Stars Season Comes to an End in Sevierville

Published on September 13, 2009 under Southern League (SL1)
Huntsville Stars News Release


Starlin Castro singled in the game-winning run in the seventh inning to push Tennessee past Huntsville 3-1 Sunday afternoon and into the Southern League Championship Series. The Smokies won the last three games of the best-of-five North Division Playoffs to take the series in four games and set up a showdown with the winner of the South Division series between Jacksonville and Birmingham for the league title.

Stars' starter Brandon Kintzler was lifted after six innings, trailing 1-0, allowing a run on six hits, while walking one and fanning five. Mike McClendon took over in the seventh inning and gave up back-to-back singles on two pitches to Marquez Smith and Wellington Castillo. Jonathan Mota dropped down a sacrifice bunt to advance the runners and the Stars then walked Brandon Guyer to load the bases. Castro followed with a line drive single into center field to deliver Smith to put the Smokies back in the lead at 2-1 and chase McClendon from the game. Casey Baron took over and got Jim Adduci to bounce into a force at the plate for the second out. Pinch-hitter Russ Canzler then bounced a ground ball to shortstop Yohannis Perez, who fielded it and tossed to second baseman Zelous Wheeler covering at second base. However, Wheeler could not handle the throw, allowing Adduci to reach safely and Guyer to score to make it a 3-1 game.

Marco Carillo started the eighth on the hill for Tennessee and issued a one-out walk to Wheeler before Drew Anderson lined out to the third baseman Smith, who threw back to first to double off Wheeler to end the inning. Brian Schlitter allowed a leadoff single to Jonathan Lucroy in the ninth inning before Taylor Green fouled out and Steffan Wilson bounced into a game and series-ending double play. Schlitter saved all three Tennessee wins in the series after recording 22 in the regular season.

Castro led off the home first with an infield hit, moved to second base on an Adduci bunt base hit and was then thrown out at third base by Kintzler on a failed Ty Wright sacrifice bunt attempt. Blake Lalli then slapped a single into left field to bring Adduci around from second base with the game's first run.

The Stars had two runners on the first inning before Lucroy lined into a double play and then had runners at the corners with two out in the second inning for Kintzler, who ripped a sinking line drive to left field that was caught by a diving Wright to end the inning and squash the threat. Smokies' starter Hung-Wen Chen settled in and wound up retiring eleven of the last 12 batters he faced to finish off his five frames of work. The Taiwanese right-hander yielded just one hit, an infield single by Wilson in the fourth, walked three and struck out four. Chen threw 46 pitches to get through the first two innings and wound up tossing 85.

Jason Ruhlman followed Chen to the mound for the Smokies and set down the first four hitters he faced before Wilson belted a home run just over the left-center field wall on a 3-0 pitch to get the game tied at one in the seventh. Freddy Parejo followed with a single that chased Ruhlman and brought on Marcos Mateo, who struck out the next two hitters to end the frame. The Smokies' right-hander earned the win by facing only two batters before the winning rally.

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Southern League Stories from September 13, 2009


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