Barons Rally to Down Stars in Extras

Published on June 2, 2009 under Southern League (SL1)
Huntsville Stars News Release


Stefan Gartrell singled in the game-winning run with two outs in the tenth inning to push Birmingham past Huntsville 13-12 Tuesday night at Joe Davis Stadium in a battle of division leaders. The Barons improved to 35-17 and pushed their lead to four and a half games over Mobile in the South, while the Stars slipped to 29-22 and saw their lead in the North trimmed to a game and a half after Carolina's win at home over Tennessee.

Casey Baron retired the first two hitters in the tenth before he hit Brandon Allen to keep the inning going. Dayan Viciedo reached on a bad hop single to left field that pushed Allen to third base and Gartrell followed with a hit past a diving shortstop Johnny Raburn into center field that chased home Allen with the decisive run. Fernando Hernandez took over on the hill for the Barons in the bottom of the inning and ran into immediate trouble when Viciedo dropped a Kevin Melillo pop up, allowing him to reach second base. Melillo advanced on a wild pitch, as Drew Anderson struck out, but stayed put when Vinny Rottino grounded out against a drawn-in infield and Taylor Green bounced out to end the game. Hernandez recorded his tenth save, while Baron suffered his first loss.

Huntsville took a 12-7 lead into the ninth inning and turned to Omar Aguilar to close out the game. Two singles and a walk loaded the bases for David Cook, who delivered an infield hit to plate Allen to cut the lead to four. John Shelby then blasted a grand slam, the second of the series for the Barons, on a 1-1 offering to tie the game. Aguilar got one more out and was replaced by Baron and charged with five runs on four hits over 2/3 of an inning after allowing his first home run of the season.

The Barons jumped on starter Bobby Bramhall for three runs in the first inning before the Stars rallied for six of their own in the bottom half of the inning, highlighted by back-to-back two-run doubles by JR Hopf and Freddy Parejo. The Stars tallied twice in the fourth on back-to-back two-out RBI doubles by Melillo and Anderson to push their lead to 8-4 before the Barons added two in the fifth and knocked Bramhall out of the game. He was charged with six runs on 11 hits over 4 2/3 innings and replaced by Donovan Hand, who tossed a scoreless inning and a third. Barons' starter Brian Omogrosso went four frames in his shortest start of the season and was charged with eight runs on six hits and six walks.

Mike McClendon took over for Hand in the seventh and gave up a two-out home run to Cook, his third of the series, that cut the home team's lead to 8-7. The Stars received run-scoring hits by Green and Parejo in the seventh and a Rottino run-scoring hit and Green scoring fly ball in the eighth to extend their lead to five. Huntsville lost for the fourth time in 21 games taking a lead into the ninth inning.

The series continues Wednesday night with right-hander Mark Holliman taking the hill for the Stars against Birmingham right-hander Kyle McCulloch. Coverage of the game begins at 6:45 pm central time and can be heard through the internet at www.huntsvillestars.com.

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Southern League Stories from June 2, 2009


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