Jim Goulart

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

Link while active, text follows: www.al.com/sports/huntsvi...amp;coll=1 Star fans offer ways to help John Pruett, Huntsville Times When Southern League president and Huntsville native Don Mincher talks baseball, people in these parts tend to take notice. And why not? After all, he's one of us. Always has been. Even during those years when he was making a living in places like Minneapolis, Washington, Seattle and Oakland, playing in the major leagues. In a recent interview in The Times, Mincher expressed concerns about the future of two Southern League franchises. One was West Tenn. The other was the Huntsville Stars. The problem in both places? Empty seats. Much has changed since the glory years of the mid-1980s and mid-'90s when the Stars routinely set the pace in attendance. Now, even with a team that just won its division in the first half of the SL split season, the club is looking up at nearly everybody else in that crucial bottom-line statistic. Mincher, the Stars' first general manager and later the principal owner, fears the city he loves may lose the franchise in the not-too-distance future unless something happens to reverse the trend. He's probably right. Yet there are plenty in this community who don't buy into the notion that Double-A baseball has run its course. We've heard from a number of them over the past couple of weeks. A few, such as Paul Hays, suggest the attendance figures could be misleading. "I believe you should provide some additional information explaining the attendance figures,'' he says. "For example, Jacksonville's MSA - metropolitan statistical area - is 3.3 times larger than Huntsville's.'' He also notes that Huntsville is seventh in population among the Southern League's 10 teams and eighth in MSA. Many have offered suggestions worthy of serious consideration. Take Toni Reynolds, for example. "My husband and I had season tickets from the beginning of the Stars until he died last year,'' she says. "We thought for the future of baseball that they should let in all children in baseball uniforms, Scouts, and so on. They'll eat and buy twice or more of the ticket price and the chaperones. I think doing something like this would really help attendance to the Stars games. "Most of the season ticket-holders are World War II era, basically. Baseball needs to develop the next generation.'' Debbie Davis is another longtime Stars fan who "swallows hard'' every time she sees a story on the future of the franchise. "I love baseball,'' says Debbie. "I love the Stars. Our daughters have always felt that Joe Davis is their home-away-from-home in the spring and summer. But it's a whole new world now, one that makes my heart break.'' While refraining from "delving into business operational goings-on, investment issues or farm system goals,'' she does have a strong idea or two about what's broken and what can be fixed. "It used to be the players would take part in community events to help promote their team,'' she says. "I recall several instances of players speaking to students at local schools, appearing at a variety of functions and making themselves available for people to simply get to know them. There was a sense of community about the Stars that I haven't seen in recent years.'' Businessman Joel Beasley, also a Stars fan, raised a similar point in an impassioned e-mail, some of which has been previously discussed here. He believes the Stars' absentee owner, who lives in New York, is missing out on "dozens of ways they could be promoting this franchise.'' Asks Beasley: "When have you seen any Huntsville Stars at Little League parks on opening day, or talking to P.E. classes in the public schools? Or how about volunteering time at the local hospitals or Meals on Wheels?" Good questions. Of course, some of the players might argue: "With our busy home-and-away schedule, when do I have time for things like that?'' The counter-argument would be: "Are you any busier than those players in the '80s and '90s?''

Kudos to Jacob Messer and the Charleston Daily Mail for having some fun with this: Link while active, text follows -- www.dailymail.com/story/S...park+hits/ Ballpark hits Jacob Messer Charleston Daily Mail Sportswriter There's always a price you pay No matter what you do If you're gonna climb That mountain to the top It always comes down to How bad do you want it? How bad do you need it? Are you eatin', sleepin', dreamin' With that one thing on your mind? . . .'Cause if you want it all You've got to lay it all out on the line Tim McGraw "How Bad Do You Want It" Almost three years have passed since country music star Tim McGraw released "How Bad Do You Want It," but Andy Bouchie still gets goose bumps when he hears that song. For Bouchie, the West Virginia Power's starting catcher, there is a connection between him and that song. To him, it is the musical equivalent of his baseball biography. "I listened to that song when it first came out, and it just fired me up big time," Bouchie said. "Every word in that song relates to chasing your dreams, and that's exactly what I'm doing here." Bouchie hears that song every time West Virginia plays at Appalachian Power Park because he and his teammates approach the plate or take the mound to hand-picked songs known as walk-out music. Their songs play over the sound system before the start of an at-bat for a hitter or the start of an inning for a pitcher. Some teams don't give their players an option. Instead, they simply cue up the latest (and not greatest) edition of Jock Jams. Think "Cotton-Eyed Joe" or "Who Let The Dogs Out?" The Power, however, allows its players to select their own songs. Choosing his walk-out music was an easy decision for Bouchie, who didn't consider another song. "That's what I base my life on," Bouchie said. "Not that song, but the principle of it. The words to that song are in my soul and in my head." Walking to the plate with his song blaring over the Power Park sound system gives Bouchie "little chills" mainly because of its significance to him. "It reminds me to just keep striving and working for everything I want to achieve," he said. Power General Manager Ryan Gates said players give their requests to Kristin Call, who is the team's director of promotions. If a player doesn't select a song, Call or one of her front-office colleagues picks one for him. Don't underestimate the value in this perk. Players appreciate and enjoy it. "That was one of the things I heard about in spring training," closer Omar Aguilar said. "I couldn't wait to get here because I never had a walk-out song, but I always wanted one. "I like the fact that it's your song. People know this guy is hitting or that guy is pitching because his song is playing. They know this guy or that guy is coming out now." "It's nice," second baseman Kenny Holmberg added. "They could just pick our songs for us. But they give us a choice." It is a choice the players take seriously. Outfielder Stephen Chapman said players started thinking about their selections before they arrived in Charleston. "Everybody was walking around (the Milwaukee Brewers' spring training complex in Arizona) talking about it and asking each other what song they were going to pick," Chapman said. "I think everybody cares about it quite a bit." Much like the clothes they wear and the cars they drive, the songs players choose can offer insight into their personality. "It sets you apart," said reliever Travis Wendte, who describes his song -- "Hammer Down" by Cross Canadian Ragweed, an Oklahoma-formed-but-Texas-based alternative-country band -- as weird but good. "It shows your taste in music." "It's a good way for players to connect with fans and fans to connect with players," starting pitcher Zach Braddock said. Personalized walk-out music is one aspect of the home field advantage that Appalachian Power Park offers. "It's an absolute plus to play at home," former Power outfielder/first baseman Michael Brantley said before Milwaukee promoted him to Class AA Huntsville (Ala.) last month. "If you're on the road, they play a song and you don't know what it is, and you're listening to it and you're trying to figure it out, and it's a distraction. "That's why I love playing at home. That's what gets me focused. I listen to the song ("I'mma Shine" by YoungBloodz), take a deep breath and then I get in the box." The Power staff sometimes ditches the players' walk-out music in exchange for theme-oriented tunes for promotions such as Super Hero Night. But that doesn't happen very often. "They are kind of particular about their songs," Call said. "They don't want us playing anything else. That's what they like to hear right before (they hit or pitch). That's the song that gets them ready to go." There seems to be a cultural difference in the way players select songs. The American players tend to base their picks on the music. Starting pitcher Brae Wright, for example, picked "Ooh Aah" by Grits because "it's easy on the ears." The Latin players, on the other hand, tend to place more importance on the lyrics. Starting pitcher Luis Ramirez, for example, selected Daddy Yankee's "Machucando" because it is about "being happy and having fun." "I like what he is saying on the song," Ramirez said through utility player Jimmy Mojica, who interprets for his Spanish-speaking teammates. "It's the song that goes with me." Superstition also can play a part in song selection. Take third baseman Taylor Green, for example. He was 11-for-46 (.239) from April 5 through May 2. Unhappy with his success -- or lack thereof -- at the plate, Green changed his walk-out music May 4 in the first game of a homestand. He switched from "Welcome Home" by Coheed and Cambria to "Layla" by Eric Clapton. Coincidentally, he is 58-for-164 (.354) since May 5. "Oh, yeah, it was 100 percent superstition," said Green, whose batting average has improved to .329 in that span. "The only reason I picked it was for good luck. It had been a lucky song for me in the past. The other one wasn't working too well for me." Four other players recently changed their songs. Chapman switched from Eminem's "You Don't Know" to Da Shop Boyz's "Party Like A Rock Star." Holmberg swapped "Running With A Gun" by Slightly Stoopid for "Like What I Got" by Mike Jones. Outfielder/first baseman Andrew Lefave replaced Metallica's "Am I Right" with Ted Nugent's "Stranglehold." First baseman John Alonso exchanged "Zoom" by Bad Azz for "Wipe Me Down" by Lil Boosie. "I felt like it was time for a change," Alonso said. "I wanted something new to kick off the second half of the season." Fortunately for Call, not all of the players switch songs when they fall into a slump at the plate, in the field or on the mound. Otherwise, she might not get any of her work done. "For the most part, we tell the guys up front to pick a song you like and stick with it," Call said. "It gets frustrating changing them throughout the season. "But they have hit the halfway point in the season. They want to change. That's fine." Players also differ in the effects they seek from their songs. Some want their songs to calm them down. Like Aguilar, who takes the mound to Kymani Marley's "Warriors." "I love reggae music," Aguilar said. "It makes me relax. Usually, I'm the closer. So, I go out there all hyped up. "I have to relax. Every time I had to do that in college, I listened to reggae music. I pitch better and throw harder when I'm relaxed. It still gives me a little edge, but it soothes me and relaxes me on the mound. Others want their songs to pump them up. Like Braddock, who toes the rubber to Ozzy Osbourne's "Crazy Train." "I just love the way it starts to rock at the beginning," Braddock said. "It's that last little adrenaline boost (I need) before I pitch." Here is an interesting revelation, considering all of the thought and effort the players put into their picks: They often don't hear their songs because they are focused on the situation and task facing them. "You might hear it on your first at-bat," said outfielder Chuckie Caufield, who chose "Bring It Back" by Jae Millz. "After that, though, you get into the flow of the game and you don't pay much attention to it." That isn't the case with catcher Martin Maldonado, however. "I'm waiting for my music," said Maldonado, who exits the dugout to "Intro-El Rey" by Don Omar. "I want to hear it before I go to bat. It helps me stay focused and feel comfortable." Relievers' songs often aren't played -- or if they are played, they often aren't heard -- because of the promotions that occur between innings. "We get the AT&T Call To The Bullpen when we come out," Wendte said. "That takes a little while. But the starters have to listen to SpongeBob SquarePants. So, I guess it's fair. "When I hear my song, it's cool. When I don't hear it, it doesn't really bother me because I'm not really paying much attention to it anyway." The players agree their songs don't affect their performances. "I don't think music helps you or hurts you," said reliever D.J. Lidyard, who is the only player on the current roster who doesn't have a specific song. "It makes me a lot more comfortable when I go up to the plate," Green added, "but I don't think it makes too much of a difference." Charleston Daily Mail Photo: Tom Hindman West Virginia second baseman Kenny Holmberg strides to the plate at Appalachian Power Park earlier this month as his walk-out music plays. http://www.dailymail.com/images/0629Holmberg.jpg http://www.dailymail.com/images/powerwalkoutmusic.jpg http://www.dailymail.com/images/powerwalkoutmusic2.jpg

Final: Arizona Mariners 21, Arizona Brewers 8 Arizona Box Score: Kudos to RHP Luis Jimenez, the one youngster on the mound who pereformed well -- Jimenez, who will be 19 in September, had previously been identified in the performance enhancing substance abuse program, but we're not going to mention that each time he throws, it's over; starting pitcher Pedro Lambertus is a just-turned 19-year-old Dominican in his second pro game -- you'd rather see that he was hit hard instead of walking the ballpark, just the one walk in this rough outing; things got so bad late catcher Matt Czimskey came in with the bases loaded in the 9th (two inherited runners scored, but his ERA's at 0.00); catcher Ulrich Snijders just a triple shy of a cycle; infielder Carlos Hereaud three singles; Joey Paciorek with a .538 OBP after his first three pro games... web.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_brrrok_1 Arizona Game Log: Do you dare? Really, do you? web.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_brrrok_1

Final: Missoula (Diamondbacks) 4, Helena 3 Link while active, text follows: www.missoulian.com/articl...orts01.txt Birds hang on: Osprey back to .500 ball with win over Helena By FRITZ NEIGHBOR of the Missoulian The Missoula Osprey put together their first winning streak of the Pioneer League season Thursday. They're still waiting for their first laugher. Taylor Harbin hit a two-run homer, Sean Coughlin rapped a two-run single and Josh Ellis survived a rocky ninth inning as the Osprey downed Helena 4-3 before 2,514 fans at Ogren-Allegiance Park. Their second straight win evened the Osprey's record at 5-5. In a schedule front-loaded with the Brewers, they improved to 3-4 against Helena. It wasn't easy, since Helena (4-6) scratched together two hits and a hit batter against Ellis, ahead of Caleb Gindl's two-run single in the ninth. The good news is timely hitting gave the Osprey a 4-1 lead that held up for Missoula starter Cristian Beltre (1-0). ?Every win's a good win,? said Missoula manager Damon Mashore. ?You know, that's the learning curve part of what we do - trying to hold it together for all three outs, trust your stuff and pitch down (in the strike zone).? Ellis did that for the first two hitters in both the eighth and ninth innings. Then he struggled. In the eighth, Gindl doubled with two out, and two walks loaded the bases before Ellis fanned pinch-hitter Eric Newton to end the threat. After Gindl's two-run single in the ninth, Ellis struck out Jonathon Lucroy to end the game. ?I talked to him after the game. He's doing a little bit of trying to be too fine, and overthrowing a little bit,? Mashore said of Ellis, who earned his second save. ?The combination of those gets you in trouble.? It may be a product of facing the same lineup for the seventh time in 10 games. Missoula continues its six-game home stand with two more games against Helena Friday and Saturday. ?It's just not fair to have to face the same pitchers, the same hitters, to start out the year,? said Mashore. ?You start running out of things to do pitching-wise and hitting-wise. They start trying to over throw or make pitchers they're not capable and it gets them in trouble. It's not healthy for what we're trying to do. But, it is what it is.? The Osprey scored four runs for the third straight game. They scratched out two in the first, with Pete Clifford reaching on an error and taking third on Derrick Walker's one-out single. Walker stole second ahead of Coughlin's base hit to right. Eric Fryer got Helena on the board with a one-out, opposite-field homer to right off Beltre in the fifth inning. Beltre left in the sixth after Lucroy hit his second double and Steffan Wilson was hit by a pitch with two out. Missoula reliever Ty Davis closed the door on that inning. In the bottom of the fifth, Harbin's first professional homer, over The Trail sign in left-center, came after Renaldo Navarro reached on a fielder's choice. Harbin hadn't faced Brewers' reliever Nick Tyson before Thursday, but knew the drill. ?We just pretty much knew from the times we faced him before, that he had a fastball and tries to throw that slider away,? said the Osprey second baseman, an eighth-round pick out of Clemson. ?It (the slider) hung right up in there.? Then it was a matter of closing out Helena for Beltre, who fanned five in 5 2-3 innings. Relievers Ty Davis and Ellis got it done. ?He (Ellis) has been doing great for us, just like all our pitchers,? said Harbin. ?They've been coming out and throwing strikes and keeping us in ball games. A couple games, we just haven't swung the bats as well as we needed to. Tonight we finally got a couple runs to help them out.? NOTES: Helena's Lucroy has five doubles on the season. Starter Donovan Hand (0-1) took the loss for Helena. Missoula's Ariel Urena reached on a bunt single in the fifth and stole second, only to get picked off by Tyson. ... Gindl came into Thursday's game hitting .471. Helena Box Score: It's still the Caleb show for now... web.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_misrok_1 Helena Game Log: web.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_misrok_1

Helena KCAP Audio Pre-Game Interview with 2007 4th round pick, 2B Eric Farris: Be sure youre on the June 28th archive, then go to the 12:30 minute mark -- web.minorleaguebaseball.c.../audio.jsp

Link while active, text follows: www.wvgazette.com/section...2007062856 Power's Jeffress learning as he goes By Mike Whiteford Charleston Gazette Staff Writer It?s difficult enough to predict the goings-on in Class A baseball. Adding a 19-year-old pitcher to the mix compounds the difficulty. When Power right-hander Jeremy Jeffress arrived a month ago and reeled off four straight dominant victories, it seemed the South Atlantic League would not be much of a challenge. After all, Jeffress was the Milwaukee Brewers? No. 1 pick in the 2006 amateur draft and possessed a fastball that approached 100 mph, despite a modest 6-foot, 175-pound frame. But pitching is never easy. In Tuesday?s outing in Augusta, Jeffress did not survive the first inning, allowing five earned runs, four hits and two walks in two-thirds of an inning in suffering his first loss of the season. ?When you?re 19,?? said Power manager Mike Guerrero, ?that?s going to happen sometimes.?? Jeffress, a South Boston, Va., native, entered Tuesday?s game with a 4-0 record and a 1.14 earned run average in five starts. He had yielded just 16 hits in 23 2/3 innings and had compiled a streak of 18 2/3 scoreless innings. Even with Tuesday?s poor outing, Jeffress is 4-1 with a 2.96 ERA with 20 strikeouts in 241/3 innings. He?s walked too many hitters, 13, but that?s hardly surprising for a 19-year-old. ?He?s working on his command,?? said Guerrero, ?but he has one of the best fastballs in this league. He has some really good power stuff.?? No word on LaPorta Another Brewer first-round pick, left fielder-first baseman Matt LaPorta, is expected to join the Power, although the organization has not made an official announcement. ?There?s no word on LaPorta,?? said Guerrero. The No. 7 overall draft pick earlier this month, LaPorta was the Southeastern Conference player of the year at Florida this season and ranked among the best collegiate hitters in the nation but has been slowed by a hamstring injury. He?s currently rehabbing in the Arizona League. Guerrero seems to think LaPorta eventually will join the Power. ?When he gets here,?? said the Power manager, ?we?ll take care of it. Right now, I?ve got to take care of my guys. I?m not worried about anything else.?? Playing for the Gators in the spring, LaPorta batted .402 with 20 home runs and 52 RBIs. He has drawn comparisons to third baseman Ryan Braun, the Brewers? No. 1 pick in 2005, who joined the Power that season and batted .335 with eight homers and 35 RBIs in 37 games. Braun now bats No. 3 in the Brewers? lineup. Braddock update Although he was just an 18th-round selection last year, Power left-hander Zach Braddock has emerged as one of the South Atlantic League?s best pitchers and has posted extraordinary numbers. Unfortunately, he?s on the disabled list for the second time this season. The 19-year-old Braddock, a Southampton, N.J., native, is 3-1 with a 1.15 earned run average in 10 games, including nine starts. What?s more impressive is that he?s surrendered just 28 hits and struck out 68 in 47 innings. Against Greensboro on April 20, he fanned 12 and did not allow a run in 5 2/3 innings. Against Asheville on May 19, he struck out 11 in seven innings and allowed only two hits and no runs. Guerrero expects him back in the rotation soon. Briefly Despite having its opening homestand plagued by snow and sub-freezing temperatures, the Power looks like a good bet to set a Charleston attendance record for the third straight season. Paid attendance after 37 openings is 138,995 for an average of 3,756 to rank seventh in the 16-team South Atlantic League. Average attendance last year was slightly less than 3,500 a game. August crowds, however, traditionally drop as families take vacations and students return to college. The Power will announce the second selection for its Wall of Fame on Friday July 6. The first selection, announced two weeks ago, was Rod ?The Toastman?? Blackstone. By season?s end, the team expects to have inducted a first-year Wall of Fame class of six and will conduct fan voting in the offseason for the 2008 class. If the Power, which won the Northern Division?s first-half title, finishes first in the season?s second half, it will open the playoffs against the division team with the second-best overall record. Normally, the first- and second-half winners in each division square off in the first round of the playoffs. The two division winners then play for the league championship.

Link while active, text follows: www.al.com/sports/huntsvi...amp;coll=1 One swing, Gulin are all Stars need Palmisano homer, lefty's pitching lead to win over Lookouts By BRAD SHEPARD For the Huntsville Times One swing of Lou Palmisano's bat stopped one slump and started another for the Stars on Thursday night. But that one swing - a first-inning, two-run homer - was all Lindsay Gulin needed to beat the Lookouts 3-1 in front of 2,166 fans at Joe Davis Stadium. The victory snapped an ugly three-game losing streak to their North Division foes where they'd been outscored 26-4. After Palmisano's prodigious hit, Gulin (6-3) turned on cruise control while Huntsville's bats went on snooze patrol. The Stars (4-7, 41-38) were held hitless by Sam Lecure and Justin Mallett the rest of the way. Not only did they fail to get a hit, they didn't get a single runner on base. "We did just enough to win tonight," Palmisano said. "It's weird sometimes that it works out that way. "You've just got to credit the pitching staff. Lindsay was strong, and Bo (Hall) stuck to his pitches and threw well." The game started 15 minutes late, but the Stars started hitting early. They stopped early, too, but that didn't matter. They made the most of their opportunities, leaving nobody on base. Never mind they didn't have many on base. Hernan Iribarren began the game with a walk, and after stealing second, he came home on Steve Sollmann's one-out single. Palmisano then waited on a Lecure breaking ball and hammered it over the left-field wall. "Just a little 1-1 slider, but I was looking fastball," Palmisano said. "He left it middle-in, and I put enough on it to get it out." The Stars needed Gulin to perform well to rest the bullpen, and he did. The left-hander went six strong innings, baffling the Lookouts like he has many teams this season. Of his 102 pitches, only 21 were more than 80 miles per hour. That didn't matter a bit. "I thought Lou and I did a great job changing speeds and trying to keep guys off-balance," Gulin said. "I thought we got in a really good rhythm tonight, and that's about it." Because of Wednesday's rain delay and subpar outings by Will Inman and Corey Thurman, the bullpen had thrown 18 innings in the past three games. They needed a break. "The guys have been working their tails off this year," Gulin said. "You to want to pick them up as much as you can, and Bo Hall came in and did a fantastic job the last three innings to close it down." Hall got the save, but he did allow a long, scary fly ball to center field by Caonabo Cosme with a runner on in the ninth. He regrouped to strike out Adam Rosales to end the game. He still did his job perfectly, saving the rest of the bullpen with one-hit pitching. "We had one guy left," Stars manager Don Money said. "That's why Bo came out there for the ninth. Now, we're OK for (tonight), though." Lecure was far from OK, meanwhile. He must have felt robbed, allowing two hits in seven innings and finishing on the losing end.

Final: West Virginia 3, Augusta (Giants) 2 West Virginia Site Game Summary: POWER SPLIT SERIES WITH AUGUSTA The West Virginia Power were outscored 11-0 in the first two games of the series against the Augusta GreenJackets, and one night after winning their first game of the series in 12 innings, they split the series with a 3-2 victory over Augusta in the series finale on Thursday night. Taylor Green ripped an RBI double down the left field line in the top of the second to put the Power on the board. Augusta answered quickly in the bottom of the inning when Dayton Buller?s groundout plated Brett Pill to tie the game. The Power took the lead again in the fourth inning on Kenny Holmberg?s run-scoring single, but Augusta tied the game a half inning later when Buller reached on Green?s throwing error which allowed Bobby Felmy to score. With runners on second and third and nobody out in the seventh inning, Andrew Lefave grounded out to the shortstop Manny Burriss which plated Charlie Fermaint for the eventual game winner. In the eighth inning Felmy singled into center field with Burriss on second base. Burriss tried to score but was thrown out at home plate by Fermaint. In the ninth inning Augusta had runners on first and second with one out when Marcus Sanders was picked off at second base and on the next pitch Travis Wendte struck out Mike McBryde to end the game. Wendte (6-0) pitched five scoreless innings out of the bullpen, allowed four hits and struck out seven to get the win while Ryan Shaver (0-3) was tagged with the loss. Alex Periard started the game for the Power and allowed just two runs on three hits over four innings. The Power improved to 52-24 overall and 4-4 in the second half, while the GreenJackets fell to 55-23 overall and 5-3 in the second half with the loss. Kenny Holmberg and Steve Chapman paced the Power with two hits apiece. The 3-2 victory was West Virginia?s 17th in one-run games this season. The Power will begin a four game series against the Greenville Drive at West End Field on Friday night. The Power will start left hander Mike Ramlow (3-2, 7.18) and Greenville will start left hander Felix Doubront (2-4, 8.06). The first pitch is scheduled for 7:00 PM (6:00 Central). West Virginia Box Score: It would be only fitting for these two powerhouses to meet in the league finals, even if rosters do evolve over the course of a long season; RHP Travis Wendte's season much like Patrick Ryan's with the Power in 2006; nice to see Alex Periard back, too; no walks and nine K's for Power batters... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_augafx_1 West Virginia Game Log: Kenny Holmberg was picked off 2nd base in the 8th, just like the GrrenJacket runner in the 9th... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_augafx_1

Audio archive if you want to catch the Manatees' 9th inning rally: Go the 2 hour, 57 minute mark of the June 28th game, includes brief on-field post-game comments from Angel Salome... web.minorleaguebaseball.c...p;sid=t503

Final: Brevard County 2, Clearwater (Phillies) 1 MiLB.com: Manatees edge Threshers Angel Salome ripped an RBI single in the bottom of the ninth inning to give Brevard County a 2-1 win over Clearwater on Thursday. In the decisive frame, Darren Ford drew a leadoff walk and advanced on Lorenzo Cain's bunt single. One out later, Salome laced a single to plate Ford. Yohannis Perez had an RBI single in the sixth and Chris Errecart went 2-for-3 for the Manatees (4-4). Brevard County reliever Rafael Lluberes (5-4) allowed four hits and one walk with five strikeouts in five scoreless frames. Starter Vince Perkins gave up one unearned run on two hits while striking out three and walking one in four innings. Threshers starter Ben Pfinsgraff surrendered an unearned run on four hits with four strikeouts over seven frames. Ronald Hill (3-2) yielded one run on two hits while fanning two and walking one in 1 1/3 innings. Brian Burgamy scored on Clay Harris' double in the first for Clearwater (5-3). -- Steve Conley/MLB.com Brevard County Box Score: 26-game hit streak for Mat Gamel; at some point, you can't just say it's the ballpark or the Florida air and you just tip your hat to the pitchers, in this case Vince Perkins and the tantalizing 22-year-old lefty Rafael Lluberes; Cole Gillespie lined out twice, which doesn't reflect his 0-for-3, but we understand fans' growing impatience with some of his numbers; hopefully Yohannis Perez is building some confidence; just me, or when young catcher Anderson de la Rosa gets a chance behind the plate, Manatee pitchers always seem to shine... web.minorleaguebaseball.c...p;sid=t503 Brevard County Game Log: web.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_breafa_1

Final: Huntsville 3, Chattanooga (Reds) 1 Huntsville Site Game Summary: Link, text follows -- www.huntsvillestars.com/n...ewsId=1244 Gulin Gets Job Done in Stars' Win Lindsay Gulin worked six solid innings and made a three-run first inning stand up in Huntsville?s 3-1 win Thursday night over Chattanooga at Joe Davis Stadium. The Stars snapped a three-game slide and improved to 4-7 in the second half and 41-38 overall, while the Lookouts slipped to 8-3 in the second half and 37-44 overall. The Stars now lead the season series eight games to seven. Hernan Iribarren walked, stole second base and scored on a one-out single by Steve Sollmann that gave the home team the lead three batters into the game. Lou Palmisano then launched a two-out, two-run home run to push the lead to 3-0. It was his sixth of the season and second of the series. From there, Chattanooga starter Sam LeCure retired the next 19 hitters he faced and wound up going seven innings in his longest start of the season. He struck out eight and walked one and lost for the first time in 10 starts. Justin Mallett retired the side in order in the eighth inning, as the last 22 Huntsville hitters were set down. The Stars did not leave one runner on base. Gulin tossed five scoreless frames before Drew Anderson?s one-out double in the sixth chased home Luis Bolivar to cut the lead to 3-1. The southpaw walked Jay Bruce with two outs before retiring Enrique Cruz to end the threat. Gulin earned his sixth win after giving up a lone run on four hits, walking two and fanning six. He has allowed only five runs on 18 hits over 29 innings in his last four turns. Bo Hall worked three shutout innings to earn his first save of the season. The series wraps up Friday night, as Huntsville will send right-hander Mark DiFelice to the mound against Lookouts? southpaw Camilo Vazquez. Coverage of the game begins at 6:50 p.m. central time and can be heard locally on SportsRadio 730 WUMP and through the internet at www.huntsvillestars.com. Huntsville Box Score: Thank goodness for a little first-inning rally, huh? The box score illustrates just how accurately the always well-written Stars' summary reflects the nature of this contest... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hunaax_1 Huntsville Game Log: Mel Stocker in late as a defensive replacement for Ruben Mateo -- hamstring still a bit of an issue or simply a defensive liability? www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hunaax_1

Final: Nashville 11, Albuquerque (Marlins) 6 Nashville Site Game Summary: Link for Laynce Nix photo, text follows -- www.nashvillesounds.com/n...ewsId=2417 Sounds Use Big Inning To Rout Isotopes ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. ? The Nashville Sounds used a six-run seventh inning to hang an 11-6 defeat on the Albuquerque Isotopes on Thursday evening at Isotopes Park. Laynce Nix went 3-for-5 with three extra-base hits and four runs scored, Brad Nelson recorded a season-best four RBIs to lead the club, and pitcher Tim Dillard belted a two-run homer to pace the 11-run, 12-hit Nashville offensive attack. The Sounds (47-33) extended their lead to 1 ½ games in the PCL American Conference Northern Division with the victory. Both teams jumped out of the gate quickly, scoring a pair of runs each in the first inning. Nashville grabbed a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning against Isotopes southpaw Chris George when Callix Crabbe walked and scored one batter later on a Nix RBI double. Joe Dillon followed with a run-scoring single that extended his longest hitting streak of the season to eight games. Albuquerque wasted no time battling back, plating two runs of its own in the bottom half of the frame against Sounds All-Star Chris Oxspring. Robert Andino led off with his league-leading ninth triple and scored on an Eric Reed sacrifice fly. John Gall singled to continue the rally and tied the game at 2-2 when he came around to score on a double off the bat of Isotopes All-Star Val Pascucci. Nelson powered the Sounds to a 4-2 advantage with a two-out, two-run double in the top of the fourth inning. The Isotopes again had an immediate answer, tying the game at 4-4 with a two-run outburst in the home half of the frame. Both runs scored on groundouts. Nix gave Nashville its third lead of the night at 5-4 when he opened the fifth inning with a solo homer to left off George, his ninth roundtripper of the year and second in as many nights against Isotopes pitching. For the third straight time, Albuquerque answered Nashville runs in the top of the frame with an equivalent number of their own in the bottom when PCL veteran and former Brewer farmhand Scott Seabol touched Oxspring for a two-out solo homer to left, his 17th blast of the year, to knot things at 5-5. The Sounds blew the game open with a six-run seventh inning against the Albuquerque bullpen, an outburst that was capped off by a two-run home run off the bat of Dillard, who became the fourth different Nashville hurler to belt a longball in 2007. AUDIO: Tim Dillard Goes Deep -- www.nashvillesounds.com/a...206-28.mp3 Albuquerque closed out the evening?s scoring with an unearned run in the bottom of the eighth stemming from a Dillon throwing error. Dillard (4-4) earned the victory for Nashville after allowing one unearned run on three hits over three innings in relief of Oxspring, who took a no-decision after allowing season highs of five runs on 10 hits over five innings. Grant Balfour closed things out on the hill for the Sounds with a 1-2-3 ninth to extend his scoreless innings streak to 20 over his last 14 appearances. Albuquerque reliever Chris Young (0-2) took the loss after failing to retire any of the three batters he faced during the start of the Sounds? six-run inning; all three runners came around to score. The Sounds look to record a three-game sweep when the teams wrap up the series with an 8:05 p.m. CT finale on Friday evening. Left-hander Zach Jackson (8-3, 4.75), who co-leads the Pacific Coast League with eight victories, will take the hill for the Sounds to face Albuquerque right-hander Seth Etherton (0-1, 7.71). Nashville Box Score: The Isotopes' park helps, but still an impressive evening, particularly for Laynce Nix with one of the more impressive lines of the season; Vinny Rottino on base four times, now with an .841 OPS; veteran Jose Macias gets a start in left field, even with a 24-man roster, playing time can be hard to come by with this current group, particularly in non-designated hitter series... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_albaaa_1 Nashville Game Log: Grant Balfour's going to push his way to Milwaukee somehow... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_albaaa_1

Nashville Pre-Game Audio Chat with All-Star Reliever Steve Bray: www.nashvillesounds.com/a...206-28.mp3

Nashville starting pitcher Chris Oxspring, catcher Vinny Rottino, and reliever Steve Bray have been named to the Pacific Coast League All-Star team and will represent the Sounds on the 28-man squad that takes on the International League stars in the 2007 Triple-A All-Star Game on Wednesday, July 11 at Isotopes Park in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Full details from Sounds site: www.nashvillesounds.com/n...ewsId=2415

Standings through Wednesday's action: Pacific Coast League (AAA) - PCL American North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nashville 46 33 .582 - 26-12 20-21 W1 Iowa 45 33 .577 0.5 25-16 20-17 L1 Omaha 38 42 .475 8.5 25-12 13-30 W1 Memphis 34 46 .425 12.5 18-23 16-23 L5 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Southern League (AA) - SOU North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chattanooga 8 2 .800 - 5-1 3-1 W3 Tennessee 6 4 .600 2.0 4-2 2-2 W1 Huntsville 3 7 .300 5.0 1-3 2-4 L3 West Tenn 3 7 .300 5.0 3-3 0-4 L4 Carolina 2 8 .200 6.0 2-2 0-6 L1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Florida State League (A+) - FSL East Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Palm Beach 5 2 .714 - 4-2 1-0 W1 Brevard County 3 4 .429 2.0 1-1 2-3 L3 Jupiter 3 4 .429 2.0 1-0 2-4 W1 St. Lucie 3 4 .429 2.0 2-4 1-0 W1 Vero Beach 3 4 .429 2.0 1-3 2-1 L4 Daytona 1 6 .143 4.0 1-4 0-2 L1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- South Atlantic League (A) - SAL Northern Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lake County 5 1 .833 - 5-1 0-0 W3 Lakewood 5 1 .833 - 5-1 0-0 W1 Hickory 3 3 .500 2.0 3-2 0-1 W1 West Virginia 3 4 .429 2.5 2-2 1-2 W1 Delmarva 2 4 .333 3.0 0-0 2-4 L1 Lexington 2 5 .286 3.5 2-2 0-3 L3 Greensboro 1 6 .143 4.5 1-3 0-3 L3 Hagerstown 0 6 .000 5.0 0-0 0-6 L6 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pioneer League (R+) - PIO North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Billings 6 3 .667 - 4-2 2-1 W3 Great Falls 4 5 .444 2.0 1-2 3-3 L3 Helena 4 5 .444 2.0 2-4 2-1 L1 Missoula 4 5 .444 2.0 1-2 3-3 W1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Arizona League (R) - Arizona League Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- AZL Angels 4 1 .800 - 3-0 1-1 W4 AZL Mariners 4 1 .800 - 3-0 1-1 W3 AZL Cubs 3 2 .600 1.0 2-1 1-1 L1 AZL Rangers 3 2 .600 1.0 2-1 1-1 W1 AZL Brewers 2 2 .500 1.5 1-1 1-1 L2 AZL Athletics 2 3 .400 2.0 1-1 1-2 L1 AZL Padres 2 3 .400 2.0 0-2 2-1 W1 AZL Giants 1 4 .200 3.0 0-2 1-2 L4 AZL Royals 1 4 .200 3.0 1-1 0-3 L3

These links will be included in each daily report when the Nashville Sounds and/or Huntsville Stars are scheduled to play. Normally they are updated an hour or two prior to gametime, with Nashville's usually earlier: Nashville Media Notes (Adobe .pdf format): www.nashvillesounds.com/pdf/notes.pdf Huntsville Media Notes (Adobe .pdf format): www.huntsvillestars.com/i...eNotes.pdf

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". 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: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_albaaa_1 Huntsville: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hunaax_1 Brevard County: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_breafa_1 West Virginia: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_augafx_1 Helena: web.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_misrok_1 Arizona: web.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_brrrok_1

Thursday's Daily Menu: All times Central; pitchers subject to change -- Nashville: RHP Chris Oxspring at Albuquerque (Marlins), 7:50 PM pre-game; 8:05 gametime Audio link: www.nashvillesounds.com/listenlive/ Huntsville: LHP Lindsay Gulin at home vs. Chattanooga (Reds), 6:50 PM pre-game; 7:05 gametime Audio link: www.huntsvillestars.com/ Brevard County: RHP Vince Perkins at home vs. Clearwater (Phillies), 5:50 PM pre-game, 6:00 gametime; Perkins makes his first start this season after 21 relief appearances Audio link (game will also archive at this link): web.minorleaguebaseball.c...p;sid=t503 West Virginia: RHP Alex Periard at Augusta (Giants), 5:55 PM pre-game, 6:05 gametime Audio link (game will also archive at this link): www.minorleaguebaseball.c.../audio.jsp Helena: RHP Donovan Hand at Missoula (Diamondbacks), 7:50 PM pre-game, 8:05 gametime Audio link (game will also archive at this link): www.minorleaguebaseball.c.../audio.jsp Arizona: TBD vs. the mini-Mariners at home in Maryvale, 10:30 AM local time in Arizona, 11:30 Central; never any audio for Arizona Rookie League games; box score may not update "live"

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

Link while active, text follows: www.helenair.com/articles...2707_1.txt Osprey double up Helena By JEFF WINDMUELLER, Helena Independent Record Sports Writer The Helena Brewers were in need of just a little more ninth-inning magic Wednesday night as they dropped a close contest with the Missoula Osprey 4-2 at Kindrick Legion field. With the bases loaded and the winning run on first, Helena?s Matt Cline checked his swing and accidentally hit the ball, sending it right to Missoula?s Chance Wheeless at first base for the final out of the game. The Brewers (4-5) pushed the Osprey (4-5) as much as possible, sliding into the second baseman twice to break up double plays, and after two errors it looked like they could tie it up or possibly win. But, as had been the case all night, they could get the hits but couldn?t seem to score the runs. The Brewers finished with nine hits to the Osprey?s 10. ?The end result is we had the tying run on second base when the game was over and the winning on first,? said Brewers manager Jeff Isom. ?We gave ourselves the opportunity but we couldn?t get the runs across early in the game.? But, ?anytime you?ve got the chance to win the game in the ninth inning you?ve got to be happy, I guess.? Helena held a short lead after the first inning when Caleb Gindl cracked his first home run of the season. Gindl, who is erupting early in the season, went 3-for-4 at the plate and remains the team?s batting leader with 16 hits. He accounted for both of Helena?s runs in the game, scoring again in the ninth before the Brewers rally fell short. His solo shot held up until Missoula?s Eli Rumler scored in the third inning off a single to right field by Derrick Walker. It was the lone run given up by Brewers starting pitcher Evan Anundsen. He went four innings and gave up four hits with five strikeouts and one walk. Reliever Curtis Pasma, however, found himself in trouble during the seventh as the Osprey began getting on base. Gerrardo Bustamante started with a hard shot to center field before Houston Summers advanced him on a sacrifice bunt. Victor Estevez was hit by a pitch and Rumler singled to left field to load the bases. Pasma was able to get Pete Clifford out on a pop-up to Zealous Wheeler, but that was enough of a scare to bring in pitcher Brock Kjeldgaard to finish the inning. He loaded the count before Derrick Walker cracked a double on the pay-off pitch, bringing in two runs for the win. ?I think (the batters) were a little more patient and selective, getting their pitch instead of swinging at every strike,? said Osprey manager, Damon Mashore. Meanwhile, Missoula?s starting pitcher Bryan Henry was simply wearing down the Brewers batters without wearing himself out. He gave up six hits and struck out three but was able to get the ball in play and get batters out quickly. Mashore kept him in to finish out the seventh and said he simply couldn?t take him out any earlier. ?He had 50 pitches through six innings, he?s supposed to get to 75 so I couldn?t really take him out,? Mashore said. Evan Scribner closed, allowing three hits and one run. There was no doubt the Brewers were doing everything they could to try to force the game into extra innings as they were physically aggressive on the diamond. Along with one of the slides into Estevez at second base during the ninth, Jonathan Lucroy also leveled Bustamante at the plate in the fourth inning, hoping to take the lead. His attempt on a blooper by Jordan Swaydan was unsuccessful and counted as the third out. Both teams? managers agreed with the aggressive plays and considered it a well-played game of baseball. Mashore, meanwhile, was impressed with the hit Bustamante took, that threw him back several feet and definitely made him a little hazy. ?Any time a catcher has to hang in there on a throw like that, they deserve all the credit in the world, being able to hold onto the ball and take a pounding,? Mashore said. ?They?re all tough.? The two teams will get another chance to face off as the Brewers head to Missoula for a three-game stint. Donovan Hand is expected to start on the mound for Helena and Christian Beltre for Missoula. The first pitch is scheduled for 7:05 PM (8:05 Central). Helena Independent Record Photo by George Lane Helena Brewer base runner Jordan Swaydan (10) trips up Missoula second baseman Victor Estevez, breaking up a double-play attempt. http://www.helenair.com/content/articles/2007/06/28/sports_top/b01062707_1.jpg

Link while active, text follows: chronicle.augusta.com/sto...3907.shtml Power prevail in 12th By Steve Sanders | Augusta Chronicle Staff Writer There are a lot of reasons why the Augusta GreenJackets and the West Virginia Power have been the top two teams in the South Atlantic League this season. One of the biggest is that they don't allow their opponents many extra outs. The GreenJackets and Power entered this week ranked No. 1 and 2 defensively. One might not have believed it if you'd seen Wednesday night's game at Lake Olmstead Stadium. In the longest and sloppiest game of the season, which included 11 errors, West Virginia scored three runs in the 12th inning to outlast Augusta, 7-4. Andrew Lefave went 4-for-6 with four runs scored, including the go-ahead run for the Power. Taylor Green, Kenny Holmberg and Martin Maldonado each drove in the extra-inning runs off Augusta reliever David Newton, who took the loss. The GreenJackets committed a season-high five errors, one fewer than West Virginia, and snapped a streak of 14 consecutive home victories. Augusta (55-22, 5-2) trailed 3-0 and 4-2 but got RBI hits from Brett Pill and Ryan Rohlinger in the eighth to knot it at 4. The Power (51-24, 3-4) snapped a string of 27 scoreless innings with two runs in the fourth to go up 2-0. Two Augusta infield errors in the sixth led to another unearned run charged to Adam Cowart, giving West Virginia a 3-0 lead. The GreenJackets broke up West Virginia starter Brae Wright's shutout bid in the bottom of the sixth. Tyler Graham reached on an error and scored, with Rohlinger picking up the RBI, to make it 3-1. Three consecutive two-out singles in the seventh by Dayton Buller, Marcus Sanders and Mike McBryde made it 3-2. Kenny Holmberg's bases-loaded single off Augusta reliever Buster Lussier moved West Virginia ahead 4-2. The GreenJackets used four hits and two West Virginia errors in the eighth off of reliever Omar Aguilar to tie it, 4-4. Rohlinger and Pill provided the RBI hits. Augusta nearly won it in the bottom of the ninth. Graham singled and tried to score from first on Burriss' double to right-center, but right fielder Chuck Caufield's throw beat him to the plate. Cowart failed again in his bid for the league-leading 10th win. He allowed three runs - one earned - in six innings and left trailing 3-0. Wright, who was lit up in his last start against Augusta, pitched seven solid innings, allowing two runs, but also was denied the win. Augusta Chronicle Photo by Michael Holahan Augusta's Robert Felmy is tagged out at second base by West Virginia's Brent Brewer on Wednesday. http://i.spotted.augusta.com/user/1/gallery/298648.jpg

Link while active, text follows: www.al.com/stars/huntsvil...amp;coll=1 Rain winds up dampening Stars' day By SKIP VAUGHN For The Huntsville Times, skip.vaughn@htimes.com The Huntsville Stars and a home crowd of mostly youth campers were having a grand old time Wednesday. The Stars and starting pitcher Steve Hammond were beating the Chattanooga Lookouts 2-1 entering the fourth inning. But then the rain came and spoiled everything. Hammond didn't return after a 97-minute rain delay and Chattanooga wound up beating the Stars 6-3 before an announced 1,796 at Joe Davis Stadium. The summer camp groups, seated throughout the stadium in their colorful T-shirts, had departed by game's end. "I felt good. I just wish I could've kept going," said Hammond, a left-hander who struggled early this season and is 3-7. "My fastball was good today. I felt like I've been making progress lately." He went three innings with four strikeouts and allowed one run, one hit, two walks and threw one wild pitch. The rain delay came right as the Stars took the field to start the fourth. "I stayed ready for about an hour," Hammond said. "After that it was just too long." Stars reliever Jeff Housman (3-2) entered after the delay and struggled in his two innings. He had three strikeouts but allowed five runs and seven hits, including solo homers by Caonabo Cosme and J.C. Boscan. "Housman, for his two innings, just couldn't get anybody out," Stars manager Don Money said. "And that was it." Huntsville (3-7) got a home run from Brendan Katin in the second, an RBI single by Hernan Iribarren in the third and a run-scoring sacrifice fly by Iribarren in the eighth. Katin's 13th homer of the season tied the score 1-all against Lookouts starter Carlos Fisher. After a called strike, he got a belt-high pitch in the middle of the plate and drove it out to left. "He hung me a slider and fortunately I got enough of it," Katin said. Iribarren, who will turn 23 on Friday, put the Stars up 2-1 with his two-out hit in the third. "I was happy because two-out RBIs, they're pretty good," he said. Huntsville has been outscored 26-4 in three straight losses to Chattanooga (8-2) since beating the Lookouts 6-1 on Sunday. Furthermore: Eight members of the Mississippi Braves were selected to the Southern League's South Division All-Star team announced Wednesday. This equals the eight Stars named to the North Division team announced Tuesday for the game scheduled July 9 at Trustmark Park in Pearl, Miss.

Helena KCAP Audio Interview with infielder Eric Newton: Make sure you've selected date of June 27th, go to the 3:30 minute mark... web.minorleaguebaseball.c.../audio.jsp

Nashville Site Game Summary: Link for Drew Anderson photo, text follows -- www.nashvillesounds.com/n...ewsId=2413 Sounds Score Four In 11th To Defeat Isotopes ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. ? The Nashville Sounds plated four runs in the top of the eleventh inning to hang a 7-3 defeat on Albuquerque on Wednesday evening at Isotopes Park in the opener of a three-game series. The Nashville win combined with an Iowa loss propelled the Sounds (46-33) back into first place, a half-game ahead of the Cubs in the PCL American Conference Northern Division. The teams have flip-flopped first and second place four times in the last five days. Drew Anderson, who went 3-for-5 to extend his longest hit streak of the year to eight games, led off the Nashville eleventh with a single off Isotopes reliever Harvey Garcia before moving to third on a Brad Nelson double. Tony Gwynn followed with a sacrifice fly to center that allowed Anderson to come with the go-ahead run. Callix Crabbe followed with his third extra-base hit of the evening, a line-drive RBI double down the right field line that plated Nelson with an insurance run for a 5-3 lead. The big inning continued for the Sounds when Laynce Nix slugged a two-out, two-run homer to left off Garcia ? his eighth roundtripper of the year ? to bring the score to its final 7-3. AUDIO: Laynce Nix Two-Run HR -- www.nashvillesounds.com/a...206-27.mp3 Greg Aquino (2-0) was the beneficiary of the late Nashville rally and recorded his second win of the year after working two innings in scoreless fashion. Garcia (1-1) took his first loss of the year after surrendering four runs on five hits in his lone frame of action. The extra-inning affair was the Sounds? sixth of the season (2-0 at home, 1-3 on the road). Nashville rapped out a season-high 17 hits in recording its seventh last at-bat victory of the year. The Sounds grabbed a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning when Vinny Rottino (3-for-5) led off with a triple to deep center then scored when Mike Rivera followed with an RBI single off Isotopes starter Daniel Barone. Albuquerque evened the score in the home half of the frame when former Sound Andrew Beattie scored on a John Baker RBI single off R.A. Dickey. Nashville pulled ahead again in the fourth when Rottino and Rivera again teamed up for back-to-back hits, this time a Rottino one-out single followed by a run-scoring Rivera double. The Isotopes tied the game at 2-2 in the bottom of the seventh when Eric Reed dropped a well-executed two-out squeeze bunt to plate Baker from third as Joe Thatcher suffered his first blown save of the year for Nashville. The Sounds gained their third lead of the night in the eighth, this time scoring an unearned run against the Albuquerque bullpen. Joe Dillon extended his longest hitting streak of the year to seven games when he led off with a single against Roy Corcoran. After moving to second on a Beattie error, Dillon later scored on Anderson?s RBI double to left to give Nashville a 3-2 lead. For the second time in two innings, the Nashville bullpen suffered a blown save in the bottom of the eighth. With one out, PCL veteran Scott Seabol drilled a 2-0 Steve Bray offering over the left field wall for his 16th home run of the year to knot the score at 3-3. Crabbe attempted to give the Sounds another lead in the ninth when he ripped a ball to right that eluded a diving Reggie Abercrombie but was thrown out at the plate by a well-executed Isotopes relay from Reed and shortstop Robert Andino as he tried for the inside-the-park homer. Dickey worked his third consecutive quality start for the Sounds since rejoining the rotation but took a no-decision after the bullpen blew a save behind him. The Nashville native allowed two runs on four hits while walking four batters and striking out five over 6 2/3 innings. He retired 15 Isotopes batters in a row from the second to the seventh inning. The teams continue the series with another 8:05 p.m. CT game on Thursday evening. Right-hander Chris Oxspring (6-4, 3.14) will man the bump for Nashville and face Albuquerque southpaw Chris George (5-6, 5.22). Nashville Box Score: Callix Crabbe slugging .435 as part of his .819 OPS -- his fine, fine season continues... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_albaaa_1 Nashville Game Log: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_albaaa_1