Concepcion Homers to Carry Mudcats to Victory

Published on August 24, 2008 under Southern League (SL1)
Huntsville Stars News Release


Alberto Concepcion belted the game-winning home run in the tenth inning to lift Carolina to a dramatic 6-5 victory over Huntsville Sunday evening in the second of a five-game set at Joe Davis Stadium. The Mudcats improved to 38-24 in the second half and trimmed their magic number to clinch the North Division title to three, while the Stars fell to 28-34 and were officially eliminated from the race. Carolina has won 12 of the 18 games between the teams with seven of the victories coming by a single run.

Steve Bray opened the tenth on the hill for Huntsville and retired the leadoff man Andy Jenkins before Concepcion jumped on an 0-2 offering and drilled his first home run since July 5 over the wall in left field. Bray drew a leadoff walk in the bottom of the inning but was forced at second on a bunt attempt by Michael Brantley before Guilder Rodriguez bounced into a game-ending double play. Bray took the loss to drop to 1-3, while Chris Mobley earned the win to improve to 5-3.

Todd Doolittle threw a scoreless eighth inning and took a 5-1 lead into the home ninth before an error and two singles loaded the bases with one out. Chris Errecart doubled in two runs to trim the Carolina advantage to 5-3 and knocked Doolittle out of the game. Mobley came on to strike out Mike Bell before Freddy Parejo singled off the glove of a diving Chris Coghlan at third base to deliver Michael Garciaparra and Errecart to tie the game. The Stars remain winless in 42 games trailing after eight innings and have dropped ten of thirteen extra innings games.

Gaby Sanchez doubled in a run and Jenkins singled home Coghlan in a two-run first against Mike Jones, who went four frames, giving up those two hits, while walking five and fanning three. Mudcats' starter Willie Glen was perfect through four innings before Angel Salome reached on a Coghlan fielding error leading off in the fifth and held the Stars hitless through five innings.

Parejo led off the home sixth with a single, moved to third base on a passed ball and scored on a double by pitcher Donovan Hand, who collected his first hit of the year. Brantley was retired on a comebacker for the first out and Glen was replaced by Tim Wood, who fielded a Rodriguez come-backer and caught Hand in a rundown for the second out. He then retired the next four hitters in order to turn the game over to Doolittle. Glen allowed only two hits and an unearned run, while fanning four, over 5 1/3, while Wood worked a scoreless 1 2/3 innings and struck out three.

Hand threw two scoreless innings before two hits and a walk to Coghlan loaded the bases with two outs in the seventh. Sanchez then cleared them with a double to make it a 5-1 game and push his RBI total for the season to 88.

The series continues Monday night with southpaw Brae Wright taking the mound against Mudcats' left-hander Graham Taylor. Coverage begins at 6:50 pm central time and can be heard locally on SportsRadio 730 WUMP and through the internet at www.huntsvillestars.com and www.730ump.com.

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Southern League Stories from August 24, 2008


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