Jim Goulart

Final: Colorado Spring (Rockies) 3, Nashville 1 Nashville Site Game Summary: Link for Jeff Weaver photo, text follows -- Sounds Drop Series Finale To Sky Sox, 5-1 NASHVILLE -- The Nashville Sounds could only muster one run on four hits in a 5-1 defeat against the Colorado Springs Sky Sox at Greer Stadium on Thursday night. Three Sky Sox relievers combined to pitch five innings of two-hit scoreless ball after starter Sean Smith (0-0) gave up the only run in the second inning. Smith could not earn the win because he only pitched four innings of work, so that honor went to Cedric Bowers (1-0). The loss spoiled the Sounds' first chance at a winning series this season after consecutive wins against the Sky Sox on Tuesday and Wednesday. Jeff Weaver, who signed a minor league contract with Milwaukee on April 16, made his first start of the season and shook off whatever rust he had quickly by striking out four of the first five batters he faced. Ozzie Chavez scored the lone Sounds run in the bottom of the second inning with an RBI double that brought Russell Branyan around to score. Branyan reached on an infield single and moved to second on a walk from Eric Munson, who then went to third on Chavez's double. Weaver had a chance to help himself with runners on second and third, but he struck out to end the inning. AUDIO: Ozzie Chavez RBI Double Colorado Springs starter Smith did just the opposite by knocking a one-out double in the top of the third inning. Jayson Nix walked in the next at-bat, and Cory Sullivan followed with a three-run homer to right field to give the Sky Sox the lead. Weaver finally ended the 29-pitch inning by striking out third baseman Ian Stewart. Sullivan's home run was his second on the year, and his 3-for-5 night helped improve his average for the series to .533 with five RBIs. Weaver's struggles with the top of the Sky Sox order continued in the top of the fifth inning when he gave up consecutive singles to Nix and Sullivan to start the inning. Nix then scored on an RBI fielder's choice by Seth Smith, with Sullivan out at second on the play. Weaver minimized the damage though, inducing a ground ball double play from Stewart in the next at bat. The Sky Sox padded their lead in the top of the sixth inning when Humberto Cota knocked Sean Barker home with a single off of Zach Jackson, who made only the third relief appearance of his career and his first of the season. Jackson then loaded the bases with two back-to-back walks to make things interesting, but he did what Weaver could not by getting Sullivan out to end the inning. The Sounds threatened in the ninth against Sky Sox reliever Steven Register with two singles from Joe Dillon and Brad Nelson, but Branyan struck out to end the game. Weaver got the loss (0-1) after giving up four runs in five innings on six hits. He struck out seven batters on 80 pitches with 53 going for strikes. Steve Bray pitched one and a third innings of scoreless relief without allowing a single baserunner. The Sounds will continue their homestand with a four-game series against the Salt Lake Bees (Angels) and their amazing 24-2 record beginning with Saturday's 7 p.m. opener at Greer Stadium. Southpaw Chris Narveson (0-4, 4.18) will take the mound for Nashville and right-hander David Austen (NR) will start for Salt Lake. Fans can enjoy the Sounds' first fireworks show of the year following the on-field action. Nashville Box Score In a reverse positive kind of way, Abraham Nunez isn't tempting Brewer brass to call him up to Milwaukee... Nashville Game Log

Nashville Pre-Game Audio Chat with Starting Pitcher Dave Bush

Will Inman allowed only one hit through six innings Wednesday before running into trouble in the 7th... Box / Game Log

To make room in Nashville for RHP Jeff Weaver, veteran RHP Melqui Torres (Salomon's brother) has been assigned to Huntsville. No word yet on a corresponding move to make room in Huntsville.

MiLB.com link: LaPorta proving to be a powerful Star By Benjamin Hill / Special to MLB.com On Wednesday night, six different players in Huntsville's lineup collected an RBI. The following afternoon, Matt LaPorta provided all of the offense by himself. LaPorta homered twice and drove in four runs as the Huntsville Stars coasted to their eighth straight victory, a 4-2 win over the Montgomery Biscuits on Thursday afternoon. The Stars' matinee victory over the Biscuits occurred less than 24 hours after Wednesday night's blowout win, which saw Huntsville's formidable offense tie a 37-year-old Southern League record by pounding out 13 extra-base hits. "It's definitely true that hitting is contagious," LaPorta said. "We've been battling every at-bat, getting the job done when it needs to be done." Thursday was a different story. The club managed just four extra-base hits on Thursday, three of which came courtesy of LaPorta. The 23-year-old's solo dinger in the fourth inning snapped a scoreless tie, while his three-run blast in the sixth gave the Stars (19-8) the lead for good. Both of his long balls were hit against Montgomery starter Wade Davis on a 3-0 count. "Usually I hardly ever swing at 3-0 pitches, because if the pitcher's already thrown three balls you may as well see if he throws a fourth," LaPorta said. "But today, for some reason, I just swung at those pitches. It was just the way I reacted. With the first one, I think I caught [Davis] off guard a little bit." LaPorta has now driven in four runs in a game on four different occasions this season -- including yesterday's 14-6 blowout against the Biscuits -- and each of his last eight hits have gone for extra bases. The 2007 first-round Draft pick leads the Southern League in home runs (9), RBIs (30), extra-base hits (18), and slugging percentage (.747). Derek Miller (2-1) was the beneficiary of LaPorta's offensive largess, and picked up the victory. The 26-year-old southpaw yielded a run on four hits over six innings en-route to reducing his team-leading ERA to 2.05. Juan Sandoval pitched around a leadoff walk in the ninth and picked up his first save of the season. Matt Spring's RBI double in the fifth inning put the Biscuits (9-18) on the board, while John Jaso drew a bases-loaded walk in the seventh. Davis (3-2) took the loss, allowing four runs on six hits over six innings while striking out a season-high eight batters.

Yo is Superman.

My first reaction was Yo might be done for the year. Absolutely devastating way his knee came down. Just brutal video. Unbelievable he's going to try and toss a few warmups here.

Final: Huntsville 4, Montgomery (Rays) 2 Huntsville Press Release: LAPORTA LAUNCHES TWO MORE LONG BALLS Matt LaPorta's three-run home run in the sixth inning snapped a 1-1 tie and powered Huntsville to a 4-2 win over Montgomery Thursday morning and afternoon in the second of a five-game set at Riverwalk Stadium. The Stars won a season-high eighth straight game to improve their record to 19-8 and temporarily push their lead to two games over Carolina and West Tenn in the North Division, while the Biscuits dropped a fifth in a row to fall to 9-18 overall and 2-10 at home. Biscuits' starter Wade Davis kept the Stars off the board until LaPorta's solo home run with two outs in the fourth broke up a scoreless game. LaPorta blasted a 3-0 pitch over the wall in left field for his eighth home run of the season and his fifth in the last seven Stars' road games. Davis worked around a one-out triple by Mike Bell in the fifth before the home team tied the game in the bottom of the frame. Bell made an errant throw to first on a potential double play ball that allowed Pat Cottrell to reach second base, from where he scored when Matt Spring followed with a double. Josh Asanovich walked and Rashad Eldridge singled to load the bases before Stars' starter Derek Miller retired Johnny Raburn and John Jaso on pop ups to end the frame. Alcides Escobar and Mat Gamel singled with one out in the sixth and scored when LaPorta launched another 3-0 offering from Davis just inside the left field foul pole for the game winning long ball, his second in as many days and third game-winning, three-run blast in the last week. Davis was tagged with the loss and was taken out after six innings, allowing four runs on six hits, while striking out a season-high eight. LaPorta has now hit 21 home runs in 56 games in the minor leagues. Miller lasted a season-long six frames to grab his second win of the season after allowing a lone run on four hits. He walked two and struck out two and was followed to the hill by Joe Bateman, who walked Jaso to force in a run to make it 4-2. However, he escaped further trouble by getting Chris Nowak to ground into an inning-ending double play with the bases loaded. Patrick Ryan took over in the eighth and walked the first two hitters before Cottrell laid down a sacrifice bunt. The Huntsville right-hander worked out of the jam by getting Spring to ground out on a fine play by Gamel at third and striking out pinch-hitter Erold Andrus. Ryan has now thrown 14 shutout frames to start the season. Juan Sandoval worked a scoreless ninth to earn his first save with Huntsville and was aided by a diving stop by Gamel on a Nowak grounder that he turned into a force out at second to end the game. Gamel extended his hitting streak to 16 games with his single in the sixth. The series continues Friday night with southpaw David Welch making the start for Huntsville against Biscuits' southpaw James Houser. 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 . Huntsville Box Score Wade Davis another tough Tampa prospect, wow, they're loaded -- he struck out eight in his six innings, as the Stars did not draw a walk all game; LaPorta drove in all four Stars' runs... Huntsville Game Log

Final: Jupiter (Marlins) 2, Brevard County 1 Brevard County Box Score A bit reminiscent of the recent big-league Marlin-Brewer series thus far, with these low-scoring affairs; Darren Ford draws his first two walks in over a week -- he's just on the edge of drawing one every ten AB's, the desired overall standard, although it should be a better ratio for a leadoff batter; strikeouts (three today) still an issue with Stephen Chapman; Josh Butler had control issues in the first inning, but was fine in the four innings that followed; Rafael Lluberes is bouncing back a bit, with his second consecutive positive relief stint... Brevard County Game Log

This link will be included in each daily report when the Nashville Sounds are scheduled to play. Normally it is updated several hours prior to gametime. Nashville Media Notes (Adobe .pdf format): www.nashvillesounds.com/pdf/notes.pdf

Pacific Coast League (AAA) - PCL American North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Omaha 14 10 .583 - 9-5 5-5 L1 Iowa 11 14 .440 3.5 6-8 5-6 L4 Memphis 11 16 .407 4.5 3-8 8-8 L2 Nashville 7 18 .280 7.5 4-6 3-12 W2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Southern League (AA) - SOU North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Huntsville 18 8 .692 - 13-2 5-6 W7 Carolina 17 10 .630 1.5 9-3 8-7 L1 West Tenn 17 10 .630 1.5 8-2 9-8 W1 Chattanooga 16 10 .615 2.0 10-5 6-5 W4 Tennessee 10 16 .385 8.0 6-9 4-7 L1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Florida State League (A+) - FSL East Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Palm Beach 18 8 .692 - 11-3 7-5 W2 Brevard County 16 10 .615 2.0 9-5 7-5 W2 Daytona 14 12 .538 4.0 6-6 8-6 L3 Jupiter 14 12 .538 4.0 9-3 5-9 L1 Vero Beach 11 15 .423 7.0 7-5 4-10 L2 St. Lucie 5 21 .192 13.0 4-10 1-11 W1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- South Atlantic League (A) - SAL Northern Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lake County 16 9 .640 - 6-4 10-5 L1 Delmarva 14 12 .538 2.5 8-6 6-6 W2 Greensboro 13 12 .520 3.0 5-8 8-4 W1 Hickory 14 13 .519 3.0 6-5 8-8 L1 Lakewood 13 13 .500 3.5 7-7 6-6 W2 Hagerstown 12 13 .480 4.0 4-6 8-7 L1 West Virginia 10 16 .385 6.5 5-9 5-7 W1 Lexington 8 18 .308 8.5 3-11 5-7 L2

Follow Thursday's action as it happens: Here's what you do, right click on each of the links below and choose "Open in New Window". Open the Nashville Gameday. For the others, choose "Log" or "Recap". While you're listening to your minor league game of choice (or watching/listening to the big league Crew when they are playing), simply refresh your game log browsers every so often. Nashville: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2008_05_01_cspaaa_nasaaa_1 Huntsville: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2008_05_01_hunaax_monaax_1 Brevard County: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2008_05_01_breafa_jupafa_1 West Virginia: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2008_05_01_wvaafx_hagafx_1

Thursday's Daily Menu: Between morning minor league action, then Gallardo / Zambrano, and evening minor league games, it's a virtual non-stop 12-hour plus feast for the Brewer senses today! All times Central; pitchers subject to change -- Nashville: RHP Jeff Weaver at home vs. Colorado Springs (Rockies), 6:45 PM pre-game; 7:00 gametime Audio link: www.nashvillesounds.com/listenlive/ Huntsville: LHP Derek Miller at Montgomery (Rays), 10:20 AM pre-game; 10:35 gametime Audio link via WUMP (game will also archive at this link): http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/multimedia/audio.jsp?sid=t559 Brevard County: RHP Josh Butler at Jupiter (Marlins), 9:35 AM gametime Audio link, Jupiter's broadcast (game will also archive at this link): web.minorleaguebaseball.c...p;sid=t503 West Virginia: RHP Roque Mercedes at Hagerstown (Nationals), 5:20 PM pre-game, 5:35 gametime Audio link via WSWW, be sure to select the proper date (games will also archive at this link): www.minorleaguebaseball.c.../audio.jsp

http://www.brewerfan.net/images/store/dailylinkreport.jpg

More audio choices for game action Thursday morning; we'll do our best to have the new Link Report in place with time to spare, don't worry...

Link while active, text follows: Sounds' Pena gets first save By MAURICE PATTON Tennessean Staff Writer Greer Stadium was the site of a pair of rarities Wednesday. The Nashville Sounds won consecutive games for the first time this season, and closer Luis Pena picked up his first save of the year. Prior to Wednesday's 4-3 victory over Colorado Springs, the Sounds were last in the PCL with one save in four opportunities - and that one, by Richie Gardner, was of the three-inning variety in a 13-3 decision on April 22 at Albuquerque. Pena entered Wednesday's game in the ninth inning and gave up a one-out double to Sean Barker, but picked up a pair of strikeouts before retiring ex-Sound Humberto Cota on an infield groundout to end the contest. "Pena pitched Tuesday, so it was nice to see he was able to come back and throw on back-to-back days and get the save," Nashville Manager Frank Kremblas said. Pena split the 2007 season between Class A Brevard County and Double-A Huntsville, finishing with 18 saves. On the move: The Sounds announced a flurry of roster moves prior Wednesday. Catcher/infielder Eric Munson and outfielder Mel Stocker were both activated from the disabled list and pitcher Dave Bush was officially placed on the active roster after being optioned down Sunday from Milwaukee. Munson and Bush were both in Wednesday's starting lineup, with Munson at third base for the first time this season. To make room for the trio, pitcher Nic Ungs and infielder Steve Sollmann were both placed on the DL, while catcher J.R. Hopf was placed on the temporary inactive list. The Sounds will have to make a move prior to today's game in order to activate scheduled pitcher Jeff Weaver. Give and take: Munson, returning from a hip injury that forced him onto the disabled list on April 10, had a throwing error in the sixth that allowed Colorado Springs to score the tying and go-ahead runs. He atoned for the miscue in the seventh inning, ripping a double past Sky Sox first baseman Joe Koshansky to drive in Vinny Rottino and key a two-run rally. Playin' hooky: The attendance for Wednesday's 10:30 a.m. game was 9,840, a Greer Stadium season high and approximately 200 short of capacity (10,052). The total was boosted by a number of students from area schools who were being rewarded for their participation in the Sounds' reading club program. Vinny hits in many: With a home run and a double Wednesday, Rottino has at least one hit in 11 of his last 12 games. Rottino has collected at least one extra-base hit in nine of those contests. Nix in the mix: Nashville outfielder Laynce Nix's third-inning stolen base was the Sounds' 22nd of the year (fifth in the Pacific Coast League). It was Nix's first, making him the 11th different Nashville player with at least one theft this season. Last year, the Sounds were fifth in the PCL with 121 steals, with 24 different players contributing to that number. Chuck and duck: Colorado Springs starter Josh Towers got a scare to open the bottom of the fourth inning as Brad Nelson led off and drilled his first pitch back up the middle at about shoulder-high level. Towers snared the line drive, but it was strictly a reactive play. After the catch, Sky Sox third baseman Ian Stewart made a visit to the mound to allow Towers to gather himself.

Another nice Sounds photo gallery here from the Tennessean -- good shot of Luis Pena

Link while active, text follows: Sounds start modest streak Back-to-back wins are season high By MAURICE PATTON Tennessean Staff Writer In continuing their trend of daytime success, the Nashville Sounds broke a cycle as well. Wednesday's 4-3 victory against visiting Colorado Springs, following Tuesday night's 7-3 triumph, gave the team its first two-game winning streak of the season. "We finally played two consistent games," Nashville Manager Frank Kremblas said. The Sounds came back from an early 1-0 deficit and a late 3-2 hole to finish on top for the first time this year when trailing after six innings. "We made a mistake; we were finally able to rebound and come back nicely," Kremblas said. "Obviously we hadn't been doing that. We'd make a mistake and it was like a snowball effect, we'd be down six or seven runs." Dave Bush, making his first Sounds start after being optioned down from Milwaukee over the weekend, gave up a first-inning home run to Seth Smith. But after Vinny Rottino tied the game with his second-inning homer, Bush's one-out double in the third inning put the pitcher in position to score the go-ahead run when Laynce Nix singled. From that point, Bush kept Colorado Springs in check until the sixth, when he issued a couple of walks and Eric Munson's two-out throwing error allowed both Sky Sox players to score. In the seventh, Munson doubled to drive in Rottino and tie the game. Russell Branyan scored the eventual game-winning run on a Mel Stocker sac fly, and relievers Jason Shiell and Luis Pena nailed down the victory. "It's always more fun when you win," said Bush, who struck out seven in his six innings before Ben Howard relieved him in the seventh and picked up his first win to improve Nashville to 7-18. "We just battled today," Rottino said. What they said: "We're not going to try to set goals of getting where we want to be. We've got to take it one game at a time. We know we've got a good team; it's just a matter of putting it together." - Rottino. Photo by GEORGE WALKER IV / THE TENNESSEAN Vinny Rottino watches his homer during the Sounds' 4-2 win over the Sky Sox on Wednesday. http://cmsimg.tennessean.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=DN&Date=20080501&Category=SPORTS0401&ArtNo=805010362&Ref=AR&Profile=1002&MaxW=550&MaxH=650&title=0

No to be lost in the Huntsville lovefest is an outstanding pitching effort -- Final: Brevard County 1, Jupiter (Marlins) 0 Game Summary from the Hammerheads' Site: Hammerheads Fall to Manatees in Pitching Duel JUPITER, FL- It was a great pitching duel this evening between the Jupiter Hammerheads and the Brevard County Manatees, with the Manatees coming out on top with 1 to 0 victory. The pitching in this game was brilliant by both teams, baffling the offenses time and time again. Jupiter starter Jeff Allison had his best outing of the season, pitching six scoreless innings and surrendering only one hit while striking out five. Allison received a no-decision and still remains winless on the season, but he is not getting the run support he needs to be victorious. He has compiled a 1.88 ERA over six starts. Brevard County starter John Axford pitched two shutout innings and struck out two batters. Mike McClendon then pitched 5 1/3 scoreless innings in relief of Axford to earn his 2nd victory of the season. The Hammerheads could not figure out McClendon, who only allowed two hits and struck out five. Closer Omar Aguilar came on in relief of Casey Baron in the 8th inning to pitch a four-out save. It was Aguilar's 9th save of the season, which is the most by any Florida State League closer this season. The Hammerheads played well tonight, but fell into trouble in the 7th inning. Reliever Timothy Wood allowed a leadoff single to designated hitter Chuckie Caufield to start the inning. On a pick-off attempt to first base, Wood threw the ball away, which resulted in a two-base error that sent Caufield to 3rd base. Manatees 2nd baseman Jimmy Mojica then hit a ground ball to Wood, who tossed it to catcher Chris Hatcher to prevent the run from scoring, but Hatcher could not get control of the throw. The run gave the Manatees the lead and it was all they needed to win the ball game. Jupiter left fielder Dante Brinkley was 2 for 4 on the game and continues to be one of the hotter Hammerheads hitters. 2nd baseman Kevin Randel was 1 for 4, and he leads all Hammerheads with a .318 batting average over the last 10 games. First baseman Logan Morrison was also 1 for 4 on the evening. The two teams square off tomorrow for game two of the series. It will be a special 10:35 AM (9:35 Central) start time tomorrow at Roger Dean Stadium for Education Day. There is an educational field trip scheduled for all Palm Beach Middle Schools to come out and enjoy a ballgame with the goal of helping students learn more about the game of baseball. Derell McCall will get the start for Jupiter and will be opposed by Josh Butler. Brevard County Box Score Pitchers had to be stellar for the win, and they were -- Mike McClendon's finest moment this season, by far... Brevard County Game Log

Huntsville Pre-Game Audio Interview with Manager Don Money Go the month of April when you "Select Date" at the link, then to the archive of the 30th, then to the 5:00 minute mark...

Be sure to click on the audio link on this linked page -- it's a tour-de-force for Voice of the Stars Brett Pollock as the Stars and MiLB.com have pit together audio of the 13 extra-base hits, very cool... Stars go for record number of bases By Steve Conley / Special to MLB.com As the old saying goes, records were meant to be broken. But the Huntsville Stars had to settle for a tie on Wednesday. The Stars matched a 37-year-old Southern League record by rapping out 13 extra-base hits en route to their seventh straight win, a 14-6 trouncing of the Montgomery Biscuits at Riverwalk Stadium. After the first five Stars hitters were retired by Montgomery left-hander Jacob McGee, Cole Gillespie lined a double to left field and Mike Bell followed with his second homer to left field to begin the onslaught in the second. Gillespie went 4-for-5 with three of Huntsville's seven doubles and smacked a two-run homer in the seventh. The Stars (18-8) scored four more times in the fifth on four extra-base hits. Ryan Crew doubled to center and Mat Gamel drew a two-out walk before Matt LaPorta hit a three-run homer to left, his league-leading seventh of the year. Chris Errecart and Gillespie then ripped back-to-back doubles to left and center respectively to cap the frame. In the seventh, Gamel tripled to center and scored on LaPorta's double ahead of Gillespie's two-run blast to left. Gamel accounted for the final two extra-base hits with solo home runs in the eighth (to left field) and ninth (to center). The 22-year-old third baseman extended his hitting streak to 15 games, during which he is hitting .453 (29-for-64) with five home runs, 16 RBIs and six straight multi-hit games. The Florida native hit in 36 consecutive games for the Brevard County Manatees a year ago. Bell hit a two-run homer and drove in three runs for the Stars, who rank first in the Southern League in average (.297), runs (164) and on-base percentage (.373). Their 26 home runs are tied for tops in the league with Chattanooga. The Charlotte Hornets first set the record for extra-base hits on April 24, 1971, and the mark was equaled by the Charlotte O's on Aug. 20, 1985. Huntsville starter Steve Hammond (3-1) allowed four runs -- three earned -- on three hits and a walk while striking out six to win his second straight decision. McGee (2-2) gave up seven runs on eight hits and a walk while fanning six over 4 2/3 frames. Ronnie Merrill hit a two-run homer for the Biscuits (9-17), who lost their seventh straight home game. Huntsville Box Score You can say the middle of the order carried the night... Huntsville Game Log

Final: Huntsville 14, Montgomery (Rays) 6 Huntsville Site Game Summary: Record Setting Night for League's Hottest Hitting Team By Brett Pollock / Huntsville Stars Matt LaPorta's three-run home run in the fifth inning snapped an early tie, as Huntsville pounded out a league record tying 13 extra base hits in a convincing 14-6 victory over Montgomery Wednesday night in the opener of a five-game set at Riverwalk Stadium. The Stars won a season-high seventh straight game to push their record to 18-8 and maintain a game and a half lead on Carolina and West Tenn in the North Division, while the Biscuits dropped a fourth in a row to fall to 9-17. The Stars collected a triple, banged out a season-best five home runs and doubled seven times to match the 13 extra base hits totaled by Charlotte against Asheville in April, 1971 and Memphis in August, 1985. Mike Bell's two-out, two-run home run in the second inning staked the visitors to the lead but it didn't last very long. Gabriel Martinez was hit by a Steve Hammond pitch leading off in the home half of the inning, advanced to third base on two ground ball outs and scored on an Angel Salome passed ball. Pat Cottrell then walked and scored when Ronnie Merrill belted a two-run home run to left field to give the Biscuits a 3-2 edge. Bell's two-out run-scoring hit scored Cole Gillespie to tie the game in the fourth and was the Stars' first single of the night. Ryan Crew led off the fifth against Jake McGee with a double and stayed there as the next two hitters grounded out before Mat Gamel walked and LaPorta launched a 3-2 offering over the wall in left field for the decisive blow and his league-high seventh long ball. Chris Errecart then laced a double on the next pitch, moved to third base on a passed ball and scored on Gillespie's third double of the game that knocked McGee out of the contest. The left-hander suffered the loss to fall to 2-2 after allowing seven runs on eight hits, walking one and fanning six. The visitors broke the game open with four more in the seventh highlighted by a LaPorta run-scoring double and a Gillespie two-run home run. Gamel belted a leadoff long ball in the eighth and another solo shot in the ninth off the batters eye in dead center field, at least 425 away from home plate. Gamel extended his hitting streak to 15 with his sixth straight multi-hit game, while Gillespie scored three times, knocked in three and had his first four-hit game of the season. Hammond lasted seven innings to grab his third win of the season, allowing four runs, three earned, on three hits. He walked one and struck out six to push his league-leading total to 39. The series continues Thursday morning with southpaw Derek Miller making the start for Huntsville against Biscuits' right-hander Wade Davis. Coverage of the game begins at 10:20 am central time and can be heard locally on SportsRadio 730 WUMP and through the internet at www.huntsvillestars.com and www.730ump.com.

The Brevard box score lists RHP John Axford, not Mike McClendon, as the starting pitcher. That's odd, since Axford piggy-backed Mike Jones start three days ago with a four-inning stint. These boxes have been incorrect before and adjusted later.. EDIT: McClendon entered the game after two scoreless innings from Axford. Also, a second full day off for Taylor Green, unless he's a substitute player later tonight -- something's going on there, hopefully just a day-to-day situation.

Final: West Virginia 9, Hagerstown (Nationals) 5 West Virginia Site Game Summary: POWER USE SIX RUN FIFTH TO BEAT SUNS The West Virginia Power sent 11 batters to the plate in the top of the fifth inning of Wednesday afternoon's game against the Suns and scored six runs on six hits to snap Hagerstown's four game winning streak with a 9-5 victory. Curt Rindal put the Power on the board with a solo homer in the top of the second, his fourth of the season. The Power used the long ball in the fourth inning to take a 3-0 lead on Caleb Gindl's two-run shot, his third of the year. Hagerstown plated a pair of runs with two-outs in the bottom of the fourth inning. Stephen Souza singled in Aaron Seuss and scored later in the inning on a wild pitch. Lee Haydel began the six-run rally in the fifth with a bunt single. Haydel scored on Brent Brewer's double to left and Brewer touched home plate on Zelous Wheeler's base-hit. Rindal singled in Gindl before the Power took advantage of two Hagerstown errors which produced three more runs. Steffan Wilson scored after Souza dropped a pop up on the infield and Dan Lyons's errant throw allowed Rindal and Uly Snijders to score. Amaury Rivas (2-1) allowed three runs on three hits in three innings of relief to get the victory. Brad Peacock was tagged with the loss after surrendering five runs on seven hits over four and a third. Rob Bryson struck out six batters over four innings while Wes Etheridge and Dan Merklinger each tossed a scoreless inning of relief. The Power improved to 10-16 with the win and the Suns fell to 12-13 with the loss. Five Power players had multi-hit games for the Power, including Rindal, Gindl and Wheeler who paced the Power with three hits a piece. The Power will continue their four game series with the Hagerstown Suns at Municipal Stadium on Thursday night. Right-hander Roque Mercedes (0-1, 8.06) will get the start for the Power and the Suns will counter with right hander Hassan Pena (1-1, 3.00). The first pitch is scheduled for 6:35 PM (5:35 Central). West Virginia Box Score Zelous Wheeler is sporting a sweet .902 OPS; it's nice to see them pitching well, but is it surprising that fairly high 2007 "college" draft picks Dan Merklinger (6th round) and Wes Etheridge (12th) are reduced to short relief roles for now, realizing that Merklinger has had some injury issues... West Virginia Game Log

Final: Nashville 4, Colorado Springs (Rockies) 3 Nashville Site Game Summary: Link, text follows -- Sounds Score Two Late Runs To Beat Sox, 4-3 NASHVILLE - The Nashville Sounds plated a pair of runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to score a come-from-behind 4-3 victory over the Colorado Springs Sky Sox on Wednesday morning at Greer Stadium. The majority of the near-capacity crowd on hand were area schoolchildren in attendance on field trips as a reward for reaching their reading goals in the Nashville Sounds Reading Club program. With the victory, Nashville (7-18) recorded wins in back-to-back contests for the first time this season and improved to 5-3 in day games. Sky Sox left fielder Seth Smith gave the visitors a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning with a two-out solo homer to right off Dave Bush, his second longball of the season. Sounds catcher Vinny Rottino (2-for-3) knotted the contest in the second with a one-out solo homer to left off Sky Sox starter Josh Towers. The roundtripper, his fifth of the year, gave the backstop hits in 11 of his last 12 games, including an extra-base hit in nine of those dozen tilts. Laynce Nix put the Sounds in front by a 2-1 count in the third with a two-out, opposite-field RBI single to right that plated Bush, who had doubled. Colorado Springs jumped back in front in the sixth when a two-out throwing error by Sounds third baseman Eric Munson allowed a pair of unearned runs to score against Bush, giving the visitors a 3-2 lead. Both runners came plateward after drawing walks earlier in the frame. Munson - who played his first game since April 10 after missing nearly three weeks with a hip flexor injury - made up for his error in the bottom of the seventh when he ripped a game-tying RBI double to chase Towers and make it a 3-3 game. Rottino, who opened the inning with a double, scored on the two-bagger, which snapped a 17 at-bat hitless stretch for Munson. Pinch-hitter Mel Stocker, also in his first game back from the disabled list, put Nashville ahead, 4-3, later in the seventh with a sacrifice fly to center. Bush took a no-decision in his initial Sounds start. The right-hander allowed three runs (one earned) on three hits while striking out seven batters over six innings of action. Reliever Ben Howard (1-0) earned his first victory of the year after working a scoreless seventh inning, striking out two. Jason Shiell retired the Sky Sox in order in the eighth before Luis Pena worked around a one-out double in the ninth to earn his first save of the year in his first opportunity. AUDIO: Final Out Of The Game Towers (2-2) took the loss for the Sky Sox after he allowed four runs on five hits over six-plus frames. The teams will wrap up the series with 7 p.m. finale on Thursday. Right-hander Jeff Weaver will make his 2008 season debut when he takes the hill for the Sounds in the contest. Colorado Springs will counter with right-hander Sean Smith (0-0, 15.00). Nashville Box Score Amazingly, this was Luis Pena's first save opportunity this season... Nashville Game Log