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Homer Happy Biscuits Handle Stars

April 24, 2007 - Southern League (SL1)
Huntsville Stars News Release


Gabriel Martinez hit a home run and knocked in five runs and Chris Mason worked six strong innings on the hill to lead Montgomery to a 13-6 win over Huntsville Tuesday morning and afternoon at Riverwalk Stadium. The Biscuits halted a two-game slide, evened the series at two games apiece and improved to 10-9 on the season, while the Stars were denied a three-game win streak for a third time this season and fell to 8-9.

Fernando Perez opened the home first with a walk, stole second base and scored when Jason Pridie followed with a home run to right field, his first of the year. The two runs marked the 11th time in 17 games the Stars have been scored on in the first inning, the fifth time they have given up a long ball in the first inning and the second straight start in which southpaw starter Steve Hammond has yielded a first inning home run to a left-hand hitter. Solo home runs by Perez in the third and Chris Nowak in the fourth pushed the home team's advantage to 4-0 and marked the second time in 17 starts with the Stars that Hammond had given up three homers in a game.

Chris Mason blanked the Stars on two singles through four innings before a Reid Brignac throwing error in the fifth allowed Jeff Eure to score from second base to get the visitors on the board. Shaun Cumberland singled home Evan Longoria with two outs in the home half of the inning to extend the Biscuits' lead to 6-1 and chase Hammond from the game. Luis Villareal took over and was greeted rudely when Gabriel Martinez slugged a three-run home run to make it 9-1 Montgomery and mark the first time the defending league champions had ever hit four round trippers in a regular season game in franchise history. The Biscuits swatted four home runs in the Southern League Championship clinching game against the Stars on September 15 last year. Hammond was tagged with the loss after allowing eight runs on nine hits in his first-ever start against the Biscuits.

Mason allowed only four singles, struck out seven and did not walk a batter in picking up his second win of the season. Brett Wayne took over in the seventh and gave up a run-scoring single to Steve Sollmann and a two-run single to Steve Moss to cut the lead to 10-4. Brian Henderson took over and walked Ulyses Davenport to force in a run to make it 10-5 but got Mike Carlin to ground out with the bases loaded to end the threat. Montgomery tacked on three more runs in the seventh on a Cumberland run-scoring single and Martinez's two-run base hit. Brignac was the only Biscuits' hitter not to collect a hit and reach base at least once in the game, as the Biscuits set season-highs in runs and matched a season-best in hits. The 13 runs were the most allowed by the Stars in a game this season and the 14 hits permitted matched a season-high set by Tennessee on April 13.

Moss, who went 3-for-5, extended his hitting streak to 10 games, during which he is 17-for-44. Brendan Katin, who doubled in Moss for the final Huntsville run, has knocked in a run in each of the last three games to push his total to a team-best 14. Sollmann singled twice and scored a run in five at-bats and has hit safely in five in a row and eight out of nine.

The series in Montgomery wraps up Wednesday evening with right-hander Mike Jones taking the hill against Biscuits' southpaw Mike Prochaska. Coverage of the game begins at 6:50 p.m. central time and can be heard locally on SportsRadio 730 WUMP and through the internet at www.huntsvillestars.com.

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Southern League Stories from April 24, 2007


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