Link Report for Games of Sunday, April 24th

[Mass Haas]

Final, Game One: Iowa (Cubs) 5, Nashville 2

Not used to associating mediocrity with Ben Hendrickson's performances...

 

Nashville Game One Box Score:

At least the young guys drew walks...

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_nasaaa_1

 

Nashville Game One Game Log:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_nasaaa_1

[Mass Haas]

Brevard County Game Summary (Cardinals' Site):

 

C.J. Medlin went 3 for 4 with two RBI and Manatees starter Luis Pena gave up one earned run over seven innings as Brevard County beat the Cardinals at Roger Dean Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

 

After a scoreless two innings, Brevard County scored four runs in the top of the third. Center fielder Travis Ezi drew a one-one walk and stole second base. Steve Sollman was then hit by a pitch. A Drew Anderson single to left scored Ezi. Adam Heether followed with a single of his own, scoring Sollman. The Cardinals fielding troubles continued for the second night in a row as third baseman Mike McCoy made an error on a ball hit by Wandel Campana, scoring Anderson. The inning was capped off by an infield single by Medlin that brought home Heether.

 

The Cardinals scored in the bottom of the fourth with the benefit of back-to-back singles by Cody Haerther and Terry Evans, and an RBI-groundout by Ty Parker.

 

Palm Beach inched closer in the seventh. John Santor hit a one-out single down the left field line. Rayner Laya (pictured) hit into a force out that retired Santor at second, but Laya then stole second and third base, and scored on a ground ball single to right by Calvin Hayes that hit off the glove of the diving Sollman.

 

In the top of the eighth, the Manatees scored three more times to put the game out of reach. The Cardinals tacked on one more run in the bottom of the eighth on an RBI-groundout by Haerther, scoring McCoy who had tripled earlier.

 

Charles Bechtel took the loss for Palm Beach. Bechtel (0-2) gave up four runs (only two earned) in three innings of work. Jose Garcia was sharp in relief, but tired after going 4 2/3 out of the pen, giving up three runs.

 

Pena (1-2) earned the win for Brevard County.

 

Laya?s stolen bases in the seventh were his first two of the season.

 

Today?s crowd at Roger Dean Stadium was 1,415. Game two of the three-game set is Monday night at 7:05 PM (6:05 Central).

[Mass Haas]

Huntsville Site Game Summary:

 

A Sunday Squeaker

 

Ricky Nolasco worked seven strong innings and benefited from some late defensive help in West Tenn?s 2-1 victory over Huntsville Sunday afternoon at Pringles Park in the final game of a three-game weekend series. The Stars dropped to 8-9 on the season and 2-8 away from home, while the DiamondJaxx bumped their season mark to 11-6 overall and 6-4 at home by taking two out of three in the first meeting between the two teams.

 

David Bradley took over for Dennis Sarfate to open the seventh inning on the hill for Huntsville and issued a one-out walk to catcher Paul O?Toole, hitless in his first 13 at-bats of the season. Dwaine Bacon came out to pinch-hit for Nolasco and dropped down a sacrifice bunt to push O?Toole to second base before Felix Pie delivered a single to right field to score O?Toole to give the home team a 2-1 lead.

 

Nolasco allowed one run on four hits and picked up the win to improve to 3-0. The right-hander fanned seven and walked one and has struck out 26 hitters in 22 1/3 innings. Jon Searles started the eighth inning on the mound for West Tenn and allowed a leadoff bunt to Kennard Bibbs, who was then thrown out trying to steal with Tony Gwynn, Jr. at the plate. Gwynn then singled to right for his second hit of the day, and third two-hit game of the year, but he was erased trying to steal with Callix Crabbe at the plate. Crabbe would ground out to end the inning and lost an eight-game hit streak after finishing hitless in three at-bats. O?Toole also threw out Enrique Cruz trying to steal in the seventh inning.

 

Adam Greenberg drew a leadoff walk in the home eighth and moved to second base when Matt Murton was hit by a pitch. Brandon Sing struck out and Casey McGehee bounced into a double play started by Bradley to end the inning. Bradley suffered his first loss of the season and dropped to 1-1.

 

McGlinchy took over in the ninth and the former big leaguer, who appeared in 74 games for Atlanta in the 1999 and 2000 seasons and in the 1999 World Series, walked Vinny Rottino to open the frame. John Vanden Berg singled to right field with two outs to move Rottino to second before Enrique Cruz slammed a 2-2 pitch to left field that was caught by a leaping Murton up against the wall. McGlinchy earned his second save of the year and helped send the Stars to their sixth loss in nine one-run games.

 

Sing doubled in the DiamondJaxx first run in the first inning and finished the series with six hits in eight at-bats and a pair of runs batted in. Gwynnled off the sixth inning with a single, stole second and advanced to third ahead of a throw by shortstop Bucky Coats after he fielded a Rottino ground ball. Nolasco then committed a balk allowing Gwynn to score to tie the game.

 

Sarfate went six innings for a third straight start and yielded a single run on five hits. The right-hander walked two and struck out five and has fanned 29 in 22 1/3 innings of work.

 

The Stars will send left-hander Manny Parra to the hill for series opener against Mississippi Braves? southpaw Macay McBride Monday night. Coverage of the game gets underway at 6:50 PM Central Time on ESPN 1450 AM and through the internet at www.huntsvillestars.com.

[Mass Haas]

Game Two: In progress: Nashville 5, Iowa (Cubs) 3, bottom of the sixth in Nashville (scheduled for seven)

Pat Borders just hit his second home run of the game to put the Sounds ahead; Jeff Bennett will be coming on to hopefully close things out; Matt Erickson's 3-for-4 on the season, all as a pinch-hitter -- he's had a sore knee that has really limited his playing time, it's getting better...

[bullox]

Sounds win 5-4

[Mass Haas]

Final, Game Two: Nashville 5, Iowa (Cubs) 4

Wild final inning as the Cubs loaded the bases with none out; on a sac fly to center, Dave Krynzel threw out the runner going to third as a run scored. Then Jeff Bennett struck out Angel Echeverria to end it -- another former Brewer, Will Cunnane, took the loss...

 

Nashville Game Two Box Score:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_nasaaa_2

 

Nashville Game Two Game Log:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_nasaaa_2

[igor67]

Pretty heads up play by Krynzel to nail the guy at third, how many OFs just come up gunning for home in that situation?

[Mass Haas]

Nashville Site Game Summary:

 

Link with pat Borders photo, text follows:

 

www.nashvillesounds.com/n...ewsId=1521

 

Veteran catcher Pat Borders belted his second home run of the game, a two-run shot off Will Cunnane in the bottom of the sixth inning, to propel the Nashville Sounds to a 5-4 victory over the visiting Iowa Cubs in the nightcap of a Sunday doubleheader at Greer Stadium.

 

Audio link to Borders' game-winner:

 

www.nashvillesounds.com/a...4-24-2.mp3

 

The 41-year-old Borders ? who hit his first roundtripper of the year in the second inning, a solo shot ? drove in three runs, scored three runs, and enjoyed his first two-homer game since September 2002.

 

With the 5-4 win in the second game, Nashville (10-8) gained a split of the doubleheader after dropping the opener, 5-2, and held onto sole possession of first place in the American Conference Northern Division, one game ahead of Omaha.

 

The Sounds jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the nightcap on Brad Nelson?s first-inning RBI double and Borders? second inning solo shot off Iowa starter Sergio Mitre. Iowa got one run back in the fourth on a Geovany Soto RBI single before David Kelton, who extended his hitting streak to nine games with a 2-for-4 effort, tied the contest with an RBI double in the fifth. Cubs leftfielder Angel Echevarria gave the visitors a 3-2 lead with a two-out RBI single off Sounds starter Jeff Housman later in the frame.

 

Nashville knotted the score at 3-3 in the bottom of the fifth on Rickie Weeks? two-out RBI single but missed an opportunity to do more damage as Iowa reliever Eddie Oropesa fanned cleanup hitter Nelson with the bases loaded to end the inning and escape a jam.

 

After Julio Santana struck out the side on 14 pitches in the top of the sixth, Borders delivered his eventual game-deciding second homer with one out in the bottom of the inning to give Nashville a 5-3 lead.

 

Iowa didn?t go down without a fight against Sounds reliever Jeff Bennett in the seventh. Richard Lewis and Kelton opened the frame with back-to-back singles then Scott McClain drew a walk to load the bases with one out. In a 12-pitch at-bat, Cubs first baseman Rick Bell followed with a sacrifice fly to center, which plated Lewis to make it a 5-4 game. Kelton attempted to gain third base on the play and was thrown out by Nashville centerfielder Dave Krynzel for the second out of the inning. Bennett then fanned Echevarria to end the contest.

 

Santana (2-0) earned the win with his impressive inning of relief work, while Cunnane (0-1) shouldered the loss after giving up Borders? second homer. Bennett registered his fourth save of the year.

 

The Sounds scored quickly in the opener, plating a pair of runs in the bottom of the first inning on a two-out, two-run single by third baseman Kevin Orie, who extended his hitting streak to 12 games. Iowa cut the lead in half in the second when Mike Fontenot scored an unearned run on Mark Johnson?s RBI single.

 

Iowa came back to grab a 4-2 lead with a three-run fifth using only one hit against Sounds starter Ben Hendrickson. Johnson walked to open the frame and was erased on a fielder?s choice grounder. Pinch-hitter Rick Bell walked and Calvin Murray was hit by a pitch to load the bases for Micah Hoffpauir, who knotted the game with a sacrifice fly to left. David Kelton followed with a two-out, two-run single to center to put the visitors in front. The Cubs added an insurance run in the sixth when Fontenot scored on a Johnson groundout.

 

Russ Rohlicek (1-0) picked up his first victory of the 2005 season in relief for the I-Cubs, while Hendrickson (0-2) absorbed the loss after allowing five runs in his six innings of work.

 

The teams continue the series with a 7 PM meeting on Monday evening at Greer Stadium. Right-hander Rick Helling (1-0, 7.41) will take the hill for the Sounds to face Iowa right-hander Todd Wellemeyer (0-1, 5.14).