Stars and Jaxx Split Sunday Twin Bill

Published on August 27, 2007 under Southern League (SL1)
Huntsville Stars News Release


Derek Miller and EJ Shanks combined on a four-hit shutout in a 4-0 win in game two to give Huntsville a doubleheader split with West Tenn Sunday at Joe Davis Stadium. The Stars sit at 35-27 in the second half, three games ahead of Tennessee and Chattanooga with eight games left in the regular season, while the Diamond Jaxx dropped to 27-35 and eight games behind after winning the opener 2-1. The Stars lead the season series 11-10 and have won five of the seven games at the Joe.

Miller allowed only three hits, walked two and struck out six to improve to 6-2 and gain a measure of revenge against the visitors, who handed him his first double-A loss 11 days ago. He worked around a leadoff single by Brent Johnson in the first and a leadoff double in the fourth by Mike Wilson, the only West Tenn runner to reach third base. Shanks tossed a scoreless seventh inning to wrap up the Stars' eighth shutout of the season.

Steve Sollmann tripled to leadoff the home second and scored on a base hit by Michael Brantley, who stole second, moved to third on a bunt base hit by Alcides Escobar and scored on a two-out double by Carlos Corporan. Diamond Jaxx starter Chris Jakubauskas took the loss after allowing those two runs on four hits over four innings. The Stars tacked on a pair of runs in the fifth against Michael Hrynio on another run-scoring double by Corporan and a run-producing hit by Guilder Rodriguez.

Stars starter Corey Thurman was once again victimized by a lack of support in game one and a couple of key errors in suffering his eighth loss of the season. The Stars inability to record an out on a potential double play ball led to the game's first run in the second when Jeff Frazier, who remained alive on the bases on a miscue, scored on a double by Luis Oliveros. Thurman then stranded runners at second and third to get out of the inning down by only a run. Adam Heether's fielding error on a Wilson grounder in the third allowed him to reach and eventually come around to score on a Frazier sacrifice fly to make it 2-0. Thurman allowed six hits, struck out six and did not walk a batter.

Travis Chick, making his 12th start against Huntsville since the start of the 2005 season, squared his season record at 6-6 with the win in the opener after giving up an unearned run on two hits and a walk, while fanning three. Lou Palmisano hit a fly ball to shallow center field in the fourth that shortstop Jesus Merchan broke back on and center fielder Mike Saunders came in on. Merchan got his glove on the ball but it popped out when the two collided at full speed and allowed Hernan Iribarren to score from third. Saunders left the game with a concussion and Merchan was removed with a deep thigh bruise. The Stars left runners at first and second with one out in that inning against Chick and with nobody out in the sixth against Brodie Downs, who went two scoreless innings to record his second save with the Diamond Jaxx.

The series continues Monday night, as left-hander Lindsay Gulin takes the hill for Huntsville against Diamond Jaxx' right-hander Doug Fister. 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.

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Southern League Stories from August 27, 2007


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