Jim Goulart

Infielder Will Lewis, who had a bit of a mini cult appreciation following, during his 2003-2005 stint with the Brewers, has signed with Pensacola as he enters his second season of play in the independent American Association. Infielder Brent Abernathy signed with Long Island, the infamous Ducks of the independent Atlantic League.

First a link to the Offseason Transaction Thread, now closed. Nashville Media Notes: HOPF JOINS SOUNDS, PLACED ON D.L.: Catcher J.R. Hopf, who was Nashville's top hitter in last year's playoffs (.500, 5-for-10, 3 RBIs), has joined the Sounds today from Double-A Huntsville, where he spent the first four games of the season and was 0-for-3. The backstop has been placed on Nashville's disabled list, retroactive to Sunday. In 57 regular season games split between Advanced-A Brevard County and the Sounds last season, Hopf batted .226 (36-for-159) with five home runs and 17 RBIs. *** This move is a pre-cursor to Angel Salome being activated for Huntsville, it seems. Baseball America summarized recent Brewer moves as follows: Released: C Brian Munhall Placed on restricted list: RHP Jeremy Jeffress, RHP Matt Kretzschmar, RHP Juan Sandoval, C Matthew Czimskey, C D.J. Neyens, C Angel Salome Placed on 7-day DL: RHP Thomas Atlee, RHP Mark DiFelice, RHP Richie Gardner, RHP Mark Rogers, RHP Travis Wendte, LHP Chris Cody, LHP Daniel Merklinger, C Lou Palmisano Placed on temporarily inactive list: 1B Ned Yost We had listed most of these earlier. Matt Czimskey, like D.J. Neyens, lost out to Ulrich Snijders on the West Virginia backup catcher slot. He'll be 24 in May, and is likely mulling over what options he may have (not many). Players often go on this list when they retire but do not file the official paperwork.

David Weiser's www.starsboxscore.com Best Start in 13 Years I have a second job which prevented me from seeing Saturday's double-header, but if I had to miss a game, that was the one to miss. Sitting through 14 innings of baseball when the temperature starts out at 53° doesn't sound like fun. I would have been home listening to it. Today was much nicer, however. The sun was out for this 2:05 game, and while it wasn't the 75° they were predicting, it was still pleasant and comfortable with a light jacket. It started out at 63° with mostly sunny skies, the wind blowly briskly to left. It felt like, and was, a swift ballgame, and it was decided in the 2nd inning....... Chris Errecart lined a 3-1 pitch from Jairo Cuevas, taking its first hop just beyond the infield and skipping into left for a hit. Then with two out, Carlos Corporan hit Cuevas' first pitch hard to the wall in left-center, bringing in Errecart with the deciding run....... Brae Wright, from my friend Jamey Tucker's former hometown of Southhaven, Mississippi, held the M'Braves to just two hits over 5 2/3 innings, running out of steam in the 6th after walking three hitters. Wright threw just 30 pitches throught the first three innings (20 for strikes), 51 pitches after five (11 of 21 for strikes in innings 4 and 5). After throwing just six of his 15 pitches for strikes in the 6th, manager Don Money gave the call to E.J. Shanks.... With the bases loaded, Shanks, who had awful luck pitching at the Joe last year, retired Kala Ka'aihue on an 0-1 liner to Michael Brantley, who made a running catch for the 3rd out........ Rusty Tucker encountered some trouble as well in the 8th in relief of Shanks, when he gave up a two-out double to Carl Loadenthal down the line to left, and then walked Diory Hernandez on a full count. But Tucker, who I remember once being pounded by the Stars two years ago when he was with Birmingham, retired highly touted prospect Jordan Schafer on a fly ball to left....... Schafer, the Braves' top minor league prospect, is starting out the season 0-for-7 with a pair of walks. The Stars left all eight of their left on base in the first five innings. After Matt LaPorta's hot liner off the glove of Diory Hernandez in the 5th with one out, the Stars were held hitless by Brad Nelson, Jerome Gamble, and Sung Ki Jung. Former Huntsville Star Gamble did walk a batter -- Mat Gamel -- on four straight balls in the 8th, but Gamel was erased trying to steal..... The Stars left the bases loaded with two out in the 4th. After Chris Errecart struck out, Cole Gillespie reached first when Hernandez, who has committed four errors in this series so far, bungled an easy grounder right to him in the middle of the infield...... Michael Bell (3-for-11 this season) lined a double hard to left off the fence, sending Gillespie to third. Carlos Corporan then got an unintenional intentional walk (he's starting out 3-for-8 with a HR and two RBIs) to fill the bases. Brantley, however, flied out to center on a 1-2 pitch to end the threat...... The Stars also left a runner on third in the 5th after Hernandez threw away an Alcides Escobar grounder, putting him at second to lead off the inning. He was stranded at third on LaPorta's single off the glove of Hernandez. After the game, the players and Stars Booster Club members got together at the nearby Jaycees building for the annual welcome banquet...... I can't think of a player who didn't make it. I didn't see pitcher Ben Stanczyk. Manager Don Money showed up after everyone ate the food. Nearly every member of the Stars' front office made it, including GM Buck Rogers, who told me he once worked for a team that started the season on a record 15-game winning streak...... We've won four straight -- the longest streak to start a season since 1995, when the Stars swept Chattanooga by impressive scores of 10-0, 13-5, 4-3, and 11-2. And you know, despite their 9-2 start, they never made the playoffs?...... No Huntsville Stars team has ever won their first five at the start of a season, so we'll see whether Sam Narron can make up for last April's horrid start (0-2, 6.30 in four starts)...... Opposing him for Mississippi will be right-hander Dustin Evans (2-10, 4.70 last year at Class A-Myrtle Beach (Carolina)...... The Stars are making the most of a rotation that, on paper, doesn't look that impressive. The top prospect is Steve Hammond, ranked 27th. But through the first four games, the Stars are not only leading the league's Northern Division at 4-0, but they're leading in ERA (1.13) and batting (.250). Pitcher Thomas Atlee and catcher Angel Salome were at the welcome banquet, despite the fact that neither have played yet in a game because of off-the-field circumstances...... Atlee started the season on the DL with a shoulder problem, but he is ready to go and Salome had to serve the remainder of a suspension for a PED........ I met Salome, who is as tall as I am (just barely 5'8") and very friendly, and wider than me, except Angel is all muscle....... It was also nice to meet David Welch, who is from Sydney, Australia, and the 2nd Australian to play for the Stars (after Grant Balfour). I'd talk to him about the contents of the phone book just to hear his accent. He was accompanied by his wife, whose name if I remember was Kelli....... Brae Wright was sitting a table away. He is the cousin of former major leaguer "Vinegar Bend" Mizell, who hailed from Vinegar Bend, Alabama in Washington County. Mizell pitched from 1952-1962, ending with a 90-88 record. He wrapped up his career with the woeful '62 Mets. On the farm, former Carolina Mudcat Nic Ungs held New Orleans to three hits over five scoreless innings and Steve Bray and Tim Dillard followed with three no-hit innings in relief as the Sounds won their first game, 4-0........ The Manatees had 10 hits Sunday, but left eight as they lost to Palm Beach, 5-3. Mike Jones started and pitched two innings...... West Virginia was shutout by Hickory (doesn't that remind you of "Hoosiers"?), 1-0. R.J. Seidel held the Crawdads to two hits over five scoreless innings for the Power. I want to take this moment to thank brewerfan.net and Mass Haas for his exceptional work on that web site, and archiving my reports, for which I am so grateful....... As it says on the bottom of my site, brewerfan.net is truly the best organizational site I know and a lot of the info I pick up on this site, such as player movements, come from this site...... I don't always credit them every time, but there is so much information from them I use to keep you Stars fans informed....... Speaking of which, brewerfan reports that former Stars outfielder Cristian Guerrero has signed to play for Gary in the independent Northern League this year...... Cristian, the younger and less-talented cousin of Vladimir, was released by the Washington Nationals' organization last year, and started his indy league career last year with Camden (Atlantic)...... Will Inman, who flopped with Huntsville after an amazing season at Brevard County, is in the rotation for the San Antonio Missions, the Padres' AA farm club in the Texas League....... Two former Stars were released -- pitcher Chris Michalak by the Reds and outfielder Jim Rushford by the White Sox, and if you hadn't already known, Ben Hendrickson, 7-6 with a 3.45 ERA for the Stars in 2003 and the International League MVP in 2004, was released by the Kansas City Royals. And David, thank you for your efforts -- what a lovefest -- Jim

Link while active, text follows: Branyan itching for another shot at majors By Pierce W. Huff NOLA.com Staff writer He has a lengthy bio, and lately his travels in major and minor league baseball read like something out of an atlas, but Nashville Sounds infielder Russell Branyan still believes in himself and his dream of making it back to the big leagues -- to stay. But Branyan is realistic enough to realize that the Sounds possibly represent his last chance at the bigs. "I'm 32 years old, and I'm back down in Triple-A, and I've got an opportunity," he said. And at this point in his career that's all Branyan can ask for. Branyan, who plays third, first and the outfield, was in four organizations last year. He started the season on the bench for San Diego and was released midway through the season. He was picked up by Cleveland and played one game for the Indians' Triple-A affiliate, the Buffalo Bisons, and then was placed on waivers and traded to Philadelphia for cash. He played for the Phillies for two weeks and then was designated for assignment and traded to St. Louis, where he finished the season. "It was a tough year," he said. Branyan filed for free agency a month after the season and signed a minor league contract with Milwaukee in February. "I think the Brewers are a quality organization, and that's one of the reasons why I came back," he said. Branyan landed with the Brewers, who had acquired him in 2004, because he had a tough time latching on to another team. That's why playing with Nashville is so important. The Brewers gave him an opportunity to play for the Sounds, and he wants to make the most of it. It's the kind of fate few would have figured for Branyan after he broke into the major leagues with Cleveland in 1998. He batted .232 with 24 home runs and 54 RBIs for the Indians in 2001. Branyan was traded to Cincinnati during the 2002 season and hit .244 with 16 home runs and 39 RBIs in 84 games for the Reds. He was traded to Milwaukee in 2004 and was a platoon player for the Brewers for two seasons. Branyan played with Tampa Bay in 2006 and batted .201 with 12 home runs in 64 games. Then came Branyan's season of travel. "There was no consistent playing time at all," he said. "It was a tough year. I couldn't get into any kind of rhythm." And that's what Branyan hopes to get with Nashville this season as he tries to slug his way back to the major leagues. Branyan led off the seventh inning with a pinch-hit, leadoff double off the center-field wall against Zephyrs right-hander Robert Paulk in his only at-bat Sunday, a 4-0 victory for the Sounds. "It was a first-pitch fastball," Branyan said. "I was trying to stay through the ball, because it's early in the season, and not do too much with it. I was taking what he was giving me." Branyan hopes to play for the Brewers this season, but he'd be willing to leave if another team gives him a chance at the majors. "I'm just trying to get my game back and my legs underneath me," he said. "I'm trying to get my swing back to where if there is a major league team out there that needs a left-handed bat and a guy who plays a corner position, then they'll see me as the guy, whether it's with the Brewers or another major league team."

Link while active, text follows: Change is in the air Hoffman's conversion to pitcher underscores lower minors' uncertainties By Mike Whiteford Charleston Gazette Staff writer As the Power prepares for its South Atlantic League home opener tonight, the people involved - players, managers, coaches, fans and media - will again grapple with one of baseball's most baffling questions. It's a perpetual, underlying one: Which Power players will excel at Appalachian Power Park this summer, move up the baseball ladder and eventually earn big-league promotions? Jim Lett, the Power's first-year hitting coach, knows all about the uncertainties and underlying themes of baseball's lower minors. He once worked with a player who seemed only marginally talented but turned things around dramatically, made his way to the big leagues and, astonishingly, has put together credentials worthy of the Baseball Hall of Fame. As manager of the Charleston Wheelers 18 years ago, Lett and pitching coach Mike Griffin initiated a player-development project that, all things considered, ranks as one of the most improbable in baseball history. The 1990 season had passed the halfway point and, as Lett and Griffin sat in their cramped office at Watt Powell Park one day, they pondered the fate of Trevor Hoffman, the Wheelers' shortstop and Cincinnati's 11th-round draft choice in 1989. At the time, Hoffman was approaching his 23rd birthday and was in the midst of a lackluster season that would produce a .212 batting average and two home runs in 103 games. But Hoffman's laser-like throws across the infield had caught everyone's attention. "We thought, 'Boy, this guy's arm ... but is he ever going to hit in the big leagues? It was questionable,'' Lett recalled this week. To make use of that arm, the Wheeler manager and pitching coach approached Hoffman and suggested his future might lie in pitching. Would he be willing to make the switch? "And he was agreeable,'' said Lett. "He was a super person and still is. He was willing. I think he realized, too, that this was another avenue for him.'' After that, Griffin began taking Hoffman to the bullpen along Watt Powell's right-field line for some pre-game throwing and tinkering, a routine that turned the heads of other Wheeler players. Meanwhile, Lett contacted the late Chief Bender, player-development director of the Wheelers' parent club, the Reds, and told him about the experiment. Lett also recommended that Hoffman be assigned to the off-season Instructional League to continue work as a pitcher. Bender agreed. Less than three years later, Hoffman was in the big leagues and now, as the Padres closer, owns more saves than any pitcher in the game's history. "Pitching is always at a premium,'' said Lett, "and if you had someone who had that kind of arm strength ...'' Lett, a Winfield native who worked as the Pirates' bench coach under manager Jim Tracy for the past two seasons, witnessed Hoffman's record-breaking 479th career save in 2006 in San Diego. It came against the Pirates. "With all his success, he's still the same guy,'' said Lett. "He's down to earth, always says hello, always appreciative.'' POWER POINTS: The Power will play host to the Augusta GreenJackets at tonight and Tuesday and, after a 10:35 AM (9:35 Central) Grand Slam School Day on Wednesday, will conclude the series with a game Thursday night. The Greenville Drive will then visit Appalachian Power Park for a four-game series beginning Friday ... The Power, a Milwaukee affiliate, is coming off an 82-54 season, which ranked third in the South Atlantic League, and is beginning its fourth season at APP. Charleston has been an SAL member since 1987 ... Nineteen players on the Power roster spent at least part of last season at Helena, Mont., which posted a 48-28 record in the Class A short-season Pioneer League. "We're going to win games by stealing bases, by moving the runner over,'' said Power catcher Jonathan Lucroy, who hit .342 at Helena last season. "We're going to hit some home runs and have some power, but we're going to win games by playing the right way.'' ... Power manager Jeff Isom managed at Helena last year and is familiar with most players on the roster. Charleston Gazette Photo by Kenny Kemp http://www.wvgazette.com/images/thumbs275/isom1_G0804042u0szq.jpg

Link while active, text follows: Ramlow hopes to take command for Power Power faces Augusta in tonight's home opener by Jacob Messer Charleston Daily Mail sportswriter Milwaukee Brewers pitching prospect Mike Ramlow isn't too bummed about spending a second season in the low Class A South Atlantic League with the West Virginia Power. Ramlow realizes he still has work to do before he will receive (and deserve) a promotion to the high Class A Florida State League with the Brevard County Manatees. That work will begin tonight when Ramlow makes his mound debut and the Power plays its home opener for the 2008 season. "I'm ready for it," said Ramlow, whom the Brewers selected in the 24th round in the 2005 Major League Baseball Draft. "I love the fans there. They are behind us 100 percent. Hopefully, me and my teammates can give them a great game and show them what we're about." West Virginia is scheduled to host Augusta (Ga.) at Appalachian Power Park at 7:05 PM (6:05 Central). The game will feature a battle of southpaws -- Ramlow for the Power (1-3) and Craig Clark for the GreenJackets (1-3). "I need to work on my fastball command and pitch combinations," said Ramlow, 22, who is from Maumee, Ohio. "I also need to work on keeping the ball down in the zone. Last year, I was up in the zone a lot of times." Added Power pitching coach John Curtis: "He still needs to demonstrate the skills and the mastery of the things we want pitchers to have control of in this league. That is fastball command and down in the zone. "We are going to work on a little two-seam action with him and try to get some sink in his fastball. The big thing is the command of the fastball down around the knees. If he can do that, he will be successful and probably won't be here long." Ramlow started 20 games and appeared in seven others last year, compiling a 5-5 record with a 6.11 earned run average. He allowed 130 hits and 77 runs (71 earned) in 104 2/3 innings. He had 80 strikeouts compared to 36 walks. He threw nine wild pitches. Opponents hit .304 against him. "I was up in the zone too much," Ramlow said. "I got hit around a lot because of that and not being able to throw my secondary pitches for strikes. It was just poor mechanics. I wasn't repeating my delivery the right way." Ramlow, whose fastball registers 88 mph and whose reportoire includes a changeup and curveball, stands 6 feet, 6 inches. He weighs 185 pounds. "His size works for him because he has good downward plane on his pitches," Curtis said, "but it also works against him because he is a little frail and doesn't have much weight on him. His arm takes a fair amount of stress. We are looking for him to get a little stronger. "He needs to build himself up and demonstrate an ability to get into the sixth and seventh inning. As he continues in the terrific conditioning program our organization offers, that arm is going to get stronger." Curtis said Ramlow will make one more start for the Power this season, but he will move to the bullpen as soon as starting pitcher Dan Merklinger comes off the disabled list.

Pacific Coast League (AAA) - PCL American North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Memphis 2 2 .500 - 0-0 2-2 W1 Omaha 2 2 .500 - 2-2 0-0 W1 Iowa 1 3 .250 1.0 1-3 0-0 L2 Nashville 1 3 .250 1.0 0-0 1-3 W1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Southern League (AA) - SOU North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Huntsville 4 0 1.000 - 4-0 0-0 W4 Carolina 3 1 .750 1.0 0-0 3-1 L1 Tennessee 3 1 .750 1.0 0-0 3-1 W3 Chattanooga 2 2 .500 2.0 0-0 2-2 L1 West Tenn 1 3 .250 3.0 0-0 1-3 L2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Florida State League (A+) - FSL East Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Palm Beach 4 0 1.000 - 2-0 2-0 W4 Vero Beach 3 1 .750 1.0 2-1 1-0 L1 Daytona 2 2 .500 2.0 1-1 1-1 W1 Jupiter 2 2 .500 2.0 2-0 0-2 W2 Brevard County 1 3 .250 3.0 0-2 1-1 L3 St. Lucie 0 4 .000 4.0 0-1 0-3 L4 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- South Atlantic League (A) - SAL Northern Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Greensboro 3 1 .750 - 0-0 3-1 L1 Hickory 3 1 .750 - 3-1 0-0 W3 Lake County 3 1 .750 - 0-0 3-1 W1 Hagerstown 2 1 .667 0.5 0-0 2-1 L1 Delmarva 1 2 .333 1.5 1-2 0-0 W1 Lakewood 1 3 .250 2.0 1-3 0-0 L1 Lexington 1 3 .250 2.0 0-0 1-3 L1 West Virginia 1 3 .250 2.0 0-0 1-3 L3

Follow Monday'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_04_07_nasaaa_orhaaa_1 Huntsville Game: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2008_04_07_msbaax_hunaax_1 Brevard County: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2008_04_07_pbcafa_breafa_1 West Virginia: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2008_04_07_augafx_wvaafx_1

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

Monday's Daily Menu: No big league game, no problem! All times Central; pitchers subject to change -- Nashville: LHP Lindsay Gulin at Oklahoma (Rangers), 6:45 PM pre-game; 7:05 gametime Audio link: www.nashvillesounds.com/listenlive/ Huntsville: LHP Sam Narron at home vs. Mississippi (Braves), 6:50 PM pre-game; 7:05 gametime Audio link via WUMP (game will also archive at this link): http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/multimedia/audio.jsp?sid=t559 Brevard County: TBD at home vs. Palm Beach (Cardinals), 6:00 PM gametime Sorry -- no audio for this series... West Virginia: LHP Mike Ramlow at home vs. Augusta (Giants), 5:50 PM pre-game, 6:05 gametime Audio link via WSWW, be sure to select the proper date (game will also archive at this link): www.minorleaguebaseball.c.../audio.jsp

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Link while active, text follows: Walks haunt 'Tees in third straight loss By Jim Cawley, Florida Today Three Brevard County Manatees pitchers combined to walk 10 batters in Sunday's 5-3 defeat to the Palm Beach Cardinals at Space Coast Stadium. The loss was the third straight for the Manatees (1-3), who haven't won since their opener at Daytona last Thursday. "There were some routine plays that we didn't get done," first-year Brevard County manager Mike Guerrero said. "Now when you have that many walks, the situation gets even tougher. It puts too much pressure on the offense to try to do too much." The Manatees outhit the Cardinals 10-7, but failed to capitalize in clutch situations after the fourth inning. Darren Ford went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI. The Brevard County center fielder also made a dazzling ninth-inning catch to save a run. Kenny Holmberg and Andy Bouchie each singled twice, and Stephen Chapman tripled for the Manatees. John Axford (0-1) pitched four innings of relief, taking the loss. He gave up two earned runs, walking four and striking out one. Omar Aguilar also walked four and struck out one in two innings of work. Starter Mike Jones walked two and struck out two, allowing one unearned run in two innings. Josh Wahpepah pitched a scoreless seventh with one strikeout and no walks. For the Cardinals (4-0), Tyler Henley tripled and Tony Cruz singled twice. Daniel Descalso and Isaias Garcia drove in two runs apiece. The Manatees will try to salvage a game in the series and shake their three-game skid tonight at 7:00 (6:00 Central) against Palm Beach at Space Coast Stadium. "There's gonna be ups, and there's gonna be downs. In two of the three (losses), we had a chance to win," Guerrero said. "You need to execute the little things. . . . Pitching, timely hitting -- that's what wins games."

Link while active, text follows: Pitching rules day in Stars' 1-0 win Wright the winner as Huntsville moves to 4-0 By JOHN FERRY Huntsville Times Sports Staff, john.ferry@htimes.com The words came easy on Sunday afternoon for the Huntsville Stars, who are still unbeaten after a 1-0 win over Mississippi. "Run it as long as it goes," manager Don Money said. Money knows things are bounding his way, the record now 4-0 after a game at Joe Davis Stadium. "It's a great group," said catcher Carlos Corporan, who drove in the only run of the game. "I know there is a lot of talent on this team," starting pitcher Brae Wright said. Even the losers had some kind words for the Stars. "Huntsville takes advantage of opportunities," Mississippi manager Phillip Wellman said. "They have good pitching too." The Stars were hardly dominant on this pleasant day, but they produced just enough while Mississippi failed in both the sixth and eighth innings after getting runners as far as third. Chris Errecart began the Huntsville second inning with a single to left. After Cole Gillespie and Michael Bell flied out, Corporan doubled to left to score Errecart. The Stars left the bases loaded in the fourth inning and got Alcides Escobar to third in the fifth. By then, enough offense had been produced to decide a game which saw Huntsville use four pitchers. Wright went 5 2/3 innings for the win and allowed two hits. He said the day was kind of a grind. "Let the guys behind you make the plays," he said. "Give the offense a chance to score." E.J. Shanks came on in the sixth and got Kala Ka'aihue to fly to Michael Brantley, who made a nice running catch with the bases loaded. Rusty Tucker relieved in the eighth and got Jordan Schafer to fly to Gillespie to end that threat. Robert Hinton got the final three outs for a save. Both Corporan and Money liked what they saw on the mound. "The pitching is awesome," Corporan said. "Good defense at the right time, but pitching was the key." Jairo Cuevas, who went the first four innings, took the loss for Mississippi. He allowed five of Huntsville's six hits. Leadoff batter Carl Lodenthal produced two of the five hits for the Braves. Huntsville and Mississippi (0-4) finish their series tonight.

Link while active, text follows: Successful start BY PAUL FOGLEMAN Hickory Record Sports Correspondent The rains were gone from L.P. Frans Stadium Sunday afternoon, and for the most part so were the runs. The Hickory Crawdads, though, scratched out just enough of them to gain a doubleheader sweep over the West Virginia Power. Erik Huber's single in the bottom of the seventh inning scored Miles Durham for a 1-0 win in Game 1, and Danny Bomback's scamper home on a bases-loaded wild pitch in the bottom of the eighth in Game 2 gave Hickory its second 1-0 victory and a 3-1 season-opening series win over the Power. The teams were forced to play their second doubleheader in as many days after rains washed out games scheduled for Thursday and Friday. Squeezing out runs and maintaining an appropriate amount of intensity over the four-game set were early challenges to star the season, said Crawdads manager Gary Green, but they were able to meet both. "No question it was a grind, and it was tough on both teams," said Green. "But we had a lot of intensity both days, we stayed with it and our enthusiasm was still pretty good (Sunday)." Helping keep Hickory's spirits high was the effort turned in by the Crawdads' hurlers. Dustin Molleken and Harrison Bishop combined on a two-hitter in Game 1, while striking out nine and walking one. Mike Felix, Dionis Rodriguez and Moises Robles were nearly as impressive in Game 2, limiting West Virginia (1-3) to four hits, while fanning 11 and walking three. The sterling efforts offset a day where Hickory's own production was held in check, managing only five hits in each game. "We didn't hit a lot, but when you have good pitching like we got, you don't have to," Green said. "We didn't walk a lot of people and got after hitters early in the count, and we were able to scratch and claw and find a way." The Crawdads found their victory in Game 1 when Durham opened their at-bat in the seventh with a double to right field. Huber then stepped to the plate and pushed a breaking pitch from Jose Garcia into right to plate the game-winner. "He threw me a curve ball, and really I just wanted to move Miles to third with one out," said Huber. "I kind of jammed myself, but I was able to sneak the ball (into right field), and he was able to score." The high drama returned in Game 2 when Bomback led off the bottom of the eighth with a single to left and moved to second base on Matt Cavagnaro's sacrifice bunt. Victor Alvarez followed with an infield hit and Keanon Simon was intentionally walked. Nick Tyson's first pitch to Austin McClune then skipped past catcher Ulrich Snijders, allowing Bomback to race home with the winning score. While Hickory was able to make the most of its scoring chance, West Virginia squandered several of its opportunities. The Power put runners in scoring position with less than one out in the fifth, sixth and seven innings only to come up empty. Scott Houin doubled to left off Rodriguez to open the fifth but was stranded after a Snijders strikeout and fly-outs from David Fonseca and Lee Haydel. A one-out walk to Caleb Gindl in the sixth was followed by a Jonathan Lucroy single, but Rodriguez again wiggled out of trouble, coaxing a Zelous Wheeler fly to left before striking out Curt Rindal. Houin then led off the seventh with a single off Robles and advanced to second on a Snijders sacrifice bunt. The threat ended, however, when Fonseca bounced back to Robles and Haydel flew out to left.

In his 2008 debut, Steve Garrison cruised until the 5th

Some good news for Power fans: Mother Nature is cooperating to make opening day a success. It is forecasted to be about 50 degrees WARMER than it was for opening day last year with temperatures expected to be in the 70's.

Final, Game One: Hickory (Pirates) 1, West Virginia 0 Final, Game Two: Hickory (Pirates) 1, West Virginia 0, eight innings (scheduled for seven) West Virginia Press Release: CRAWDADS BLANK POWER TWICE Hickory, NC - It only took two runs for the Hickory Crawdads to take both ends of Sunday afternoon's double header at L.P. Frans Stadium as the Crawdads held the Power scoreless through 15 innings of the double dip and won by the final score of 1-0 in games one and two. The Crawdads scored their lone run in the first contest in their final at-bat on Erik Huber's RBI single in the bottom of the seventh inning. The pitchers' duel in game one was highlighted by the starters who both tossed six scoreless innings of action. Hickory right hander Dustin Molleken took a no hitter into the fifth inning and struck out seven batters. Evan Anunden retired the first eight Crawdads he faced and struck out three batters over six scoreless frames. It took eight innings to complete the second contest. With the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the eighth inning, Danny Bomback scored on a wild pitch to give the Crawdads their third straight victory. Pitching dominated the second game as well. Mike Felix left the game after three innings without surrendering a hit for the Crawdads. Dionis Rodriguez followed with three scoreless innings out of the pen. R.J. Seidel was outstanding for the Power, retiring the first eleven batters he faced. He tossed five scoreless innings and struck out three. In game one Harrison Bishop (1-0) got the win and Jose Garcia (0-1) was tagged with the loss. Moises Robles (1-0) earned the victory in game two while Nick Tyson (0-1) was tagged with the loss. The Power will host the Augusta GreenJackets in their home opener at Appalachian Power Park on Monday night. Lefty Mike Ramlow (0-0, 0.00) will get the start for the Power and the GreenJackets will counter with left hander Craig Clark (0-0, 0.00). The first pitch is scheduled for 7:05 PM (6:05 Central). West Virginia Game One Box Score Evan Anundsen picks up where he left off last year -- Mr. Ground Ball Machine induces ten in six innings... West Virginia Game One Game Log Anundsen overcame two Power errors in the 5th with a double-play grounder; only chance for West Virginia came in the 5th after a one-out double by Lee Haydel... West Virginia Game Two Box Score Jonathan Lucroy with his first two base hits of the season; soon-to-be 23-year-old OF Scott Houin did some nice things after his independent league signing last season and is 3-for-6 (three K's) thus far... West Virginia Game Two Game Log Power definitely had more chances than in game one, but no one was "clutch"...

Final: Palm Beach (Cardinals) 5, Brevard County 3 Brevard County Box Score It could have been worse in terms of the score, as the Cardinals stranded 12; Manatee pitchers issued ten walks and hit two batters which helps explain the loss despite Brevard outhitting their opponent, 10-7; Darren Ford caught stealing (now 4-for-6 in that department), but he did reach three times, as did Kenny Holmberg and Andy Bouchie; Matt Cline and Andy Bouchie with defensive miscues that led to runs; Manatees not impressive during their three-game slide... Brevard County Game Log Looks like a Cardinal runner was out at home trying to score on a wild pitch in the first; an unexplained similar circumstance appears to have happened in the 3rd -- odd; Manatee 3rd inning should have been much bigger...

Huntsville Pre-Game Interview with reliever Joe Bateman Click on the April 6th archive, then go to the 13:30 minute mark...

Final: Huntsville 1, Mississippi (Braves) 0 Huntsville Press Release: PITCHING PUSHES STARS TO ANOTHER WIN Brae Wright, E.J. Shanks, Rusty Tucker and Robert Hinton combined to toss a five-hit shutout, as Huntsville made an early run stand up in a 1-0 victory over Mississippi on a gorgeous Sunday afternoon at Joe Davis Stadium. The Stars have won the first four games of the season-opening five-game set to race to their best start since 1995. Huntsville has outscored the Braves 19-6 and held the visitors to a total of 18 hits. Chris Errecart singled to start the second inning and scored two outs later on a double by Carlos Corporan, who knocked in his second run of the season. Braves' starter Jairo Cuevas closed his double-A debut by working out of a bases loaded jam in the fourth inning. He got Wright to bounce into a force out at the plate and Michael Brantley to fly out and left after allowing five hits, walking two and fanning two. Wright was aided by two double play grounders and was removed from his double-A debut after walking the bases loaded in the sixth inning. He gave up only two hits, walked four and struck out two before Shanks got Kala Ka'aihue to fly out to end the threat. The four Stars' starters have allowed two earned runs on a dozen hits over a combined 21 2/3 innings of work. The Stars turned another ground ball double play behind Shanks in the seventh and he was removed after retiring the leadoff hitter in the eighth. Tucker stranded runners at second and third later in the frame by retiring Jordan Schafer, the Braves top-rated prospect, on a fly out. Hinton retired the side in order in the ninth to nail down his second save in as many situations. The Stars' bullpen has allowed two runs in 10 2/3 frames in the series. The series wraps up Monday night with left-hander Sam Narron taking the mound for Huntsville against Braves right-hander Dustin Evans. 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. Huntsville Box Score Huntsville Game Log It was a line out to center, but E.J. Shanks stranded three Brae Wright walks in the 6th...

Final: Nashville 4, New Orleans (Mets) 0 Nashville Site Game Summary: Link, text follows -- Rottino, Ungs Lead Sounds To First Win METAIRIE, La. - Catcher Vinny Rottino homered and drove in three runs and starting pitcher Nic Ungs combined with three relievers on a three-hit shutout in the Nashville Sounds' 4-0 win over New Orleans on Sunday afternoon at Zephyr Field in the finale of a four-game series. With the triumph, Nashville (1-3) recorded its first victory of the 2008 season and avoided a season-opening series sweep at the hands of the Zephyrs. Ungs (1-0) continued his recent success against New Orleans, picking up the win after working five scoreless frames and allowing three hits while striking out four batters. Dating back to the 2007 season, the right-hander has hurled 16 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings against the Z's. Steve Bray (1.0 IP), Tim Dillard (2.0 IP), and Melqui Torres (1.0 IP) completed the shutout with solid relief work behind Ungs, working four hitless innings as Sounds hurlers retired the final 17 New Orleans batters in order. Rottino gave the Sounds their first lead of the season when his fourth-inning solo home run to left off Zephyrs starter Jose Diaz put the visitors on top, 1-0. AUDIO: Vinny Rottino Home Run The Nashville backstop doubled the lead in the sixth with a sacrifice fly that brought home Hernan Iribarren, who had opened the frame with a pinch-hit walk. The Sounds increased the advantage to 4-0 with a two-run eighth against Z's reliever Robert Paulk. Russell Branyan opened the frame with a double, becoming the only Nashville player with a hit in each of the season's first four games. Mel Stocker followed with a bunt single before the two runners executed a double steal that increased the lead to 3-0 as Branyan scampered home. It was Nashville's first steal of home since August 2006 when Chris Barnwell performed the feat against Albuquerque. Rottino drove in his third run of the contest later in the frame when he plated Stocker with a sacrifice fly, bringing the score to its final 4-0. Diaz (0-1) took the loss for New Orleans after he allowed two runs on three hits while striking out five batters in his six innings of work. Sounds second baseman Steve Sollmann recorded his first career Triple-A hit with a seventh-inning single, ending an 0-for-9 start to the season. Stocker singled an inning later to become the 12th and final Nashville position player to record a hit in 2008. Outfielder Laynce Nix went 2-for-3 on the afternoon to record the Sounds' lone multiple-hit effort. Zephyrs first baseman Michel Abreu recorded two of New Orleans' three hits in the contest. The Sounds continue their season-opening road trip on Monday in Oklahoma City, where they'll take on the Oklahoma RedHawks in the 7:05 p.m. opener of a four-game series. Left-hander Lindsay Gulin will make his first start of the year for Nashville. The RedHawks will counter with right-hander Luis Mendoza. Nashville Box Score Adam Heether the shortstop today -- first time I can remember in his career -- one thing Frank Kremblas has always promoted is position flexibility... Nashville Game Log

Nashville Pre-Game Audio Coaches Chat with Hitting Coach Harry Spilman

Pacific Coast League (AAA) - PCL American North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Iowa 1 2 .333 - 1-2 0-0 L1 Memphis 1 2 .333 - 0-0 1-2 L1 Omaha 1 2 .333 - 1-2 0-0 L1 Nashville 0 3 .000 1.0 0-0 0-3 L3 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Southern League (AA) - SOU North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Carolina 3 0 1.000 - 0-0 3-0 W3 Huntsville 3 0 1.000 - 3-0 0-0 W3 Tennessee 2 1 .667 1.0 0-0 2-1 W2 Chattanooga 1 1 .500 1.5 0-0 1-1 L1 West Tenn 1 1 .500 1.5 0-0 1-1 W1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Florida State League (A+) - FSL East Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Palm Beach 3 0 1.000 - 2-0 1-0 W3 Vero Beach 3 0 1.000 - 2-0 1-0 W3 Brevard County 1 2 .333 2.0 0-1 1-1 L2 Daytona 1 2 .333 2.0 1-1 0-1 L1 Jupiter 1 2 .333 2.0 1-0 0-2 W1 St. Lucie 0 3 .000 3.0 0-1 0-2 L3 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- South Atlantic League (A) - SAL Northern Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Greensboro 2 0 1.000 - 0-0 2-0 W2 Hagerstown 2 1 .667 0.5 0-0 2-1 L1 Lake County 2 1 .667 0.5 0-0 2-1 L1 Hickory 1 1 .500 1.0 1-1 0-0 W1 West Virginia 1 1 .500 1.0 0-0 1-1 L1 Delmarva 1 2 .333 1.5 1-2 0-0 W1 Lakewood 1 2 .333 1.5 1-2 0-0 W1 Lexington 1 2 .333 1.5 0-0 1-2 W1

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

Follow Sunday'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_04_06_nasaaa_nozaaa_1 Huntsville Game: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2008_04_06_msbaax_hunaax_1 Brevard County: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2008_04_06_pbcafa_breafa_1 West Virginia Game One: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2008_04_06_wvaafx_hicafx_1 West Virginia Game Two: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2008_04_06_wvaafx_hicafx_2