Jim Goulart

Sunday's Daily Menu: A Blessed and Happy Easter to all who celebrate the holiday today! All times Central; pitchers subject to change -- Nashville: LHP Justin Thompson at home vs. Oklahoma (Rangers), 1:40 PM pre-game, 2:00 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 Carlos Villanueva at Montgomery (Devil Rays), 1:50 PM pre-game, 2:05 gametime Audio link: www.espn1450.com/ I still say Carlos has it rough pitching after the travel day in each and every series until a rainout or something shakes up the schedule of all five-game series... Brevard County: Idle West Virginia: RHP Kevin Roberts at home vs. Lexington (Astros), 1:05 PM Audio link: www.sportsjuice.com/provi...e=wvpower.

Vero Beach Site Game Summary: (Viera, FL) - Brevard County scored in all but two innings to defeat the Vero Beach Dodgers 9-4 Satuday night at Space Coast Stadium. The Manatees improved their league-best record to 9-1, while the Dodgers dropped their sixth straight and fell to 1-9. Zach Hammes started in place of Chris Malone for the Dodgers and ran into trouble in the first inning. A walk and a single to the first two batters set up the Manatees first two runs. Josh Murray then homered to start the second and make it 3-0 Brevard County. The Dodgers took advantage of two errors in the third. Ryan Russ delivered a single to score the beneficiaries Jimmy Rohan and David Nicholson to pull Vero Beach within a run. The Dodgers gave one of those runs back in the fourth, but tied the score in an eventful 5th. Reliever Bo Hall notched two quick outs before Blake DeWitt drilled a double into the right-center gap. Cole Bruce followed with a single to plate DeWitt. Ryan Carter singled Bruce to third and Pat Borders rapped a base hit to center to score Bruce and tie the game at four. In the bottom of the 5th, Brevard County went right back on top. Travis Ezi, who finished 4-5, led off with triple against Wesley Wright. Cleanup hitter Brendan Katin singled him home to make it 5-4. The Manatees would add another run in the 7th and three more in the 8th to seal it. DeWitt, Bruce and David Nicholson each recorded two hits in the loss. Adam Thomas dealt a scoreless relief inning.

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Final: Nashville 11, Oklahoma (Rangers) 5 Nashville Site Game Summary: Link, text follows -- www.nashvillesounds.com/n...ewsId=1903 Sounds Win Big Again Over RedHawks, 11-6 NASHVILLE, Tenn. ? The Nashville Sounds offense continued to roll on Saturday evening at Greer Stadium as the home team pounded out 18 hits in an 11-6 victory over the Oklahoma RedHawks. Every member of the Nashville lineup recorded a hit and all but two posted a multiple-hit effort. Leading the way was centerfielder Tony Gwynn, who missed the cycle by a triple during a 3-for-4 evening that included three RBIs, three runs scored, and his first career Triple-A home run. The offensive onslaught continued a recent trend for the surging Nashville bats, which hammered out a season-best 19 hits on Friday in the club?s home opener against the RedHawks. In the last four games, the Sounds are batting a healthy .380 (57-for-150). With the win, Nashville (5-5) squared its record at .500 for the first time this season. The offenses were active in the early going. Oklahoma jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning against Sounds starter Dennis Sarfate. A two-run double by Erubiel Durazo highlighted the flurry. Dave Krynzel slugged his first home run of the season in the bottom of the inning, a two-run shot to left off Oklahoma starter R.A. Dickey that pulled the Sounds within 3-2. Nashville knotted the score in the second on Gwynn?s two-out RBI double and took a 4-3 lead an inning later when Krynzel singled, stole second, and later scored on a throwing error by RedHawks first baseman Jason Botts. Gwynn?s solid night continued in the fourth when he belted his first career Triple-A homer, a two-out shot to right off Dickey to push the Nashville lead to 6-3. The Sounds had plated a run earlier in the frame when Brad Nelson scored on an Enrique Cruz double play grounder. AUDIO: Tony Gwynn's 1st Triple-A HR -- www.nashvillesounds.com/a...204-15.wma Oklahoma pulled back within a run at 6-5 with a two-run rally in the top of the fifth. Former Sound Adam Hyzdu, who had a sacrifice fly in the second, drove an RBI single to right to score Durazo, who had singled and moved to second on a Jamie Burke walk. Nashville rightfielder Nelson Cruz?s throw to the infield was off-target, allowing Burke to come home with an unearned run. The Sounds pulled away for good in the sixth when they sent 10 men to the plate and put up a five-spot against RedHawks reliever John Hudgins. Gwynn opened the scoring with an RBI single before Vinny Rottino stroked a two-out, two run double, Nelson Cruz ripped a run-scoring single, and Mike Rivera finished out the frame with an RBI two-bagger. Burke closed out the evening?s scoring with a solo homer, his second longball of the year, off Mike Adams in the top of the ninth inning. Reliever Jason Kershner (2-0) picked up the victory with 2 2/3 scoreless innings in relief of Sarfate, who allowed five runs (four ER) in 4 1/3 frames and did not qualify for a decision. Dickey (1-1) took the loss after surrendering six runs on 11 hits in his five innings of work. The Nashville native dropped to 3-10 all-time against the Sounds. The Sounds and RedHawks continue their series with a 2 p.m. matinee on Sunday afternoon at Greer Stadium. Left-hander Justin Thompson (0-0, 27.00) takes the hill to make his second start of the year for Nashville. He?ll face Oklahoma right-hander Robinson Tejeda (0-1, 9.00). Nashville Box Score: All nine batters reached base at least twice -- how often do you see that? Mike Rivera rakes from the DH spot and the # 5 hole -- guess that's why Chad Moeller's approach at the plate is better in the early going in Milwaukee... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_nasaaa_1 Nashville Game Log: Dennis Sarfate's night could have been worse -- he loaded the base on two walks and a HBP in the 2nd, but no runs scored... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_nasaaa_1

Nashville Pre-Game Audio Chat with Pitcher Dana Eveland: www.nashvillesounds.com/a...204-15.wma

Final: Lexington (Astros) 9, West Virginia 4 Power still need to play better at home... West Virginia Site Game Summary: Holmberg goes 3 for 4 in loss to Lexington Kenny Holmberg recorded three of West Virginia?s twelve hits on Saturday night at Appalachian Power Park, but it was not enough to beat the Lexington Legends, who went on to win 9-4. The Power took their only lead of the game in the bottom of the first inning when Mat Gamel singled into left field. The ball was bobbled by left fielder Ryan Reed, allowing Ryan Crew to score on the play. Lexington answered quickly, plating three runs in the top of the second inning. Mitch Einertson tied the game with an RBI double, and the Legends took the lead when Eric Cavers singled into left field, scoring both Einertson and Koby Clemens. The Power came within a run in the bottom of the second inning on Brad Willcutt?s RBI groundout, but Lexington pulled away in the top of the third inning when Clemens hit a three-run homer, his first of the year, to give Lexington a 6-2 advantage. Holmberg drove in a run with a single in the bottom of the fifth inning, and Ned Yost hit a solo shot, his first of the year, in the bottom of the sixth to make it a 6-4 ballgame. The Legends scored in the seventh inning on an RBI single from Eli Iorg, and then added two more runs in the top of the ninth. Eli Iorg brought in the first run on a sacrifice fly, and Ole Sheldon knocked in the second run with an RBI single. Raymar Diaz (1-0) earned the victory and Robbie Wooley (0-1) obtained the loss. The Power are 4-6 after the loss and the Legends improved to 8-2 with the win. The Power will finish the series with the Legends at Appalachian Power Park on Sunday afternoon. Right hander Kevin Roberts (1-1, 5.00) will start for the Power and Lexington will counter with right hander Tip Fairchild (1-1, 3.86). The first pitch is scheduled for 2:05 PM (1:05 Central). West Virginia Box Score: 2003 6th rounder Robbie Wooley has shown flashes, but we're still waiting for a nice consistent top-notch string of outings; I believe hulking 6'10" newcomer Steve Palazzolo has been scored upon in each of his four outings thus far with single run... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_wvaafx_1 West Virginia Game Log: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_wvaafx_1

Final: Brevard County 9, Vero Beach (Dodgers) 4 Ezi does it... Brevard County Box Score: RHP Luis Pena had become a bit of an afterthough after his brief 40-man roster gig and injury woes in 2005; lefty Jeremy Lewis strikes out the side in the 9th; Steve Sollman now 13-for-27 -- three of the 13 hits are of the extra-base variety, including tonight's home run; Travis Ezi 4-for-5 with a triple; yes, that's the Pat Borders... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_breafa_1 Brevard County Game Log: Borders GIDP in the 2nd helped Mike Jones out of a jam; no need for a double switch at the low-A level, so odd that catcher Carlos Corporan replaced Nestor Corredor midway through the 5th... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_breafa_1

Huntsville Site Game Summary: Link, text follows -- www.huntsvillestars.com/n...newsId=785 'Pen Pitches Stars Past Barons Gerrit Simpson, Andy Pratt and Matt Yeatman tossed four scoreless innings in relief to pitch Huntsville past Birmingham 6-2 Saturday afternoon at Joe Davis Stadium. The Stars took the last two games of the five-game set to square their season record at 5-5, while the Barons dipped to 4-6 and head home to being a series with Tennessee. Simpson took over for starter Khalid Ballouli to open the sixth inning and retired all seven hitters he faced, striking out three. Pratt, the lone left-hander in the bullpen, then retired left-handed hitting Ricardo Nanita on a ground ball for the second out of the eighth inning. Yeatman took over and allowed a Mark Quinn single before striking out Micah Schnurstein to end the frame. He gave up a leadoff single to Mike Myers in the ninth before Josh Hansen flied out to right field and Ron Acuna threw out Myers trying to tag and advance to second base. Myers beat the throw but slid past the bag and was tagged out by shortstop Ozzie Chavez. The final out of the game came when Chris Amador grounded out. Yeatman recorded his first save of the season, since he entered the game with Stars leading 4-2. Chavez singled home Jeff Eure in the bottom of the third to tie the game at one and the home side took the lead one batter later when Callix Crabbe delivered a sacrifice fly to plate J.C. Boscan, who had doubled. Birmingham tied the game in the fifth inning when Robert Valido doubled home Amador, who had singled. Valido finished the series with a home run and five runs batted in. Huntsville regained the lead for good in the home fifth on a sacrifice fly by Boscan that chased home Drew Anderson, who opened the inning with a walk. The Stars did not have a sacrifice fly in their first nine games. Greg Sain hit an opposite field home run to right in the sixth inning to push the lead to 4-2. Adam Heether, who knocked in the game winning run on Friday, singled home a run and Anderson grounded out to drive in a run in the eighth to complete the scoring. Ballouli earned the win with five innings of work during which he allowed two runs on four hits and four walks. He struck out five and avoided allowing runs in the first inning for the first time in nine starts, dating back to April 22 of last season. The Stars will send right-hander Carlos Villanueva to the mound to open a five-game series on Sunday afternoon in Montgomery against Biscuits? right-hander Andrew Sonnanstine. Coverage of the game begins at 1:50 p.m. central time and can be heard on ESPN Radio 1450 AM locally and via the internet at www.huntsvillestars.com.

Final: Huntsville 6, Birmingham (White Sox) 2 Let's not write off Huntsville's season yet, kids; Stars at 5-5... Huntsville Box Score: Nice work by the bullpen; Stars 2-0 with our fearless webmaster in attendance -- look for his report later on... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hunaax_1 Huntsville Game Log: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hunaax_1

MLB.com's Gameday Audio and MLB.TV both down for all games as of 1:00 PM Eastern. BOO!

Link while active, text follows: www.al.com/sports/huntsvi...amp;coll=1 Playing for Canada produces Classic memories Contact Mark McCarter at markcolumn@aol.com, Huntsville Times Today, in search of insight on curling and memories of hockey, we go one-on-one with Mike Meyers, the Stars' Canadian-born relief pitcher. He was a member of the Canadian team in the recent World Baseball Classic, which seems a good place to start. Q: How was the experience in the Classic? Meyers: It was one of the best times I've ever had. It would have been a lot better if we had won some more games and hung around until the next round. But it was fun to meet some of the big league players I hadn't met. And it was fun to play the other national teams. It was good times. Q: Growing up in Canada, did you pay attention to Canadian-born players? Meyers: Yeah, you know I remember growing up watching Rob Ducey play. Everybody knew he was one of the Canadians playing at the time. Everybody kinda followed him. Q: Who would we have heard of who was on your team in the Classic? Meyers: Jason Bay (Pirates), Justin Morneau (Twins), Corey Koskie (Brewers), Pete Orr (Braves). Adam Stern (Red Sox), Matt Stairs (Royals). Pitchers, we had Jeff Francis (Rockies) and Erik Bedard (Royals). And Chris Reitsma (Braves) was the closer. It was all big league guys except at second base. Q: What's your best memory from it? Meyers: Obviously the best moment was beating the United States team (8-6, on March 1). If you asked anybody on the team, that would be the majority's answer. We got a couple of runs there in the first inning and the second inning came around and we threw a couple more up there. It's was like, "Hey, let's keep it going there." Q: How much did you pitch, and how did you get find out you were chosen? Meyers: I threw one game against South Africa for an inning and two innings against Mexico. I didn't know anything (about being a candidate) until January and they called and asked me if I wanted to play. That was a dumb question. The guy who takes care of all the national teams I've been involved with called me. I was driving home, picking up my son (Brody, 9 1/2 months) from the baby sitter when I got through working out. Q: How did this impact your getting prepared for the season? Meyers: It kinda bumped up my off-season process. I was just getting into throwing bullpens (sessions off a mound), so I had to speed everything up a week and a half or two weeks. I flew down to Florida on March 2 and on March 3 I started against the Blue Jays (in an exhibition game) in Dunedin. I was coming off a wooden mound (indoors) into a big league game. I got thrown right into the fire. Q: Can you please explain curling? Meyers: (Laughing) It's funny, I came down here and went to school in the States (Black Hawk College, in Moline, Ill.) and the Olympics are on (in 1994) and nobody's even heard of it. We used to have to do it in gym class. It was fun to watch the last time. Like they said, it was one of the sports most watched. Q: Did you grow up on ice skates? Meyers: Oh, yeah. I played hockey until I was probably 14. I remember me and my dad going skating on a pond at my grandpa's place. We were always going on Sunday, skating around a rink. Q: Did you have a favorite hockey player or favorite baseball player growing up? Meyers: I'd have to say hockey. (Mario) Lemieux. Q: What stereotype of Canada needs to be erased? Meyers: That it's cold every day of the year. Especially where I live, it's not. (London, Ontario, about two hours from Detroit, an hour and a half west of Buffalo). Where I live now, in Illinois, it's the same as Canada. Whatever weather we get in Illinois, my parents get the next day (in Ontario). Q: Say something in Canadian. Meyers: Eh. Q: What about the other Mike Meyers, or variations on the spelling, who are out there? Meyers: Every single day, it's either the movie "Halloween" guy or the funny Mike Myers. I would say I hear more about the Halloween guy than the funny guy. I don't know why. I didn't even watch it. I don't like horror movies.

Standings through Friday's action: Pacific Coast League (AAA) - American North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Omaha 6 3 .667 - 5-3 1-0 W2 Iowa 5 4 .556 1.0 5-3 0-1 L1 [b]Nashville 4 5 .444 2.0 1-0 3-5 W1[/b] Memphis 0 9 .000 6.0 0-1 0-8 L9 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Southern League (AA) - North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- West Tenn 7 2 .778 - 0-0 7-2 W2 Chattanooga 6 3 .667 1.0 3-1 3-2 L1 Carolina 4 5 .444 3.0 0-0 4-5 W1 [b]Huntsville 4 5 .444 3.0 1-3 3-2 W1[/b] Tennessee 2 7 .222 5.0 1-3 1-4 L2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Florida State League (A+) - East Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [b]Brevard County 8 1 .889 - 4-1 4-0 W3[/b] St. Lucie 7 2 .778 1.0 4-1 3-1 W2 Palm Beach 6 3 .667 2.0 1-1 5-2 W2 Jupiter 4 5 .444 4.0 3-4 1-1 L2 Daytona 1 8 .111 7.0 0-6 1-2 L2 Vero Beach 1 8 .111 7.0 1-1 0-7 L5 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- South Atlantic League (A) - Northern Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Delmarva 7 2 .778 - 2-1 5-1 W4 Lexington 7 2 .778 - 6-2 1-0 W1 Greensboro 6 3 .667 1.0 5-3 1-0 W1 Lake County 6 3 .667 1.0 2-0 4-3 W2 [b]West Virginia 4 5 .444 3.0 1-4 3-1 L1[/b] Hagerstown 3 6 .333 4.0 3-0 0-6 L2 Hickory 3 6 .333 4.0 1-4 2-2 L1 Lakewood 0 9 .000 7.0 0-2 0-7 L9

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

Follow Saturday'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_hunaax_1 Brevard County: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_breafa_1 West Virginia: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_wvaafx_1

Saturday's Daily Menu: All times Central; pitchers subject to change -- Nashville: RHP Dennis Sarfate at home vs. Oklahoma (Rangers), 5:40 PM pre-game, 6:00 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 Khalid Ballouli at home vs. Birmingham (White Sox), 1:50 PM pre-game, 2:05 gametime Audio link: www.espn1450.com/ Brevard County: RHP Mike Jones at home vs. Vero Beach (Dodgers), 6:00 PM Audio link (opponent's): www.minorleaguebaseball.c.../audio.jsp West Virginia: RHP Robbie Wooley at home vs. Lexington (Astros), 6:05 PM Audio link: www.sportsjuice.com/provi...e=wvpower.

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Link while active, text follows: www.wvgazette.com/section.../200604152 Errors prove costly for Power Legends capitalize on four miscues, win 9-2 By Michael Cross For the Saturday Charleston Gazette-Mail Mother nature did her part, sparing Appalachian Power Park of rain Friday night and allowing the fans on hand to enjoy the postgame fireworks, but the West Virginia Power did not hold up its end of the bargain as four errors proved too much to overcome in a 9-2 defeat at the hands of the Lexington Legends. The first Power error came right off the bat in the Lexington half of the first inning when catcher Angel Salome?s throwing error allowed Eric King to score. The Legends plated another run in the first thanks to an RBI single by Mitch Einertson. Lexington upped the margin to 3-0 in the top of the third as history repeated itself when Salome made his second throwing error, allowing King to score his second run. ?The mistakes early on really changed the outcome of the game,? said Power manager Mike Guerrero. ?We need to work more on the little things. If we take care of them [the little things] offensively and defensively, then the score and possibly the game are a lot closer. If we do not, and make those mistakes, then the score and game will be like they were tonight.? With runners at the corners in the top of the fifth, Lexington?s Ole Sheldon laced a shot back up the middle, plating Josh Flores to make the count 4-0. However, pitcher Dave Welch was able to get the next batter, Einertson, to fly out to right and keep the Power within striking distance. Unable to put anything on the board during their next two innings, West Virginia allowed the Legends to put up a four spot in the top of the seventh. Flores started out the inning with a double to left field and came around to score when the next batter, King, doubled down the left-field line. One batter later, King scored on Eli Iorg?s one-hop double over left fielder Michael Brantley?s head to make it 6-0 and send Welch to an early shower. His relief, Ryan Marion, did not fare much better as Iorg trotted home from third when J.R. Towles doubled over Brantley?s shoulder. The final run in the seventh scored courtesy of yet another Power error, this time by third baseman Mat Gamel, which allowed Towles to score from second. The Power was able to get a mini-rally going in the bottom of the eighth when Salome singled to left with a full count and the bases loaded, driving in Scotty McKnight from third and Darren Ford from second. The rally was cut short when Tony Festa grounded out to first base, leaving runners stranded at second and third. In the top of the ninth, Sheldon provided everyone in attendance with some pre-firework fireworks as he sent a Patrick Ryan pitch over the center-field wall to make the final score 9-2. Salome finished 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs to lead the Power offense. Welch took the loss after throwing four innings. He allowed three runs on four hits and struck out three. Sean Walker (2-0) got the win with a six scoreless innings in which he allowed five hits. King was the top Legend hitter, going 4-for-5 with two doubles and one RBI. West Virginia (4-5) will do battle again with Lexington (7-2) tonight at Appalachian Power Park with the first pitch scheduled for 7:05. Robbie Wooley will get the nod for the Power while Brian Bogusevic will give it a go for the Legends.

Final: Lexington (Astros) 9, West Virginia 2 West Virginia Site Game Summary: Power commit four errors in loss to Lexington The Lexington Legends took advantage of four West Virginia Power errors in Friday night?s game at Appalachian Power Park, and went on to beat the Power 9-2. Angel Salome?s throwing error in the top of the first inning allowed Eric King to score the first run of the game. Later in the inning Mitch Einertson hit an RBI single to give the Legends a 2-0 advantage. King scored in the third inning on Salome?s second throwing error of the game. In the top of the fifth inning Ole Sheldon hit an RBI single to give the Legends a 4-0 lead. The Legends scored four runs in the top of the seventh inning to take an 8-0 lead. King, Eli Iorg and J.R. Towles hit RBI doubles and Towles scored later in the inning on a Mat Gamel error. The Power scored their runs in the bottom of the eighth inning on Salome?s two run single. The Legends added another run in the top of the ninth inning on a solo home run from Sheldon, his first of the year. Sean Walker (2-0) earned the victory and Dave Welch (0-1) obtained the loss. The Power are 4-5 after the loss and the Legends improved to 7-2 with the win. The Power will continue the series with Lexington at Appalachian Power Park on Saturday night. Right hander Robbie Wooley (0-0, 0.00) will start for the Power and Lexington will counter with left hander Brian Bogusevic (0-0, 0.00). 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: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_wvaafx_1

Final: Brevard County 2, Vero Beach (Dodgers) 1 Brevard County Site Game Summary: Braun's Bat Brings Manatees Big Win Ryan Braun's final-inning single produces Brevard County's eighth win out of nine By Jenny Rennie / Brevard County Manatees In front of close to 2,000 fans on Friday night, the Brevard County Manatees rallied in the bottom of the ninth to overcome the Vero Beach Dodgers with a 2-1 victory. Dodgers starter Matt Merricks was unstoppable through seven innings allowing the Manatees no runs and only three hits. It came down to the final inning of the game before Vero's Ramon Troncoso gave up a single to Charlie Fermaint before hitting Alcides Escobar with a pitch. With runners on first and second and no outs in the bottom of the ninth the Brewers 1st round draft pick of 2005, Ryan Braun, singled to right field scoring Fermaint. An untimely error by the Dodgers attempting to field Braun's hit brought Escobar in for the winning run. Friday's contest was a duel on the mound with the Dodgers and Manatees pitchers combining for 26 strikeouts. Manatees starter Josh Wahpepah kept his ERA perfect as he threw six brilliant innings allowing four hits and no runs with five strikeouts. Ben Stanczyk earned his second win of the season by tossing three innings with only one earned run. Braun finished the night 2-for-4. The Manatees continued their dominance of the Florida State League with their third win in a row and their eighth victory out of nine. Brevard County will attempt to complete the sweep of the visiting Vero Beach Dodgers on Saturday night beginning at 7:00 PM (6:00 Central). The game will feature a post-game fireworks show sponsored by Servicemaster with every ticket holder receiving an additional ticket to a future Manatees game. Brevard County Box Score: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_breafa_1 Brevard County Game Log: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_breafa_1

Link while active, text follows: www.al.com/stars/huntsvil...amp;coll=1 Huntsville's good times finally roll Stars rally from 3-0 deficit to put an end to three-game losing streak By PAUL GATTIS Times Sports Staff pgattis@htimes.com After so much bad stuff over the last week, the good stuff came in a deluge Friday night for the Huntsville Stars. Bloopers fell for run-scoring hits. A runner picked off at second instead steals third. And a Birmingham baserunner made a costly gaffe running the bases that cost the Barons a run. And that's bad stuff for the Barons and good stuff for the Stars in a 4-3 victory before 5,171 at Joe Davis Stadium. The Stars overcame a 3-0 deficit to snap a three-game losing streak and win for just the second time in their last seven games. But a grind-it-out win like this, Stars manager Don Money said, is just what a slumping team needs. "It's big plays that don't show up in the box score," Money said. Indeed, the list was long for the Stars: In the first, Barons shortstop Robert Valido appeared to score on a sacrifice fly but was called out after the Stars appealed to third base that he left before the ball was caught. In the seventh, Greg Sain's well-placed blooper to center fell between a trio of Barons and scored Guilder Rodriguez for the first of three runs in the inning. Later in the seventh, Sain looked to be picked off at second when Barons catcher Gustavo Molina threw behind him after a pitch. But Sain bolted for third without hesitation for the steal and scored the winning run on Adam Heether's single to center. And, Money will quickly remind you, don't overlook the significance of Jeff Eure's sacrifice bunt in that seventh inning rally that moved the eventual tying and winning runs to second and third with one out. "That's what you've got to do to win games," Money said. "And we have not been doing that." It all came together after the Stars lost the first three games of the five-game series. But it was still a little slow in arriving. The Barons jumped on Stars starter Jeff Housman for a run in the first when Michael Myers opened the game with a double and scored on Thomas Callaro's one-out single. But Robert Valido was called out on the appeal play on a Micah Schnurstein flyout to center. The lead grew to 2-0 in the fourth when Collaro was hit by a pitch and pinch-runner Christopher Getz scored on a two-out single by Ricardo Nanita. And it jumped to 3-0 in the fifth when Myers homered to left. The Stars began their comeback in the bottom of the fifth when Lou Palmisano blasted a solo home run off the scoreboard in left field - temporarily sending it into a glitch of hieroglyphics. The homer ended a string of 19 scoreless innings. The Barons went to their bullpen in the seventh and the Stars went to work against reliever Rusty Tucker (0-1). Rodriguez led off with a double down the right field line and Steve Moss walked. Then Sain's bloop single scored Rodriguez and Eure's sacrifice bunt set the table. Palmisano's groundout tied the game and Heether followed with a line drive to center for the go-ahead run. The pitching held up, too, with Housman allowing three runs in six innings and Mike Meyers (1-1) and Alec Zumwalt (second save) pitching three scoreless innings in relief.

Final: Huntsville 4, Birmingham (White Sox) 3 Huntsville Site Game Summary: Link for Alec Zumwalt photo, text follows -- www.huntsvillestars.com/n...newsId=784 Stars Battle Back to Beat Barons Adam Heether singled in the game-winning run to cap off a three-run seventh inning rally, as Huntsville came from behind to down Birmingham 4-3 Friday night in front of a season-high 5,171 fans at Joe Davis Stadium. The Stars snapped a three-game slide to improve to 4-5 on the season and win at home for the first time, while the Barons lost a three-game win streak and dropped to 4-5. The Stars beat Birmingham for just the third time in 13 games since July of last season. Corwin Malone left with a 3-1 lead after working six strong innings for the Barons, giving up one run, on a fifth inning home run by Lou Palmisano, allowing three hits and striking out six. Rusty Tucker took over in the seventh and allowed three runs on three hits and a walk, the first time the Barons bullpen had been scored on in the series after 11 scoreless frames. Guilder Rodriguez started the inning with a double, moved to third on a wild pitch, stayed when Steve Moss walked and scored on a bloop single by Greg Sain, who picked up just his second hit of the season. Jeff Eure advanced the runners with a sacrifice bunt and a ground ball out by Palmisano plated Moss to tie the game. Sain stole third base and scored when Heether smoked an 0-1 offering into center field to knock in his second run of the season. Palmisano?s home run broke up a 19 inning scoreless drought for the Stars. Mike Meyers took over for starter Jeff Housman in the seventh inning and retired the first five hitters he faced before giving up back-to-back singles to Mark Quinn and Chris Getz and was replaced by Alec Zumwalt, making his second appearance in a save situation. The right-hander retired all four hitters he faced to end the game and earn his second save of the season and first since Opening Day. Housman allowed three runs on seven hits and struck out four in his second start of the season. The Stars will send right-hander Khalid Ballouli to the mound in the final game of the five-game series on Saturday afternoon and he will be opposed by Birmingham left-hander Ryan Rodriguez. Coverage of the game begins at 1:50 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: Outfield assists for Drew Anderson and Steve Moss... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hunaax_1 Huntsville Game Log: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hunaax_1

Link while active, text follows: tennessean.com/apps/pbcs....328/SPORTS Sounds win big in home opener Eveland retires first 15 batters he faces, gets lots of offense By MAURICE PATTON Tennessean Staff Writer With the only pitcher ever to throw a perfect game for the Nashville Sounds in the Greer Stadium first-base dugout last night, Dana Eveland was looking to match the feat as the Sounds opened their home schedule against Oklahoma. Eveland retired the first 15 RedHawks he faced before allowing three consecutive infield singles to open the sixth inning. The base hits left Oklahoma's John Wasdin alone in the Nashville record book ? he accomplished the feat on April 7, 2003, against visiting Albuquerque ? and led to a run but hardly fazed the Sounds in an eventual 11-1 victory. "You try not to think about it too much and just go after the next hitter," Eveland said after his first win in his second start of the year. "But it's hard not to think about it." Improving to 20-9 in Greer Stadium openers, the win in front of 6,861 fans also raised the Sounds record to 4-5 on the young season. Eveland exited after the seventh, having allowed just five hits with eight strikeouts. However, he had thrown 71 pitches ? 58 for strikes. "He threw strikes, he kept the ball down for the most part and got a lot of groundball outs," Nashville Manager Frank Kremblas said. Nashville pounded out 19 hits ? besting the 18 last year's team totaled on three occasions and falling five short of the franchise record of 24 that was set and tied on consecutive days, May 20-21, 2000. "We got some seeing-eye groundball hits, and then we got some big hits at key times," Kremblas said. "The guys were feeling confident at the plate." The Sounds scored in five of their eight at-bats. Nashville led 3-0 after the second, 6-0 after the third and led 7-0 before Oklahoma scored. "It's nice pitching with a big lead," he said. "You can go after hitters, knowing that if a guy hits one out, it doesn't really matter. You try to stay aggressive and go after everybody." "He was making good pitches, getting ahead, going at people," catcher Mike Rivera said. "I think that's why he was so good. He was effective going at people." What they said: "You can't choose when and where; you just do what you do. That's the beauty of it; you've got to play the game that day." ? Kremblas, after his team combined a 19-hit attack with a five-hit, 11-strikeout pitching performance.

Final: Nashville 11, Oklahoma (Rangers) 1 Nashville Site Game Summary: Link for Nelson Cruz photos, text follows -- www.nashvillesounds.com/n...ewsId=1901 Sounds Trounce RedHawks In Home Opener NASHVILLE, Tenn. ? The Nashville Sounds put on a good showing in their home opener, posting an 11-1 victory over the Oklahoma RedHawks on Friday evening in front of 6,861 excited fans at Greer Stadium. Sounds starter Dana Eveland kept the season-long run of strong outings by Nashville starting pitchers intact, carrying a perfect game into the sixth inning. Two Oklahoma infield singles in the top of the sixth spoiled his perfecto but the southpaw went on to strike out eight batters in his first victory of the year. Chris Demaria came in to finish the game for Sounds. Demaria pitched two innings and didn?t allow a hit while striking out three batters. The 11 combined strikeouts marked the third time this year that Sounds pitchers have combined for a double-digit K total. The offense did its part as well. Every Sounds batter in the lineup except Dave Krynzel recorded at least one hit as Nashville churned out a season-high 19 knocks. The Sounds had six players with a multi-hit night. Four of those players recorded three hits in tonight?s contest: Nelson Cruz, Jermaine Clark, Brent Abernathy, and Chris Barnwell. The Nashville bats first struck in the bottom of the second with three runs off RedHawks starter Jon Leicester (0-1), who took the loss. Clark led the inning off with a single and was followed but by a sacrifice bunt courtesy of Abernathy. Abernathy reached first on a RedHawks error, which allowed Clark to advance to second. The next two batters followed up with two hits to give the Sounds three runs. Nelson Cruz had a red-hot night at the plate going 3-for-4. In the bottom of the sixth, he added a little salt on the RedHawks? wound with a two-run shot that just missed the handle of the guitar-shaped scoreboard. Cruz?s home run was his second of the year. Cruz?s other two hits of the game were both doubles driven to the wall. The slugger added three RBIs to his stats, giving him a season total of seven. On Saturday evening, the Sounds play game two of the four-game series against the RedHawks. First pitch is slated for 6 p.m. with right-hander Dennis Sarfate (0-0, 2.25) taking the mound to face RedHawks knuckleballer and Nashville native R.A. Dickey (1-0, 3.38). Prior to the game, members of the 2005 Pacific Coast League champion Sounds squad will receive their championship rings in an on-field ceremony. AUDIO: Brad Nelson Two-Run Double -- www.nashvillesounds.com/a...204-14.wma Nashville Box Score: Mike Rivera clearly established as the primary catcher ahead of Mark Johnson now... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...p;did=milb Nashville Game Log: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_nasaaa_1

Nashville Pre-Game Audio Chat with Sounds GM Glenn Yaeger: www.nashvillesounds.com/a...204-14.wma

Link while active, text follows: www.registerbee.com/servl...7835367448 Where there's a Will there's a K By DREW WILSON Danville Register & Bee sports editor GREENSBORO, N.C. - Will Inman?s bulldog mentality on the mound helped Tunstall win back-to-back state championships and earned him a spot in the state record books with 598 career strikeouts. It also got him drafted by the Brewers in the third round last year. Now, Inman hopes it gets him to the major leagues one day. The former Trojans? ace is 1-0 with a 2.25 earned run average and 11 strikeouts in eight innings of work this season with the West Virginia Power, the Brewers? Single A team in the South Atlantic League. Last season, Inman went 6-0 with a 2.00 ERA in 45 innings on the mound and struck out 58 while playing for Helena, the rookie league affiliate of Brewers in the Pioneer League. ?I want to go out there and get people out,? Inman said. ?You know from high school, I don?t like to lose and I don?t like to get hit.? His confidence could be mistaken for cockiness, but that?s Inman?s mentality. He expects to get the job done. That?s one of the high points of his makeup, according to West Virginia pitching coach John Curtis. ?He?s a competitor all right,? Curtis said. ?That?s what distinguishes him as a pitcher and that?s going to help in the years to come.? The 19-year-old is the second-youngest player on the Power?s roster, proving that he?s slightly ahead of the curve. ?I guess they consider my to be a better arm as far as the organization goes,? Inman said while on his team?s road trip to Greensboro. ?But it?s not really about playing in the minors. The idea is not to just get to the majors, but be an all-star in the major leagues. I still have a lot of learning to do.? Inman?s delivery is one area Curtis is trying to improve. ?We?re trying to do some things with his delivery that are a little uncomfortable for him,? Curtis said. ?We?re trying to get his arm a little higher so he can go through the ball a little better.? The adjustment hasn?t been easy. ?It?s kind of a tough thing - it?s a deceptive thing at the plate for hitters, especially right-handers because I?m coming at them and going back across,? Inman said of his old delivery. ?At the same time, in the long run, it can lead to arm problems. So they kind of want me to get away from it. I tried that a lot in the spring and in the instructional league last fall and it?s kind of messing with my location a little bit and my movement. I?m not getting as much staying on line.? Inman is hoping to find a compromise on the issue. The right-hander had mixed results in his first outing of the year. He struck out six in three innings of work, but also gave up three runs - two earned - and walked two. ?It was a good outing. I wouldn?t say it was a great one,? Inman said. ?I went three innings and (threw) 70 pitches. But that?s 70 pitches. I had two walks and that?s unnecessary. If you?re a professional, you?ve got to be able to throw strikes. I had six strikeouts, but I was going too deep in the count. I was getting guys 0-2 and 1-2 and they?d foul back three or four pitches. I wasn?t getting that real good put-away pitch. ?That?s something I really need to work on, but it?s a long season. We?ve still got 135 more games left, so it?s nothing really to worry about.? Inman likely will remain in West Virginia for the entire season. ?Our philosophy with the Brewers is the longer that a kid spends in A ball, the more he learns,? Curtis said. ?I don?t think Will, right now, is projecting to be a guy that?s going to skip through the system. Of course, a lot depends. If he reels off 13 in a row, he?s probably shown he can compete and burn up this league and needs to move up to another level.? That doesn?t seem to bother Inman. ?I think I?m on a good track as far as how I?m moving through,? Inman said. ?I?m not going too fast. They don?t want to push me too hard or too fast. They are just looking out at my arm and my future.? If his future is anywhere close to his past, opposing hitters should beware. Inman finished his high school career with not only the state strikeout record, but the career wins record with 42. Although he had a full ride to play college baseball for Auburn, Inman remains pleased with his choice to turn pro. ?I feel like it was the better choice for me,? he said. ?Not that I wasn?t a big school guy, but it?s so much easier playing this game when all you have to focus on is this game. There are so many aspects that people don?t know about as far as the littlest stuff you could ever think about. Just being able to focus on it every point every single day makes you that much better. If you are in college, you?ve got to worry about the field as much as you have to worry about passing classes. There is so much stuff in college that can get you off-track. I feel like I chose the right path.?