Lookouts End Series With Walk-off Win

Published on June 4, 2008 under Southern League (SL1)
Huntsville Stars News Release


Sean Henry singled home the game-winning run with two outs in the ninth inning to lift Chattanooga to a 5-4 comeback win over Huntsville Wednesday afternoon in the last of a five-game set at AT&T Field. The Stars slipped to 36-24 and saw their lead over West Tenn trimmed to a half game, pending the outcome of this afternoon's game between the Diamond Jaxx and Tennessee Smokies. The Lookouts improved to 31-29 and moved to within five games of the lead with 10 to go in the first half.

Patrick Ryan took over on the hill for Huntsville in the home ninth and retired the first two batters before Shaun Cumberland singled and moved to third base on a double by Eric Eymann, who collected his ninth hit of the series. Henry then grounded the first pitch he saw past a diving Mat Gamel at third to hand the Stars their second walk-off loss of the road trip and their third in their opponent's last at-bat. Ryan suffered his second loss of the series and of the season. The Stars had runners at first and second with one out in the top of the inning before pinch-hitter Chris Errecart grounded into a double play. Carlos Fisher went three scoreless, hitless innings to grab the win, his first, in relief.

Cumberland's lead off long ball in the home first staked the Lookouts to the lead and marked just the second time in 10 games on the road trip the Stars did not score first. However, Huntsville rallied to tie the game in the second inning on a two-out infield hit by Freddy Parejo that scored Angel Salome, who led off the inning with a base hit to right field. Justin Turner, the second baseman, dived to try to make the catch in shallow right field and could not and wound up getting kicked in the head accidentally by the right fielder Sean Henry, who came in to field the ball. Salome had been thrown out trying to stretch the hit into a double but was sent back to the field and ruled safe at first after the play had come to a halt. Lookouts manager Mike Goff argued the ruling and was thrown out of the game and finally left the field 10 minutes after the argument ensued. Turner was eventually taken off the field on a stretcher in an ambulance and moved to a local hospital as a precautionary measure.

Danny Dorn doubled with one out in the home second and scored to put the Lookouts back on top on a single by pitcher Ben Jukich, the fourth run knocked in during the series by a Chattanooga hurler. Huntsville tied the game on a Michael Brantley home run with one out in the third, his second home run of the road trip and season. Stars' starter Donovan Hand struck out Jukich and Cumberland with runners at the corners to end the fourth inning and keep the game tied.

Jukich ended the third inning with a strikeout of Salome and then fanned six of the next seven hitters before Gamel walked with one out in the sixth and scored when Matt LaPorta launched a two-out home run, his third of the series and league-best 16th of the season. Drew Anderson doubled in the home half of the inning and scored on a two-out double by Chris Denove, who drove in just his fifth run of the season. Pinch-hitter Cody Strait followed with a single but Parejo made a perfect one-hop throw to the plate to cut down Denove and keep the Stars in the lead.

Hand was removed after six innings, allowing three runs on nine hits, walking one and fanning five and was replaced by Juan Sandoval. Cumberland led off the home seventh with a base hit, stole second, moved to third on a wild pitch and scored to tie the game at four on a Henry double play grounder.

The Stars return home to open an important five-game series against West Tenn on Thursday night with left-hander Steve Hammond taking the hill against Diamond Jaxx southpaw Ryan Ketchner. Coverage of the game 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 June 4, 2008


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