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Stars Losing Skid Hits Three In a Row

May 21, 2008 - Southern League (SL1)
Huntsville Stars News Release


Stefan Gartrell scored the winning run on an error in the tenth inning to push Birmingham past Huntsville 6-5 Wednesday night in the opener of a five-game set at Joe Davis Stadium. The Barons improved to 26-20 and increased their lead to five games over Jacksonville in the South, while the Stars dropped a season-high third straight game to fall to 30-16 and saw their lead over West Tenn in the North trimmed to a single game.

Gartrell doubled with one out in the tenth and scored the decisive run when Mike Bell could cleanly field a sharply hit ball by Cole Armstrong at second base. The ball caromed off him into foul territory allowing Gartrell to score easily and hand Jason Shiell his first loss since joining the Stars. Chris Errecart and Freddy Parejo singled with two outs in the bottom of the inning against Johnny Lujan, who got Angel Salome to bounce into a force out at second base to end the game and record his first save of the season.

John Link, who had converted 11 of 12 save chances, opened the ninth on the hill for the Barons and retired the first two hitters before Michael Brantley singled, stole second base and scored on a base hit by Alcides Escobar that tied the game. Fernando Hernandez began the eighth inning on the mound for Birmingham and gave up two hits and a walk to load the bases before walking Mat Gamel on four pitches to force in a run that cut the Barons' lead to 5-3. Hernandez was removed from the game and replaced by Derek Rodriguez, who hit Matt LaPorta with his first pitch to score Brantley to make it 5-4. However, the right-hander bounced back to strike out Cole Gillespie and Errecart and ended the inning by getting Parejo to ground out to preserve the lead.

Run-scoring hits by Victor Mercedes and Cole Armstrong staked Birmingham to a 2-0 lead after four and David Cook's two run home run, his ninth of the year and eighth in May, extended the advantage to 4-0 in the fifth. Huntsville got back into the game in the home half of the fifth against Clayton Richard on a run-scoring ground out by Salome and a two-out RBI double by Bell, who had his ninth two-hit game in his last 19 starts.

Stars' starter Steve Hammond went six innings, giving up four runs, the most he has yielded in any of his six home starts, on nine hits, while walking two and fanning three. Richard lasted a season-high seven frames, allowing two runs on four hits, while issuing one walk and matching a season-high with six strikeouts.

The series continues Thursday night with southpaw Derek Miller taking the mound for the Stars against Barons' right-hander Kyle McCulloch . 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.



Southern League Stories from May 21, 2008


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