Mobile Breaks Stars' Long Home Win Streak

Published on May 8, 2008 under Southern League (SL1)
Source: Huntsville Stars News Release


Cyle Hankerd's grand slam highlighted a seven-run ninth inning rally that broke open a close game and powered Mobile to a 12-2 win over Huntsville Thursday night in the fourth of a five-game set at Joe Davis Stadium. The BayBears won for the first time in the series to improve to 16-18, while the Stars dropped to 23-11 but maintained their one game lead over West Tenn, which blew a five-run lead and lost to Mississippi, in the North Division. The Stars lost a nine-game home win streak and fell for only a third time in 19 games on home soil.

Rusty Ryal's three-run home run, his third long ball of the series, staked Matt Torra to a 3-0 lead before he had even taken the hill. The home run was the second in as many starts allowed by Brae Wright, who did not surrender a round tripper in his first five turns.

Torra stranded runners at first and second in the first inning and left Matt LaPorta at second base to end the second inning before Chris Errecart's lead off long ball in the fourth got the home team on the board. Torra then helped his own cause with an RBI double in the fourth to restore a three-run cushion. Wright was lifted from the game after a run-scoring single by Hankerd in the sixth pushed Mobile's lead to 5-1. He suffered the loss after allowing five runs on seven hits over 5 1/3 innings and dropped to 1-4. Wright remains without a victory after winning his double-A debut on April 6.

Torra was taken out after six frames during which he allowed a run on seven hits. He earned the win to improve to 4-1. Torra walked two and fanned five and has now struck out 30 and issued only four free passes in 42 innings. Mat Gamel finished with two hits, including a seventh inning homer that cut the lead to 5-2, in four tries for his 16th multiple hit game of the season.

Robert Hinton threw two scoreless frames before David Johnson took over in the ninth and could not finish the inning. Cesar Nicolas singled in a run, Frank Curreri, Torra's catcher in college, walked to force in a run prior to Hankerd blasting his second home run of the season to make it 11-2. Johnson was charged with seven runs, six earned, and has allowed nine earned runs, all with two outs, in two outings in the series over 1.2 innings. The 12 runs yielded by the Stars were the most in a game this season.

The series wraps up Friday night with left-hander Sam Narron taking the mound against BayBears' right-hander Adam Howard. 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 May 8, 2008


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