Link Report for Friday 9/14 -- Stars' Backs Now to the Wall

[Mass Haas]

http://www.brewerfan.net/images/store/dailylinkreport.jpg

 

 

[Mass Haas]

Huntsville: LHP Derek Miller at home vs. Montgomery (Devil Rays), 6:50 PM pre-game, 7:05 gametime; Game Three of a Best-of-Five for the Southern League Championship; series tied, 1-1

 

Audio link:

http://www.huntsvillestars.com/

 

Huntsville Box Score / Game Log:

 

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2007_09_14_monaax_hunaax_1

 

Media Notes (From Thursday as of this post time):

http://www.huntsvillestars.com/images/pdf/GameNotes.pdf

[Mass Haas]

No runs on eight hits and three walks in six innings for the Stars -- that's some kind of ridiculous.

[Mass Haas]

Huntsville loses 4-1.

 

Just a kick in the groin kind of night in the Brewer organization.

[Kevbo74]

certainly wasn't the most exciting game to listen to, even though it ended with a bang, just not a big enough bang..

 

However, win or lose, it's fantastic to listen to Alcides and Mat in the same game again. My main team to pay attention to this year was the Manatees, despite the departures of Inman and Salome, (and Alcides)

 

I'm hanging on to these games as long as I can, and hope they can tie it up again, just to catch an extra game.

 

Good news for me, I get to see some AFL games after this, ( I live in Phoenix) so it won't be completely depressing when the last of our farm teams hang up the cleats. :-)

[Mass Haas]

Final: Montgomery (Devil Rays) 4, Huntsville 1

 

Huntsville Site Game Summary:

Link, text follows --

 

http://www.huntsvillestars.com/news/news.asp?newsId=1366

 

Mason Leads Montgomery To Game Three Win

Chris Mason worked into and out of trouble throughout six shutout innings and early offense stood up for Montgomery in a 4-1 win over Huntsville Friday night in game three of the Southern League Championship Series at Joe Davis Stadium. The Biscuits took a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five set and are one win away from a second straight league title.

 

Stars' starter Derek Miller stranded two runners in the first inning but wasn't as fortunate in the second, as the visitors posted three runs. Gabriel Martinez walked to start the frame before Sergio Pedroza and Erold Andrus singled with one out to load the bases. Fernando Perez followed with a two-run single, his first runs driven in during the post-season, to center field that also advanced Andrus to third. Josh Asanovich then grounded out to plate Andrus to complete the rally. Chris Nowak led off the third inning with a home run off the scoreboard in left-center field to push the visitors' advantage to four. He has blasted a long ball in each of the games in the series after hitting only seven in the regular season. Miller was lifted after three innings and suffered the loss after allowing four runs on five hits, walking two and fanning three.

 

Mason, the Southern League Pitcher of the Year, got Adam Heether to ground into an inning ending double play in the first and third innings, both on ground balls hit to first base. Steve Moss singled into center field with two outs in the second inning but Steve Sollmann was thrown out at the plate trying to score from second base for the final out of the frame. Mason gave up two singles in the fourth but struck out the side, including Moss to end the threat. He wound up allowing eight hits and striking out six to pick up his first post-season victory. The Stars did not score an earned run against him over 19 innings in three meetings this season.

 

Bo Hall tossed 3 2/3 innings of shutout relief behind Miller before Patrick Ryan threw an inning and a third of scoreless relief in his double-A debut. E.J. Shanks then retired the Biscuits in turn in the ninth with three ground ball outs. Evan Meek took over for Mason and set down the first seven batters he faced before Brendan Katin hit a home run to straightaway center field to spoil the shutout bid. Meek then retired Palmisano on a come backer with the next pitch and punched out Moss to end the game.

 

The series continues Saturday night with Huntsville southpaw Lindsay Gulin taking the hill against Biscuits' left-hander Mike Prochaska. Coverage of the game begins at 6:50 p.m. central time and can be heard locally on 770 AM WVNN and through the internet at www.huntsvillestars.com.

 

Huntsville Box Score:

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2007_09_14_monaax_hunaax_1

 

Huntsville Game Log:

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_log&gid=2007_09_14_monaax_hunaax_1

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

http://www.al.com/stars/huntsvilletimes/index.ssf?/base/sports/118984786467230.xml&coll=1

 

Stars down to final swings

Huntsville falls 4-1 to Biscuits in Game 3 of series

By MARK McCARTER

Huntsville Times Sports Staff, markcolumn@aol.com

 

This was one that kept you glued to your seat until well after the very end. Mostly because you fretted the way the Stars were going, the postgame fireworks were going to go p-f-f-f-f-t-t-t-t, like a 25-cent Roman candle.

 

Much, say, like their offense has gone.

 

The Montgomery Biscuits bopped Huntsville 4-1 Friday night to take a two games to one advantage in the Southern League championship series. Over the course of two nights, the Stars have amassed only two runs and only three times in 18 innings put the leadoff hitter aboard.

 

"They're not going to like to hear it," manager Don Money said, "but what's hurting us is the middle guys in the order aren't driving in runs. They're not driving the ball with authority."

 

Game 4 will be at Joe W. Davis Stadium tonight at 7:05 with Huntsville sending out ace lefty Lindsay Gulin (12-6, 3.29) against Montgomery's Mike Prochaska (7-7, 3.89). If the Stars can survive, Game 5 will be at 6:05 Sunday.

 

It would be easy to write the slumping Stars off already, but Money said, "What do I say every day? We go out and play one at a time. We'll throw Gulin out there and see what happens."

 

Indeed, this series may be won tonight by Montgomery - it would be its second straight Southern League title - but you can make a case the series was really lost by Huntsville on Thursday when it could squeeze out only one run, leaving the daunting task of facing the league's top pitcher the following evening.

 

That would be Chris Mason, the 23-year-old right-hander who went 15-3 this season. The Biscuits had won his last 11 starts. Make it 12 now. He was hardly overpowering - he did allow eight hits and three walks - but Mason enjoyed great defensive fortune in his first three innings, and that seemed to fortify him even more.

 

Steve Sollmann and Mat Gamel singled to open the second before Brendan Katin popped out and Lou Palmisano struck out. Steve Moss singled into center and Money waved Sollmann home. The ball arrived on the first base side of home, but John Jaso caught it and lunged toward the plate just as Sollmann arrived. Ump Jason Dunn called Sollmann out and Money erupted into his most demonstrative argument in three years.

 

"I thought he was safe, the umpire thought he was out," Money shrugged. "That was a big play in the game. It makes it 3-1 and puts a runner on second."

 

The first and third innings both ended with Adam Heether grounding into double plays with runners in scoring position. After Gamel and Palmisano singled in the fourth, Huntsville didn't put a runner on second until Katin's solo homer in the ninth.

 

Huntsville starter Derek Miller was never in sync, putting a pair of runners aboard in the first, opening the second with a walk to Gaby Martinez. The Biscuits followed with three straight singles, Erold Andrus and Fernando Perez driving in runs. Then Josh Asanovich brought home the third run on a grounder.

 

Chris Nowak's third homer in three games gave Montgomery a 4-0 lead in the third. "He's hitting us like he's Babe Ruth," Money said. "He gets three in three games against us and only had seven all year."

 

There was a nice, sentimental touch before the game. Three former Stars who live in Huntsville - Jimmy Jones (1987-88), Roberto Vaz (1998) and David Pember (2002) - threw out the first pitch.

[Mass Haas]

MiLB.com's coverage, with an obvious nod to Montgomery quotes in this one:

 

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070915&content_id=303138&vkey=news_l111&fext=.jsp&sid=l111

[Mass Haas]

David Weiser:

Huntsville mayor Loretta Spencer left me wondering why she took the time to schedule a news conference at Joe Davis Stadium, this afternoon, when all she had to say was congratulations to the team, and recite some won-lost statistics. Above all that was the hypocrisy of bragging about how well the team has represented the city when neither she nor any of the council members are ever seen at the ballpark. In fact, Bill Kling is the only councilmember I have ever seen at the Joe -- and he stopped coming many years ago....... At the news conference, Mayor Spencer was flanked by manager Don Money, pitcher Sam Narron, general manager Tom Van Schaack, and another player I couldn't identify. Also present were the radio voices of the Stars, Brett Pollock and Bryan Neece, and members of the front office, and about two dozen or more Huntsville Stars Booster Club members, who received an open invitation to attend........ A WAFF-TV news photographer was present, but unless Scott Thiesen has any time to tie it in with coverage of the Stars on a Football Friday, it's not likely you'll see any coverage of it on the news tonight, for there was no major announcement at all........

 

After the mayor threw it to Don, who made a brief statement, the floor was opened to the Boosters for questions......... I don't know if they were stunned by the lack of any kind of momentous news about much-desired major renovation, but I jumped in before they had a chance to adjourn, and I asked the mayor if any new money was going toward the stadium in the new budget. When that got a few ooohs and aaaahs, I asked how much was being appropriated. She couldn't give me a figure, but it was mentioned by Van Schaack that $220,000 of the $1 million the city chipped in last year (mostly for new lights) was still left. Some of that money, Van Schaack said, will go toward fixing the bathrooms....... Later, face-to-face, I asked the mayor what it would take and what were the chances of fans getting a new ballpark or major renovation to make the Joe a state-of-the-art park once again. She didn't answer the latter, but she said it would take $30 million and a new tract of land, which, she said, the city didn't have, and that with the focus of spending on education, the city council would refuse to consider it........ Enough said. It's pretty much up to Miles (owner Miles Prentice), now.