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Stars Pull Out Dramatic Win in Ninth

June 13, 2007 - Southern League (SL1)
Huntsville Stars News Release


Hernan Iribarren singled home the game-winning run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth to lift Huntsville to a 3-2 win over Birmingham Wednesday night in the opener of a five-game set at Joe Davis Stadium. The Stars improved to 35-29, sliced their magic number to four and maintained at least a one-game lead over Tennessee, pending the outcome of their game with West Tenn, with four to go in the first half. The Stars have won three in a row over the Barons and picked up their fourth walk-off win of the year.

Corwin Malone, the veteran left-hander, opened the ninth on the hill for the Barons and hit leadoff man Mel Stocker with his second pitch. Michael Brantley moved Stocker to second base with a sacrifice bunt before Steve Sollmann was intentionally passed and Brendan Katin popped out for the second out of the frame. Lou Palmisano hit a ground ball to third baseman Chris Kelly, who booted it to allow the inning to continue. It was his second error of the night and the Barons fourth, the most committed by any Stars' opponent this season. Iribarren, who had fanned with the bases loaded and one out in the first inning, ripped Malone's first pitch into left-center field for the game-winner and his season-high fourth hit of the night.

Stars' starter Manny Parra was sensational for a third straight start, retiring 22 out of 23 after Robert Valido led off the game with a single, including 15 straight after Donny Lucy's one-out single in the third, before he walked Jeremy Frost with one out in the eighth. Ricardo Nanita bounced into a force at second for the second out of the inning prior to a Lucy double to center that scored Nanita to trim the lead to 2-1. Valido followed with a base hit to plate Lucy to get the game tied. Parra fanned Victor Mercedes to end the inning and match a season-high with nine, while Mark DiFelice, the reigning Southern League Pitcher of the Week, retired the side in order in the ninth to earn his fifth win of the season and his third in the last nine games.

Sollmann's run-scoring hit in the first scored Stocker but the Stars left the bases loaded in the inning and got only one run, on a Yohannis Perez double play grounder, with the sacks full in the fourth to push their lead to 2-0. Birmingham starter Adam Russell was charged with two runs, one earned, on eight hits over 6 1/3 innings and was followed by Oneli Perez, who struck out Katin and Palmisano with runners at the corners to end the seventh.

The series continues Thursday night, as Huntsville will send southpaw Sam Narron to the hill against Barons' left-hander Gio Gonzalez. Coverage of the game begins at 6:50 p.m. central time and can be heard locally on Sports Radio 730 WUMP and through the internet at www.huntsvillestars.com.



Southern League Stories from June 13, 2007


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