Link Report for Monday September 6th -- It's A Wrap

[MassBrew]

Huntsville Site Game Summary:

 

Huntsville lost a 6-2 decision to Chattanooga in its season finale on a Labor Day Monday afternoon at Bell South Park. The Stars split four games with the playoff-bound Lookouts to close out the 2004 campaign. Huntsville finished 33-37 in the second half and 65-75 overall.

 

Prince Fielder's run-scoring single put Huntsville up, 1-0, in the first. Chattanooga scored three in the bottom of the frame on Bryan Anderson's RBI-double and Tony Blanco's two-run homer. In the second, Brian Peterson tripled and scored on Jeff Bannon's sacrifice fly for a 4-1 Lookouts lead.

 

With two down in the third, Huntsville's Rickie Weeks ripped the first of his two doubles in the game, and Fielder scored him with a single up the middle to make it 4-2. In the fifth, Edwin Encarnacion drew a two-out walk and scored on Ramon Moreta's double, then Blanco plated Moreta with a single to give Chattanooga a 6-2 advantage.

 

Four Lookouts relievers combined to shut out Huntsville over the final six innings. Matt Beech (3-0) worked two scoreless frames, fanning two and allowing one hit while recording his third win. Casey DeHart fanned two in the sixth, Brad Salmon tossed two shutout innings, fanning one, and Daylon Childress struck two and surrendered one hit in the ninth. Ryan Costello (8-8) suffered the loss for Huntsville, allowing six runs on eight hits and two walks with three strikeouts in six innings. Dennis Sarfate fanned two and gave up one hit over two scoreless stanzas for Huntsville.

[Yaz]

Well? What is going on with the Mavs tonight?

 

Why does that team stink EVERY year? I understand that we have skipped our better prospects over Fast A ball, but they are a team. They have to find some consistent success sometime. How do those guys expect to move up the ladder if they can't cut it there?

[MassBrew]

Final: Billings (Reds) 7, Helena 4

 

Helena Box Score:

RHP Robbie Wooley puts the wraps on his season -- he was the top pupil by far in this rookie league pitching class; Dallas Bates draws three walks; final OBP numbers include Steve Sollman (.487), Tony Festa (.463), Josh Brady (.433), Hasan Rasheed (.422), and Grant Richardson's earlier Pioneer League stay (.478)...

 GAME DATE: 9/06/04 BIL at HEL BILLINGS 7 AT HELENA 4 YTD YTD BILLINGS AB R H BI AVG HELENA AB R H BI AVG D.Anderson RF 3 0 0 0 .254 H.Rasheed LF 4 2 2 0 .299 T.Lawhorn 2B 5 1 2 3 .240 S.Sollmann 2B 3 0 1 1 .364 B.Key 3B 4 2 2 1 .242 J.Brady 3B 5 1 1 1 .363 R.Mosby 1B 5 1 1 0 .263 A.Mannon RF 5 0 1 1 .255 E.Beltre DH 5 0 2 2 .254 A.Segura Cor CAT 3 0 0 0 .278 J.Belcher LF 4 1 0 0 .182 D.Bates DH 1 0 0 0 .280 J.Ellis CAT 4 1 2 0 .250 C.Fermaint CF 3 1 0 0 .229 T.Kaats CF 3 0 1 1 .185 C.Lozada 1B 3 0 2 0 .224 P.Janish SS 3 1 2 0 .263 A.Escobar SS 4 0 1 0 .281 A.Farfan PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 R.Marion PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 C.Vazquez PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 A.Martinez S PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Dillard PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 R.Wooley PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 C.O'Neal PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 B.Hundt PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 T.Johnson PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 36 7 12 7 TOTALS 31 4 8 3 BILLINGS 0 1 1 5 0 0 0 0 0- 7 12 0 HELENA 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1- 4 8 0 DP--BILLINGS 2, HELENA 0. LOB--BILLINGS 9, HELENA 9. 2B--A.Escobar (8). 3B--H.Rasheed (2). HR--T.Lawhorn (7), B.Key (6). SB--R.Mosby (1), E.Beltre 2 (7), J.Ellis (2), S.Sollmann (23), J.Brady 2 (5). CS-- T.Lawhorn, D.Bates. HBP--S.Sollmann. SH--D.Anderson, T.Kaats. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA BILLINGS A.Farfan 3.0 4 3 3 2 0 0 6.30 C.Vazquez (W,1-0) 1.2 1 0 0 2 4 0 0.00 J.Dillard 1.1 0 0 0 2 1 0 7.17 C.O'Neal 1.0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0.00 T.Johnson 2.0 2 1 1 1 2 0 3.56 HELENA R.Marion 3.1 3 3 3 4 1 1 8.15 A.Martinez S (L,3-7) 0.2 4 4 4 1 0 1 6.02 R.Wooley 4.0 4 0 0 0 5 0 3.52 B.Hundt 1.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 4.41 HB--A.Farfan. WP--J.Dillard, A.Martinez S. PB--J.Ellis. SO--D.Anderson, B.Key, E.Beltre 2, T.Kaats, P.Janish, H.Rasheed, J.Brady, A.Mannon 3, C.Fermaint 2, C.Lozada. BB--D.Anderson, B.Key, J.Belcher, J.Ellis, P.Janish, H.Rasheed, S.Sollmann, A.Segura Cor, D.Bates 3, C.Fermaint, C.Lozada. T--2:49. A--912

Helena Game Log:

 

www.sportsnetwork.com/mer...MEID=16594

[MassBrew]

Helena Independent Record Game Story:

 

Brewers end season with a loss to Billings

By TOM STUBER - IR Sports Writer

 

The Helena Brewers wrapped up their 2004 Pioneer League campaign with a 7-4 loss to first-half Northern Division champ Billings Monday night at Kindrick Legion Field.

 

The Brewers finished the season with a winning record at 38-36 overall, but came in with a losing mark at 18-20 in the second half.

 

Helena had the second best record in the Northern Division in both the first and second halves, and overall, but fail to make the post-season because Billings won the first half title, and Great Falls the second.

 

Billings will battle the Great Falls White Sox for the Northern Division crown this week.

 

Trevor Lawhorn blasted a three-run shot in the fourth for Billings to give the Mustangs a 5-3 lead.

 

Helena looked solid early as the Brewers scored twice in the first and again in the second.

 

Hasan Rasheed led off with a single and scored one out later on a Josh Brady base-hit. Adam Mannon followed with another single to plate Brady.

 

Charlie Fermaint led off the second with a walk and scored when Alcides Escobar hit into a double play.

 

But the Mustangs would answer.

 

Bradley Key hit a solo shot for Billings in the third to cut the Brewers' lead to one before Lawhorn's blast to deep left-center.

 

Billings scored five times in the fourth and Helena didn't put another run on the board until the final inning.

 

Rasheed led off the clubs' final at-bat with a triple, but Brad Cherry came in to pitch for Billings and squashed the Brewers' hopes of a comeback.

 

Cherry retired all three of the Helena batters he faced.

 

Rasheed scored on team MVP Steve Sollmann's RBI ground out.

 

The Brewers made the final game a fun one for the fans.

 

Fan Appreciation Night featured a drawing for Helena pitcher Robert Hinton's 1994 BMW sedan, much to Hinton's surprise. All in good fun a fan drew the lucky number and jumped into the car, which was driven in from right field.

 

Another light note occured when Alberto Segura was given the 'whipped cream' treatment during an interview. Agustin Septimo pulled the trick as Segura was being interviewed by freelance documentarian Tom Morales.

 

Sollmann was announced as team MVP before the game and reached base safely in his final 36 games. He finished the season batting .364 with 59 runs and 39 RBI. He had one hit against Billings and finished with 99.

[MassBrew]

Final: Lancaster (Diamondbacks) 6, High Desert 1

 

High Desert Box Score:

The two LHP's that were promoted late this season kind of met the same struggles at the next level -- Mitch Stetter with the Mavs and Jeff Housman with Indy; Callix Crabbe's fine season ends with a big day and a final OPS of .786 -- 44 extra-base hits for the smallish 2B who won't even turn 22 until next February...

 GAME DATE: 9/06/04 HD at LNC HIGH DESERT 1 AT LANCASTER 6 YTD YTD HIGH DESERT AB R H BI AVG LANCASTER AB R H BI AVG K.Bibbs CF 4 0 0 0 .280 S.Garrabrant 3B 2 0 0 0 .270 C.Crabbe 2B 4 0 3 0 .291 M.Reynolds 3B 2 0 0 0 .083 M.Hamilton 1B 4 0 1 0 .300 J.Ball RF 4 1 1 0 .297 M.Hamilton PIT 0 0 0 0 .300 D.Uggla 2B 4 2 2 0 .336 T.Hinton DH 2 0 0 0 .302 J.Garthwaite LF 4 1 2 2 .311 P.Rasmusen DH 1 0 0 0 .177 S.Luellwitz 1B 2 0 1 0 .270 T.Farnsworth 1B 0 0 0 0 .259 D.Brooks LF 2 0 1 2 .332 E.Cruz SS 4 0 1 0 .283 R.Abercrombi CF 4 1 2 0 .342 J.Eure 3B 4 0 0 0 .240 P.Avlas CAT 3 0 1 0 .315 M.Mendez RF 4 1 1 0 .277 D.Tosca CAT 1 0 0 0 .252 J.Frost CAT 3 0 1 0 .268 D.Richar SS 4 0 1 1 .282 J.Serfass LF 3 0 1 1 .120 P.Zamora PIT 2 0 0 0 .000 T.Teeter PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Zeringue PH 1 1 1 1 .335 M.Stetter PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 M.Biguenet PH 1 0 0 0 .140 A.Bass PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 A.Shappi PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 S.Smith PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 C.Wells PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Wechsler PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 33 1 8 1 TOTALS 36 6 12 6 HIGH DESERT 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0- 1 8 0 LANCASTER 2 1 0 0 0 0 3 0 X- 6 12 0 DP--HIGH DESERT 0, LANCASTER 1. LOB--HIGH DESERT 6, LANCASTER 6. 2B--M.Mendez (14), S.Luellwitz (29), R.Abercrombi (10), D.Richar (13). HR--J.Garthwaite (12), J.Zeringue (10). CS--E.Cruz. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA HIGH DESERT T.Teeter (L,1-1) 6.0 8 3 3 0 7 1 7.71 M.Stetter 1.0 4 3 3 0 0 1 8.15 M.Hamilton 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 5.45 LANCASTER P.Zamora 4.0 3 0 0 0 2 0 6.15 A.Bass (W,10-8) 1.0 2 1 1 0 1 0 5.03 A.Shappi 1.0 1 0 0 0 2 0 3.00 S.Smith 1.0 1 0 0 0 1 0 5.40 C.Wells 1.0 1 0 0 0 1 0 4.68 J.Wechsler 1.0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2.47 SO--K.Bibbs 2, M.Hamilton, P.Rasmusen, E.Cruz, J.Eure, J.Serfass, S.Garrabrant, J.Ball, J.Garthwaite, S.Luellwitz, D.Brooks, R.Abercrombi, P.Zamora, M.Biguenet. BB--T.Farnsworth. T--2:02. A--3058

High Desert Game Log:

 

www.sportsnetwork.com/mer...MEID=19074

[MassBrew]

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

 

HELLO, TOMORROW

As it commonly occurs during the last game of the season, when there is nothing at stake, managers will farkel with the lineup or acquiesce to some player's secret desire....... A few years ago, manager Carlos Lezcano announced his starting pitcher would be utilityman Jared Mathis, and proceeded to give him an inning at every position........ Well nothing like that happened with Johnny Raburn, but on the last day of the season, your starting left fielder was Prince Fielder. Raburn started at 1st base for the 6th time this season.

 

Robert Portnoy's broadcast was entertaining....... After the Lookouts took a 6-2 lead after five innings, he had Lookout announcer Larry Ward and Stars beatwriter Mark McCarter, who started his career in Chattanooga, in the booth. Also there were soundbites from various Huntsville players and personnel, expressing their reflections on the season and their plans........

 

I attended my final Stars game of the season at BellSouth Park, Sunday........ It's a small, but very nice park that overlooks interstate-cloned Highway 27N, as it leaves the western end of Chattanooga toward the outskirts. The scoreboard in left field is big, the pitch speed meter reads out in huge matrix lights, and the dimensions, though smaller than Joe D., are as quirky as the walls which rise to 18-20 feet in dead center and 7 feet in others. The Budweiser pavilion in right field, the one Prince Fielder homered over (and that was quite a feat when I looked at it), is inviting for any picnicker or visitor with its overhang that provides the only shade I saw for any paying customer, and that's one of my gripes....... There is no escape from the setting sun there anywhere. I can only imagine what day games are like. My other gripe is the lack of variety at the concessions and a grill, like Billy Ray's and the famous $5 Kahuna burgers at the Joe. But BellSouth is easy to get to from 72 East. You just hit I-24 eastbound, get off at Exit 152, take the left lane at the exit that takes you on 27N for just a little bit, then Exit 1C and a right turn to the ballpark.

 

Some former players had success on the field today. One didn't...... Glenn Woolard, in his first game for Indianapolis, pitched six scoreless innings, giving up just three hits. Louisville won, however, 7-6, as the Bats teed off on reliever Jeff Housman, who has been roughed up at Indy after his promotion, August 14. Housman gave up six runs on three hits and three walks in an inning in relief of Wooly....... At the Hangar in Lancaster, the High Desert Maverics were shutout for four innings in a 6-1 loss by none other than Pete Zamora, who was released by the Stars on June 17 after registering an 8.64 ERA for June.

 

As far as Monday's game goes, who cares? It's over!........ No, just kidding........ The Stars took an early 1-0 lead after Tony Gwynn walked on a 3-2 pitch. He took second on a bad pickoff attempt by Bubba Nelson. The ball caromed off either the helmet of Gwynn or the tip of 1st baseman Jesse Gutierrez's glove...... Then Gwynn took third on a fly to right by Rickie Weeks....... Prince Fielder smoked a hanging breaking ball under the glove of a diving Gutierrez, scoring Gwynn........That double tied Brad Nelson for the club lead in RBIs, after Nelson had led all season..

 

The 1-0 lead was the last one the Stars would have in 2004........ Jammed with a pitch, leadoff hitter and former Star Bobby Darula blooped a single into right-centerfield, his 4th hit in six ABs this series. He stole second ahead of Nestor Corredor's throw........ Bryan Anderson followed with a line smash over the head of inexperienced left fielder Prince Fielder. Fielder played the carom off the wall and Anderson was on with an RBI double....... Next, Edwin Encarnacion walked on a 3-2 pitch, but Gutierrez hit into a 5-3 DP on a hot grounder that fortunately took Chris Barnwell's momentum to third base, where he retired Anderson....... With two out and Encarnacion on second, Tony Blanco hit a high drive over Fielder's head to put the Lookouts on top, 3-1.

 

The Lookouts made it 4-1 in the 2nd....... Brian Peterson smashed a 1-1 pitch over Tony Gwynn's head and slid into third with a triple. Jeff Bannon followed with another smash, but right at Gwynn this time. It was deep enough to score Peterson, however.

 

The Stars came back with a run in the top of the 3rd...... With two out, Rickie Weeks hit the first of his two doubles in the game into the left field corner........ Weeks finishes the season with a seven-game hit streak (9-for-25, .360) which includes five doubles. His last one in the 8th inning gave him a share of the Southern League lead with 35....... Fielder then reduced Chattanooga'a lead to 4-2 with a bullet through the box, buzzing Bubba Nelson, scoring Weeks. Brad Nelson, however, got under a 1-0 pitch, sending it deep, but not deep enough, to right-center for Chris Denorfia........ Nelson ended the 2004 season in a deep slump. He hit just .209 down the stretch, homerless since August 15, and 4-for-41 in his last 11 games and just four RBIs in his last 18......... The Lookouts put the season to rest in the 5th on a two-out RBI double by Ramon Moreta, who spoiled Sunday's shutout bid, and an RBI single up the middle that scored Moreta.

 

MORE TOMORROW, INCLUDING THE TOP 10 GAMES OF THE YEAR, A REFLECTION ON THE SEASON.

[MassBrew]

H.D. closes shop quickly

By TIM HARAN/Staff Writer

 

LANCASTER ? For a team that has lost twice as many games as it's won, the High Desert Mavericks season couldn't finish fast enough.

 

So, facing Lancaster in the season finale, the Mavs appeared bent on bringing an end their dismal 2004 campaign in the quickest way possible by pitching rapidly and swinging early and often.

 

High Desert couldn't connect frequently enough on Monday, falling 6-1 to the South Division-champion JetHawks in a speedy 2-hour, 2-minute contest at The Hangar.

 

"There wasn't anything special (to quicken the game)," High Desert manager Mel Queen said. "If there was, you wouldn't have seen as many hits, you would have seen a lot of strikeouts."

 

The teams combined for 19 hits while the pitchers struck out 15 and walked just one.

 

High Desert's Travis Teeter made his first start in a Mavericks' uniform, giving up three runs in six innings of work. He surrendered a two-run homer to Jay Garthwaite in the first inning and gave up an RBI double to Danny Richar in the second.

 

High Desert (49-91 overall, 24-46 second half) managed eight hits off six Lancaster pitchers. The team's sole run came in the fifth inning of JetHawks' reliever Adam Bass. Following a one-out double by Mario Mendez, left fielder Jake Serfass laced an RBI single to center.

 

With the Mavericks' bats held in check, the California League's second-most prolific offense went to work.

 

Lancaster (86-54, 43-27) added three runs in the seventh off Mavericks reliever Mitch Stetter. JetHawks' pinch-hitter Jon Zeringue hammered the first pitch he saw over the left-center field fence, to be followed by Doc Brooks' two-run single.

 

"We wanted to give (Stetter) a little work because there was something we wanted to see if we could correct," Queen said of the left-hander's inning on the mound. "He had been tipping his pitches and we worked to correct it."

 

The good news: Stetter didn't tip his pitches. The bad news: He made some poor ones.

 

The Mavericks tinkered with their lineup slightly in the finale, though it wasn't anything as drastic as in the final game of 2003 when High Desert made history by having two players play at all nine positions.

 

Mark Hamilton, a pitcher who's turned into a valuable utility player, played first base for the first time in two years and went 1-for-4 before moving to the mound to pitch the eighth inning.

 

Travis Hinton, who this season missed just four games, was in the lineup on Monday as the Mavericks' designated hitter. The power-hitting first baseman entered the game having driven in 88 RBIs on the year, two shy of a goal he had set for himself. He went 0-for-2 before being lifted in the sixth inning for pinch hitter Pete Rasmusen.

 

NOTES: The Dayton Dragons, despite winning in 11 innings on Monday, finished with the worst record in minor league baseball, according to "Blast For Last" calculations. The Low Class A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds ended the year 48-92. ... Hinton and second baseman Callix Crabbe were named to the Cal League postseason all-star team. ... This season the Mavericks posted 11-17 marks against Lancaster and Rancho Cucamonga. The only other team that High Desert garnered double-digit wins against was Lake Elsinore (10-17).

[hsvstarsfan]

from www.starsboxscore.com

 

HELLO, TOMORROW PART II

When Nestor Corredor flied out to centerfield in the bottom of the 9th, that put the lid on a very disappointing season, one that held so much potential in April, yet realized so little in the end. The 2004 Stars hit .241, the worst club average since 1991. They also played the fewest number of games in which they collected 10 or more hits (38) and had the fewest in August (5) than any Stars team in history........ Although the team ERA of 3.59 was 3rd best in the league, and the bullpen alone was 3.22, there was not one nine-game winner for the first time in our history. John Novinsky led the club in saves with 17, all of them recorded after May. (Novinsky, by the way, is fine and recovering after being smashed in the face by a line drive off the bat of Aaron Holbert in last Saturday's game against Louisville.)......... It was pitching that kept the Stars in the race early in both halves of the season....... Even in the field, the Stars led the league in errors with 154, tied in passed balls with Montgomery (20), and was last in fielding percentage in a year where every team improved in the field.

 

But what hurt most was at the gate where the Stars finished a poor 8th in attendance....... Buoyed by buyout tickets for the last home game, the Stars broke the tape at just over 180,000, a record low........ Only West Tennessee, in jeopardy of losing their team and Greenville, which lost theirs, did worse....... Greenville baseball ended with a Ray Aguilar strikeout and a 3-0 victory at 3:04 pm........ Mark Hauser's final goodbye to Greenville fans was emotional and moving, following a 1:45 game, perhaps the shortest, if not one of the shortest nine-inning games in Southern League history. (The Southern League Media Guide does not list it in their records.)....... Over the strains of Sarah McLaughlin, Hauser spoke of his association with the late Jim Phillips, his predecessor who broke him in with the G'Braves in 1991 and thanked him, his colleagues, past and present who taped :10 and :20 second soundbites for the pregame, the G'Braves staff, and above all, the fans, staying above the reasons why Greenville lost their team. But when Hauser began to thank his own family for their support for the many days and weeks away from home, he began to break down, and lost it at the end, managing to whisper out a final goodbye........ Hauser, one of the finest baseball voices in the league, left open his decision to come back, saying, "This may or may not end my run in baseball... It saddens me a great deal to see our franchise break up."....... Hauser may or may not come back to the sport he deeply loves, but he's listed on the Mississippi Braves web site as their Director of Broadcasting.

 

Individually, Joel Alvarado finished with 12 hits in his final two months, and hit .156 in August, which was his busiest month (64 ABs). Up at 47% at one stage during the season, Joel caught 31.1% of the runners trying to steal against him........ Chris Barnwell hit just .214 down the stretch after a .299 June and .308 July, but he played gritty, determined baseball at third base down to the end. His last error was taken back by the official scorer, giving him 24, tying him with Mike Coolbaugh (1997 Stars), for the fewest errors among the five 3rd basemen in Stars history who played more than 130 ballgames, and his 138 games played at third is now a Stars record........Ozzie Chavez hit just .194 in August following months of .169 and .219 in June and July......... Nestor Corredor picked up two hits in his final seven at-bats......

 

Prince Fielder, my pick as Player-of-the-Year on the club this year, went 8-for-15 in the final series to raise his average to .272. Against Chattanooga, he was 20-for-42 with four doubles, four HRs and nine RBIs. He hit .223 in May and June, but .305 the rest of the season. Prince, on the last day, passed Brad Nelson for the club lead in RBIs and finished tied for 4th in the league with Carolina's Jason Stokes........ Jamie Gann went 3-for-20 in his last nine games and drove in just three runs in his last 12........ Tony Gwynn, Jr. finished at .244, unable to crack the .250 barrier after August 18. I would be surprised if he moves up next year, but then again, I wouldn't........ Johnny Raburn played every position on this team at least once, made three untouched pitching appearances and three catching appearances, including two starts, but at the dish, he slumped down the stretch, hitting just .169 after hitting .275 in June and July combined........ Ben Van Iderstine came on strong, going 10-for-27 (.370) in his last eight games.......

 

On the pitching side, Brian Adams was unscored upon in his final six appearances, covering 11 innings...... Ryan Costello lost three of his last four games, but had a 2.43 ERA in August, his best month...... Matt Ford has a unique place in Stars history for picking up his two wins on his first and last appearance of the season. His six scoreless innings last Friday lowered his ERA under 4.00, finishing with a 3.94 mark, his lowest since July 15....... Jeff Housman struggled at Indy after his promotion, but had a 1.91 ERA in six starts in May and a 1.55 ERA and three wins in July....... All 17 of John Novinsky's saves came after May. He left the Stars with a 1.20 ERA and five saves in August....... Fernando Rijo had a 3.00 ERA down the stretch and 11 Ks in 15 IP...... Saul Rivera, in June and August combined, had an ERA of 0.00 in 17 IP and a stretch of 19 consecutive innings without allowing an earned run from July 24 to September 2. I think he's earned a trip to Triple-A......... Dennis Sarfate's best month was down the stretch. Even though he led the league in losses (12) and walks (78) , his ERA down the stretch was 2.81......... Paul Stewart, this year's Eagle winner at the post-season awards party following the last home game of the season, was unscored upon in his final two appearances. Although he had a 4.39 ERA in August, his 74:16 K-BB ratio (4.63-1) was second only to Chris Saenz.

 

On the bench, the Stars hit .256, led by Ryan Knox, who was 7-for-14, and Jason Belcher's .417....... In one-run games, the Stars were 21-17. There were 13 of them down the stretch........... In shutouts, the Stars were 10-14, but only after winning seven of eight down the stretch, a record for August-September....... In extra-innings, the Stars were 11-5, best in the league, and tying the club record for most extra-inning games won with the 2001 club.

 

It's been a treat again with this web site. Next year, will be the 10th and I will be back. I couldn't imagine going a day without having my say on various topics as well as providing the box scores, league scores, and many other goodies. It's like nicotine........ While I let this thing rest for awhile, I will fill this site up occasionally with news, thoughts and stats. Thank you, all of you, players, parents of players and fans who've e-mailed me to express your thanks and fill the fires of enthusiasm with your compliments. Have a good off-season........ My pick for Game-of-the-Year was tough. I shaved an original list of 23 down to 13, then 11, and came up with this....... I leave you with my picks of the ten most memorable games of the year. (go to next thread)

[hsvstarsfan]

TOP TEN GAMES OF THE YEAR

First of all, thanks to my cat for stepping all over this keyboard. Now, thanks to Mass Brew and the folks and posters at brewerfan.net for the kind words, perusing my site, and posting my rantings and reports. Here it is:

10) May 25 vs. Jacksonville... Stars 7, Suns 6
A day after the old scoreboard was dismantled, the Stars trailed Jacksonville, 6-0 into the bottom of the 7th. From the 5th to the 8th inning, they had left 11 runners on base. Three straight innings, they left the bases loaded....... While Jason Shelley was holding the Suns to just one unearned run in three innings of relief, Tony Gwynn, Jr. started the engine with two out in the 7th with a 2-run single to right. That made it 6-2. In the 8th, a bases-loaded walk to Johnny Raburn made it 6-3........ After Fernando Rijo retired the Suns in order in the 9th, Prince Fielder got the 9th going with a leadoff double off the centerfield wall. One out later, Jason Belcher's single through the left side moved him to third and then Chris Barnwell, 0-for-4, tied the game with a 3-run home run....... But this wasn't going to go to extra innings........ Joel Alvarado walked and went to third on a 2-0 wild pitch to Ozzie Chavez. On 2-and-1, Chavez drove in the winning run with a smash hit to the centerfield wall, giving the Stars 3 wins in the 4-game series.

9) June 8 vs. Birmingham... Stars 4, Barons 3
With both teams engaged in a race, the Stars are behind 3-1 and down to their last two outs in the 9th. They were 5-23 in games when they trailed after six....... Ozzie Chavez starts a rally by drawing a walk. Rickie Weeks then singled up the middle, moving him to 2nd.......Tony Gwynn, Jr. then laced a 1-1 pitch through the middle and that scored Chavez, making it 3-2....... Fielder played it patient at the plate, and got his pitch on 3-and-1, lacing it to right field on one hop to bring Weeks in with the tyring run..... Brad Nelson was intentionally walked to pitch to Ryan Knox, who's more dangerous than Nelson in the clutch....... Of course, you know in a bases-loaded situation, Frank Kremblas is going to call for the squeeze. Knox tried to bunt on the first pitch, but missed. Kremblas took the signal off, and Knox got a piece of it on the bat handle up the third base line...... The ball rolled along the line, on the grass. Third baseman Rob Sasser came in on the ball quickly, but could not get a handle on the ball in what would have been a difficult out anyway. Gwynn is just too quick. He scored, and the Stars won a dramatic 4-3 game over despised Birmingham.

http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/glasses.gif July 31 vs. Birmingham... Stars 3, Birmingham 2 (11)Tony Gwynn, Jr.'s mission -- atone for a dropped fly ball with two out and two on in the 4th that allowed the Barons to take a 2-0 lead...... Jim Bullard, one of the Stars' toughest pitching foes, held the Stars to just one hit after four innings, but in the 4th, the Stars quickly tied the game after Chris Barnwell hit a 2-run HR to left-center...... Gwynn, in the leadoff spot for the first time since April, missed a chance to redeem himself in the 8th with a runner on third when he fouled out to left, but the game went into extra innings with Paul Stewart and Roberto Giron holding the Barons hitless over the last five innings....... In the bottom of the 11th, Gwynn laced a 1-1 pitch to left-center beyond the reach of left fielder Michael Spidale. Gwynn is now the winning run on second...... Rickie Weeks comes to the plate and lays down a bunt. To who else? Rob Sasser. This time at first base....... While taking a look at third, Sasser barehands the ball, juggles it, then rushes a throw to first, throwing it wildly up the right field line, scoring Gwynn....... Mission accomplished.

7) July 18 vs. Montgomery... Stars 3, Biscuits 0
Pitching was the Stars strongest points, and this was one of the best pitching performances of the season....... In a fast 1:52 game, missing a record by one minute, Ryan Costello pitched the first complete game shutout since Derek Lee's 7-0, 4-hit victory over Mobile, July 13, 2001...... Costello struck out 11, went to a three-ball count only four times, and threw four no-hit innings before Eric Reece singled to lead off the 5th...... Costello gave the Stars their 4th straight win and a four-game sweep, their first of the season.

6) August 2 vs. Birmingham... Stars 1, Barons 0 (2nd game)
Double-headers are intended to go seven, but this scoreless pitching duel was going close to 11 pm when it was decided in the bottom of the 9th....... It took 18 hits and just two walks to decide it........ Between the two teams, 18 runners were left on base...... Paul Stewart, In the top of the 6th, struck out Ruddy Yan and Scott Bikowski, but Aaron McNeal and Brian Anderson came through with back-to-back singles, putting both runners in scoring position...... Carlos Maldonado at the plate hit a ball between first and second and it's going to be a thriller at first base....... Prince Fielder makes a diving stab at the ball and gets enough of it that the ball trickles behind him twoard the garss, but Rickie Weeks alertly is backing up the play. He scoops the ball and throws almost in one motion to Paul Stewart, who also is alertly on his toes. Weeks' throw is just in time to nip Maldonado, preventing the run...... The Stars, who leave two runners on with one out in the 7th, and two on with two out in the 8th, finally get it together in the 9th...... Ryan Knox, dh-ing after almost two months out with a stress fracture in his back, singles to start a rally. Johnny Raburn's double down the right field line sends Knox to third and following a walk to Joel Alvarado to load the bases, Tony Gwynn, Jr. singles to left-center, scoring Knox for the 1-0 victory, giving them a win for Saul Rivera and a double-header split..... For Glenn Woolard, it's just the beginning of a record string of 29 1/3 consecutive scoreless innings.

5) July 3 vs. Mobile... Stars 5, Bay Bears 3
A turning point in Jeff Housman's season, one that would take him the next step up to Indianapolis in August....... Housman had not gone beyond the 4th inning in his three previous starts and he comes in with a 1-5 record after a 5.06 June....... So he shocks and awes the holiday crowd of over 8,200 by striking out 8 of the first 10 hitters to face him, including six straight, allowing walks to Ronnie Merrill and Greg Sain in the 1st inning..... He doesn't allow a hit until the 4th inning...... 64 of his 100 pitches are thrown for strikes, he fans 10 in 7 innings, and leaves with a 5-3 lead, thanks to a 4-run 3rd inning capped by Chris Barnwell's 2-run single.

4) August 7 at Carolina... Stars 5, Mudcats 0
Glenn Woolard, in the middle of one of the hottest stretches of pitching in Stars history, combines with Brian Adams to carry a no-hitter into the 8th inning at Five County Stadium. Woolard exits after 5 2/3, allowing just three walks, but Rex Rundgren says "Hello, it's Me" with a single to left to break up the no-hit bid and the Stars have one of a record-breaking seven shutouts in the August-September stretch run.

3) July 22 at Mobile... Stars 11, Bay Bears 10
The Stars blow an 8-4 lead, then survive a bases-loaded, none out jam in the 9th at Hank Aaron Stadium when John Novinsky strikes out Steve Morales, gets Jason Clements to hit into a force at the plate, and retires Kennard jones on a fly ball to center...... In the top of the 10th, with Tony Gwynn, Jr. and Prince Fielder on after a double and a walk, Brad Nelson sends R.D. Spiehs 1-2 pitch deep to right-center field for a game-winning 3-run HR, and an 11-10 victory that puts the Stars in a 1st place tie.

2) July 8 vs. Mobile... Stars 8, Bay Bears 3
The Stars pound out 13 hits in an 8-3 romp, but what made this game interesting and memorable was Jamie Gann's inside-the-park HR and Prince Fielder's chase for the cycle....... While Jeff Housman and Paul Stewart held the powerful Bay Bears to just two hits through seven innings, Fielder put the Stars on the board in the 1st inning with his 14th HR of the year over the second wall in right-centerfield....... With two out in the 3rd inning and Jeff Housman on third, Fielder got the toughest of the cycle requirements with a triple down the right field line, scoring Housman. Brad Nelson's infield single scored Fielder, then Jamie Gann, batting .346, hit an exciting inside-the-park home run thanks to Kennard Jones' unsuccessful attempt to make a diving catch on his hard hit liner to mid-center......... The single was an easy goal for Fielder to reach. It came in the 5th, giving Prince one more, maybe two more chances to do what no other Huntsville Star hitter had ever done. But with three runs already in in the 6th, and the bases loaded, Prince hit into a 4-6-3 double play, and in the 8th, with runners on the corners and a 3-1 pitch, he ended the inning with a fly ball to Jones in left-center.

1) August 6 at Carolina... Stars 1, Mudcats 0
This may come as quite a shock, but the best game on the year was probably seen by no Huntsville Stars fan. It was far away at Five County Stadium, but this 1-0 contest was no pitchers' duel. It was a defensive duel....... And 1-0 games aren't supposed to last three hours and 46 minutes....... In the 53 1-0 games in Stars history to this point, only one nine-inning game had gone over three hours, and that one on July 20, 2002 just went one minute over....... In a nearly scoreless game, 14 hits, 10 Mudcat walks and 7 walks issued by the Stars only produced frustration for both teams....... 25 runners were left on base, producing only frustration for both teams....... The Mudcats had runners on 2nd and 3rd in the 2nd inning and failed to score, as Dennis Sarfate struck out 3 of the next 4 batters The Stars loaded the bases in the top of the 3rd and failed to score. In the top of the 4th, the Stars had runners on second and third and two out and failed to score. The Stars in the top of the 5th put runners on first and third with no one out, and still failed to score...... In the bottom of the 5th, the Mudcats loaded the bases with nobody out, and failed to score........ Finally in the top of the 6th, Jamie Gann led off with a single to center, advanced to second on Barnwell's ground ball, to third on Johnny Raburn's fly to right, and with two out, Kade Johnson singled to left, scoring what would be the only run of the game....... Saul Rivera made the heads-up play of the year with two on and none out in the 6th. Chip Ambres popped up a bunt in front of the mound. Rivera coolly let the ball drop to decoy the runner on third. He then picked the ball up and fired to Chris Barnwell for the force out, then Barney relayed to second for the double play...... Rivera got Andy Rohleder to hit into a force play to end the inning...... Dennis Sarfate notched his first win since June 25 and extended his string of scoreless innings to 18 without allowing an earned run. Even though only heard it on the radio, I heard it and this, in my mind, had to be the best game of the year.

[MassBrew]

Beloit Daily News Game Story:

 

A man for all positions

Snappers' Rottino plays all nine in season finale

By Jim Franz

Sports Editor

 

Their playoff hopes extinguished and facing a meaningless finale, the Beloit Snappers did their best to manufacture some excitement Sunday afternoon at Pohlman Field.

 

Call it the Vinny Rottino show.

 

While the Snapper slugger produced a highlight reel with his bat this season, Sunday it was his versatility that was showcased as he played all nine positions in nine innings.

 

Never mind that the Snappers went on to lose, 7-6, in 11. They've done plenty of that lately.

 

Rottino's overshadowed the outcome. He's the first Snapper to turn the trick.

 

"(Pitching coach) Rich Sauveur was running the team Sunday and it was his idea," Rottino said. "He had mentioned to me earlier in the year that he wanted me to do it if the opportunity was ever there."

 

Manager Don Money said the Snappers put in a call to Farm Director Reid Nichols, who signed off on the experiment.

 

Rottino had played most of the positions already this season, although center field was new and the 24-year-old hadn't pitched since American Legion ball.

 

"I think the umpire gave me a little bit of the corner," Rottino said with a chuckle. "I had to throw mostly fastballs. I really don't have a feel for a changeup. I just gripped it with all five fingers and threw it soft."

 

Rottino had opened the game as the starting catcher and then switched every inning, going from right field to center, to left, to first base, third, shortstop, second and ending up on the pitcher's mound in the ninth inning.

 

With the game tied at 6-6, fans were wondering if Rottino would still get the call, but they began cheering as he warmed up in the bullpen during the Snappers' at-bat in the eighth.

 

They applauded even louder when he struck out leadoff man Sean Dobson on three pitches. Calvin Hayes and Daric Barton then grounded out with both shortstop Wandel Campana and second baseman Will Lewis turning in fine plays.

 

That was the end of Rottino's mission and his day. He was a spectator as Hayes drove a one-out single to right off reliever Simon Beresford to score Christoper Patrick in the 11th inning.

 

The Snappers tried to rally. Lou Palmisano singled and with one out, reliever Matthew Pagnozzi hit Terry Trofholz with a pitch. He then got Manuel Ramirez and Carlos Corporan to fly out to end the game.

 

"We should have scored more runs," Money said. "We had 16 hits and left 14 guys on base. We had a lot of chances. We just couldn't get a hit at the right time."

 

"For the past 10 days we haven't pitched very well and we haven't got timely hitting," Money said. "In the stretch playoff run we went 2-8. Usually when you go 2-8, you don't make the playoffs."

 

After Peoria scored twice in the first off Carlos Villanueva, Beloit took the lead by scoring twice in the second inning and then two more in the third when Robby Deevers hit his eighth homer of the season with Rottino aboard.

 

Villanueva walked the leadoff batter in the fifth and hit the next. A throwing error allowed one run to score and Matt Dryer's sacrifice fly tied it at 4-4.

 

Beloit got the lead back in the bottom of the inning. Drew Anderson singled and scored on a one-out triple off the top of the right field wall by Deevers.

 

Rottino, who had played well in each position through six innings, threw out Dobson leading off the seventh. But Hayes then hit a ball to Rottino's left and was able to beat his throw by a step.

 

"Rottino did all right," Money said. "Playing shortstop he was a little late on that throw, but overall he did OK."

 

The tardy throw proved costly because reliever Kevin Rival walked the next batter and gave up a two-run double by Dryer to make it 6-5.

 

The Snappers tied it in the eighth. Campana had reached on a bunt single, but was still at first with two outs. Lewis then singled and Anderson followed with an RBI base hit. A wild pitch put runners on second and third, but Rottino couldn't check his swing on a breaking pitch and struck out.

 

"I swung," Rottino said. "That's baseball. We just didn't seem to get any breaks lately. Overall it was a good season. It would have been really nice to go to the playoffs I think we were one of the more talented teams in the league, but we came up short."

 

NOTES: The Snappers finished the second half 34-36. ...Beloit lost on Sunday, 8-6, with Justin Barnes (1-3) taking the defeat. Hernan Iribarren hit his first home run and Palmisano belted his seventh. ...Beloit outhit Peoria 9-8 on Saturday, but lost 13-7 on Saturday. Anderson was 3-for-3.