

The winning pitcher was Tim Dillard, who pitched 2 2/3 innings of one-hit relief. He is the son of Steve Dillard, the first manager the South Bend franchise had in 1988. Tim was knocked out of the game in the bottom of the 11th by a line drive off his knee from Jonny Kaplan.

 

Beloit starter Greg Kloosterman, an Elkhart Central High School graduate who pitched three years at Bethel College, allowed two hits and one run in four innings. He is recovering from a shoulder injury and was on a low pitch count. He threw 31 strikes among 44 pitches.

 

Kloosterman was a ninth round draft choice of Milwaukee in 2003.

 

"I pitched here twice during high school. It was nice to get a chance to pitch in front of family and friends," said Kloosterman, a 6'3" left-hander who was making his third start after missing five weeks with the injury.

 

Had Beloit not been rained out Saturday night, Kloosterman would not have pitched in this series.

 

"I wasn't unhappy to see the rain,'' added Kloosterman.

 

"This was Greg's best outing,'' said Beloit manager Don Money.

 

South Bend had a strong effort from Chris Kinsey, who allowed only five hits in 8 2/3 innings. He did not allow a hit after Josh Murray's single drove in Adam Heether in the fifth inning.

 

A strikeout from Billy Biggs got Kinsey out of an eighth-inning jam before Ryan Coffin was victimized in the 11th inning.

 

"Kinsey gave us a great effort, his control was very good and his curve was working well,'' said Perezchica. "He threw 108 pitches. We just have to score more runs, we had the opportunities.''

 

South Bend's only run came on Brian Rose's sixth home run of the season in the third inning. Consider that Rose has played in fewer than half the games, 31 to be exact, his home run total takes on added significance.

 

Rose walked in the eighth, advanced on a bunt by Emilio Bonafacio, but was thrown out by left-fielder Anderson trying to score on a hit by Mike Goss.

 

South Bend had played three consecutive extra-inning games, 12 at West Michigan Thursday, 18 against Dayton Friday and 11 Sunday.

 

Beloit's Greg Kloosterman, an Elkhart Central grad, delivers a pitch during action Sunday against the South Bend Silver Hawks. Tribune Photo/KATE ZAVALA

 

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