Gamel Gets Going Again in Stars Win

Published on June 22, 2008 under Southern League (SL1)
Huntsville Stars News Release


Mat Gamel drove in two runs and finished a triple shy of hitting for the cycle, as Huntsville downed West Tenn 7-3 Sunday evening at Joe Davis Stadium to gain a split of their six-game series to begin the second half of the season. The Stars won for a 25th time at home to improve to 44-32 overall, while the Jaxx dropped to 44-32 overall, as well. The Stars have won seven of the 16 games between the two teams.

Carlos Corporan's run-scoring hit in the second inning staked the Stars to the lead against Ryan Ketchner, who had defeated them Tuesday in the playoff game to determine the first half division winner. Gamel's solo home run, his 15th of the season, pushed the lead to 2-0 in the third before a throwing error by third baseman Matt Mangini on a Mike Bell infield single allowed Gillespie to score from third base to make it 3-0.

Mike Jones started for the Stars and was aided by inning-ending double plays in the second and third innings and was taken out after reaching his pitch limit in the fourth inning having walked Luis Valbuena and hit Mike Wilson to start the frame. Jason Shiell came on and induced Adam Moore to ground into a double play and got Jon Nelson to fly out to end the inning. Mark Kiger scored on a wild pitch in the fifth to cut the lead to 3-1 before Shiell worked out of trouble in the sixth by getting Jeffrey Dominguez to fly out with two runners on to end the inning.

Bell led off the home sixth with a single and scored when Corporan followed with a home run to right field to extend the Huntsville advantage to 5-1. It was his third of the season and first since May 17 and just the fifth allowed by Ketchner in 80 innings. Chris Errecart followed with a double to chase Ketchner and scored on a two-out single by Alcides Escobar to give the Stars a 6-1 cushion. Escobar would then score all the way from first on a Gamel single to deep right-center field to finish the four-run frame. Ketchner was charged with a season-high six runs, five earned, on nine hits and suffered the loss to drop to 6-3.

Shiell earned his first win after allowing a run on five hits over three innings and was replaced by Robert Hinton, who gave up a two-out, two-run single to Valbuena in the seventh. The West Tenn second sacker homered twice and drove in 10 runs in the series.

Hinton retired the next six hitters before a Brent Johnson single and then struck out Greg Halman, who had hit the game-winning homer off him Thursday night, to end the game. Hinton earned his first save since April 6, allowing four hits and fanning two.

The Stars open a six-game series at Carolina on Tuesday night with southpaw Derek Miller taking the hill against Mudcats' right-hander Josh Johnson, who is on a rehab assignment from the big leagues. Coverage of the game begins at 6:00 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 June 22, 2008


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