Link Report for Games of Friday, May 9th

[MassBrew]

We'll start today's Report with some award news:

 

From SportsTicker:

 

Southern League Pitcher of the Week (May 2 - 8):

 

Huntsville righthander Mike Jones went 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA, allowing 2 hits and 1 walk while striking out 8 in 7 innings.

 

Well, that was one heck of a start he had, I'm sure the Stars' site will have more on this later on...

 

From IndyIndians.com:

 

Outfielder Mark Smith has been named the Indianapolis Indians Player of the Month for April and will receive a specially-designed commemorative watch from Windsor Jewelers prior to tonight's game.

 

Smith batted .338 and drove in 11 runs to lead the Indians in both offensive categories in April. The 33-year-old hit safely in 16 of the 18 games he played, and put together a team-high, six-game hitting streak from April 8-16. Smith also led the team with 22 base hits.

 

For the month, Smith slugged at a .477 clip and posted a .357 on-base percentage ranking second on the team in both categories. He scored eight runs, doubled three times and homered twice. In 65 at-bats, he struck out just six times.

 

Smith is in his 13th season as a professional after being a first-round draft pick of Baltimore in 1991. The California native has played seven seasons in the major leagues for Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Florida and Montreal hitting .243 in 381 games.

[MassBrew]

Indianapolis Media Notes for Friday the 9th:

Includes a travel nightmare for the Tribe...

 

TONIGHT: The Indians return to Victory Field from an eight-game road trip. The Tribe split four-game sets with both Richmond and Norfolk. The Indians hit .286 on the trip and scored 39 runs (4.9 rpg). The pitching staff recorded a 3.07 ERA.

 

The Indians welcome Buffalo to Victory Field for their only visit of the season. Last year the teams split the eight-game season series including the four contests played in Indianapolis. In the last 10 years, the Tribe has won the season series from the Bisons just twice (1994 and 2001).

 

The Indians look for their second straight win against a lefthanded starter. The Indians are 1-8 when a southpaw starts against them, but the win came Wednesday against Norfolk's Mike Bacsik.

 

YESTERDAY: Norfolk prevailed 7-6 in 11 innings in a game that was tied three different times. Both teams loaded the bases with one out in the ninth, but couldn't score. Mark Smith and Scott Seabol went 2-for-5 for the Tribe. Pitcher Dave Burba was 2-for-2 with a three-run double and a run scored.

 

ON THE MOUND: Righthander Pasqual Coco makes his seventh start. Coco has pitched well in each of his last three outings, twice getting tagged for runs in his last inning of work. For the season, Coco has a 3.82 ERA through the first six innings. Coco turned in one of his best performances in his most recent start. On Sunday, he held Richmond to two runs over 6.1 innings to earn the win. He retired 11 men in a row from the third through the sixth.

 

TRAVEL TROUBLES: With an afternoon game at Norfolk yesterday, the Indians were scheduled to fly home last night. Mechanical problems with their airplane forced the team into an extra night in Virginia. As they headed home this morning, the team faced additional delays at the Philadelphia airport. The team landed in Indianapolis at 10:15 this morning.

 

HOT AT THE PLATE: Mark Smith leads the team with a .337 batting average which ranks ninth in the league. He currently boasts a team-high 10-game hitting streak. Smith has hit safely in 21 of his last 23 games (.353, 30-for-85) and leads the team with 13 RBI and eight multi-hit games.

 

Six Indians are hitting better than .300 in May. Keith Luuloa leads the squad with a .429 mark. Jason Conti is hitting .345 with a team-high two home runs and five RBI. Bill Hall is hitting .333 and leads the team with seven runs and 11 hits. Mark Smith is batting .333 while Wilton Veras (.323) and Pete Zoccolillo (.304) are also hot.

 

'KOLB' AS ICE: Opponents are hitting a frigid .175 against Tribe reliever Dan Kolb. Kolb has recorded a 0.54 ERA in 12 games allowing one earned run in 16.2 innings. Kolb has worked two innings in each of his last four outings recording 13 strikeouts in the 8.0 innings.

 

LONG BALL PROBLEMS: The Indians have hit 18 home runs which ranks 12th in the IL while the pitching staff has surrendered a league-high 36 long balls. The Tribe has been outhomered 12-7 at Victory Field.

 

A ROUGH 'ROAD' TO HOE: The Tribe opened the season with 22 of its first 32 games on the road. The Indians went 7-15 away from Victory Field hitting .229 on the road and scoring 80 runs (3.6 rpg). Four of the Tribe's 11 position players hit below .200 on the road. The Tribe went 2-3 and 4-4 on two of the trips, but only 1-8 on the longest trip of the year.

 

UPCOMING PROBABLES:

Saturday vs. Buffalo - RHP Mike Fyhrie (1-3, 4.76) vs. LHP Nate Teut (0-1, 7.20)

Sunday vs. Buffalo - LHP Brian Tallet (2-1, 4.95) vs. RHP Francisco Campos (2-3, 5.80)

Monday vs. Buffalo - RHP Jason Phillips (5-0, 2.25) vs. RHP David Manning (2-0, 1.80)

 

Buffalo (Cleveland) 13, Indianapolis 5

 

Indy Site Game Summary:

 

INDIANAPOLIS -- Alex Escobar drove in six runs including three on a tie-breaking home run in the seventh inning as the Buffalo Bisons defeated the Indianapolis Indians 13-5 Friday night. Buffalo improved their league-leading record to 20-11 while the Tribe dropped to 12-21 as they opened an eight-game homestand.

 

The Indians jumped to a 3-0 lead in the first inning. Mark Smith doubled home Bill Hall and Jason Conti as he extended his hitting streak to 11 games. A triple by Wilton Veras made it 3-0.

 

Buffalo roared back to take the lead with four runs in the third. Escobar collected the first of his two hits on the night with a two-run single.

 

With Buffalo leading 5-3 in the sixth, Tribe first baseman Keith Luuloa belted his second home run of the season, a two-run shot scoring Smith who had laced his second double of the night, to tie the game.

 

The five runs were the most allowed this season by Bisons starter Jason Stanford (4-0) who came into the game with a 1.86 ERA which ranked third in the International League.

 

Buffalo gave Stanford the win with three runs off reliever Shane Nance (0-1) in the seventh. Nance walked the lead-off man and gave up a single to Ben Broussard before Escobar belted his sixth home run of the season to the deepest part of the ballpark. The homer gave Buffalo the lead for good at 8-5.

 

Escobar's sixth RBI of the night came on a bases loaded walk in the ninth when Buffalo tacked on four more runs.

 

The teams meet again Saturday at 6 p.m. at Victory Field on the first Fireworks Night of the season.

 

Indianapolis Box Score:

Tribe batters fail to draw a walk, too many errors, etc.; RHP Pascual Coco wanted his opportunity, but isn't taking advantage...

 GAME DATE: 5/09/03 BUFFALO 13 AT INDIANAPOLIS 5 YTD YTD BUFFALO AB R H BI AVG INDIANAPOLIS AB R H BI AVG C.Crisp CF 5 2 2 1 .333 J.Lawrence CAT 4 0 0 0 .209 Z.Sorensen LF 5 1 1 2 .250 B.Hall 2B 4 1 3 0 .231 G.LaRocca 2B 5 2 2 1 .333 J.Conti CF 4 1 1 0 .248 B.Broussard 1B 3 2 1 1 .248 M.Smith RF 4 2 2 2 .344 A.Escobar RF 5 1 2 6 .217 K.Luuloa 1B 4 1 1 2 .239 J.Peralta SS 6 0 2 0 .271 P.Zoccolillo DH 4 0 1 0 .274 L.Garcia DH 5 2 2 0 .198 W.Veras 3B 4 0 1 1 .232 N.Grindell 3B 4 1 1 1 .250 S.Scarboroug SS 4 0 0 0 .092 D.Wathan CAT 4 2 2 0 .458 M.Budzinski LF 4 0 1 0 .294 J.Stanford PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 P.Coco PIT 0 0 0 0 .143 J.Santiago PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 M.Buddie PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 A.Herrera PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 S.Nance PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 R.Giron PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 R.Marquez PIT 0 0 0 0 .500 TOTALS 42 13 15 12 TOTALS 36 5 10 5 BUFFALO 0 0 4 1 0 0 3 1 4-13 15 1 INDIANAPOLIS 3 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0- 5 10 3 E--Z.Sorensen, B.Hall, M.Smith, K.Luuloa. DP--BUFFALO 1, INDIANAPOLIS 0. LOB--BUFFALO 11, INDIANAPOLIS 4. 2B--C.Crisp (7), L.Garcia 2 (4), B.Hall (5), J.Conti (5), M.Smith 2 (5). 3B--W.Veras (1). HR--A.Escobar (6), K.Luuloa (2). SB--M.Budzinski (4). CS--J.Peralta, P.Zoccolillo. HBP--N.Grindell. SF--B.Broussard. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA BUFFALO J.Stanford (W,4-0) 6.0 9 5 5 0 6 1 2.83 J.Santiago 2.0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0.00 A.Herrera 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6.48 INDIANAPOLIS P.Coco 4.0 7 5 4 1 2 0 5.60 M.Buddie 2.0 1 0 0 0 1 0 4.15 S.Nance (L,0-1) 1.1 2 4 4 3 3 1 9.00 R.Giron 1.1 5 4 3 3 1 0 7.15 R.Marquez 0.1 0 0 0 0 0 0 5.06 HB--P.Coco. WP--P.Coco 2. SO--G.LaRocca, A.Escobar 3, J.Peralta, L.Garcia, D.Wathan, J.Lawrence, B.Hall, P.Zoccolillo 2, S.Scarboroug 2, M.Budzinski. BB--C.Crisp, Z.Sorensen, G.LaRocca, B.Broussard 2, A.Escobar, D.Wathan. T--2:58. A--6326

Indianapolis Star Game Story:

Story actually focuses more on Buffalo's Alex Escobar...

 

www.indystar.com/print/ar...1-036.html

[MassBrew]

Huntsville 6, Chattanooga (Reds) 3

The Stars roll on...thank goodness, Brewer fans!

 

Huntsville Site Game Summary:

 

Stars Complete Sweep, 6-3

In a series filled with long balls, the most prodigious came on Friday night. Brandon Gemoll unleashed an awe-inspiring, fifth-inning homerun that left Bell South Park, literally, and staked Huntsville to a three-run lead. The first-place Stars (21-12) romped to a 6-3 victory over Chattanooga, completing a four-game sweep of the Lookouts (10-23). Huntsville increased its lead to four games over West Tennessee in the Southern League West Division.

 

The Stars jumped on Chattanooga starter Dustin Moseley in the second. Chris Barnwell led off with a single and took second on Ben Diggins? groundout. Chris Cosbey singled to center, plating Barnwell for a 1-0 lead. Cosbey quickly stole second base before being thrown out trying to steal third. Dave Krynzel followed with a triple to left-center, and Richard Paz scored him with an infield-single. Barnwell added a third-inning, run-scoring single to put Huntsville up, 3-0.

 

The Lookouts scored twice in the fourth before Gemoll took center stage. Krynzel led off the fifth with a bunt-single. Two outs later, Gemoll faced Moseley for the third time. On a 1-2 pitch, Gemoll launched a monstrous blow that disappeared over the bleachers beyond the right field wall. The emphatic two-run homer, Gemoll?s third of the year and second in the series, put the Stars in front, 5-2.

 

Ben Diggins (3-2) notched his third win, allowing two runs on three hits and one walk while fanning four over six innings. Moseley (2-2) suffered the loss, permitting five runs, four earned, on eight hits with four strikeouts in five innings. Mike Adams recorded his third save, striking out one in a perfect ninth.

 

Huntsville opens a four-game series against the Tennessee Smokies on Saturday night at Joe Davis Stadium. Right-hander Mike Jones (4-1, 3.03) meets Tennessee righty Nick Stocks (3-0, 3.00) at 7:05 p.m.

 

Huntsville Box Score:

 GAME DATE: 5/09/03 HUNTSVILLE 6 AT CHATTANOOGA 3 YTD YTD HUNTSVILLE AB R H BI AVG CHATTANOOGA AB R H BI AVG C.Cosbey LF 4 0 1 1 .244 W.Caceres CF 3 1 1 0 .211 D.Krynzel CF 5 2 2 0 .295 A.Beattie 2B 4 1 1 1 .264 R.Paz 2B 3 0 1 1 .277 G.Senjem RF 4 0 0 0 .321 C.Hart 3B 4 0 0 0 .290 S.Smitherman LF 4 0 1 1 .277 B.Gemoll 1B 4 1 2 2 .274 C.Haas 1B 4 0 1 0 .247 C.Guerrero RF 4 1 1 0 .197 E.Encrnacion 3B 3 0 0 0 .219 M.Kremblas CAT 3 0 0 0 .132 C.Gubanich CAT 3 0 0 0 .233 C.Barnwell SS 4 1 2 1 .253 R.Olmedo SS 3 0 0 0 .286 B.Diggins PIT 3 0 0 0 .250 D.Moseley PIT 1 0 0 0 .400 M.Hammons PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 S.Perez PH 1 0 0 0 .000 M.Childers PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 C.Dehart PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 R.Knox PH 1 1 1 0 .244 D.Stenson PH 1 1 1 1 .245 M.Adams PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 P.Darnell PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 35 6 10 5 TOTALS 31 3 5 3 HUNTSVILLE 0 0 2 1 2 0 0 0 1- 6 10 0 CHATTANOOGA 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 0- 3 5 1 E--A.Beattie. DP--HUNTSVILLE 1, CHATTANOOGA 0. LOB--HUNTSVILLE 6, CHATTANOOGA 2. 2B--A.Beattie (11). 3B--D.Krynzel (4). HR--B.Gemoll (3), D.Stenson (2). SB--C.Cosbey (6). CS--C.Cosbey, R.Paz. HBP--R.Paz. SH--C.Cosbey. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA HUNTSVILLE B.Diggins (W,3-2) 6.0 3 2 2 1 4 0 2.36 M.Hammons 1.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 4.30 M.Childers 1.0 1 1 1 0 0 1 1.93 M.Adams (S,3) 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 4.95 CHATTANOOGA D.Moseley (L,2-2) 5.0 8 5 4 0 4 1 3.30 C.Dehart 3.0 1 0 0 1 4 0 7.50 P.Darnell 1.0 1 1 1 1 0 0 5.54 HB--D.Moseley. WP--B.Diggins, M.Hammons, P.Darnell. SO--D.Krynzel 2, R.Paz, C.Hart, C.Guerrero 2, B.Diggins 2, A.Beattie, G.Senjem 2, S.Smitherman, C.Haas. BB--R.Paz, M.Kremblas, W.Caceres. T--2:37. A--5554

Stars' Site Press Release on Mike Jones' Award:

 

www.huntsvillestars.com/n...?newsid=60

[MassBrew]

High Desert 11, Stockton (Rangers) 7

 

High Desert Site Game Summary:

 

ADELANTO, CA ? It was bound to happen sooner or later. The Milwaukee Brewers could only let Daryl Clark and Kade Johnson tear up California League pitching before they would be challenged at the next level. That challenge begins on Saturday as both players will be promoted to the first place AA Huntsville Stars of the Southern League. Johnson and Clark, among the top five in almost every offensive category in the league, will both be getting their first crack at AA.

 

Both played a part in Friday night?s come-from-behind victory over the Stockton Ports as High Desert beat Stockton by a final of 11-7. Johnson and Clark, as they have done all season, contributed by collecting three hits, two RBIs and three runs scored between the two.

 

It was actually Chris Morris and David Nolasco who stole the show on Friday night. Morris collected a season-best four hits and five RBIs, while Nolasco (1-2) earned his first win, by tossing the final five shutout innings in relief.

 

The Ports grabbed an early lead, as Jason Botts? two-run homer put them up 2-0 in the first. They made it 4-0 with two more in the second off Mavs starter Brian Mazone. The Mavs got three back in the second as Scott Candelaria, Morris and Todd West all had run-scoring hits. The Ports made it 7-3 with three unearned runs in the third, keyed by a two-run triple off the bat of Rashad Eldridge.

 

The Mavs scored two runs in each of the next four innings. They tied the game at 7-7 in the fifth, as Johnson doubled home Clark, then scored on Jason Belcher?s sac fly. They took the lead for good in the sixth, as Morris knocked in Candelaria with his third of four hits on the evening. Darrin Moore (0-2) took the loss for the Ports.

 

Meanwhile, Nolasco was brilliant, working hitless relief for the first three innings. The Ports threatened in the eighth by loading the bases, but Nolasco got Botts to foul out with the bases loaded, trailing 11-7.

 

The Mavs throw Danny Kolb (0-2) on Saturday, while the Ports counter with Justin Echols (1-3) at 7:05.

 

Taking the two roster spots for the Mavs will be catcher Joel Alvarado and outfielder Cristian Guererro. Alvarado hit just .162 in his first 13 games for the Stars this season, with no home runs and five RBIs. Guerrero hit just .195 with no home runs and seven RBIs in 30 games with the Stars so far in 2003. Both Alvarado and Guerrero spent time with the Mavericks in 2003.

 

High Desert Box Score:

Froilan Villanueva seeing time back behind at the plate while Brian Foster nurses his sore thumb; not sure how much longer LHP Brian Mazone can maintain his rotation spot...

 GAME DATE: 5/09/03 STOCKTON 7 AT HIGH DESERT 11 YTD YTD STOCKTON AB R H BI AVG HIGH DESERT AB R H BI AVG D.Meyer SS 4 0 2 1 .271 J.Raburn 2B 5 0 1 0 .303 J.Moore 2B 3 1 1 1 .155 F.Villanueva CAT 3 0 0 0 .312 J.Botts 1B 5 1 2 2 .289 D.Clark LF 4 1 1 1 .351 G.Raymundo 3B 5 0 0 0 .350 K.Johnson DH 5 2 2 1 .321 Z.Roper DH 5 1 1 0 .300 J.Belcher RF 4 2 2 1 .319 O.Ayala RF 3 2 0 0 .222 M.Ernster 3B 5 2 2 0 .358 J.Dill PH 1 0 0 0 .214 S.Candelaria 1B 3 2 1 1 .277 D.Smith CAT 3 1 1 0 .300 C.Morris CF 4 1 4 5 .260 R.Eldridge LF 4 1 1 2 .266 T.West SS 4 1 2 1 .267 C.Strngfelow CF 4 0 3 1 .276 B.Mazone PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Andrew PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 D.Nolasco PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 D.Valdez PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 D.Moore PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 R.Gilbert PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 37 7 11 7 TOTALS 37 11 15 10 STOCKTON 2 2 3 0 0 0 0 0 0- 7 11 5 HIGH DESERT 0 3 0 2 2 2 2 0 X-11 15 1 E--D.Meyer, J.Moore, J.Botts, G.Raymundo, R.Gilbert, S.Candelaria. DP--STOCKTON 0, HIGH DESERT 0. LOB--STOCKTON 8, HIGH DESERT 7. 2B--Z.Roper (6), D.Clark (4), K.Johnson 2 (11), T.West (5). 3B-- R.Eldridge (4). HR--J.Botts (4). SB--J.Belcher (1), S.Candelaria (1), C.Morris (20), T.West (6). CS--D.Meyer, F.Villanueva. SF--D.Meyer, J.Belcher. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA STOCKTON J.Andrew 4.0 8 5 5 0 3 0 4.55 D.Valdez 1.0 1 2 2 2 1 0 5.16 D.Moore (L,0-2) 1.2 6 4 2 2 1 0 5.94 R.Gilbert 1.1 0 0 0 0 3 0 5.51 HIGH DESERT B.Mazone 4.0 8 7 4 3 3 1 10.41 D.Nolasco (W,1-2) 5.0 3 0 0 1 8 0 6.85 WP--D.Valdez, B.Mazone. SO--D.Meyer, J.Moore 2, G.Raymundo 3, Z.Roper, O.Ayala 2, R.Eldridge 2, J.Raburn 2, F.Villanueva, D.Clark, K.Johnson 2, M.Ernster 2. BB--J.Moore 2, O.Ayala, D.Smith, F.Villanueva 2, D.Clark, S.Candelaria. T--3:01. A--2027

[MassBrew]

South Bend (Diamondbacks) 7, Beloit 6

Prince Fielder celebrates his 19th birthday at the plate, but unfortunately, not with a win...

 

Beloit Box Score:

LHP Gabriel Mendoza struggles for the first time this season, losing a 4-1 lead in the 7th; LHP Jeff Housman with another solid five innings...

 GAME DATE: 5/09/03 BELOIT 6 AT SOUTH BEND 7 YTD YTD BELOIT AB R H BI AVG SOUTH BEND AB R H BI AVG C.Crabbe 2B 4 0 0 0 .226 J.Gil SS 3 0 1 1 .159 K.Bohanan 2B 1 0 0 0 .071 J.Sprowl CAT 3 1 0 0 .258 K.Bibbs CF 4 1 2 0 .265 J.Ball CF 0 0 0 0 .311 S.Moss RF 4 1 0 0 .246 J.Ball RF 3 1 3 2 .311 P.Fielder 1B 5 2 3 2 .352 S.Luellwitz DH 4 1 1 4 .231 J.Eure 3B 4 1 2 3 .225 N.Teilon LF 4 0 1 0 .253 J.VandenBrg CAT 4 1 0 0 .232 N.Teilon RF 0 0 0 0 .253 M.Mendez DH 4 0 1 1 .253 J.Stanek 1B 3 1 1 0 .217 C.Terni SS 4 0 3 0 .250 R.Barrett CF 2 0 0 0 .167 N.Carter LF 3 0 1 0 .140 D.Callahan PH 0 1 0 0 .185 J.Housman PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 D.Callahan LF 1 0 0 0 .185 J.Alliston PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 K.Jacobo 3B 4 0 0 0 .220 G.Mendoza PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 N.Brown 2B 1 2 0 0 .218 J.Doyle PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 E.Gonzalez PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 M.Wilkinson PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 H.Heiberger PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 M.Davis PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 37 6 12 6 TOTALS 28 7 7 7 BELOIT 0 0 1 0 0 3 0 2 0- 6 12 0 SOUTH BEND 0 0 0 0 0 1 6 0 X- 7 7 2 E--J.Sprowl, J.Doyle. DP--BELOIT 1, SOUTH BEND 1. LOB--BELOIT 9, SOUTH BEND 4. 2B--C.Terni (2), N.Teilon (3), J.Stanek (2). HR-- P.Fielder (7), J.Eure (5), S.Luellwitz (3). SB--K.Bibbs 3 (16), J.Eure (7). CS--K.Bibbs, J.Ball. HBP--J.Sprowl, J.Ball, N.Brown. SF--J.Gil. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA BELOIT J.Housman 5.0 3 1 1 2 3 0 1.00 J.Alliston 1.0 3 1 1 0 1 0 2.95 G.Mendoza (L,1-1) 2.0 1 5 5 1 1 1 2.42 SOUTH BEND J.Doyle 5.2 7 4 3 3 1 1 3.55 E.Gonzalez (W,1-2) 1.2 3 2 2 1 1 1 4.96 M.Wilkinson 1.0 1 0 0 1 2 0 3.95 H.Heiberger 0.1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.80 M.Davis (S,1) 0.1 1 0 0 0 1 0 4.50 HB--G.Mendoza 3. WP--E.Gonzalez. BALKS--J.Housman. SO--K.Bohanan, S.Moss 3, J.VandenBrg, S.Luellwitz, J.Stanek, R.Barrett 2, K.Jacobo. BB--K.Bibbs, S.Moss, J.Eure, J.VandenBrg, N.Carter, J.Stanek, D.Callahan, N.Brown. T--2:48. A--1713

The South Bend site was down at press time, and the South Bend newspaper accounts have yet to go online. We'll likely track down a game summary later on Saturday for you...

[MassBrew]

Note to our favorite West Coast late night Link Reporter, DHonks:

 

Thanks for the links to the overnight boxes, which helped out the night owls for an eight-hour window before we included the game summaries Saturday AM...

[MassBrew]

Saturday's Daily Menu includes a tossed roster salad, and there's no truth to the rumor that Huntsville's going undefeated the rest of the way -- well, almost no truth...

 

All listed times are Central; pitchers subject to change; pre-game audio approx. 15 minutes prior to the first pitch; no audio for Beloit today -- no Saturday afternoon action as it's all under the lights...

 

INDIANAPOLIS: LHP Nate Teut vs. Buffalo (Cleveland) at home, 6:00 PM

 

HUNTSVILLE: RHP Mike Jones at home vs. Tennessee (Cardinals), 7:05 PM; a nice aspect of the Daryl Clark and Kade Johnson promotions is that no one gets brushed aside to the bench; Cristian Guerrero and Joel Alvarado move down a level to work on their games, and in Cristian's case, try to salvage a career and a 40-man spot, certainly in jeopardy for 2004...

 

HIGH DESERT: I hope to tune in late tonight as RHP Danny Kolb faces Stockton (Rangers) at home, 9:05 PM; I don't think this team is going to feel sorry for itself -- here's hoping for others to pick up the lost offensive firepower (it'll be tough) and give us some West Coast fun in the late night hours this summer...

 

BELOIT: Listed as TBA, but it should be LHP Manny Parra facing the Silver Hawks in South Bend (Diamondbacks) at 6:30 PM

[MassBrew]

Daily Press High Desert Game Story:

Chris Morris' big night; 22-year-old pitcher Tony Stavros with nice work as a mentor; Ozzie Chavez' return gets near; and LHP Justin Gordon, rebounding nicely from a tough 2002, gets another opportunity to start...

 

www.vvdailypress.com/cgi-...986,29982,

[MassBrew]

Game Story from the South Bend Tribune:

Not a bad account, considering it was a road affair...

 

SOUTH BEND -- Never in high school, never in college at Vanderbilt, never as a professional.

 

But Friday night at Coveleski Stadium Sean Luellwitz connected for the first grand-slam home run of his life as the South Bend Silver Hawks rallied from a 4-0 deficit to defeat Beloit, 7-6.

 

The slam by Luellwitz sparked a six-run seventh inning for the Hawks who took a 7-4 lead, then had to hold on after the Snappers scored two in the eighth and had the tying run on third base in the ninth.

 

"After that strike out (in the sixth inning), I needed to do something,'' said Luellwitz, who has accounted for two of the three home runs South Bend has hit in its home park this season. "After (Jarred) Ball walked on four pitches, I think he (Beloit pitcher Gabe Mendoza) was desperate to throw a strike. It was a fast ball right down the middle. The best thing about it was that we were able to hold on to the lead and win the game.''

 

Normally when a struggling pitcher walks someone on four pitches, the next batter is told to look at a pitch or two.

 

"If it's a guy who has no chance of hitting a home run, then yes,'' said South Bend manager Von Hayes. "But Sean had the hit sign, he was free to swing.''

 

While the Luellwitz blast was the game's most productive, it wasn't the longest.

 

Beloit first baseman Prince Fielder, leading off the eighth inning, sent his seventh home run far into the night over right-center outer wall. Fielder, Milwaukee's first round draft pick and seventh overall a year ago, entered the game with a .342 average, fourth in the Midwest League. He added some to that with a 3-for-5 night and drove in two runs.

 

When Fielder arrived in the batters' box in the ninth inning representing the tying run, Hayes brought in left-hander Heath Heiberger from the bullpen to replace right-hander Matt Wilkinson.

 

While there is little difference between Fielder's average vs. right-handers (.355) compared to left-handers (.317) there is a significant difference in the power numbers. He has only one home run against left-handers, and 11 of his 13 hits against left-handers had been singles.

 

"That was a home run situation,'' said Hayes. "All we wanted to do was keep him in the ballpark.''

 

Heiberger did better than that, inducing a ground out to first baseman Jeff Stanek.

 

His job done, Heiberger turned over the pitching to Mike Davis. Jeff Eure, who hit a three-run homer in the sixth inning off South Bend starter Jared Doyle, beat out an infield single. He stole second and continued to third when Jon-Mark Sprowl's throw was high.

 

But Davis struck out John VandenBerg to end it.

 

"We haven't come back very often to win like this,'' said Hayes. "Beloit can really swing the bats.''

 

Jarred Ball was also a key in the victory. Ball was 3-for-3 plus a walk and drove in two runs, lifting his batting average to .310.

 

"That was a nice hit-and-run by Jerry Gil,'' added Hayes. That play in the sixth inning helped the Hawks finally break through against Beloit starter Jeff Housman.

 

Neb Brown walked to open the inning, took third on Gil's hit and scored on Ball's third hit of the night.

 

South Bend scored its six runs in the seventh inning on only two hits, a leadoff double by Stanek and the grand-slam. In between there were walks to Dan Callahan and Ball, and both Brown and Sprowl were plunked by pitches.

 

The 7-4 lead didn't last long. Fielder's homer made it 7-5. A walk to Vanden Berg, a wild pitch from Enrique Gonzales and a hit from Mario Mendez made it 7-6. Wilkinson pitched out of the jam and fanned Steve Moss to open the ninth before the relief from Heiberger and Davis saved the day.

[DHonks]

Nice...thanks for that article. It's also cool cause Sean Luellwitz went to Marquette High with me in Milwaukee. At the time he was considered one of the best offensive and defensive catchers in the state.