Link Report for Wednesday 9/10 - Game Two's On Tap

[MassBrew]

Huntsville Box Score:

 GAME DATE: 9/10/03 CAROLINA 4 AT HUNTSVILLE 5 (EXTRA INNINGS) YTD YTD CAROLINA AB R H BI AVG HUNTSVILLE AB R H BI AVG B.Hall 3B 6 0 0 0 .107 A.Machado 2B 5 1 2 0 .160 J.Medrano 2B 5 0 0 0 .154 D.Krynzel CF 3 2 0 0 .148 C.Aguila RF 4 1 0 0 .250 J.Hardy SS 5 0 2 1 .259 J.Willingham 1B 4 2 2 0 .364 C.Hart 3B 3 0 0 0 .208 C.Ashby LF 4 1 2 2 .455 B.Gemoll 1B 5 0 0 1 .231 C.Ambres CF 4 0 0 1 .188 N.Varner RF 4 1 1 0 .269 K.Polcovich SS 4 0 0 0 .125 B.Nelson LF 4 0 1 0 .160 R.Jorgensen CAT 5 0 1 0 .353 K.Johnson CAT 6 1 1 1 .118 T.Moser PIT 2 0 0 0 .000 J.Housman PIT 1 0 0 1 .000 P.Magness PH 1 0 0 0 .250 K.Ray PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 R.Messenger PIT 0 0 0 0 .500 D.Clark PH 1 0 0 0 .000 S.Fesh PIT 1 0 0 0 .000 D.Nolasco PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 M.Flannery PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 C.Barnwell PH 1 0 0 0 .286 F.Gracesqui PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 C.Saenz PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 C.House PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 M.Kremblas PH 1 0 0 0 .100 D.Niles PH 0 0 0 0 .286 M.Adams PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Cueto PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 40 4 5 3 TOTALS 39 5 7 4 CAROLINA 0 0 0 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0- 4 5 6 HUNTSVILLE 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 0 0 1- 5 7 2 E--B.Hall, C.Ambres, K.Polcovich, R.Jorgensen 3, A.Machado, C.Hart. DP--CAROLINA 2, HUNTSVILLE 0. LOB--CAROLINA 7, HUNTSVILLE 15. 2B-- J.Willingham (4), J.Hardy (2). HR--C.Ashby (2), K.Johnson (1). SB--J.Medrano (1), A.Machado 3 (4), D.Krynzel (1), C.Hart (1), N.Varner 2 (3). HBP--D.Krynzel, C.Hart. SF--C.Ambres. SH--C.Ashby, D.Niles, C.Hart, J.Housman. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA CAROLINA T.Moser 5.0 4 1 1 4 7 0 8.53 R.Messenger 1.0 2 2 1 1 0 0 1.35 S.Fesh 2.2 0 1 1 2 4 0 1.80 M.Flannery 0.0 0 0 0 1 0 0 4.91 F.Gracesqui 1.0 0 0 0 2 1 0 0.00 C.House 1.1 0 0 0 0 4 0 0.00 J.Cueto (L,0-1) 0.0 1 1 1 0 0 1 9.00 HUNTSVILLE J.Housman 5.0 3 4 3 3 4 1 2.25 K.Ray 1.0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0.00 D.Nolasco 2.0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0.00 C.Saenz 2.0 0 0 0 0 4 0 0.00 M.Adams (W,1-0) 2.0 2 0 0 0 3 0 0.00 HB--T.Moser, S.Fesh. SO--B.Hall, J.Medrano, J.Willingham, C.Ashby, C.Ambres 2, K.Polcovich 4, R.Jorgensen 2, P.Magness, S.Fesh, D.Krynzel 2, C.Hart 3, B.Gemoll 2, N.Varner 2, B.Nelson 3, K.Johnson 2, J.Housman, C.Barnwell. BB--J.Medrano, C.Aguila, J.Willingham, K.Polcovich, A.Machado, D.Krynzel 2, J.Hardy, C.Hart, B.Gemoll, N.Varner 2, B.Nelson 2. T--3:55. A--1221

[Katuluu]

Saenz better be moving up in the Power 50 with his recent outings in Huntsville.

[MassBrew]

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

 

KADE ENDS CHARITY CALL

It was a game to remember as a cap-off of the 2003 home season for the Huntsville Stars!

 

For the second time in the history of Joe Davis Stadium, the Stars won a playoff game with a "walkoff" homer, and the Stars set two playoff records en route to a much necessary victory in Game 2 of the Southern League Championship Series vs. Carolina.

 

It was a game of missed opportunities like you've never seen before........ Although there were only 12 hits combined, both teams left a total of 22 runners on base. The Stars left 15, one shy of a club record in their playoff history. Three times they loaded the bases with two runs to show for it. Had this scenario existed in the first half of the season, the Stars would have scored 20 runs off Carolina........

 

The Mudcats were more charitable than Rockefeller, but the Stars had trouble using the gift package of 10 walks, 2 hit batters, 6 errors, and 6 hits (until Kade Johnson's HR)........ With runners on second and third in the 2nd inning and starter Jeff Housman at bat, manager Frank Kremblas put the squeeze on, even though Housman had two strikes on him. The squeeze was perfectly placed in front of the plate and Noochie Varner, who was going on the 1-2 count, scored to give the Stars a 1-0 lead....... The Stars later loaded the bases, but J.J. Hardy hit into a 6-4 force play to end the 2nd.

 

Housman had retired seven straight hitters, when in the top of the 4th, the Mudcats hit three hard balls off him....... Leadoff hitter Chris Aguila took Brad Nelson to the track, but Josh Willingham, cheered on once again by fans who drove an hour and a half from Florence, doubled off the Gibson's BBQ sign in left field........ Next, Chris Ashby, whose last home run was on July 22, lined a 2-2 pitch for a home run to left field. It was the first HR given up by a Stars pitcher in the post-season since Brian Adams served one up to Juan Piniella in Game One vs. Birmingham.

 

Down 2-1 in the 5th, the Stars squandered another chance........ A double play ball by Dave Krynzel erased Alejandro Machado's leadoff single, but Hardy reached on a two-base fielding error by Chip Ambres in center. Tony Moser had Corey Hart 2-and-2, then hit him in the back with a pitch and Brandon Gemoll drew a walk to load the bases....... Varner, however, struck out on a 2-2 slider to end the inning.

 

The Mudcats took a 4-1 lead after six after Housman walked Aguila and Willingham singled to left........ That was all for Housman, who threw 78 pitches, 47 for strikes (60.2%)....... Facing Ken Ray, Chris Ashby laid his first pitch down on the third base side to move the runners. They moved a little better than the Stars would have liked after Corey threw the ball away, striking Ashby. Aguila scored and Willingham went to third, Ashby going to second......... Ambres then hit a 1-2 pitch to right field, not deep, but deep enough to score Willingham and send Ashby to third........ The Mudcats left runners on first and third when Ray struck out pinch-hitter Pat Magness.

 

While the Stars clawed their way back, Dave Nolasco and Chris Saenz combined to strike out six Mudcat hitters in four innings of perfect no-hit relief....... Nolasco, making his first post-season appearance for the Stars, struck out Ashby and Ambres on curve balls in the 8th and Saenz' slider was outstanding, using that pitch to get his four Ks.........

 

An error, one of three by Ryan Jorgensen, put Machado on base, followed by a walk to Krynzel to start the Stars' half of the 7th inning........ Sean Fesh tried to pick off Krinkles as Kremblas called for the double steal. First baseman Willingham took a wide throw by Fesh and threw to Billy Hall at 3rd base, but Hall let the ball get by him and Machado scored, Krynzel going all the way to third........ Hardy then hit the hardest hit ball in the game since the 4th inning, sending a 2-2 pitch near the right field line for an RBI double....... Corey laid down his first sacrifice bunt of the whole season to move J.J. to third but Fesh settled down, and despite a walk and stolen base to Varner, struck out Gemoll on a slider and Nelson on a 2-2 fastball.

 

Do-it-or-die time in the 9th....... Carolina manager Tracy Woodson stuck with Fesh, their tough set-up man for Mike Flannery........ Actually, the Stars have had a tougher time this season hitting Fesh (3-for-15) than Flannery, who the Stars scored off of twice in Game One......... Fesh grazed Krynzel's uniform on a 1-2 pitch and he was awarded 1st base to leadoff the 9th. After Hardy flied out to center for the first out, Krynzel stole second on a 1-1 pitch to Hart, then took third on an overthrow from Jorgensen, his 3rd error of the game........ Gemoll up with the tying run on third. He hits an 0-1 pitch to Willingham, who holds on to the ball while Krynzel scores........ Gemoll is retired at first, but Willingham's loss of sanity on the play costs the Mudcats, as Hart moved to second on the play....... Mike Flannery is brought in to pitch to the right-hander Varner. He walks Noochie on five pitches, then gives way to Franklin Gracesqui who'll face the batter he arguably struck out to end Game One....... Varner steals 2nd without a throw from Jorgensen as Gracesqui works to Nelson, but this time, he loses him and Nelson walks on a full count........ Kade Johnson, 1-for-15 to this point in the post-season hits a 1-2 pitch to Jesus Medrano, who takes the ball on the short hop and goes to first to send the game into extra innings.

 

More tomorrow. I gotta go.

 

Thanks, David -- we know how it ends up, but we'll look forward to your account of those final innings and Kade's blast...

[MassBrew]

Huntsville Site Game Summary:

Kade Johnson in the accompanying photo...

 

www.huntsvillestars.com/s...newsId=330

[MassBrew]

Huntsville Times Game Story:

Quotes galore...

 

www.al.com/stars/huntsvil...271200.xml