Huntsville's Season Ends In Heartbreak

Published on September 16, 2007 under Southern League (SL1)
Huntsville Stars News Release


Sergio Pedroza hit the game-winning three-run home run in the ninth inning to lift Montgomery to a dramatic 4-3 comeback victory that won the Southern League title in game five Sunday night at Joe Davis Stadium. The Biscuits became the first team to win consecutive titles since the Montgomery Rebels won three straight from 1975 through 1977. The Stars lost for the first time in 66 games when leading after the eighth inning.

Luis Pena, who went 12 for 14 in save chances in the regular season and cashed in both opportunities in the playoffs, took the hill for Huntsville in the ninth with a 3-1 lead and gave up a leadoff single to Chris Nowak before Brendan Katin made a diving catch on a John Jaso liner for the first out. Gabriel Martinez followed with a single to move Nowak to third before Pedroza launched the first pitch he saw over the wall in left-center field for his first long ball as a Biscuit. He spent the entire regular season at high-A Vero Beach in the Florida State League, where he hit 22 home runs.

Former big leaguer Tim Corcoran took the mound in a save situation for the Biscuits in the ninth and struck out Mat Gamel to open the frame before Brendan Katin singled and was replaced by pinch-runner Mike Goetz. Lou Palmisano walked and Steve Moss hit a ground ball towards the middle that was fielded by shortstop Reid Brignac, who stepped on second to force Palmisano and threw to first to double up Moss to end the inning, game and series.

Nowak, the series MVP, doubled in Brignac with two outs in the first to put the Biscuits on the board. Montgomery scored first in all five games in the series and maintained the lead until the fifth inning when Fernando Perez dropped a Michael Brantley fly that allowed Katin and Palmisano to score to give the Stars a 2-1 lead. Alcides Escobar legged out an infield hit that plated Brantley to push the home team's lead to two.

Stars' starter Steve Hammond went seven innings, giving up a run on four hits, walking one and striking out a season-high nine. He allowed only two singles over his last six innings and was replaced by Robert Hinton, who left with runners at first and second and two out in the eighth. Sam Narron came on to get Brignac to ground out to end the threat.

Biscuits' starter Richard De Los Santos lasted six frames in his fourth start of the season, allowing three unearned runs on five hits. He stranded a runner at third with one out in the second and fourth innings in his longest outing of the season. Nick DeBarr worked a scoreless seventh and Brian Henderson earned the win with a perfect eighth inning.

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Southern League Stories from September 16, 2007


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