Stars Fall For First Time

Published on April 9, 2008 under Southern League (SL1)
Huntsville Stars News Release


Jon Nelson drove in three runs and Adam Moore knocked in a pair to support the pitching of Doug Fister in West Tenn's 9-6 win over Huntsville Wednesday night in the opener of a five-game set at Pringles Park. The Stars suffered their first loss of the season to drop to 5-1, while the Diamond Jaxx evened their record at 3-3 by winning their home opener.

Steve Hammond, who pitched brilliantly on Opening Night, struggled from the outset and gave up three runs in the first inning on a run-scoring single by Moore, a run-producing ground out by Marshall Hubbard and a two-out single by Nelson that scored Shawn Garrett before Prentice Redman was thrown out at the plate by Michael Brantley for the final out of the frame. Hammond, who was scored on in the first inning in 11 of his 26 starts last season, has been dented for a run or runs in both of his starts this season.

Nelson's two-out, two-run single in the third pushed the home team's lead to 5-0 and a two-out single by Moore in the fourth drove in West Tenn's sixth run. Hammond suffered the loss after allowing six runs, five earned, on eight hits over four innings of work. Huntsville's five starters had combined to allow only four earned runs over 27 2/3 innings of work in the first series of the season.

Fister threw four shutout innings before the visitors got on the board in the fifth on a run-scoring ground out by Angel Salome and a two-out rbi hit by Ryan Crew, who collected four hits in his first start of the season. Hubbard launched a two-out, opposite field home run, his second of the season, in the bottom of the inning and a leadoff long ball by Luis Valbuena gave West Tenn an 8-3 edge after six.

Alcides Escobar's run-producing ground out and a wild pitch that scored Crew in the seventh trimmed the Jaxx' lead to 8-5 before Cole Gillespie and Salome received two out walks in the eighth that chased Marwin Vega from the game. Craig James came on to retire Mike Bell on a ground out to end the threat and wound up recording his first save of the season. West Tenn tacked on another run in the home eighth before Escobar's second run-scoring grounder of the night, and fourth for Huntsville, in the ninth accounted for the final margin. The Stars had allowed only two home runs and 11 runs total in the first five games of the season before tonight. The series against West Tenn continues Thursday night with left-hander Derek Miller taking the mound against Diamond Jaxx right-hander Rich Dorman. 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 April 9, 2008


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