Stars Drop Another by 7-1 Score

August 26, 2003 - Southern League (SL1)
Huntsville Stars News Release

Huntsville, AL – Round two goes to the Barons, by the identical score. The Barons toppled Huntsville, 7-1, on Tuesday night at Joe Davis Stadium, all but wrapping up the second-half championship. A win on Wednesday or Thursday gives Birmingham the title and three home games in the Southern League Western Division Championship Series. The Stars (33-31) have lost six of seven games to drop 4½ games out of first, their largest deficit this season.

On Monday, the Barons used a balk and an error to score twice in the second. Tuesday, Birmingham scored a pair of unearned runs in the first, the result of a throwing error on Jeremy Reed's sacrifice bunt. Huntsville halved the lead with Noochie Varner's second-inning solo homer, but the Stars' offense advanced only two runners into scoring position the rest of the way.

Still up 2-1 in the eighth, Birmingham broke the game open with a five-run outburst. Reed led off with a walk and took second on a wild pitch. Jon Hamilton's perfect push-bunt went for an infield single. After Scott Bikowski walked, Carlos Maldonado lined the first pitch up the middle for a two-run single. One out later, Guillermo Reyes singled to drive in a run, and Chad Durham walked to load the bases. A passed ball plated another run, and Danny Sandoval's sacrifice fly capped the game-clinching rally.

Elbow discomfort prevented Tetsu Yofu from pitching for Birmingham, but lefty reliever Jim Bullard answered the call in an emergency start. Bullard (5-3) won his fifth game in his first start since June, giving up just one run on three hits while fanning a season-high eight over five innings. Pedro Liriano (9-13) suffered another tough-luck loss, surrendering only two unearned runs on five hits with no walks and five strikeouts over five solid frames.

Wednesday's game three of the series pits Stars righty Jason Shelley (3-0, 1.96) against Barons right-hander Carlos Castillo (2-1, 4.91). Game time is 7:05 p.m. at Joe Davis Stadium.

Southern League Stories from August 26, 2003

• Stars Drop Another by 7-1 Score - Huntsville Stars
• Suns move closer to first with 4-3 win - Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp
• Smokies End Skid, Top Mudcats 7-4 - Knoxville Smokies
• Wainwright, Braves Rout O-Rays - Orlando Rays
• Operation Tribute To Freedom Night at the Hoover Met August 29th - Birmingham Barons
• BayBears lose Knott and Guzman to Portland - Mobile BayBears
• BayBears fall to Lookouts in slugfest - Mobile BayBears
• Barons Win Round One, 7-1 - Huntsville Stars

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