Jim Goulart

Final: Nashville 4, Omaha (Royals) 2 Nashville Site Game Summary: Link for R.A. Dickey photo, text follows -- www.nashvillesounds.com/n...ewsId=2392 Sounds Win Streak Reaches Five With 4-2 Victory NASHVILLE ? The first-place Nashville Sounds won their fifth straight game on Sunday evening at Greer Stadium, coming from behind to hang a 4-2 defeat on the division-rival Omaha Royals. Nashville improved the Pacific Coast League?s best record to 41-29 and won for the 14th time in the club?s last 18 games. R.A. Dickey (5-4) turned in an outstanding spot start while filling the rotation slot vacated by the recently-promoted Yovani Gallardo. The Nashville native earned the victory after he allowed two runs (one earned) on four hits over seven innings while striking out six batters. It was his third quality start of the year. Omaha took a 2-0 lead against Dickey in the top of the fourth inning. Designated hitter Craig Brazell gave the visitors a 1-0 lead with an opposite-field solo homer to left. The blast was his team-leading 16th of the year. The Royals added a second run later in the frame in unearned fashion following a fielding error by Sounds shortstop Ozzie Chavez. The Sounds halved the lead in the bottom of the fourth with an unearned run of their own. Callix Crabbe led off the frame with a walk but was erased at third one batter later when trying to advance an extra base on a Chris Barnwell single. Barnwell (3-for-4), who took second on the play, scored later in the inning when Joe Dillon singled to third and Mike Aviles threw wildly towards first base, making it a 2-1 contest. Laynce Nix powered Nashville to a 3-2 advantage in the sixth when he slugged a two-run, opposite-field homer to left-center off Omaha reliever Thad Markray. Barnwell, who opened the frame with a single, scored on the roundtripper, Nix?s sixth of the year. The Sounds have homered in a season-high 10 straight games. AUDIO: Laynce Nix's Go-Ahead HR -- www.nashvillesounds.com/a...206-17.mp3 Nashville added an insurance run in the seventh when Chavez laid down a well-executed squeeze bunt to score Jose Macias, who had tripled, from third. Grant Balfour followed Dickey on the hill and slammed the door on Omaha, working two hitless frames with a pair of strikeouts to earn his second save of the season. Markray (3-3) took his second loss of the series for Omaha after allowing three runs on three hits over his 2 2/3 innings of relief work. Omaha spot starter Nate Hoelscher turned in a strong outing in place of former Sound Ben Hendrickson, who was withheld due to a sore left side. The southpaw allowed one unearned run on five hits in 4 1/3 innings before being removed due to a pitch count. The Sounds will look to complete the four-game sweep when the teams wrap up the series with a noon finale on Monday afternoon at Greer Stadium. Left-hander Zach Jackson (7-3, 4.85) will take the mound for Nashville to face Omaha southpaw Tyler Lumsden (5-4, 5.18). Nashville Box Score: Chris Barnwell 3-for-4; Grant Balfour still strong in the pen... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_nasaaa_1 Nashville Game Log: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_nasaaa_1

Nashville Pre-Game Audio Chat with Second Baseman Callix Crabbe: High praise for Frank Kremblas... www.nashvillesounds.com/a...206-17.mp3

Go the 2 hour, 54 minute mark of the Power audio archive of June 17th for Andy "Bull" Barch's call of Charlie Fermaint's 8th inning AB -- can't think of any better way to cap the Power's first-half season! Jack-Jackety-Jack! (Andrew Lefave's 2nd HR two batters later): web.minorleaguebaseball.c.../audio.jsp

Final: West Virginia 11, Lake County (Indians) 7 Down 7-2 in the 7th, Power score the game's final nine runs... West Virginia Box Score: Undrafted free agent Andrew Lefave hits two home runs, is on base four times, and pushes his OPS close to 1.000; Brent Brewer and Kenny Holmberg reach three times apiece; Charlie Fermaint hits a go-ahead grand slam and drives in six... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_wvaafx_1 West Virginia Game Log: Power finish 48-20 in the first half -- how sweet is that! www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_wvaafx_1

Lately, whenever someone starts a thread like this, we invariably send you to the Transactions Thread for a move that impacts the discussion shortly thereafter, as in "When will Parra get bumped up?" -- a bit eerie, really.

Congratulations to shortstop Alcides Escobar, newest member of the Huntsville Stars. No word yet on corresponding roster moves (does Yohannis Perez drop to Brevard County -- that'd seem logical). You'll know when we know. Only 35 K's in 268 AB's for Alcides (then again, only seven walks): www.minorleaguebaseball.c...pid=444876

Tennessee scores one in the 9th, but falls short, 4-3. Incredibly, the Brewers send three first-half champions to the postseason. I believe each league has varying "benefits" for winning both halves, such as an extra home playoff game, but in reality, it will be interesting to see how things play out in the second half for these squads. Let the focus return to proper player placement and development, but let's enjoy some wins as well. September should be fun on both the major and minor league level!

Congratulations to your 2007 Southern League North Division First-Half Champions, the Huntsville Stars! See you in the postseason in September!

Stars are three outs away from the postseason -- Tennesse trails 4-2 in the bottom of the 9th...

Final: Huntsville 3, Birmingham (White Sox) 2 Huntsville Site Game Summary: Link, text follows -- www.huntsvillestars.com/n...ewsId=1223 Stars Win, Wait for Tennessee Result Michael Brantley scored the game-winning run on a wild pitch in the bottom of the ninth inning to push Huntsville past Birmingham 3-2 Sunday afternoon at Joe Davis Stadium. With the win, the Stars finished the first half at 37-31 and moved a half game in front of Tennessee, which is currently playing at home against West Tenn. If the Smokies win, the teams will meet in a one-game playoff Monday night at Smokies Park but if the Smokies lose, the Stars will win the first half division title and clinch their first back-to-back playoff appearances since 1997-98. Corwin Malone struck out Mel Stocker to open the home ninth and issued his sixth walk of the day to Brantley before being taken out and replaced by Fernando Hernandez, who earned his fifth save of the year on Friday night. He gave up a base hit to Steve Sollmann that pushed Brantley to third and walked Adam Heether to load the bases. Hernandez then worked ahead of Brendan Katin 1-2 before uncorking the wild pitch that brought Brantley home with the game-winner to ensure the Stars third 3-2 walk-off win of the series. Malone walked Hernan Iribarren with one out in the eighth and he scored to give the Stars a 2-1 lead on a two-out double by Carlos Corporan, who knocked in the game-winner on Saturday night. Lindsay Gulin, who had given up a run on three hits through eight innings, opened the ninth on the hill for Huntsville and gave up a leadoff single to Ricardo Nanita and a sacrifice bunt by Chris Kelly before he was replaced by Marino Salas, who had been a perfect 13 for 13 in save chances. Mike Myers singled to left on Salas? first pitch to move Nanita to third and Cory Aldridge followed by chopping a base hit to right field over Sollmann at first to plate Nanita to tie the game and move Myers to third. Jeremy Frost walked to load the bases and Salas was replaced by David Johnson, who worked out of trouble by getting Robert Valido to bounce into a force at the plate and Victor Mercedes on a called third strike. Gulin gave up a run in the fourth without a hit on a sacrifice fly by Chris Kelly and finished his 8 1/3 innings allowing two runs on four hits. He walked two and struck out 11, the most by a Stars? starter in a game this season. Brendan Katin?s leadoff home run in the fourth off of Kris Honel tied the game at one and ended a one-for-21 drought for the Stars? slugger. The second half of the season begins Monday night at Smokies Park, as Huntsville will send southpaw Sam Narron to the hill against Smokies? right-hander Justin Berg. Coverage of the game begins at 6:00 p.m. central time and can be heard locally on Sports Radio 730 WUMP and through the internet at www.huntsvillestars.com. Huntsville Box Score: Stars draw 11 walks, four for Michael Brantley, as noted in the prior post... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hunaax_1 Huntsville Game Log: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hunaax_1

Happy Father's Day to all! I'll be enjoying mine all day, and will not be online until late this evening. You may see my bud pogokat around, but if not, you guys know the drill on checking those box scores, and I'm sure some of our Link Report regular commentators will chime in with notes to keep us updated (thanks!). "Official" updates later this evening. Good luck to the Stars, and yeah, it's too bad Manny Parra wasn't kept around until Monday if needed -- he still could have kept his Wednesday appointment in Nashville if not, and the Sounds' staff could have been kept on regular work if Manny's arrival was delayed.

Standings through Saturday's action: First place, first place, first place, first place... Pacific Coast League (AAA) - PCL American North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [b]<span style="color:navy;">Nashville 40 29 .580 - 23-10 17-19 W4</span>[/b] Iowa 39 29 .574 0.5 21-13 18-16 L3 Omaha 33 36 .478 7.0 24-12 9-24 L2 Memphis 31 39 .443 9.5 18-18 13-21 W2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Southern League (AA) - SOU North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [b]<span style="color:navy;">Huntsville 36 31 .537 - 19-15 17-16 W1</span>[/b] Tennessee 36 31 .537 - 17-15 19-16 W1 West Tenn 30 39 .435 7.0 19-16 11-23 L1 Chattanooga 29 40 .420 8.0 17-18 12-22 L1 Carolina 27 42 .391 10.0 18-16 9-26 W1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Florida State League (A+) - FSL East Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [b]<span style="color:navy;">Brevard County 39 28 .582 - 22-11 17-17 W1</span>[/b] Palm Beach 34 33 .507 5.0 16-18 18-15 L1 Vero Beach 34 33 .507 5.0 24-12 10-21 W6 Daytona 31 35 .470 7.5 19-12 12-23 L1 St. Lucie 30 37 .448 9.0 17-17 13-20 L3 Jupiter 29 38 .433 10.0 14-19 15-19 W1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- South Atlantic League (A) - SAL Northern Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [b]<span style="color:navy;">West Virginia 47 20 .701 - 22-12 25-8 L2</span>[/b] Greensboro 38 31 .551 10.0 25-10 13-21 L1 Delmarva 34 32 .515 12.5 19-13 15-19 L2 Lakewood 32 32 .500 13.5 16-18 16-14 W2 Lake County 31 38 .449 17.0 17-18 14-20 W2 Hagerstown 29 37 .439 17.5 17-15 12-22 W2 Lexington 30 39 .435 18.0 16-19 14-20 L2 Hickory 27 39 .409 19.5 14-16 13-23 L1

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 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". 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_nasaaa_1 Huntsville: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hunaax_1 West Virginia: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_wvaafx_1

Sunday's Daily Menu: All times Central; pitchers subject to change -- Nashville: RHP R.A. Dickey at home vs. Omaha (Royals), 5:45 PM pre-game; 6:00 PM gametime Audio link: www.nashvillesounds.com/listenlive/ Huntsville: LHP Lindsay Gulin at home vs. Birmingham (White Sox), 1:50 PM pre-game; 2:05 gametime Audio link: www.huntsvillestars.com/ Brevard County: Idle until Monday for the All-Star Break West Virginia: LHP Mike Ramlow at home vs. Lake County (Indians), 3:55 PM pre-game, 4:05 gametime Audio link (game will also archive at this link): www.minorleaguebaseball.c.../audio.jsp

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Link while active, text follows: www.helenair.com/articles...707_01.txt Warming up By TOM COTTON, Helena Independent Record Sports Editor Helena?s boys of summer came back to the Capital City Saturday. Thirty-one Helena Brewers came to the Capital City to start a three-day minicamp before Tuesday?s season opener against Missoula. ?On the flight in, I asked my pitching coach ?where?s the city,? ? joked first-year Brewers manager Jeff Isom. ?The weather is beautiful and I love it. Everyone seems to be friendly.? Isom, who takes over for Eddie Sedar is one of many new faces on the Brewers? roster this season. One familiar name, however, is catcher Jordan Swaydan. Swaydan returns to Helena for his second season and he said he enjoys playing in Helena primarily because of the Brewer fans. ?Of course you want to move up, but if you have to repeat, Helena is a good place to repeat,? he said. ?You have good crowd support. In a game last season we were down by 11 and we still had a hefty crowd.? Swaydan is one of several players that were in extended spring training in Arizona. They have been fine-tuning their skills since April and are ready to play some games that count. He is one of three talented catching prospects on Helena?s roster. Another is Eric Fryer, a 10th round pick in last week?s First-Year player draft. Fryer played for Ohio State and he said he is anxious to make his professional debut on Tuesday. ?The start of your professional career is something you have dreamed of all your life, from t-ball on up,? he said. ?It is kind of surreal to be here now.? The Brewers failed to make the Pioneer League playoffs last season, but they seem to be ready to make a run at the post-season this year and Fryer said the attitude is good on the ball club. ?Coming in, all the guys I have talked to want to have fun,? Fryer said. ?That?s what you want in baseball, you don?t want to have a tight team.? One of the more interesting storylines to watch this season will be that of 27-year old Maxim St. Pierre. St. Pierre is older than the typical Pioneer League player, but he is learning a new position. He was a catcher in the Detroit Tigers organization and played for the Class AAA Toledo Mud Hens, before moving to the Brewers' farm system. He was briefly released before being resigned as a pitcher. He has shown talent pitching, hitting 93 miles an hour on the radar gun with control. Isom said he may be used as a closer this season. ?It?s a low level and I am starting over at zero,? St. Pierre said. ?I have to learn pitches, but I am excited to get going again and hopefully I will get moved up.? The first pitch for Tuesday?s game against Missoula will be at 7:00 PM (8:00 Central). The game will be broadcast on 1340 KCAP. George Lane, Helena Independent Record Staff Photographer Jordan Swaydan stretches out before the Helena Brewers begin practice on Saturday. It was the first practice since the team arrived in the Capital City. http://www.helenair.com/content/articles/2007/06/17/sports_top/b01061707_01.jpg

Charleston Gazette Photographer: Chip Ellis Lake County?s Carlos Rivero slides into second as Power second baseman Jimmy Mojica fires to first Saturday afternoon. http://www.wvgazettemail.com/images/stories/Power.jpg

Link for Vinny Rottino photo while active, text follows: tennessean.com/apps/pbcs....328/SPORTS Sounds win again on walk-off homer Victory vs. Omaha secures first place By TOM KREAGER Tennessean Staff Writer Callix Crabbe started the Sounds' postgame fireworks show with a bang Saturday night. Crabbe hit a two-run walk-off homer in the ninth inning to give Nashville a 7-5 win over Omaha and the team its second walk-off home run in as many nights at Greer Stadium. Crabbe hit a Roberto Giron fastball with one out over the right field fence. "I knew it had a chance to go over the fence because I hit it hard," Crabbe said. "I didn't know if it was going to end up hooking (foul). But it stayed up and went out." On Friday night, Joe Dillon's 10th-inning walk-off homer gave the Sounds a 6-5 win over the Royals. "It's always nice to get a win like that," Sounds Manager Frank Kremblas said. "You can kind of get on a roll win you win like that." Nashville is now a season-best 11 games over .500 (40-29) and took first place in the Northern Division by a half-game over Iowa, which lost 7-5 to Memphis. Crabbe's homer was his fourth of the year and second walk-off at Greer. Sounds catcher Vinny Rottino's seventh home run of the season tied the score at 5 in the eighth inning. Reliever Joe Thatcher (1-1) picked up the win in two-thirds of an inning pitched. Chris Oxspring's string of four straight wins ended when he was pulled after seven innings with the Sounds trailing 5-1. Oxspring gave up four runs in the fourth. Derek Wathan's two-run double scored Bill McCarthy and Jorge Padilla. Paul Phillips and Wathan each scored on wild pitches to give Omaha a 5-1 lead. "He didn't have a good fastball," Kremblas said. "They were sitting on his change-up. And when you leave it up they are going to make you pay." Oxsprings' five runs was one run more than he had allowed in his last four starts combined. The Sounds cut the deficit to 5-4 in the fifth inning with three runs off starter Matt Wright. Chris Barnwell's ground-rule double scored Jose Macias. Laynce Nix followed with a two-run single. What they said: "I was just trying to swing it well. I wasn't trying to hit a home run." ? Crabbe on his winning hit. ***Link while active, text follows: Dillon rewarded with guitar for home run By TOM KREAGER Tennessean Staff Writer Sounds third baseman Joe Dillon received a Copley Guitar prior to Saturday night's game. A guitar is given out to a Sounds player any time he hits the guitar scoreboard, and Dillon did so in the bottom of the 10th inning Friday to give Nashville a 6-5 win over Omaha. Dillon is the fourth player to receive a guitar this season. Ryan Braun and Mike Rivera each have two guitars, and Vinny Rottino has one. But Rottino soon will have another: He homered to tie the score at 5 in the eighth inning Saturday. Around the horn: Left fielder Jose Macias has hit in six different spots in the Sounds' lineup this season. Macias, who hit in the nine spot Saturday night, has hit everywhere but third, fourth and fifth. Back-to-back: Omaha leadoff hitter Mitch Maier hit his second home run in two days. Maier's third-inning homer off starter Chris Oxspring on Saturday night tied the score at 1 and was his sixth of the season. Maier's home run Friday night came in the ninth inning. Dickey on the mound: Montgomery Bell Academy graduate R.A. Dickey will make a spot start at 6 p.m. today against Omaha. Dickey will be pitching in Yovani Gallardo's spot in the rotation. Gallardo was called up by Milwaukee on Thursday. Manny Parra, who was promoted from Double-A Huntsville to take Gallardo's roster spot, will make his first Sounds start Wednesday at 7 p.m. against Iowa. Immediate impact: Omaha third baseman Derek Wathan, son of former Kansas City Royals catcher John Wathan, made an immediate contribution with his new team. Wathan, whose contract was purchased Friday from the Long Island Ducks of the Atlantic League, hit a two-run double to spark a four-run fourth to give the Royals a 5-1 lead. First pitch: Vanderbilt baseball Coach Tim Corbin and TNA wrestler Christian Cage were among those who threw out first pitches Saturday. Corbin was representing the ALS Association, a nonprofit organization that fights Lou Gehrig's disease. Cage was there to promote Slammiversary, a pay-per-view show scheduled for tonight at Municipal Auditorium.

Nashville Pre-Game Audio Chat with Starting Pitcher Tim Dillard: www.nashvillesounds.com/a...206-16.mp3

Link while active, text follows: www.al.com/stars/huntsvil...amp;coll=1 Stars notebook Mark McCarter, Huntsville Times Covering the bases If the Stars don't win the Southern League North pennant this half, blame Chris Capuano. He's the Milwaukee pitcher who went on the disabled list Thursday. With his injury, Yovani Gallardo was promoted to the big leagues and the Stars' most effective starter, Manny Parra, was sent to Nashville. The Stars had arranged the pitching rotation where Parra could pitch Monday at Tennessee, if that becomes the playoff game for the first-half title. Southern League bylaws dictate that if two teams are tied at the end of the first half, the winner of their first meeting in the second half is declared the first-half champ. ... Considering Parra's turn in the rotation doesn't come until Monday, what would it have hurt to keep him on the Huntsville roster to see how the scenario unfolded? ... If the Stars do clinch the division title, it'll be their 12th postseason appearance in 23 years of the franchise, the third in five years and the fourth since the affiliation with Milwaukee began in 1999. ... Tom Van Schaack, the Stars' general manager, is making a strong recovery from his heart surgery and says he'll return in 10 days to two weeks. He had returned to his native upstate New York for the surgery. ... With hundreds of people lined up in the sunshine and heat outside the gates Saturday 1 1/2 hours before the first pitch, hoping to be one of 2,000 to receive a free bat, it'd have been a good thought by somebody on the Stars' staff to have sent a vendor out with drinks or at least had coolers of water. ... Jerry Gold, one of the Stars' minority owners, has been in town for the Birmingham series. The Stars' latest bugaboo has been giving up big innings. Seven times in 13 games, opponents had innings where they scored four or more runs. ... In 46 of the first 66 games, Huntsville opponents scored first. ... Manager Don Money has had a fun reunion this weekend. Barons hitting coach Richie Hebner was a roommate of his when both were in the Pirates' minor league system. Around the league Mobile did what few people in this league - the Stars in particular - have been able to do: stop Montgomery's Evan Longoria. The highly touted third baseman, who is tied for the league lead in homers and was fourth in RBIs going into Saturday's play, went 0-for-20 in five games at Mobile last week. ... Montgomery has added Florida State League All-Star pitcher Wade Davis, 3-0 with a 1.84 ERA in Class A. ... Mississippi has staggered at the end of the half after leading the SL South since April 22. The M-Braves lost six in a row going into Saturday night's play, letting Jacksonville make a run at the title. Said manager Phillip Wellman on Friday, "I'm at a loss now. Big-time players step up in big-time situations, and we just haven't had anybody step up. Maybe some guys need to take a look in the mirror and decide how bad they want to win this." ... A bizarre Father's Day note: The most productive player in Southern League history may be ex-Biscuit Elijah Dukes. A 17-year-old foster child who lives with Dukes' grandmother has accused him of impregnating her. If that's the case, it'll be the sixth child by five different women for the 22-year-old outfielder, whose wife put a restraining order on him last spring. Brewings Triple-A Nashville Sounds (39-29 before Saturday's play, second place in Pacific Coast League American Division): 1B Brad Nelson .266, 9 HRs, 25 RBIs Single-A Brevard County Manatees (39-28, won first half in Florida State East Division): P Mike McClendon 0.69 ERA in two starts, including first professional shutout, since promotion from West Virginia, where he was 5-2, with 2.87 ERA Single-A West Virginia Power (47-18, first in South Atlantic League Northern Division this half): 3B Taylor Green 9 HRs, 39 RBIs, .339 On deck The Stars end the first half of the season today against Birmingham at 2:05. The second half begins Monday at Tennessee, the first of a six-game stand. The Stars return home Sunday to host Chattanooga at 6:05 with the annual appearance by the Zooperstars.

Link while active, text follows: www.al.com/stars/huntsvil...amp;coll=1 Stars go to 16th for win Corporan's single keeps Stars tied for first in North By MARK McCARTER Huntsville Times Sports Staff, markcolumn@aol.com Mulling over the pennant race before the game, Stars manager Don Money said, "You celebrate the wins a little more and if you lose, it hurts more because one got away." This was one to celebrate. But only for a few hours. Carlos Corporan singled up the middle off Timothy Bittner, driving home Lou Palmisano to give Huntsville a thrilling, nerve-wracking 3-2 win over Birmingham in the bottom of the 16th inning Saturday night, keeping the Stars tied for first in the Southern League North. The Stars and Tennessee Smokies have identical 36-31 records going into today's final games of the first half. The Stars and Barons play today at 2:05 in their final game of the half. To drag out the tension a little longer, the Smokies don't play the Diamond Jaxx today until 4 p.m. If the Stars and Smokies are tied at day's end today, the first-half championship will be determined Monday night in Smokies Park outside Knoxville. According to rule, if there is a tie at the top in the first half, the initial second-half meeting between the two teams is a de facto playoff game. The drama unfolded Saturday night in front of an announced crowd of 8,427, a season high, enticed by free bats and with free tickets as much as the pennant race. Less than a thousand were still in the park when the game ended at 11:42 p.m., four hours, 35 minutes after it began. Palmisano lobbed a soft single to center to open the 16th, the first Huntsville hit since the eighth. Adam Heether bunted him to second, then Brendan Katin was walked intentionally. Corporan, whose defense had been crucial in the early innings, followed with a sharply hit bouncer into center on a 1-1 pitch and Palmisano hustled home well ahead of the throw. Bo Hall (2-1) collected the win. Sensational defense bailed out Stars' pitching on more than one occasion. Hernan Iribarren had a fancy diving catch of a liner, Yohannis Perez made an Ozzie-esque dive-and-throw in the seventh, then first baseman Corporan smothered a hot smash in the eighth with the potential go-ahead run on third. Huntsville took an early lead when Steve Moss doubled and later scored on a wild pitch. Though Birmingham tied the game in the second, the Stars answered right back in the bottom half on a Heether homer. Thomas Collardo tied it at 2-all with his homer in the sixth off Stars starter Steve Hammond, who allowed only four hits in six innings. Then came a parade of masterful Stars relievers: Mark DiFelice and Marino Salas and Hall (with huge strikeouts for the final outs in the 14th and 15th).

Huntsville Site Game Summary: Link, text follows -- www.huntsvillestars.com/n...ewsId=1221 Hope Alive and Well for Huntsville! Carlos Corporan singled home the game-winning run in the bottom of the 16th inning to lift Huntsville to a dramatic 3-2 walk-off win against Birmingham on Saturday in front of the biggest crowd of the season, 8,427, at Joe Davis Stadium. The Stars improved to 36-31 and remain tied with Tennessee with one game to go in the first half. The Smokies will face West Tenn at home in a game that starts two hours after the Stars and Barons get underway Sunday afternoon. Lou Palmisano opened the decisive frame with a leadoff single, the Stars? first hit since the eighth inning, and moved to second base on a sacrifice bunt by Adam Heether, the fifth of the game for Huntsville. Brendan Katin was intentionally passed to bring up Corporan, who had been mired in a 1-for-26 slump. He bounced a 1-1 offering from Bittner into center field to chase home Palmisano with the winning run in the Stars' fifth walk-off win this season. Bo Hall worked three scoreless frames to earn his second win of the season and complete a run of 10 shutout frames by the bullpen. Mark DiFelice went four scoreless behind starter Steve Hammond to push his consecutive scoreless innings streak to 19 2/3, and was followed by Marino Salas, who tossed two scoreless, and Luis Pena, who set down all three batters he faced. The Stars scored in the first inning on a Gio Gonzalez wild pitch that brought Steve Moss home from third and a leadoff home run in the second by Heether, who ended an 0-for-16 drought with his third long ball of the season. Birmingham tied the game at one in the second inning and knotted things up at two on a two-out home run by Thomas Collaro, who moved into a three-way tie for the league lead, in the sixth. The series and first half come to an end Sunday afternoon, as Huntsville will send southpaw Lindsay Gulin to the hill against Barons? left-hander Kris Honel. Coverage of the game begins at 1:50 p.m. central time and can be heard locally on Sports Radio 730 WUMP and through the internet at www.huntsvillestars.com. Huntsville Box Score: Stars drew eight walks... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hunaax_1 Huntsville Game Log: Stars needed to take care of business in the 3rd inning, and then extras could have been avoided... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hunaax_1

Final: Huntsville 3, Birmingham (White Sox) 2, 16 innings Whew! Carlos Corporan walk-off base hit! Stars and Tennessee remain tied entering the final game of the first-half schedule -- details galore in the AM

On to the 14th in Huntsville -- man, it's getting late here in the East...