Jim Goulart

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Timber Rattlers profile: No. 31 Jameson Dunn, pitcher compiled by Mike Woods, Appleton Post-Crescent Quick hits - Age: 24. - Position: Pitcher. - Height, weight: 6-4, 225. - Bats/throws: Right/right. - Resides: Carrollton, Texas. - Notes: Signed by the Brewers as a non-drafted free agent on Jan. 15, 2011, out of Oral Roberts University. … Played for the Green Bay Bullfrogs. Favorites - MLB team growing up: "The Texas Rangers. Just being there, always have been a Rangers fan growing up and going to the games." - MLB player growing up: "I liked Pudge (Ivan Rodriguez) and John Wetteland. I like Wetteland because he was kind of a grimy player. He always had on that hat and you could see all the sweat marks on it and he was a closer so he'd come in throwing gas. Always entertaining to watch." - Sport other than baseball: "Is fishing a sport? Fishing and, if not fishing, playing basketball." - Food: "Oh, ribs for sure. My grandma always used to make ribs for me and it's stuck as my favorite food." - Thing about Carrollton: "Probably my bed." - TV show: "The Office." - Musical artist: "Definitely Eddie Van Halen. My dad grew up playing in a band so we'd watch him. We always liked Van Halen because he was so different and so much better than everybody else." - Thing you own: "My car, a Jeep Wrangler. I haven't seen it in a while but it's definitely my favorite thing." - NFL team: "The Cowboys. But I rooted for the Packers (in the Super Bowl) because I had a host family when I played for the Green Bay Bullfrogs in college and they got me liking the Packers a little bit. A little bit more than the Steelers." Q&A Q: What was it like to be in the playoff chase the last week of the first half? A: "It was a lot of fun. It was really intense. Everybody is hanging on the edge of their seats in the dugout. When you're pitching, you're just trying to grind it out, doing what you can for as long as you can. … The guys, you could tell, were definitely playing for something. So it was a lot of fun." Q: Why Oral Roberts? A: "I grew up in Dallas and my pitching coach in Dallas was (Oral Roberts coach) Rob Walton. You know, you go do lessons as a kid. He was pretty young back then, giving lessons at the baseball academy. I was always going and seeing him and my parents loved him. He was kind of a hard-nosed guy. He was on me when I was such a little kid that my parents loved having that. A strictness about him. "When they went to the Super Regionals in '06 and they played Clemson, I was in junior college at the time, and I just remember watching it on TV and watching Rob and going 'Oh yeah, he's there.' I ended up calling and they ended up coming out and watching me play. I always really liked him and trusted him so I thought it would be a good fit for me." Q: How did you hurt your knee in the last regular-season game of your senior year? A: "I was pitching and it was a comebacker to the mound and I tried to make a play to my right and my cleat got stuck in the clay. When I went to pivot, my knee went out of socket completely. I ended up putting it back in place myself, because I knew what I had done. I had done it before. So I just punched the side of my knee as hard as I could and it, click, went right back in. And the trainer was on the ground touching me and I was just screaming at her because she was messing with it." Q: And when the draft came? A: "I ended up not getting drafted because of that. I had thought, from what people had told me, that I had a pretty good shot. I had gone into meetings where the scouts would come in and call you in and ask you a bunch of questions, fill out a psychology test and all sorts of stuff. So I felt pretty good about it. And then, when I got hurt, I figured somebody might take a chance on me in the later rounds. It didn't end up working out for me." Q: So what happened next? A: "The day after the draft, I got calls from three or four teams who wanted to watch me throw. The Brewers were the first to call and wanted to watch me the soonest. So I packed up that day and drove to Dallas, got home at 2 a.m., woke up, threw for the Brewers guy and he wanted to sign me. So he goes out to his car to get the paperwork and says 'I just have to make one more phone call to make sure your medical stuff went through.' "Well, when he did that, he told me he couldn't sign me. So I was pretty bummed out. I didn't think I was going to get to play. I threw for the Padres. The Royals were interested, the Tampa Bay Rays, but they all kind of said the same thing — it ain't going to fly because the team would have to pay for my surgery because I needed to have it." Q: So what happened after you had the surgery? A: "I had it toward the end of July. Rehabbed it. Went back and took some classes at school and just worked out. Three months went by and I started calling the scouts who were interested in me before and they said the same thing: 'Well, we'll try and get you in.' The Brewers guy, he didn't even answer. I just left him a message. That was like in September. "So I ended up going to see my girlfriend at the time in California for Christmas. A couple days after New Year's, I was getting ready to come home and I get a phone call from the Brewers guy: 'Hey, sorry it took me three months to get back to you, but we'd like to watch you throw again. You have to come out to Arizona, pay for your own ticket and hotel, but it's an open tryout and just seeing if you wanted to come and do it.' " Q: Were you even prepared for this? A: "I hadn't picked up a baseball in probably two months because I hadn't heard back from anybody. I didn't think I was going to play. I was looking for a job. So I played catch into a screened fence for two days in a row and then I hopped on the plane and flew out there and threw for them and did good enough where they called me back and signed me. I ended up going home for just a week then coming back out for early spring training. It's kind of been a crazy ride." Q: How good did it feel to finally get your chance? A: "It was awesome. The biggest thing was you don't realize how much you miss it until you get down on the field and throw on your spikes and your pants and your socks and starting stretching with the guys and everybody is cutting up and that's when it hits you, how much you just love to play the game." Q: Do you see yourself as a starter or a reliever? A: "I like to start but I've always liked the bullpen. I've always liked coming into the game in the later innings. To me, it's always been a lot easier to get three outs than 27." Q: How was your overall experience at Oral Roberts? A: "It was good. I think it definitely kept me out of a lot of trouble there. Most guys you hear about them going away to school and … there are so many distractions. Being there, we had curfew every night. I had to live in the dorms all three years I was there. It gave me a lot of time to get a lot better in baseball because it was really my only outlet to forget about school or any problems you go through while at that age. I really enjoyed the education that I got. My teachers were great." Q: What do you hope to do with your finance major? A: "Honestly, I'd like to work at a company that is a lot like how a team works, as far as having certain players in different roles, and as long as everybody takes care of those roles, the company will succeed. And everybody helps each other and does what they can to pick each other up when they can. A lot of that is like baseball and that's where I would like to find in a job." Q: What's you most prized sports possession? A: "I really don't know if it's really … my grandpa and I used to do a lot of fishing so he gave me a fly rod and a reel one year for Christmas. The rod, actually, my buddy broke it but I still have the reel and never really use it. It's just a good memory of growing up. As far as baseball, I always liked the shirts when you go to the regionals, with all the teams and the brackets and everything. I always thought that was cool. You're in the moment and your team is in the battle and I always thought that was cool to have the shirt that says you're in a regional." Q: Favorite sports moment you've watched or been a part of? A: "When I was 18, we played in this tournament out in California and a lot of guys on my team are in pro ball. One of them was Chase Daniels, the quarterback from Missouri. I played with Austin Jackson, the centerfielder for the Detroit Tigers now. Grew up playing with (Clayton) Kershaw — a lot of guys from Dallas are in the big leagues. But, one year, we were all 17-year-olds and we went out to California, playing all these 18-year-old all-star teams and we ended up winning the tournament." Q: Best advice you've every received? A: "Probably my coach at school who always talked about baseball being the greatest teacher of life. Just the ups and downs of the game and to be the same person every single day you show up. How that correlates to life, if you can be solid (on the field) and you can be a solid human being, then you'll have a pretty good understanding of who you need to be as a man." The Tool Box Rattlers pitching coach Chris Hook breaks down Jameson Dunn: "College guy, experienced. Undrafted free agent. Kind of a bonus signing for us, just dropped into our lap in the offseason. He's got an average-to-plus major-league fastball, 91 to 93, sometimes 94 (mph). Good downhill plane. Aggressive, competitive, all those good things. He's got a curveball cutter/slider and a changeup that he's developing. "Basically three pitches that he's developing. He was a fastball guy and would throw that as hard as he could, his curveball as hard as he could and slider as hard as he could and just went after it. So he's got three pitches, the curveball, changeup and slider that he's all kind of getting a feel for. He does have a little bit of a feel but it's something that he needs to get better at. "He does a good job of controlling the running game, quick to the plate. And fielding his position, he does a good job. And he has a bulldog mentality, which is a good thing to have. An older guy. He's kind of like a (Austin) Ross in those terms but not as refined. But we expect him to have some success. Get him some innings here the second half of the season and see what happens." Timber Rattlers pitcher Jameson Dunn was signed by the Brewers as an undrafted free agent. / Post-Crescent photo by Wm. Glasheen http://cmsimg.postcrescent.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=U0&Date=20110626&Category=APC020602&ArtNo=106260561&Ref=AR&MaxW=300&Border=0

Brewers defeat Billings to continue hot start by Amber Kuehn, Helena Independent Record What began as a night off turned into anything but an off night for Kyle Dhanani. The Helena Brewers third baseman was not in the starting lineup when first pitch was thrown at 7:06 PM Saturday. But after infielder Jason Rogers was ejected for arguing a called third strike in the first frame, Dhanani came in cold in the top of the second and made the most of every at-bat. The Blaine, Wash., native was 2 for 3 and stroked two crucial run-scoring doubles to help Helena beat Billings 8-5 and remain perfect at Kindrick Legion Field. “I was ready for it. I had a good pregame, didn’t tune out mentally,” Dhanani said. “I just figured I didn’t have no pressure since I came in cold, and they gave me a couple fastballs and I hit them.” Dhanani wasn’t the only one connecting on Saturday. Brewers catcher Brent Dean finished just a triple shy of the cycle, slamming the go-ahead home run, and second baseman Adrian Williams was 3 for 4 with two runs scored. After the defense had impressed all season, the offense showed fireworks of its own, rapping out 13 hits. “It was a good, solid win,” said Dean, part of a battery that helped Helena starter Eric Arnett earn his first win in the Capital City. “A bunch of guys were swinging the bat well. Dhanani, coming off the bench, he had a great game. It was a great job by a bunch of guys.” Again the Brewers (5-1) had to muster a comeback, only this time they wouldn’t blow a lead. The Mustangs (2-4) took a two-run lead in the third inning when Nick O’Shea’s first professional hit went into the streets beyond the left-field fence for a solo shot, and Juan Silva tacked on another run with an RBI single. But Dean responded with a leadoff double in the Brewers’ half, followed by an infield hit by Williams and a catcher’s interference call in Robbie Garvey’s at-bat to load the bags. Then, with two outs, Dhanani came to the plate and came through clutch, with a ground-rule double to tie the game. “We put a lot of balls into play and didn’t strike out, and the last few games we’ve struck out a lot,” Dhanani noted. “We worked on a two-out approach in BP today and I think it really helped.” Indeed, Brewers batters had been fanned 29 times in the previous two games. They struck out just eight times Saturday. Arnett went 5.2 innings for Helena, allowing just six hits, three runs — all earned — fanning four and walking three. It was enough for the right-hander to earn his first victory in a Helena uniform, after the former first-round draft pick went 0-4 in 2009 for the team. “Arnett did an amazing job,” Dean said. “There’s two pitches I would want to change, that I probably would have taken a different approach, but that’s on me. He pitched his butt off, he did a great job.” The product out of Indiana University got into a bit of a jam in the sixth, when he issued a leadoff walk to Devin Lohman and Sean Buckley’s double put two men in scoring position. Drew Poulk’s RBI fielder’s choice brought Billings within two runs, and then Arnett gave up another base on balls. But reliever Thomas Keeling came out of the bullpen and delivered, working out of a bases-loaded jam after hitting O’Shea. The southpaw with the funky sidearm delivery struck out two, allowed just one base runner and did not allow a single hit in 2.1 frames. Seth Harvey closed out the ninth, giving up two runs but retiring the final three batters to strand another Mustang 90 feet from home. It was the first time the Brewers won a game by more than one run this season. “It was a little relieving to finish that game in the top of the ninth and not have to worry about coming back in,” Dean said. Wes Mugarian took his second loss of the season for the Mustangs, after giving up four earned runs in five innings on six hits. Billings will try to avoid the sweep tonight, when the Mustangs send right-handed pitcher Stalin Gerson (1-0, 0.00 ERA) to the mound. He will face Brewers right-hander Brandon Williamson (1-0, 5.14) who won his pro debut on Tuesday. Helena hopes it can continue the success its had in the friendly confines of Kindrick. For the Brewers, who have won three in a row, there’s been no place like home. “Knock on wood,” Dhanani joked. “We have a good crowd and we like playing here. We know the field well, and I got that double early because the outfielder just misplayed the wall. Things like that play to your advantage when you’re home.” NOTES: Billings Mustangs shortstop Devin Lohman had his five-game hitting streak snapped. He went 0-4 for the first time this season...The Mustangs are winless this year (0-4) when registering at least one error. Billings had three against Helena on Saturday.

The Power 50's # 42, soon-to-be 18-year-old Venezuelan RHP Osmel Perez, has not pitched since June 10th after posting un-Osmel-like numbers in his his first three DSL starts of the season. DSL catcher Julio Sotelo left a game after a plate collision on June 8th and has not played since.

For a better appreciation of the video highlights tonight, be sure to read Chris' post-game Rattler thoughts before you click "play".

Frustration boiled over a bit -- Wisconsin Bottom of the 9th T. J. Mittelstaedt called out on strikes. Wisconsin Timber Rattlers left fielder T. J. Mittelstaedt ejected by HP umpire Mike Terry. Nick Shaw grounds out, first baseman Geoffrey Klein to pitcher Dean Kiekhefer. Cody Hawn called out on strikes.

A double-whammy with solid RF Brett Carroll -- Nashville Audio Archive -- June 25 - Chat with outfielder Brett Carroll *** VIDEO: The outfield assist discussed in the interview

It's rare when we call out players for true non-performance, but we've indicated that those who have been 40-man roster players (past or present) can come under tougher scrutiny. The majority of Huntsville reliever Roque Mercedes' 25 appearances (stats) have been brief yet disastrous. Can't recall a 1-2 inning reliever constantly surrendering runs time and time again as he has, and it's definitely cost the Stars in the standings. (Note: it's about player development, not wins. Yes, we're aware...) Is the arm still as live as it once was? Perhaps, he's still just 24.

Nashville and Wisconsin Media Notes

PCL American North Club W L PCT GB *ELIM # Home Away L 10 Streak Omaha 41 35 .539 - - 21-15 20-20 5-5 L1 Memphis 39 36 .520 1.5 68 23-16 16-20 6-4 L3 Iowa 34 42 .447 7.0 62 17-19 17-23 4-6 W3 Nashville 33 42 .440 7.5 62 21-18 12-24 4-6 W1 SOU North Club W L PCT GB *ELIM # Home Away L 10 Streak Carolina 1 1 .500 - - 1-1 0-0 1-1 L1 Chattanooga 1 1 .500 - - 1-1 0-0 1-1 W1 Huntsville 1 1 .500 - - 0-0 1-1 1-1 W1 Jackson 1 1 .500 - - 0-0 1-1 1-1 W1 * Tennessee 1 1 .500 - - 0-0 1-1 1-1 W1 FSL North Club W L PCT GB *ELIM # Home Away L 10 Streak Brevard County 1 0 1.000 - - 1-0 0-0 1-0 W1 Clearwater 1 1 .500 0.5 69 1-1 0-0 1-1 L1 * Daytona 1 1 .500 0.5 69 0-0 1-1 1-1 W1 Dunedin 1 1 .500 0.5 69 0-0 1-1 1-1 W1 Tampa 1 1 .500 0.5 69 1-1 0-0 1-1 L1 Lakeland 0 1 .000 1.0 69 0-0 0-1 0-1 L2 MID Western Club W L PCT GB *ELIM # Home Away L 10 Streak Beloit 1 0 1.000 - - 1-0 0-0 1-0 W3 Clinton 1 0 1.000 - - 1-0 0-0 1-0 W3 Kane County 1 0 1.000 - - 0-0 1-0 1-0 W1 Wisconsin 1 0 1.000 - - 1-0 0-0 1-0 W2 * Burlington 0 1 .000 1.0 69 0-0 0-1 0-1 L3 Cedar Rapids 0 1 .000 1.0 69 0-0 0-1 0-1 L2 Peoria 0 1 .000 1.0 69 0-1 0-0 0-1 L8 Quad Cities 0 1 .000 1.0 69 0-0 0-1 0-1 L1 PIO North Club W L PCT GB *ELIM # Home Away L 10 Streak Helena 4 1 .800 - - 3-0 1-1 4-1 W2 Billings 2 3 .400 2.0 32 2-2 0-1 2-3 L1 Great Falls 2 3 .400 2.0 32 0-1 2-2 2-3 L2 Missoula 2 3 .400 2.0 32 1-1 1-2 2-3 W1 AZL Central Club W L PCT GB *ELIM # Home Away L 10 Streak AZL Dodgers 3 1 .750 - - 2-0 1-1 3-1 L1 AZL Brewers 2 2 .500 1.0 52 0-2 2-0 2-2 L1 AZL Indians 2 2 .500 1.0 52 2-1 0-1 2-2 W1 AZL Reds 2 2 .500 1.0 52 2-0 0-2 2-2 W1 DSL S.D. North Club W L PCT GB *ELIM # Home Away L 10 Streak DSL Mariners 17 5 .773 - - 8-3 9-2 10-0 W13 DSL Brewers 16 7 .696 1.5 49 6-4 10-3 7-3 W1 DSL Athletics 7 16 .304 10.5 40 3-7 4-9 3-7 L5 DSL Cardinals 6 17 .261 11.5 39 5-9 1-8 3-7 L2

Follow Saturday's action as it happens: Nashville (Gameday also available) Huntsville (Gameday also available) Brevard County Game One Brevard County Game Two Wisconsin Helena DSL Brewers

Saturday's Daily Menu: Times Central; pitchers subject to change -- Nashville: LHP Sam Narron at home vs. New Orleans (Marlins), 6:20 PM pre-game, 6:35 gametime Live Audio Link iPad/iPhone: Listen MiLB.TV -- for subscribers Huntsville: LHP Dan Merklinger at Carolina (Reds), 5:15 PM gametime Live Audio Link -- Select the Carolina feed from the MiLB main audio page Brevard County: RHP's R.J. Seidel and Tyler Thornburg in a doubleheader at home vs. Lakeland (Tigers), 4:05 PM gametime; each contest slated for seven innings Sorry, no audio available for these games... Wisconsin: RHP Jimmy Nelson at home vs. Quad Cities (Cardinals), 6:15 PM pre-game, 6:35 gametime Live Audio Link Helena: RHP Eric Arnett at home vs. Billings (Reds), 7:50 PM pre-game, 8:05 gametime Live Audio Link -- Select the Helena feed from the MiLB main audio page Arizona Rookie (Maryvale): Idle DSL Brewers: at home vs. the DSL Cardinals, 9:30 AM, although game data won't be available until late afternoon at the earliest

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Trying to remember to remind you when this happens...

Latest in the "Getting to Know" series -- "Thunder" Dan Meadows -- nice!

Man, when Caleb Gindl hits them, they go a long, long way -- pretty amazing the power he can generate. *** Nashville Audio Archive -- June 24 - Chat with Erick Almonte

You see, those young ladies caught mudcats in Sessile's photos above, for those that missed the reference. Of course, there's always Fifi and the Mudcats, not to be confused with Hootie and the Blowfish. But we digress...

Glad to see Chris mentions Brian Garman's stellar relief work last night in his Rattler Radio Blog post-game notes As of 7:00 AM Saturday, the YouTube video highlights Chris alludes to still aren't available. We'll be patient, worth the wait, we imagine...

Timber Rattlers open second half of Midwest League season on positive note by Tim Froberg, Appleton Post-Crescent GRAND CHUTE — The first game of the second half of the Midwest League season is like starting over in many respects. The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers couldn't have picked a better way to hit the restart button. The Rattlers put together a poised two-run rally in the bottom of the ninth to pull out a dramatic 4-3 comeback win over visiting Quad Cities on Friday night at Time Warner Cable Field at Fox Cities Stadium. "It wasn't just one guy in that last inning. We needed four or five guys to make plays and collectively they did," said Timber Rattlers manager Matt Erickson. "I was telling them in the dugout that last half inning, 'Somebody be a hero.' Everyone decided to be a hero. It was fun to be a part of." Catcher Tyler Roberts and left fielder Chris Dennis had the key blows, but the speed of Franklin Romero Jr. also played a major role in the win. With Wisconsin trailing 3-2, Romero was inserted as a pinch runner after slugging first baseman Mike Walker drilled a one-out single to start the rally. Romero promptly swiped second for his 11th stolen base of the season and raced home on Dennis' game-tying single. Dennis, who moved to second on the play at the plate, advanced to third on a wild pitch by losing pitcher Aidan Lucas and dashed home on a game-winning sacrifice fly by Roberts. Roberts lashed a 2-2 pitch to deep right field to pick up his 26th RBI of the season and give a home crowd of 4,151 an even better show than the postgame fireworks that followed. "Well, it was a walk-off something," said Roberts with a laugh. "I thought it was going to get over his head. I thought it was a hit. But hey, it won the game. I'll take it any day of the week." Roberts is known primarily for his defense and is an outstanding throwing catcher. He has struggled at the plate and is hitting just .207. But he hit the ball hard Friday night and smacked a seventh-inning double for Wisconsin's only extra-base hit. "I've come into the second half of the season making it a point where every at-bat I'm going to battle," said Roberts. "I've actually tried to dumb it down a little. See ball, hit ball — instead of trying to think too much up there." With the count 2-2 on Roberts, Erickson had a hunch that Roberts was going to win the game. "He's a young guy and I'm not sure if he really believes all the time," said Erickson. "His confidence wavers a bit, but in that moment, it looked like he really embraced the moment. He looked like he had a good idea that he was going to get it done." After finishing 38-32 in the season's first half, the Timber Rattlers opened the second half by outhitting Quad Cities 7-6. The Rattlers had little success against the River Bandits' prized pitching prospect Carlos Martinez, who allowed one run on three hits with seven strikeouts in six innings. The 19-year-old Martinez is rated the No. 3 overall prospect in the St. Louis Cardinals organization and has electric stuff. His fastball topped out at 98 mph Friday and he was consistently hitting 97 mph on the radar gun in his final two innings. He was signed by the Cardinals in 2010 out of the Dominican Republic and given a $1.5 million signing bonus. Martinez pitched against the Rattlers earlier this season and pitched four scoreless innings. "He's got great stuff for this league — for any league really," said Erickson. Martinez also has excellent breaking stuff. "With him, you're going from 98 (mph) on one pitch to 78," said Roberts. "Man, he's got some nasty stuff."

Exciting DSL prospect Milton Gomez (stats) went six, six, and five innings respectively in his first three starts. To see him pulled after his scoreless first inning last night is troubling.

Brett Carroll could (should) be an intriguing September (or sooner) callup -- listen to his big defensive play via the link here.

Final: AZL Diamondbacks 4, AZL Brewers 3, ten innings AZL Brewers Play-by-Play We'll put the play-by-play before the box score this once to give you a sense for the game's tone -- the two runs scored by the Baby Snakes in the 6th came against 39th round LHP Elliott Glynn out of UConn and broke up a scoreless game to that point -- AZL D-backs Top of the 6th Pat Donahue flies out to center fielder Malcolm Dowell. Domingo Soriano singles on a line drive to right fielder Matthew Franco. With Tyler Williams batting, Domingo Soriano steals (1) 2nd base. Tyler Williams singles on a line drive to right fielder Matthew Franco. Domingo Soriano scores. Tyler Williams to 2nd on the throw. Jose Alegria grounds out, shortstop Renaldo Jenkins to first baseman Hitaniel Arias. William Castillo walks. Socrates Brito singles on a line drive to left fielder Ruben Ozuna. Tyler Williams scores. William Castillo to 3rd. With Wagner Mateo batting, Socrates Brito steals (1) 2nd base. Wagner Mateo flies out to left fielder Ruben Ozuna. The A-Crew finally got on the board with a single run in the 8th on a fortuitous wild pitch -- AZL Brewers Bottom of the 8th Adam Weisenburger hit by pitch. Jalen Harris singles on a line drive to right fielder Socrates Brito. Adam Weisenburger to 3rd. Pitcher Change: Elroy Urbina replaces Austin Platt. Matthew Franco strikes out swinging. With Malcolm Dowell batting, wild pitch by Elroy Urbina, Adam Weisenburger scores. Jalen Harris to 2nd. Malcolm Dowell strikes out swinging. Ruben Ozuna strikes out swinging. Then, catcher Adam Weisenburger (34th round, Miami of Ohio) came through with a clutch two-out single to tie it in the bottom of the 9th -- the line drive looks to have been just hit too darn hard to try and score the winning run from second base -- AZL Brewers Bottom of the 9th Joseph Weik remains in the game as the first baseman. Renaldo Jenkins strikes out swinging. Brandon Macias walks. Steve Felix grounds into a force out, second baseman Jesus Abreu to shortstop William Castillo. Brandon Macias out at 2nd. Steve Felix to 1st. Hitaniel Arias walks. Steve Felix to 2nd. With Adam Weisenburger batting, wild pitch by Elroy Urbina, Steve Felix to 3rd. Hitaniel Arias to 2nd. Adam Weisenburger singles on a line drive to left fielder Domingo Soriano. Steve Felix scores. Jalen Harris strikes out swinging. Then came the 10th inning, two for the bad guys, just one in response to end it -- AZL D-backs Top of the 10th Pitcher Change: Casey Medlen replaces Connor Whalen. Pat Donahue singles on a line drive to right fielder Matthew Franco. Domingo Soriano doubles (2) on a line drive to right fielder Matthew Franco. Pat Donahue to 3rd. Tyler Williams called out on strikes. Jose Alegria singles on a line drive to right fielder Matthew Franco. Pat Donahue scores. Domingo Soriano scores. William Castillo reaches on fielding error by second baseman Brandon Macias. Jose Alegria to 2nd. Socrates Brito grounds into a force out, shortstop Renaldo Jenkins to second baseman Brandon Macias. Jose Alegria to 3rd. William Castillo out at 2nd. Socrates Brito to 1st. Wagner Mateo strikes out swinging. AZL Brewers Bottom of the 10th Pitcher Change: Cody Geyer replaces Elroy Urbina. Matthew Franco walks. Offensive Substitution: Pinch runner Andres Martinez replaces Matthew Franco. Malcolm Dowell singles on a line drive to right fielder Socrates Brito. Andres Martinez to 3rd. Ruben Ozuna grounds into a force out, pitcher Cody Geyer to shortstop William Castillo. Andres Martinez scores. Malcolm Dowell out at 2nd. Ruben Ozuna to 1st. Renaldo Jenkins grounds into double play, shortstop William Castillo to second baseman Jesus Abreu to first baseman Joseph Weik. Ruben Ozuna out at 2nd. AZL Brewers Box Score20-year-old Venezuelan RHP Francisco Rivero, likely working his way back from some sort of injury, made a one-inning start; he was followed by 22-year-old 6'5" former DSL LHP Manuel Ruiz, already making his 2nd AZL appearance -- odd line: 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 5 BB, 1 HBP, 7 K; fellow 22-year-old southpaw Connor Whalen (undrafted, UC-Santa Barbara) impressed with three scoreless innings -- one hit allowed, worked around a leadoff double in the 8th... Frustrated, boys? Nine hits, eight walks, a HBP and no victory in a low-scoring affair -- 2-for-19 with RISP, including a squander of a bases loaded, no out bid in the 5th; Adam Weisenburger reached four times (two singles, BB, HBP); CF Ruben Ozuna (2-for-6, triple) with the only other multi-hit game and the squad's only extra-base hit, although DH Steve Felix singled and walked twice.

Final: @Helena 7, Billings 6, ten innings Cardiac Crew By Nicholas Allen, Helena Brewers Jason Rogers capped off the Brewers' second consecutive extra-inning victory with a two-out single in the bottom of the tenth inning Friday night. Alan Williams (1-0) picked up the victory after another impressive inning of relief, pitching a clean ninth. The win was Helena's third in extra frames in the young season, and improved their record to 4-1. All games have been decided by a single run. It was Rogers that got the Brewers on the board in the first with a two-run monster shot over the left field fence. The Georgia native brought the Brewers back within one run after the Mustangs' Devin Lohman gave Billings an early 3-0 lead with his own first inning bomb. Helena scored once in the second, and took the lead in the third when Billings pitcher walked John Dishon and Kenny Allison with the bases loaded. After giving up the homer to Lohman, Tyler Cravy pitched four innings in which he gave up just two more hits, walked one and kept the Mustangs from doing further damage. Kevin Shackelford replaced Cravy and went five innings, giving up three runs. *** Brewers register third extra-inning win in five games by Amber Kuehn, Helena Independent Record Three photos in the Record's gallery The cardiac kids did it again. Five games decided by one run. Three extra-inning victories. Countless defensive gems. The Helena Brewers defeated the Billings Mustangs 7-6 on Friday in the series opener at Kindrick Legion Field when imposing Brewers first baseman Jason Rogers took an off-speed pitch and drilled it into left-center field to score Adrian Williams for the winning run in the bottom of the 10th. It was Rogers’ second big hit of the game after the 6-foot-2, 250-pound infielder stroked a two-run bomb in the first inning to trim Billings’ lead to 3-2. Entering the top of the ninth, it looked as though Helena reliever Kevin Shackelford was just three quick outs away from his first win of the season. The right-hander was dominant, working five innings and retiring 11 straight batters. But it wouldn’t be a Pioneer League game without a little oddity. After Shackelford issued a one-out walk to Billings third baseman Junior Arias, Brewers shortstop Yadiel Rivera snagged a chopper hit by Yovan Gonzales while diving, then got to his feet to get the throw to first in time for the out. The 1,201 fans at the game cheered as it looked like Helena was just one out away from its fourth win of the year. The Mustangs (2-3) weren’t about to go down without a fight. Kurtis Muller jumped on a breaking ball and sent it sailing into left field, where it seemed Kenny Allison would have plenty of time to make a play. Arias slipped while rounding third, faceplanting into the dirt, but Allison’s rushed throw hit the grass right in front of him. Kyle Dhanani didn’t realize Arias had fallen, so the cutoff man hesitated, assuming there was no chance to get the runner. The result? Arias got back on his feet and crossed home plate to tie the game and send it to extra frames. It was the Mustangs’ first extra-inning affair this year. While things might have gone a bit haywire for Helena, manager Joe Ayrault still credited the team’s defense for the win, and the reason the Brewers are 4-1 and in first place in the Pioneer League North. “The defense the last couple of nights has been phenomenal,” Ayrault said. “If you can play defense like that in this league, you win a lot of ball games.” Ayrault cited Rivera’s ninth-inning stab as a game-changer, but there were several other web gems on the night. John Dishon, making his first professional appearance in center field, made a diving play to catch a ball hit softly to center in the seventh. Adrian Williams had a nice scoop on a grounder in the ninth, and Dhanani made a diving stop at third before firing a long bullet to first for an out in the sixth. Max Walla also had a couple nice catches on the run in right. Billings struck first blood in the back-and-forth affair, putting three runs on the board in the first when shortstop Devin Lohman pounded his second home run of the season over the left-field wall. But Brewers starter Tyler Cravy settled down after that, sitting down the next eight Mustangs in order. Meanwhile, Helena took advantage of the visitors’ shaky pitching. Starter Ismael Guillon threw 63 pitches in just two innings, with several bouncing in the dirt in front of home plate. The Mustangs’ hurlers issued eight free passes to the Brewers early in the game and Helena had the bags loaded on two separate occasions — mostly by no virtue of their own. After Rogers went deep in the first to make it a one-run game, Guillon walked in the tying run in the second frame, his fourth consecutive base on balls. The go-ahead run would also come courtesy of a walk an inning later. Billings tied it again in the fifth frame, when Juan Silva slammed an RBI double to left center. Sean Buckley stroked an RBI single to center three at-bats later to put the Mustangs back in control, 5-4. But craziness ensued again in the fifth. After the Brewers got back-to-back base hits to start the inning, Allison and Williams got a double steal on a dropped ball by the Billings catcher to move into scoring position. Dishon then got a four-pitch walk, but the ball went sailing into the backstop and Allison scored the tying run on the wild pitch. The speedy Dishon went to second on the play. Rivera followed with an RBI groundout to push Williams across for the go-ahead run. It was the last time Helena would have the lead, until Rogers’ heroics in the 10th. “He can flat out hit,” Ayrault said of his three-hole batter. “To have a guy like that in the heart of your order with good plate discipline, you know he’s gonna give you a good at-bat.” The Brewers take on the Mustangs again today at 7:05 PM (8:05 Central). Eric Arnett gets the nod for Helena, while right-hander Wes Mugarian (0-1) starts on the mound for Billings. Helena Box Score We continue to read raves about indy league signee Alan Williams, the southpaw seemingly handed the H-Crew's closer role for now; RHP's Tyler Cravy and Kevin Shackelford combined for 17 ground ball outs vs. two fly balls outs, only one walk apiece, somewhat mitigating the six runs allowed; Brewer baserunners were 5-for-5 in SB attempts, placing plenty of men in scoring position -- the Crew scored seven runs despite being only 2-for-17 with RISP, thanks to the Mustangs' mound control woes; LF Kenny Allison reached base four times (two singles, two walks); Oregon St.'s Parker Berberet, normally a catcher, earned a DH day with his hot bat and kept the ride going, 3-for-5, now OPS'ing at 1.379; 20-year-old RF Max Walla 4-for-23 in the early going (three BB's, seven K's); infielder Gant Elmore out of Yale, hasn't played since a 2-for-5 day Opening Day (four games missed)... Helena Play-by-Play Alan Williams with his 1-2-3 10th, although it appears two balls were hit hard; then, Jason Rogers' game-winner was a two-out knock when it looked like the chance would be wasted --- Billings Top of the 10th Robert Garvey remains in the game as the designated hitter. Pitcher Change: Alan Williams replaces Kevin Shackelford. Robert Maddox lines out to right fielder Max Walla. Sean Buckley lines out to right fielder Max Walla. Kyle Waldrop strikes out swinging, catcher Joseph Paciorek to first baseman Jason Rogers. Helena Bottom of the 10th Pitcher Change: Patrick Quinn replaces James Allen. Adrian Williams singles on a line drive to right fielder Kyle Waldrop. With John Dishon batting, Adrian Williams advances to 2nd on a balk. John Dishon strikes out swinging. Yadiel Rivera strikes out swinging. Adrian Williams steals (2) 3rd base. Jason Rogers singles on a line drive to left fielder Juan Silva. Adrian Williams scores.

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