Barons Stun Stars in the Ninth

Published on June 18, 2009 under Southern League (SL1)
Huntsville Stars News Release


Dayan Viciedo singled home the game-winning run with two outs in the bottom half of the ninth inning to carry Birmingham to a 5-4 comeback win over Huntsville Thursday night in the second of a six-game series at Regions Park. The Stars dropped their second in a row to fall to 37-28 and see their lead in the North Division trimmed to a half game after Carolina split a doubleheader at Tennessee, while the Barons improved to 45-20 with their sixth walk-off win of the season.

John Axford threw 2 1/3 scoreless, hitless innings behind Stars' starter Donovan Hand and turned over a 4-3 lead to Robert Hinton in the ninth. Robbie Hudson reached with one out on a Kevin Melillo fielding error then stole second base and swiped third base as John Shelby fanned for the second out. CJ Retherford followed by lacing Hinton's first pitch for a double into the left field corner to plate Hudson with the tying run. The Stars intentionally walked Tyler Flowers to get to Viciedo, who lined a 1-1 pitch into left field in front of a diving Drew Anderson for the game-winning hit. Hinton suffered the loss to fall to 0-4, while Jhonny Nunez spun 2 2/3 scoreless innings, fanning six, to grab his third win.

Christian Marrero launched the first pitch he saw at the double-A level for a two-run home run to give the Barons the lead in the second inning. Flowers belted a solo shot in the third, his second of the series and third of the year against the Stars, to push the home team's lead to 3-0. Hand had surrendered just two long balls in 49 innings coming into the game. He lasted 5 2/3 innings and was charged with three runs on seven hits.

Shane Justis led off the fourth inning with a single, the Stars' first hit, stole second base and moved to third base on a one-out single by Anderson before Vinny Rottino bounced into a double play to end the inning. Barons' starter Lucas Harrell had blanked the visitors on two singles through six innings but could not make it through the seventh.

Jonathan Lucroy led off with a fly ball to shallow right field that hit off the glove of Stefan Gartrell, as he and the second baseman Retherford both made an attempt to catch the ball. Anderson then bounced a ground ball to Viciedo at third base but his throw to second base hit a sliding Lucroy to put runners at first and second base with nobody out. Rottino flied out to center field to move Lucroy to third base before Taylor Green blasted the first pitch he saw from Harrell for a game-tying three-run home run, his third of the year. Melillo followed with a double and moved to third base on a single by Freddie Parejo that knocked Harrell out of the game. Nunez took over and gave up a scoring fly ball to Johnny Raburn that gave the Stars their first lead of the night. Harrell allowed four hits, did not walk a batter and fanned three over 6 1/3 innings.

The series continues with a Friday afternoon twin bill, as Huntsville will send southpaw David Welch to the hill in the opener with right-hander Josh Wahpepah taking the hill in the nightcap, while the Barons will throw right-handers John Ely and Matt Zaleski. Coverage of the game begins at 4:45 pm central time and can be heard through the internet at www.huntsvillestars.com.

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Southern League Stories from June 18, 2009


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