Stars and Cats Sculpt a Beauty

August 23, 2003 - Southern League (SL1)
Huntsville Stars News Release


Zebulon, NC - If this was a preview of the playoffs, they cannot start soon enough. Carolina and Huntsville played a riveting game on Friday night at Five County Stadium, with the Mudcats capturing a dramatic 4-3 victory. Huntsville lost its third straight and dropped 1½ games behind Birmingham in the Southern League West second-half race.

The brilliantly played game featured four different one-run leads, and all but the last evaporated. The winning run scored on a ferocious collision at home plate, with the ball arriving a fraction too late. The league's top two teams traded blows and never backed down, until a lightning-quick double play finally brought the masterpiece to a close.

Trailing 1-0 in the second, Huntsville pitcher Jason Shelley made his first Southern League hit a big one. With two on and two out, Shelley ripped a double down the leftfield line, scoring Noochie Varner and Brad Nelson for a 2-1 Stars lead.

Shelley manhandled Carolina from the second through the fifth, retiring 11 straight during one stretch and fanning five in a row. He allowed a leadoff hit in the first and did not permit another until the sixth, when his own wildness was his undoing.

Shelley walked Brandon Harper to lead off the sixth, and Harper took second on Jose Cueto's sacrifice bunt. Another walk to Billy Hall put runners at first and second for Jesus Medrano, who singled sharply to left to load the bases. Matt Padgett followed with a sacrifice fly that tied the game, 2-2.

Huntsville retook the lead against Cueto in the seventh. Chris Barnwell and Alejandro Machado singled to open the frame, and one out later J.J. Hardy singled home Barnwell and sent Machado to third. Cueto recovered to strike out Corey Hart, then Franklyn Gracesqui entered the game and retired Brandon Gemoll on a popup that Chris Aguila caught with a spectacular dive in shallow left.

Harper's sacrifice fly tied the game, 3-3, in the bottom of the seventh, setting the stage for the Mudcats' decisive eighth-inning rally. Billy Hall singled on the infield and took second on Medrano's sacrifice bunt. Padgett lined a single to center and Hall steamed around third, but centerfielder Dave Krynzel's throw home was true. Only Hall's speed got him home safely, slamming into catcher Mike Kremblas just before the ball bounced off Kremblas' glove.

In the ninth, Daryl Clark led off with a pinch-single against Cats closer Mike Flannery. One out later, Krynzel hit a three-hop bullet up the middle, where Medrano deftly fielded and flipped to Kevin Polcovich, who relayed to first for the game-ending double play.

Sean Fesh (9-1) notched his ninth win, fanning one in a perfect eighth. Flannery nailed down his second save in the series and 21st of the season, allowing just Clark's single in the ninth. Jeff Hundley (1-1) suffered his first loss, permitting one run on two hits in the eighth.

Huntsville lefty Jeff Housman (3-1, 1.72) meets Cats righty Denny Bautista (4-4, 3.15) in Saturday's game three of the series. Game time is 6:15 p.m. CT. The Bill Penney Toyota Pre-game Show starts at 6:00 p.m. CT. Stars baseball can be heard on Jammin' 1550 WLOR, ESPN 1450 WTKI and at www. huntsvillestars.com.



Southern League Stories from August 23, 2003


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