Jim Goulart

Dana Eveland, Yovani Gallardo in the latest BA Hot Prospect List: www.baseballamerica.com/t...61181.html

From colbyjack's initial summary post above: 35th round. Sebastien Vendette, RHP (Northeastern Oklahoma A&M, OK) Throw another Canadian onto the list, as Vendette hails from Laval, Quebec, and played with the Canadian Junior National Team in 2004. His fastball is already a plus pitch, topping out at 94 and working comfortably in the 90-92 range. Vendette has worked hard to improve his slider and changeup, and projects as Northeastern Oklahoma A&M's number one or two starting pitcher. He may profile best as a short-reliever down the road, as he shows better velocity and actually pitches better on shorter rest with what some may call a rubber arm. Vendette has signed on to play with Oklahoma State for the 2006-07 season if he doesn't sign either this spring or summer to play professionally. Check out this no-hit line from earlier in the year: www.neoam.edu/~baseball/R...Game1.html From SLAM!'s lengthy update on Canadian ballplayers: slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Baseba...09-ca.html And how the week went for Vendette and his battery mate: Jodoin-Mimeault went 3-for-5, hitting three doubles in a 9-1 win over the Rose State Raiders at Midwest City, Oak. Then, Vendette pitched the Golden Norse to a 1-0 win with his no hit win over the Redlands Cougars at Homa Thomas Field in Miami, Oak. There wasn't any mound celebration or Yogi Berra jumping into Don Larsen's arms like the New York Yankees World Series no-no. And with good reason. Vendette put up his string of seven zeros, before the Norsemen pushed ahead the game winner in the bottom of the seventh. He struck out 10 on his way to his no hitter, but it was not his first. He pitched one or the Concorde de Laval peewees. Drafted by the Florida Marlins in 2004 (36th round) and the Milwaukee Brewers (35 round) in 2005 draft, Vendette faced only 22 batters, one more over than the minimum. He allowed three walks and two of the three were erased: one on a double play and the other on a steal attempt, as Jodoin-Mimeault erased the steal attempt. Vendette's fastballs were routinely clocked at 90 miles per hour. After a rough initial start vs. Pearl River in 40-degree weather, Vendette had a better second outing. He pitched allowing seven runs -- two earned -- on only four hits in six innings. He struck out nine in the glove, allowing four walks and hitting a man. On the season Vendette is 1-1, with a 4.58 ERA, recording 22 strikeouts. How Vendette recorded the 21 outs, as it went something like this: 1st - a fly ball to left, strike out looking and strike out. 2nd - a pop up to the catcher; pop up to second, a walk and a strike out. 3rd - a strike out, strike out and a strike out looking. 4th - a strike out, ground ball to second and a line out to right. 5th - a walk, fly ball to centre and a double-play ground ball to second. 6th - a ground ball to short, pop up to first and a strike out. 7th - a strike out, strike out looking, a walk and the runner was thrown out attempting to steal. So, Vendette recorded two fly ball outs, four ground ball out, one line drive out, three pop ups and 10 strikeouts. In the bottom of the seventh, Vendette's battery mate, Jodoin-Mimeault led off with a walk. A pinch runner was erased at second. Two singles and a game-winning hit set off the celebrations. As a freshman, Vendette was 5-6 with a 4.60 ERA, working 62 2/3 innings. ***RHP Brock Kjeldgaard (sophomore, London, Ont.) pitched 5 2/3 innings as the 5th-ranked Indian Hills Falcons beat Cochise 6-1 in the Pima Community College wood bat tournament in Tucson, Az. Pitching for coach Cam Walker (Winnipeg, Man.), Kjeldgaard allowed only three hits and one run while striking out five in 5 2/3 innings It was his first win of the spring. He walked four and struck out five. Kjeldgaard hit two homers in a 9-4 win over the Langley Blaze. He put the Falcons up 2-0 in the first with a two-run homer and connected on a second two-run blast in IHCC's third-inning rally. In all, he had three hits and four RBIs, including a double. Kjeldgaard singled in a 5-0 win over Madison Tech. Kjeldgaard had a terrific week on the mound and at the plate. In two starts and he gave up only one run on three hits while striking out 13 in 9 2/3 innings. He went 7 for 13 at the plate with two home runs, two doubles, five RBIs and a stolen base. Indian Hills was the only undefeated team of 13 teams in the tournament undefeated (6-0). And this besides disproving the "getting there is half the fun" theory. After a gruelling 23 hour the Falcons arrived in Tuscon. 12 and 1 during their spring trip. As a reward, their bus broke down 100 miles outside of Oklahoma City and resulted in a 41-hour bus ride home. Jordan Lennerton (sophomore, Langley, BC) singled and knocked in a run as the El Paso Tejanos beat Cochise 5-1 in the Pima Community College Wood Bat tournament at Tuscon, Az. Lennerton had two hits and knocked in a run in an 8-1 victory over Gateway. He knocked in a run in a 10-3 loss to Pima. Lennerton had two hits, including a double, in a 10-2 loss to Arizona Western. Lennerton took the loss allowing seven runs -- two earned -- on 10 hits and one walk, as he fanned three.

In progress: Jupiter (Marlins) 3, Brevard County 3, after two innings Lots going on in this one -- LHP Manny Parra working out the rust in his first 2006 appearance; Charlie Fermaint returns after a few days off (unknown reasons); Hernan Iribarren with his first long ball of the season...

Nashville Site Game Summary: Link for celebration photo, text follows -- www.nashvillesounds.com/n...ewsId=1934 Hart Homer Gives Sounds 4-3 Last At-Bat Win NASHVILLE, Tenn. ? Outfielder Corey Hart blasted a one-out, game-ending solo homer off the guitar-shaped scoreboard in left-center in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the Nashville Sounds a dramatic 4-3 victory over the division-rival Iowa Cubs on Wednesday afternoon at Greer Stadium. Hart?s blast, which came against Cubs reliever Brandon Emanuel, gave the Sounds their third last at-bat win of the year along with their third win in a game in which they trailed in the seventh inning or later. It was the fourth longball of the season for the outfielder, who extended his hitting streak to a season-best eight games with a 2-for-5 afternoon. AUDIO: Corey Hart's Game-Winning HR -- www.nashvillesounds.com/a...%205-3.wma The win was the seventh in the last eight games for Nashville (18-8), which improved to a season-best 10 games over .500. Every Sounds position player recorded a hit in the contest except catcher Mark Johnson, who had his season-best five-game hit streak come to a close following an 0-for-4 effort. The Sounds took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning against Iowa starter Jerome Williams but missed an opportunity to do further damage. Nashville had the bases loaded with none out and plated only one run in the frame on a Nelson Cruz sacrifice fly. The Sounds finished the contest just 1-for-14 with runners in scoring position. Iowa jumped into the lead in the fourth with a pair of runs against Sounds starter Zach Jackson. Augie Ojeda and Buck Coats opened the frame with consecutive doubles to tie it before Coats gave the visitors a 2-1 lead when he scampered home on a Jackson wild pitch. The Cubs increased the lead to 3-1 in the fifth on a two-out RBI single by third baseman Casey McGehee, but the Sounds got that run right back in the bottom half of the inning when Jermaine Clark, who stole two bases in the inning to up his PCL-leading total to 11 thefts on the year, scored on a wild pitch by Williams. Hart tied the contest in the bottom of the seventh when he plated Tony Gwynn with an RBI fielder?s choice. Gwynn had opened the frame with a single and moved to third on a Clark single. Sounds shortstop Chris Barnwell turned in a 2-for-4 effort to extend his on-base streak to 19 consecutive games. Third baseman Vinny Rottino went 3-for-4 and now has six hits in his last eight at-bats. Nashville catcher Mike Rivera, who holds the PCL?s longest hitting streak of the year at 15 games, did not play in the contest. Allan Simpson (1-2) picked up his first victory of the season as the beneficiary of Hart?s heroics after tossing one scoreless inning. Emanuel (0-2) took the loss after surrendering the game-ending blast. Jackson fanned a season-high seven batters over five innings for the Sounds but took a no-decision and is still looking for his first victory as a member of the Milwaukee Brewers organization. The teams wrap up the series with a 7 p.m. meeting on Thursday evening at Greer. Left-hander Dana Eveland (2-0, 0.75) ? who leads the Pacific Coast League in ERA ? will man the bump for the Sounds to face Iowa right-hander Jae-Kuk Ryu (1-2, 3.72).

Final: Nashville 4, Iowa (Cubs) 3 Nashville site details in a bit... Nashville Box Score: Sounds 5-for-5 on the basepaths; Vinny Rottino went from the .230's to .279 awfully quickly; we mention Chris Barnwell every day only because he's producing every single day (now at .366); Zach Jack's first home start after four on the road... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_nasaaa_1 Nashville Game Log: Just need to get Brad Nelson going -- back up to the 5th spot today, perhaps to try and boost his confidence... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_nasaaa_1

Corey Hart with the walk-off home run in Nashville. All the (at-the-time unheralded) 11th round pick has ever done is rake -- no matter the level, the league, the competion. Only fitting he's getting some time as # 1 on the Power 50. The Brewers have given Nashville and their fans a pretty good show since the affiliation began, haven't they?

Final: Lexington (Astros) 3, West Virginia 1 West Virginia Site Game Summary: Roberts throws six strong innings in loss to Lexington Kevin Roberts had a no-hitter going into the sixth inning of Wednesday morning?s game against the Lexington Legends. In the top of the sixth inning, the Legends not only broke up the no hitter, they snapped a scoreless tie and beat the Power 3-1 at Appalachian Power Park. Roberts?s no-hitter was broken up by Tommy Manzella?s one-out single in the top of the sixth inning. After issuing a two-out walk to Josh Flores, putting runners on first and second with two out, Eric King came through with a two-run triple to give the Legends a 2-0 lead. In the seventh inning Mark Ori hit his first home run of the year for Lexington, a solo shot that put the Legends up 3-0. The Power plated their only run of the game in the bottom of the seventh inning on Ned Yost?s run-scoring single. In the bottom of the ninth the Power had runners on first and second with one out, but Sam Gervacio slammed the door on West Virginia striking out the next two batters. Tip Fairchild (2-3) allowed one run through seven innings and earned the victory. Gervacio earned the save (2) and Roberts (2-3) took the loss despite striking out six and allowing only two runs on two hits through six innings. The Power are 12-13 after the loss and the Legends improved to 15-11 with the win. The Power continue the six game series against the Legends at Thursday night. Lexington will start left hander Brian Bogusevic (0-1, 5.68) and West Virginia will counter with left hander Derek Miller (1-1, 2.74). The first pitch is scheduled for 7:05 PM (6:05 Central). West Virginia Box Score: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_wvaafx_1 West Virginia Game Log: Two double plays hurt... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_wvaafx_1

Final: West Tenn (Cubs) 8, Huntsville 4 Huntsville Site Game Summary: Sprowl, Schappert Spur Jaxx to Victory Jon-Mark Sprowl collected three hits and knocked in three runs and Paul Schappert tossed three perfect frames in relief to lead West Tenn to an 8-4 win over Huntsville Wednesday afternoon at Pringles Park. The Diamond Jaxx halted a two-game slide and improved to 15-12, while the Stars dropped to 15-12 and saw their two-game win streak brought to an end. The Diamond Jaxx struck for three runs in the second inning against Stars? starter Tim Dillard on a run-scoring single by Sprowl, a double play grounder by starting pitcher Carlos Marmol that scored a run and a two-out single by Chris Walker that plated Sprowl. Dillard has given up multiple runs in six of the 28 innings he has started this season. The Stars rallied for three runs in the top half of the third to tie the game on a bases loaded single by Ozzie Chavez that scored Callix Crabbe, who had opened the frame with a double, a double play grounder off the bat of Steve Moss that chased home Dillard and a two-out, run-scoring single by Greg Sain. West Tenn answered right back in the home third to take the lead for good with a pair of runs. Scott Moore walked, stole second base and scored on a double by Jose Reyes, who then scored when Sprowl followed with a base hit to center field that chased Dillard from the game. The right-hander suffered his second loss of the season after yielding five runs on eight hits and a pair of walks. The Jaxx tacked on three runs in the fourth inning against Andy Pratt, who pitched for West Tenn two years ago. Moore delivered a run with a sacrifice fly, a passed ball by J.C. Boscan allowed another run to score and Sprowl capped the rally with a double that scored Reyes, who also had three hits in the game. Schappert earned his first win of the year and combined with Marmol to retire 13 hitters in a row. The southpaw fanned four of the nine hitters he faced in his longest outing of the season. Federico Baez allowed a run on two hits in the eighth inning and retired the side in order in the ninth to close out the game. Moss doubled in Kennard Bibbs in the eighth to push his hitting streak to 14 games, matching Tony Gwynn, Jr?s 14-gamer from last season set between August 4th and 18th. The series continues Thursday evening when the Stars send right-hander Corey Thurman to the mound against West Tenn southpaw Chris Shaver. Coverage of the game begins at 6:50 p.m. central time and can be heard on ESPN Radio 1450 AM locally and via the internet at www.huntsvillestars.com. Huntsville Box Score: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_wtdaax_1 Huntsville Game Log: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_wtdaax_1

Link while active, text follows: www.dailymail.com/news/Sp...006050310/ Thatcher welcome addition to bullpen Lee France For the Charleston Daily Mail Not many people at Appalachian Power Park thought that Tuesday night's game against Lexington would have come down to the final pitch, after the Power jumped to an early 7-0 lead thanks to a seven-run second inning. Certainly, most of the bullpen, including southpaw Joe Thatcher, figured to have the night off. That wouldn't be the case. Thatcher, a native of Indianapolis, was called on in the eighth inning to put out a late rally by the Lexington Legends. He eventually picked up his fourth save of the year after a rocky ninth inning, as the Power held on for an 8-7 South Atlantic League baseball victory. Thatcher was not on the Opening Day roster, but was added to the Power six days later and made his debut with West Virginia on April 13 in Greensboro where he recorded his first save of the year. Thatcher is now being relied on heavily as the Power closer, but he has had his share of being overlooked during his baseball career. It started when he wasn't drafted from Indiana State University, where he still holds the record for most appearances (92), and is ranked third all-time in saves for the Sycamores with (14) -- just behind his father Phil, who played from 1977-80. "My dad was a big influence on my career," Thatcher said. "We are a baseball family. I was pretty disappointed when I didn't go in the draft, so now, I feel like I have a little more motivation to prove I belong here." The Milwaukee Brewers found Thatcher playing in the independent Frontier League for the River City Rascals, and signed him to a free agent contract last July 15. "That was an exciting day for me," Thatcher said. "To be signed by a Major League team was a big thrill." "Coming from the Frontier League makes no difference in Joe's potential," Power pitching Coach John Curtis said. "There have been plenty of guys go on to the Major League level from there." Thatcher played for Helena, the Brewers' rookie league team for part of the 2005 season. He pitched in seven innings and allowed three runs, but struck out 10 hitters and was soon called up to Brevard County, Milwaukee's advanced Class A team, a level above West Virginia. There, Thatcher threw nine innings and fanned 14 batters, and did not give up an earned run. As of late, West Virginia's bullpen has been pretty solid. In the recent series against Greensboro, the Power relievers gave up only three earned runs and came away with a 1.48 ERA. On Tuesday, however, after starter Robbie Wooley (1-1) had given up three runs in five innings of work, the bullpen allowed four runs in the eighth and ninth innings. Ronny Malave worked a scoreless sixth and seventh inning before surrendering three runs in the eighth, and giving way to Thatcher. For his part, Thatcher made thing interesting in the ninth by giving up a walk, a hit-by-pitch, a double, and a run scored before fanning the final two hitters to finish off the Legends. "It is never good to walk the leadoff hitter," Curtis said. "I think if the leadoff hitter gets on base, they score 70 or 80 percent of the time. Joe did a good job to get out of the inning." "It was nice to get those last two guys on strikeouts," Thatcher said. "With those runners on base, I didn't want either one to get the bat on the ball." Curtis said that he is impressed with Thatcher's mound presence when he enters the game. "Joe has been thrown into some situations where the roof has caved in," Curtis said. "He has done a nice job of bouncing right back." Thatcher has only given up two earned runs in his six appearances this season for the Power. He has a 2.84 ERA and has struck out eight. Leading the way on the offensive side for West Virginia was Angel Salome who went 3-for-5 with four RBI, including a grand slam homerun to cap that seven-run second inning. The Power continued the six-game homestand and series with Lexington this morning in the second of three Grand Slam School Days at Appalachian Power Park. Power plugs -- Mat Gamel homered Tuesday for the Power to extend his hitting streak to a season-high seven games -- the longest for any Power player this season ... Lorenzo Cain's 34 hits lead the South Atlantic League.

Link while active, text follows: www.wvgazette.com/section.../200605034 Power hangs on for 8-7 victory By Mike Whiteford Charleston Gazette Staff writer Nearly all of the Power?s seven-run lead had disappeared, forcing reliever Joe Thatcher to deal with a testy situation that may help him down the road. With one out in the ninth inning and the Power still leading by a run, the Lexington Legends advanced runners to second and third. Standing on the mound, Thatcher knew he was partly responsible for the mess, and he was growing annoyed. ?I was pretty mad at myself for getting myself in that position,?? he admitted afterward, ?and the adrenaline kicked in. I just got focused or something.?? Helped by the adrenaline and feeling a need to redeem himself, Thatcher responded with fastballs low in the strike zone that produced back-to-back strikeouts to end the game and wrap up the Power?s 8-7 victory over the Legends Tuesday night at Appalachian Power Park. A crowd of 2,356 attended. Earlier in the ninth, Thatcher had walked a batter, hit another and surrendered Eli Iorg?s long RBI double that bounced high off the wall in left center. ?It was definitely not a very clean inning,?? Thatcher confessed. ?I feel like I was lucky to get out of it.?? When the Legends posed their serious ninth-inning threat, he knew he needed to keep the ball in the infield. ?A fly ball is the worst thing that can happen,?? he said. ?I was concentrating on throwing a good fastball down in the zone and just let my defense make the plays.?? The win was the Power?s fifth in seven games and raised the team record to 12-12. It was also the first of an unusual six-game series of home games against Lexington. In the second inning, the Power pounded out six hits en route to a seven-run uprising, highlighted by Angel Salome?s opposite-field grand slam that sailed over the right-center bleachers. The four RBIs raised Salome?s team-leading total to 17. ?I just see the ball and hit the ball. I saw a fastball and I reacted,?? said Salome, who went 3-for-5 to raise his average to .333. The Power?s Mat Gamel led off the inning with an opposite-field homer to right, and Ryan Crew doubled and Tony Festa singled him home. Mike Bell followed with a single and Michael Brantley followed with another hit, bringing home Festa. Lorenzo Cain then walked to set up Salome?s slam. But despite the 7-0 lead, Power pitchers allowed the Legends to work their way back into contention. They roughed up starter Robbie Wooley for one run in the third and two in the fourth. Reliever Ronny Malave surrendered three in the eighth and Thatcher one in the ninth. The Power added an unearned run on Nate Yoho?s infield out in the fifth. POWER POINTS: The Power and Legends will play a Grand Slam Kids Day game at 10:35 AM today (9:35 Central) and single games Thursday through Saturday at 7:05 p.m. Sunday?s finale will begin at 2:05 p.m. ... Iorg, Houston?s first-round draft pick last year, is the son of former Charleston Charlie Garth Iorg, who spent nine seasons with the Blue Jays. ... Thatcher, who suffered an injury in spring training and was a week late in joining the team, likes his new surroundings. ?It?s fun to go out and play in a stadium like this in front of good fans,?? he said. ... Salome agrees and has developed a good rapport with the fans. ?These are the people that support you,?? he said, ?so you have to be a nice person with them. That?s my personality. I love the fans.?? Angel Salome launches a second-inning grand slam for the Power. Charleston Gazette Photographer: Chris Dorst http://www.wvgazettemail.com/images/stories/GRANSLAM.jpg

Final: West Virginia 8, Lexington (Astros) 7 West Virginia Site Game Summary: Link, text follows -- www.wvpower.com/news/deta...?newsID=70 Power Use Seven Run Second To Beat Lexington The Power recorded six hits, hit two home runs, sent ten batters to the plate and scored seven runs in the bottom of the second inning of Tuesday night?s game en route to an 8-7 victory over the Lexington Legends at Appalachian Power Park. The big inning started with Mat Gamel?s second home run of the year. The Power increased their lead after RBI singles from Tony Festa and Michael Brantley. The scoring in the seven-run second inning ended after Angel Salome?s grand slam. It was the first Power grand slam of the season, and Salome?s second home run of the year. The Legends scored their first run in the top of the third on Ryan Reed?s groundout. The Legends plated two more in the fourth inning on an RBI double from Mark Ori and a run-scoring single from Wladimir Sutil. The Power plated their final run of the game in the bottom of the fifth inning on Nate Yoho?s RBI groundout. The Legends scored three times in the top of the eighth inning. Eli Iorg brought in the first run on an RBI double and Wladimir Sutil and Josh Flores knocked in the final two runs on back to back run scoring singles. The Legends made things interesting in the top of the ninth inning. Eli Iorg ripped another RBI double to bring the Legends within a run. With one out, and runners on second and third, Joe Thatcher struck out the final two batters of the game to seal the deal. Robbie Wooley (1-1) earned the victory, Joe Thatcher earned the save (4) and Sean Walker (2-2) took the loss. The Power are 12-12 after the win and the Grasshoppers fell to 14-11 with the loss. The Power continue the six game series against the Lexington Legends at Appalachian Power Park on Wednesday morning. Lexington will start right hander Tip Fairchild (1-3, 3.00) and West Virginia will counter with right hander Kevin Roberts (2-2, 4.63). The first pitch is scheduled for 10:35 AM. West Virginia Box Score: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_wvaafx_1 West Virginia Game Log: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_wvaafx_1

Follow Wednesday's action as it happens: Here's what you do, right click on each of the links below and choose "Open in New Window". Activate the Nashville Gameday. For the other links, 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. It's sweet! Nashville: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_nasaaa_1 Huntsville: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_wtdaax_1 Brevard County: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_breafa_1 West Virginia: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_wvaafx_1

This link will be included in each daily report when the Nashville Sounds and/or Huntsville Stars are scheduled to play. Normally it is updated an hour or two prior to gametime: Nashville Media Notes (Adobe .pdf format): www.nashvillesounds.com/pdf/notes.pdf Following Nashville's lead, Huntsville now makes its media notes available as well, nice: www.huntsvillestars.com/i...eNotes.pdf

Wednesday's Daily Menu: All times Central; pitchers subject to change -- Nashville: LHP Zach Jackson at home vs. Iowa (Cubs), 11:40 AM pre-game, 12:00 gametime Audio link: www.nashvillesounds.com/listenlive/ Nashville Game Day Feature from MILB.com: Please note that GameDay links will not become active until approximately 1-2 hours before game time www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_nasaaa_1 Huntsville: RHP Tim Dillard at West Tenn (Cubs), 10:50 AM pre-game, 11:05 gametime Audio link: www.espn1450.com/ Brevard County: TBD at home vs. Jupiter (Marlins), 6:00 PM Audio link (opponent's): www.jupiterhammerheads.com/ West Virginia: RHP Kevin Roberts at home vs. Lexington (Astros) 9:25 AM pre-game, 9:35 gametime Audio link: www.sportsjuice.com/provi...e=wvpower.

Final: Huntsville 4, West Tenn (Cubs) 3 Huntsville Site Game Summary: Link, text follows -- Palmisano's Blast Propels Stars to Victory Lou Palmisano belted a three-run home run in the ninth inning to lift Huntsville to a 4-3 come-from-behind win over West Tenn Tuesday night in the opener of a five-game series at Pringles Park. The Stars won their second straight game to improve to 15-11 but could not make up any ground on first-place Chattanooga, which defeated Tennessee 4-3, while the Diamond Jaxx lost their second in a row to fall to 14-12. Six of the last seven wins for the Stars have been of the comeback variety. Clay Rapada entered the game in the ninth inning in a save situation for West Tenn and second in the league in saves with seven. Drew Anderson singled with one out and advanced to second base when third baseman Scott Moore?s throw to first base on a Ron Acuna ground ball pulled first baseman Micah Hoffpauir off the bag. Palmisano then blasted an 0-1 pitch over the wall in left field for his second home run of the season and his second game with three runs batted in to give the visitors a 4-3 lead. Chris Walker singled with one out in the eight inning, stole second base and moved to third on a ground ball out before Huntsville skipper Don Money called on southpaw reliever Russ Rohlicek to face the lefty swinging Hoffpauir. With the count at 2-1, Walker made a dash for the plate and beat Rohlicek?s throw to steal home and give the Jaxx a 2-1 lead. Hoffpauir walked, moved to third base on a hit and run single and stayed there when Luis Montanez walked to load the bases. Rohlicek then hit Moore in the back of the head with a pitch to force in Hoffpauir to push the home team?s lead to 3-1. Joe Winkelsas came on to strike out Tony Richie to end the inning and retired the side in order in the ninth to nail down his first win of the season. Greg Sain staked the Stars to a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning with a run-scoring double but Steve Moss was thrown out trying to score from second base on the play. The Stars stranded runners at second and third base and one out in the fifth when Callix Crabbe struck out and Ozzie Chavez grounded out. West Tenn tied the game in the sixth when Eric Patterson doubled home Walker, who had singled and moved to second base on a wild pitch by Carlos Villanueva, who struck out Hoffpauir and Nic Jackson to end the inning. Villanueva went six innings, giving up one run on three hits and matching a season-high with eight strikeouts. He allowed his first and only run of the year on the road after 17 scoreless frames. West Tenn starter J.R. Mathes retired the first 10 batters he faced and departed after six innings during which he gave up one run on four hits and three walks. The series continues Wednesday morning, as the Stars send right-hander Tim Dillard to the mound against West Tenn right-hander Carlos Marmol. Coverage of the game begins at 10:50 a.m. central time and can be heard on ESPN Radio 1450 AM locally and via the internet at www.huntsvillestars.com. Huntsville Box Score: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_wtdaax_1 Huntsville Game Log: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_wtdaax_1

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Link while active, text follows: www.nashvillecitypaper.co...s_id=49574 Heroic day by Rottino leads Sounds By Nate Rau, Nashville City Paper Sports Correspondent Nashville Sounds third baseman Vinny Rottino was a hero on and off the baseball field Tuesday. On the field, Rottino went 3-for-4 and came just a triple short of hitting for the cycle, as the Sounds breezed past the Iowa Cubs 9-1 at Greer Stadium. Off the field, Rottino made the most of his day, too. He woke up early in the morning to meet and play a little baseball with about 50 hearing-impaired children from the Nashville Sertoma Club. ?It was awesome,? Rottino said of meeting the children. ?It was raining so we took them into the cages and did a little baseball stuff. It was fun.? Rottino, who used to spend his summers working at a camp for children with disabilities, said he relishes the opportunity to volunteer in the community. ?I like to help out whenever there?s something for players to do out in the community,? Rottino said. ?It gets your mind off the game and I just like helping out.? Offensively, Rottino was one of several Sounds who had excellent games at the plate. First and foremost was catcher Mike Rivera, who hit his fifth homer and extended his Pacific Coast League-leading hitting streak to 15 games. Left fielder Corey Hart had his best game of the season, going 4-for-5 with three doubles. Hart was optioned down to Nashville from Milwaukee last month, because the Brewers couldn?t get him enough at-bats. Since joining up with the Sounds, Hart is hitting .353. He had three RBIs and two runs against Iowa. ?I?ve been getting my timing back and been a little bit more consistent at the plate,? Hart said. ?I was the last guy on the bench [with Milwaukee]. I was just kind of sitting there. There weren?t many situations to get me in the game. They don?t want me to sit there, so I guess I can come down here and get some at-bats. ?Hopefully something will work out where I can get some at-bats [in the big leagues], but if not I?ll stay here and stay aggressive.? Sounds starter Justin Thompson went deeper into the game than he has in any of his previous starts. Thompson (2-0) went six innings, surrendering three hits and one run. ?I thought he did good,? Sounds Manager Frank Kremblas said of Thompson. ?He moved the ball around with his fastball and threw some good breaking balls to some lefties.? Every position player in the starting lineup for the first-place Sounds (17-8) notched a hit, including Chris Barnwell. The team?s scrappy No. 8 hitter extended his on-base streak to 18 games. Sounds relievers Wilton Chavez and Allan Simpson iced the game by not allowing a single Cubs run in the final three innings.

Link while active, text follows: tennessean.com/apps/pbcs....328/SPORTS Sounds' starters on a roll Thompson goes six innings in win By MAURICE PATTON Tennessean Staff Writer The Nashville Sounds' battery was charged Tuesday night. Pitcher Justin Thompson threw three-hit ball over six innings ? his longest outing of the season ? and catcher Mike Rivera extended the Pacific Coast League's longest hitting streak thus far to 15 games with a solo home run to pace the hosts to a 9-1 win over Iowa. With the victory, the Sounds avoided back-to-back losses, as they have done since opening the season with three consecutive defeats. Thompson, who continues to battle back from a series of shoulder surgeries, won his second consecutive start with help from relievers Wilton Chavez and Allan Simpson. "The whole idea is to just try to build my pitch count," said Thompson, who has been stellar in each of his last four starts ? allowing five earned runs in 18 2/3 innings for a 2.41 ERA. "Coming from spring training, (where I threw) an inning at a time, this is basically my spring training. Once my arm gets a little more strength, hopefully I can get to the later innings." Thompson left the game with a 7-1 lead, due in large part to his catcher. Rivera's solo shot in the fourth inning ? which gave Nashville a home run in each of its last eight games ? snapped a 1-1 tie, and he added a run-scoring single in the ninth. "I'm just trying to make solid contact all the time," said Rivera, who has homered in three of his last four games and has scored in each of his last eight contests. "I've been staying through the ball. So far, it's been working." With Rivera leading the way, every Sounds starting position player managed at least one hit in the contest. Brad Nelson completed that feat in the seventh when his sinking line drive to left field fell in front of a sliding Matt Padgett. Nashville plays Iowa again at noon today. Sounds left-handed pitcher Zach Jackson (0-1, 3.43 ERA) will start against the Cubs' right-hander Jerome Williams (0-1, 3.86). What they said: "It's nice to get consistent contact and hit 'em where they aren't. A lot of times, you see somebody hit it hard four times and go 0-for-4." ? Hart. Link while active, text follows: tennessean.com/apps/pbcs....328/SPORTS Hot Hart goes 4-for-5 MAURICE PATTON, the Tennessean With three doubles in his first four at-bats Tuesday, Nashville outfielder Corey Hart stretched his hitting streak to seven games and fell one two-bagger short of the franchise record for a single game. Hart, who finished 4-for-5 with three RBIs in the Sounds' 9-1 win over Iowa, raised his average to .424 (14-for-33) with three home runs, 10 RBIs and nine runs in his last seven games. "This past week, I've gotten more comfortable," said Hart, who was 1-for-3 in limited action with the Brewers before joining the Sounds on April 19. "It takes a while to get comfortable. That comes from not playing, and then getting in the lineup and trying to do too much too soon." The last Sounds player to hit three doubles in a game was Luis Garcia, who accomplished the feat on May 26, 2002, at Colorado Springs. Tim Laker set the club record of four doubles on Aug. 30, 1998, against New Orleans. Hart's effort marks the second four-hit game for the Sounds this season; Mike Rivera went 4-for-4 on April 27 at New Orleans. More streaking: Chris Barnwell stayed hot as well Tuesday, drawing a walk in the second inning and singling to left field in the fourth. Barnwell has reached base in each of his last 18 games, either by walk or by hit. It's the third-longest streak in the Pacific Coast League this season. Finishing 1-for-3, Barnwell's string of games with a home run was stopped at three. The infielder is 8-for-16 with 11 RBIs in his last four contests. His batting average, which was .360 (10th in the PCL) heading into the game, slipped to .359.

Latest from Nashville broadcaster Chuck Valenches' blog -- please click link for full post, Sounds' related text follows: nashvillesounds.blogspot....-hope.html As for the Sounds they did not do much to improve the city's mood as they swept four straight from the New Orleans Zephyrs. Its hard to find a fault in the way the Sounds played. They were outstanding defensively, the pitching was superb, even Dennis Sarfate, who struggled with his command, kept the damage to a minimum, and the offense was, well...............Johnny Knoxville on a dare. The Sounds are a team built for speed and they were playing in a ballpark (Zephyr Field) rated as the best pitchers' park in all of AAA year after year. So, of course the Sounds hit eight home runs in four games, including four in the final game. Nelson Cruz hit a shot the opposite way that landed halfway to Lake Pontchartrain and Corey Hart hit a home run to left field that gave the pitcher whiplash. You know you've hit the ball hard when the leftfielder only drops his head and never moves his feet at the crack of the bat. I think the most encouraging part was the bullpen. Allan Simpson, who had struggled early on, saved two games on the trip and Mike Meyers curveball is still going to make somebody cry one of these days. Knuckleballer Jared Fernandez joined the club shortly before the trip and some of his pitches were ghastly in their movement. The Oklahoma Redhawks at times looked like angry men swinging at bees. The Sounds finished the trip 6-1 with one game suspended by weather and tied for the best record in the PCL and their best April record since the Sounds joined the PCL in 1998. The philosophy that manager Frank Kremblas has instilled in this club of putting pressure on the other team with aggressive baserunning and shifting defenses is paying off. I spoke with Brent Abernathy and Jermaine Clark on the way to the ballpark one day and they helped explain how Frank's philosophy is paying off. At the beinning of the year the Sounds were running all over other teams and scoring runs by forcing errors from their opponents. Now the Sounds are not as successful stealing bases because other teams are starting to spend extra time holding runners and calling for pitches that help the catcher throw out base stealers like fastballs, and fastballs away.. Of course when you spend so much time worrying about the runners, you can't spend as much time worrying about the guy at the plate. Sounds hitters are seeing more fastballs because that is what the catcher is calling for so he can get a throw off quicker to try and nab baserunners. Sounds hitters, ALL hitters, love fastballs. So instead of running all over the opposition, the Sounds are pounding fastballs over the wall and getting good counts to hit in because the other team is calling for pitch outs. Eventually the other team will make an adjustment and start throwing more pitches that concentrate on the hitters and the Sounds will start running again. Thats all for now. I'll try and write more later. And a quick P.S. If anyone knows where the good fishing is around Nashville, post it here. A couple of the Sounds are trying to waste a good day in a boat. As always please email your questions to chuck@nashvillesounds.com[/b]] chuck@nashvillesounds.com

Final: Nashville 9, Iowa (Cubs) 1 Nashville Site Game Summary: Link for Justin Thompson photo, text follows -- First-Place Sounds Take Down I-Cubs, 9-1 NASHVILLE, Tenn. ? The Nashville Sounds got back on the winning track on Tuesday evening at Greer Stadium, posting a 9-1 victory over the division-rival Iowa Cubs. The victory was the sixth in the last seven games for first-place Nashville (17-8), which has won 16 of its last 20 contests overall. Every starting position player in the Sounds lineup recorded a hit and each of the top six batters in the lineup scored a run in the contest. Outfielder Corey Hart led the way with a 4-for-5 effort that included three doubles and extended his season-best hitting streak to seven games. He became the first Sound to record three doubles in a game since Luis Garcia accomplished the feat on May 26, 2002 at Colorado Springs. Hart?s four-hit effort matched the best by a Sounds batter this season. Rightfielder Nelson Cruz spotted the Sounds a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning with a sacrifice fly to right that scored Brent Abernathy. The Cubs tied it with a run in the top of the fourth against Nashville starter Justin Thompson. Ryan Theriot drew a walk to open the inning, stole second, and scored on Geovany Soto?s two-out RBI single to right. Mike Rivera (2-for-5) extended his PCL-best hitting streak to 15 games and staked the Sounds to a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the fourth with a leadoff homer to left off Iowa starter Raul Valdes. The blast was the catcher?s fifth longball of the season and third in his last four games. In addition to his hit streak, Rivera has scored a run in the last eight games. AUDIO: Rivera HR Extends Hit Streak -- www.nashvillesounds.com/a...%205-2.wma Nashville pulled out to a 6-1 lead with a four-run bottom of the fifth. Hart upped the lead to 3-1 in the fifth with a one-out RBI double down the left field line that scored Tony Gwynn. Cruz added his second RBI of the night when he followed by plating Hart with an RBI single. Vinny Rottino (3-for-4) capped off the frame?s scoring with a two-out, two-run homer to left that flew over the foul pole. The blast was his second roundtripper of the year. Hart ripped his third double of the game in the bottom of the sixth to drive in Gwynn and push the Nashville lead to 7-1 then added an RBI single off Cubs reliever Andy Shipman in the bottom of the eight to plate Jermaine Clark. Rivera closed out the evening?s scoring with an eighth-inning RBI single off Shipman that plated Hart for a 9-1 Sounds advantage. Nashville shortstop Chris Barnwell went 1-for-3 on the evening to extend his team-best on-base streak to 18 games. The streak is 3rd-best among all PCL players this season. Thompson (2-0) earned a victory for the second straight start after tossing a season-high six innings. He allowed one run on three hits and struck out five batters in his 80-pitch outing. Valdes (1-2) took the loss for Iowa after surrendering four runs on eight hits in his 4 1/3 frames. The teams continue the series with a noon matinee on Wednesday afternoon. Left-hander Zach Jackson (0-1, 3.43) will make the start for the Sounds to face Iowa right-hander Jerome Williams (0-1, 3.86). Nashville Box Score: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_nasaaa_1 Nashville Game Log: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_nasaaa_1

Nashville Pre-Game Audio Coaches Chat with Manager Frank Kremblas: www.nashvillesounds.com/a...%205-2.wma

Link while active, text follows: www.dailymail.com/news/Sp...006050237/ Power players relax on off day in a different way Jacob Messer Charleston Daily Mail sportswriter Dave Welch apparently can shoot paintballs as accurately as he can throw baseballs. Just ask his West Virginia Power teammates, some of whom painfully learned that lesson Monday. Welch and fellow pitchers Matt Kretzschmar, Brandon Parillo, Dane Renkert and Joe Thatcher joined second baseman Michael Bell, shortstop Ryan Crew, third baseman Mat Gamel, catcher Brad Willcutt, outfielder Nate Yoho, first baseman Ned Yost and strength coach Tom Reynolds at Scary Creek Paintball in Scott Depot for some friendly competition on their off day. Weather permitting, West Virginia will return to action today when it begins a six-game homestand against Lexington at Appalachian Power Park. The first pitch is scheduled for 7:05 PM (6:05 Central). According to him and his teammates, Welch was bringing the heat Monday. "I was tearing it up," Welch said. "He pretty much defeated the position players singlehandedly," Gamel added. "He was probably the best of the bunch." Who was the worst? Renkert. "He struggled," Welch said with a laugh. "Every time I looked up, he was walking to the safe room with his gun in the air and paint all over him." And then there was Crew, whom Gamel called "a pretty boy." "Every time he got shot," Welch said, "he screamed like a little girl." Crew denied those accusations. "They are just picking on me," Crew said. "Gamel didn't know what he was doing. He was confused all day. I can't say anything bad about Welch. He was good. But I took him out in the last game. So, I got the last laugh." Welch said the shot of the day belonged to Yost, who set the tone in the opening game when he blasted Bell in the back of the head execution style. "It was on after that," Welch said. The day off gave the players a chance to "get away from baseball." "That," Crew said, "was what we needed. When we have a day off, we like to do things as a team. We enjoy it. We like to have fun and relax. Next time we might go bowling or golfing. Doing stuff like that builds chemistry." "We had a lot of fun," Welch added. "I can't wait to do it again."

Link while active, text follows: www.wvgazette.com/section.../200605028 Power starts lengthy series with Legends Charleston Gazette The West Virginia Power returns to Appalachian Power Park tonight to begin an unusual series ? six consecutive home games against one opponent. The Power (11-12) will play host to the Lexington Legends (14-10) at 7:05 tonight. The series continues through Sunday, including a Grand Slam Kids Day matinee Wednesday. In the recent six-game series against the Greensboro Grasshoppers ? three in Charleston and three in Greensboro ? the Power won four of six, and right fielder Lorenzo Cain earned a spot among the South Atlantic League leaders. Despite a hitless day in Sunday?s 4-3 loss in Greensboro, the 20-year-old Florida native has gone 9-for-18 with two home runs and four RBIs in the last five games to raise his batting average to .351, fifth-best in the league. Last year, Cain was the most valuable player in the Arizona League, where he batted .356 with 37 RBIs in 50 games. The Power will be without hot-hitting second baseman Kenny Holmberg, who suffered an ankle sprain and has been placed on the disabled list. Holmberg is hitting .308 and leads the team with four home runs. The South Atlantic League?s top two hitters play for the Legends ? first baseman Ole Sheldon and catcher Justin Towles, who are hitting .409 and .390, respectively.

Nice continued coverage from Charleston... Link while active, text follows: www.dailymail.com/news/Sp...006050237/ Power outfielder is named one of three NL sleeper prospects Jacob Messer Charleston Daily Mail sportswriter Baseball expert John Sickels recently named West Virginia Power outfielder Michael Brantley one of his three National League sleeper prospects to watch this season. Brantley, 18, is the son of former Seattle Mariners outfielder and current Toronto Blue Jays hitting coach Mickey Brantley. Baseball America calls the 6-foot-2, 180-pound Brantley the Milwaukee Brewers' fourth-best center field prospect. He is hitting .182 (10-for-55) with one RBI and no runs in 18 games. His only extra-base hit is a double. He has stolen two bases but also has been thrown out twice. He sports a perfect fielding percentage, committing no errors in 27 chances. "Michael is fast, athletic and has an interesting bat from the left side," said Sickels, whose work can be found on www.minorleagueball.com. "He runs well and has the plate discipline to make that speed meaningful in a leadoff role if he continues to develop offensively. "The main question is power; he might not have much, although his father had some decent pop in his bat. Brantley is off to a slow start this year ... Given his age, his bloodlines and his debut last year, I think he's worth keeping an eye on." The other prospects are the Arizona Diamondbacks' Chris Carter, who plays for the Tucson Sidewinders of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League, and the Houston Astros' Justin Towles, who plays for the Lexington Legends of the Single-A South Atlantic League. Kanawha Valley baseball fans will have plenty of opportunities to watch Brantley and Towles this week when their teams meet six times at Appalachian Power Park. The series starts tonight at 7:05 PM (6:05 Central). Right-hander Sean Walker (2-1, 3.52) will take the mound for the Legends. Right-hander Robbie Wooley (0-1, 4.15) will be on the hill for the Power. West Virginia (11-12) is in fifth place in the Northern Division standings, 2 1/2 games behind co-frontrunners Lake County (14-10) and Lexington (14-10). The Power is 2-4 against the Legends this season. * * *Third baseman Mat Gamel is hitting .324 (12-for-37) in his last 10 games, including .471 (8-for-17) in his last five, compared to .250 (12-for-48) in his first 13 games. That has helped him raise his batting average more than 30 points to .282 (24-for-85) for the season. "More or less, I just relaxed," said Gamel, whom Baseball America considers one of the best hitters in the Milwaukee Brewers' farm system. Look for Gamel to continue his hot streak at home, where he is hitting a team-best .400 (14-for-35) in 10 games. "When you are hitting good, you have a lot of confidence," Gamel said. "It seems like you see the ball a lot better and swing the bat a lot better." * * *Second baseman Kenny Holmberg received good news Monday, three days after he injured his left ankle running to first base against Greensboro. Holmberg and team officials thought he might have damaged his Achilles tendon. But X-rays revealed only a high ankle sprain, he said. "That was my main concern," said Holmberg, who ranks first in homers (four), second in runs (15) and third in batting average (.308) among his teammates. "I thought I had done something more serious." The Power placed Holmberg on the one-week disabled list, but he said he expects to return to the lineup Saturday. "I'm looking forward to playing," Holmberg said. * * *Replacement umpires again will take the field tonight and will continue to do so until their minor league counterparts reach a strike settlement with the union. Minor league umpires have been striking since the season began April 6. Manager Mike Guerrero doesn't mind replacement umpires as long as they are consistent and fair. "What is a strike for me is a strike for them and what is a ball for me is a ball for them," Guerrero said. "Whoever is back there, I want them to be consistent and I want them to be fair. Don't lean to one side or the other." Guerrero declined to say if that had been a problem this season. "I don't want to get into that," Guerrero said. The umpires rejected a tentative strike settlement on Monday, and officials say there are not further negotiations expected. * * *Power pitchers allowed 181 hits (17 homers) and 95 runs (74 earned) in 199 1/3 innings in April, finishing the opening month with a .240 opponents' batting average and a 3.34 earned run average. They also recorded 180 strikeouts compared to 76 walks. "I'm very pleased with how they performed in the first month," said pitching coach John Curtis, who considers April "extended spring training" and believes the hurlers still are getting their arms in tip-top shape. "My expectation level hasn't been very high because they are still working themselves into shape, but they have far exceeded my expectations. Are they going to get much better? I don't know. "We'll see. If they do, we won't have much trouble winning this thing. All in all, I'm awfully optimistic as where we are headed."

Standings through Monday's action: Pacific Coast League (AAA) - American North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [b]Nashville 16 8 .667 - 7-2 9-6 L1[/b] Omaha 13 10 .565 2.5 8-6 5-4 W1 Iowa 9 13 .409 6.0 6-7 3-6 W2 Memphis 7 15 .318 8.0 5-4 2-11 W1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Southern League (AA) - North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chattanooga 16 9 .640 - 7-3 9-6 W2 [b]Huntsville 14 11 .560 2.0 8-7 6-4 W1[/b] West Tenn 14 11 .560 2.0 5-5 9-6 L1 Tennessee 12 13 .480 4.0 6-4 6-9 L1 Carolina 9 16 .360 7.0 4-6 5-10 L2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Florida State League (A+) - East Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Palm Beach 16 8 .667 - 7-4 9-4 L1 St. Lucie 15 9 .625 1.0 7-6 8-3 W2 [b]Brevard County 15 10 .600 1.5 5-4 10-6 L2[/b] Daytona 10 14 .417 6.0 6-7 4-7 W1 Vero Beach 9 15 .375 7.0 7-6 2-9 W1 Jupiter 8 17 .320 8.5 4-10 4-7 L1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- South Atlantic League (A) - Northern Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lake County 15 10 .600 - 6-5 9-5 W1 Lexington 14 10 .583 0.5 10-5 4-5 L1 Delmarva 12 10 .545 1.5 4-5 8-5 W1 Greensboro 12 12 .500 2.5 9-5 3-7 W1 [b]West Virginia 11 12 .478 3.0 4-6 7-6 L1[/b] Hagerstown 10 13 .435 4.0 7-6 3-7 L1 Hickory 10 13 .435 4.0 4-5 6-8 W1 Lakewood 9 13 .409 4.5 7-5 2-8 L1