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Barons Sweep Twin Bill From Stars

June 19, 2009 - Southern League (SL1)
Huntsville Stars News Release


Matt Zaleski spun five scoreless innings and Birmingham broke open a close game with nine late runs in an 11-0 victory in the nightcap to complete a doubleheader sweep of Huntsville Friday night at Regions Park. The Stars have matched a season-high with five straight losses to fall to 37-30 and into a first place tie in the North Division with Carolina, which lost in the bottom of the ninth at Tennessee, while the Barons improved to 47-20, the most wins for any team in organized professional baseball. The Stars and Mudcats each have two games remaining in the first half.

Christian Marrero reached in the second inning on fielder's choice and advanced to third base on a single by Javier Colina, who moved to second base when Drew Anderson overran the ball in left field. Lee Cruz flied out to Anderson, who sent a throw to the plate that hit a sliding Marrerro, allowing him to score. Pitcher Josh Wahpepah picked up the loose ball and threw home to Vinny Rottino, who appeared to have tagged out a sliding Colina, who was ruled have moved safely around the tag to give the home side a 2-0 lead.

Zaleski got JR Hopf to pop out with the bases loaded to end the first inning and got Taylor Green to ground out with runners at the corners to end the fifth inning. He allowed four hits, walked three, hit a batter and fanned three to pick up the win to improve to 4-0. Matt Long worked around two hits to toss a scoreless sixth inning and Ryan Rote gave up two hits and issued a walk but left the bases loaded in seventh, as the Stars stranded 11 runners in being blanked for a third time this season.

Christian Marrero's three-run triple off of Derrick Ellison, who surrendered five runs without recording an out, was the big blow in a nine-run sixth inning, the most runs the Stars have allowed in any single frame this season. Omar Aguilar gave up four runs on five hits while recording two outs before Juan Sandoval came on to record the final out in the Barons' biggest scoring inning of the season.

Adam Stern started the opener with a triple, his first hit in 15 at-bats, and scored when Shane Justis followed with a double. Jonathan Lucroy singled in Justis to give the visitors a 2-0 lead three batters into the game. Barons' starter John Ely then settled down by retiring the next 18 batters in succession before issuing a leadoff walk to Anderson in the seventh that was quickly erased when Green grounded into a double play. Ely went seven frames, giving up three hits, walking one and fanning six.

Stefan Gartrell's two-run home run in the fifth inning, his 11th, tied the game at two. It came two batters after Dayan Viciedo had reached when Green and Rottino collided trying to make the catch on an infield pop up. Stars' starter David Welch then gave up two singles before retiring Robbie Hudson and John Shelby to end the inning. Welch went six innings, giving up two runs, one earned, on four hits, while fanning three.

John Lujan earned the win, his first, with two scoreless hitless innings, as Huntsville did not collect a hit after the first inning. Casey Baron took over for Welch and tossed a scoreless seventh inning and then struck out Tyler Flowers with two on to end the eighth inning. He walked David Cook with one out in the ninth before Gartrell drove a 3-2 offering over the wall in straightaway center field to give the Barons their second straight walk-off win and seventh of the season. It was the second home run allowed by Baron this season and the first since May 14.

The series continues Saturday night with Huntsville southpaw Bobby Bramhall taking the hill against Barons' right-hander Daniel Hudson. Coverage of the game begins at 6:50 pm central time and can be heard through the internet at www.huntsvillestars.com.



Southern League Stories from June 19, 2009


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