MassBrew

Yeah, I want Glendon Rusch back because Neifi Perez deserves to hit at least one HR every year. Un-freakinbelievable. Tighten your seat belt here in the 8th. Dear God.

Congrats, Richie -- two bombs for another 40-HR season. And awesome defense from all through four, especially Richie. Two outs, man on third in the first, Helms behind him -- thanks, Mr. Ponson, for pitching to Richie. What a horse Richmond is. Expect an off-season of more 60+ post threads on the "trade Richie" issue.

Heck, wouldn't most of us settle for just being competitive today? That'd be a pleasant change.

Saturday's Daily Menu : Here's hoping this is the final Link Report for 2003! HUNTSVILLE: RHP Pedro Liriano at Carolina (Marlins), 6:15 PM - pre-game at 6:00 PM; Stars lead best-of-five, 2-1 Audio link: espn1450.com/

David Weiser's www.starsboxscore.com Huntsville Update: INTO THE MISTBringing a split into Five County Stadium, the Stars were ready to face the toughest starter on Carolina's staff, Donnie Bridges. Less than a month ago on August 21, Bridges gave up just 2 hits in 7 innings to beat the Stars 2-0......... Bridges, a 1st round draft pick by the Expos in 1997, and a former #4 prospect in their organizaion, finished 4th among Southern League ERA leaders this season........ He's a power pitcher, but he also led the league by issuing 70 walks. If the Stars were going to win, they would have to capitalize on that weakness and make Bridges throw a lot of pitches. Until Game 2 vs. Carolina, the Stars hadn't shown much patience at the plate, but it helped them get a couple of runs, so this was especially the time to try it......... Alejandro Machado led off with a walk on five pitches, then reached second on a passed ball, but he was left there after Corey Hart struck out on a slider, but the Stars were patient, forcing Bridges to throw 20 pitches in the 1st........ It was going to look like a tough night for the Stars though, as Bridges settled in and worked a no-hitter going into the 6th inning......... They had a scoring chance in the 4th when Bridges walked two men, but Dave Krynzel was caught off 2nd on a pickoff and retired by Billy Hall to end the inning for the Stars. The Stars hadn't seen this kind of weather since April. Some players may have wished they had brought their sleeves ...... The wind was blowing out strongly to right, sending a mist with it, cooling the temperature to the low 60s. Anything hit to left was going to die........ Stan Kyles' game plan for Jason Shelley was to go with breaking balls and hope his splitter was on target as much as possible to throw them off-balance. The Mudcats, up and down, are outstanding fast ball hitters....... Shelley would have trouble keeping the Mudcats off the bases early, though, giving up three hits to the first four batters to face him in the game. In the 2nd inning, Josh Willingham singled and stole second on a 2-2 pitch to Matt Padgett, moved to third on a wild pitch, then came home on as Chip Ambres worked a rundown play long enough to get Willingham to cross home plate to make it 1-0. With one out In the 4th, Ambres drove a 2-2 fastball through the mist and into the teeth of the wind to left field to make it 3-0....... Carolina had control of this ballgame........ But not for long. Donnie Bridges had a no-hitter going into the top of the 6th, but he had also thrown 88 pitches by now. It was only a matter of time before the Stars would get to him, or manager Tracy Woodson would get to Bridges....... With his first delivery to pinch-hitter Chris Barnwell leading off, he hit him on the elbow. In the next seven pitches, the Stars had assembled three doubles and a pair of runs, ending not just the no-hitter, but the shutout......... Machado hit a rocket down the right field line over the outstretched arm of Matt Padgett......... With runners on 2nd and 3rd, Krynzel then hit the first pitch to him down the right field line to the corner making it 3-2 Mudcats........ J.J. Hardy then ripped a 2-1 breaking ball down into the left field corner, tying the game 3-3........ Hart, looking for his first RBI of the post-season, hit a ball to shallow right field, sending Hardy on a risky race to third. It was just a lazy pop-up, not deep enough, but the throw from Padgett was not in time as the wind kept backing Padgett up near the line.......... Bridges was done and manager Tracy Woodson brought in Sean Fesh with one out. Fesh struck out Brandon Gemoll, but walked Noochie Varner and Brad Nelson to load the sacks for Mike Kremblas. Kremblas is more valuable to the team as a handler of pitchers than as an offensive threat, but he's had his moments this year......... Biggest among them was an 11th inning, one-out single that scored Daryl Clark to beat Mobile, 5-4, May 31, but this, I'm sure Kremblas would say, was bigger.......... Kremblas, who stands inside the plate, was looking to just take one for the team and drive in the lead run. He led the Stars this year with 12 HBPs this year, the most since 2000......... 1-for-12 in the series, Kremblas ripped a 2-1 pitch to center for a tie-breaking two-run single to center....... Earlier in the week, he was torn between going to a wedding and staying with the team. Kremblas chose to stay, and it was the right decision. (That's probably why Charlie Lozada had joined the team in Huntsville, but he's remained as a bullpen catcher.)......... Hardy made it 6-3 with an RBI double in the 7th........ The Mudcats made this exciting to the end, though. Carolina had the tying run at the plate with two outs in the 8th and 9th, but the Stars' bullpen slammed the door, while getting spectacular defense from second baseman Machado, who risked serious injury when he leaped over a wall into a protective net that separates the first few rows of seats near the bullpen, to hang onto a foul ball to end the 8th, and Varner, who raced to the warning track to get Jesus Medrano's deep fly to right to end the game......... The Stars owe a lot to their incredible defense for getting them this far, but the bullpen in the post-season has just been unbeatable, giving up only two runs on 13 hits in 27 2/3 innings, for an 0.65 ERA, and without having to dig out box scores, I would say that's the best performance ever by a Huntsville bullpen in the post-season. A lot of unusual things happened in the outfield tonight, in addition to Machado's heart-stopping catch in the 8th......... The Stars nearly had runners on first and second with nobody out in the 1st after Chris Aguila had to make a sliding catch on a fly ball by Krynzel. The ball went out to Ambres, but he, for some reason, lost sight of it and Aguila had to save him....... In the 3rd inning, a ball hit by Hall fell in between Krynzel and Varner, a miscommunication you just never saw during the season, let alone to two of the finest defensive outfielders in the league. The Stars are just one game away now from winning the Southern League Championship, which could be their fourth, counting the one they had to share with Jacksonville in 2001......... They are winning this the way they have won games all season, with timely RBI hits, tough pitching, and a dependable, and sometimes highlight-reel defense.......... Saturday is Pedro Liriano's moment, his chance to glow. Despite a 13-loss season, he's probably the one I feel most comfortable with when it comes down to the game that counts the most. He authored a pair of scoreless outings in late July over Tennessee and Chattanooga. He's been victimized by a lot of unearned runs during the season, but that's just bad luck and not a lack of skill. I like his poise......... In the clutch in Game 4 vs. Birmingham, he threw five scoreless, if not shaky innings to help the Stars win 3-0........ Carolina will go with Nic Ungs (0-0, 1.29)......... In 1994, the year the Stars won their last championship in which there was a Championship Series, the Stars lost the first game, then took the remaining three. Hardy's pair of doubles in this game gives him four for the post-season --- a Stars post-season record. J.J. is also hitting .290 in the playoffs........ Hart, the league's MVP, still has not driven in a run in the post-season and is 0-for-his-last-15 at-bats.......... Krynzel has broken out of an 0-for-15 start and gone 6-for-16 with six runs scored in his last four games.

Huntsville Times Game Story: Pretty cool that Mark McCarter traveled with the team... www.al.com/stars/huntsvil...120370.xml After reading that, you wonder if catcher Charlie Lozada was in town just in case Mike Kremblas had chosen to leave the club for the wedding party he was scheduled to be in...

Huntsville Box Score: GAME DATE: 9/12/03 HUNTSVILLE 6 AT CAROLINA 3 YTD YTD HUNTSVILLE AB R H BI AVG CAROLINA AB R H BI AVG A.Machado 2B 4 1 1 0 .172 B.Hall 3B 5 0 2 0 .152 D.Krynzel CF 4 2 2 2 .194 J.Medrano 2B 5 0 1 0 .161 J.Hardy SS 4 1 2 2 .290 C.Aguila LF 4 0 1 0 .250 C.Hart 3B 4 0 0 0 .179 J.Willingham 1B 1 2 1 0 .391 B.Gemoll 1B 4 0 0 0 .200 M.Padgett RF 4 0 1 0 .190 N.Varner RF 3 1 0 0 .241 C.Ambres CF 3 1 2 2 .263 B.Nelson LF 3 0 0 0 .143 D.Niles SS 3 0 0 0 .200 M.Kremblas CAT 3 0 1 2 .154 B.Harper CAT 4 0 0 0 .125 J.Shelley PIT 1 0 0 0 .000 D.Bridges PIT 2 0 0 0 .000 C.Barnwell PH 1 1 0 0 .273 S.Fesh PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 R.Miller PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Fuell PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 D.Clark PH 1 0 0 0 .000 P.Magness PH 1 0 0 0 .222 B.Adams PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 C.House PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 M.Parker PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Cueto PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 C.Ashby PH 0 0 0 0 .455 TOTALS 32 6 6 6 TOTALS 32 3 8 2 HUNTSVILLE 0 0 0 0 0 5 1 0 0- 6 6 0 CAROLINA 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 0- 3 8 2 E--B.Hall, D.Niles. DP--HUNTSVILLE 0, CAROLINA 1. LOB--HUNTSVILLE 6, CAROLINA 8. 2B--A.Machado (1), D.Krynzel (1), J.Hardy 2 (4), B.Hall (1). HR--C.Ambres (1). SB--N.Varner (4), J.Willingham (1). CS--A.Machado, D.Krynzel, J.Medrano, C.Ambres. HBP--C.Barnwell. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA HUNTSVILLE J.Shelley (W,1-1) 5.0 5 3 3 3 5 1 5.06 R.Miller 2.0 1 0 0 1 3 0 0.00 B.Adams 1.2 2 0 0 2 1 0 4.91 M.Parker (S,1) 0.1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 CAROLINA D.Bridges (L,1-1) 5.1 3 4 4 3 7 0 4.50 S.Fesh 0.2 1 1 1 2 1 0 2.53 J.Fuell 1.0 2 1 1 0 0 0 13.50 C.House 1.0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0.00 J.Cueto 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 4.50 HB--D.Bridges. WP--J.Shelley 2. PB--B.Harper. SO--A.Machado, D.Krynzel, C.Hart 2, B.Gemoll 3, B.Nelson, J.Shelley, D.Clark, C.Aguila 2, M.Padgett 2, D.Niles 2, B.Harper 2, D.Bridges. BB--A.Machado, D.Krynzel, J.Hardy, N.Varner, B.Nelson, M.Kremblas, J.Willingham 3, C.Ambres, D.Niles, C.Ashby. T--3:01. A--1888

Huntsville Site Game Summary: Mike Kremblas in the accompanying photo... www.huntsvillestars.com/s...newsId=332

Friday's Daily Menu : How convenient that the Brewers are on the West Coast; all ears should be on this one with Robert Portnoy's pre-game show coming at you at 6:00 PM Central! HUNTSVILLE: RHP Jason Shelley at Carolina (Marlins), 6:15 PM; best-of-five tied, 1-1 Audio link: espn1450.com/

Beloit Daily News Game Story: Thanks for the season-long coverage, guys... www.beloitdailynews.com/903/snap12.htm

Beloit Site Game Summary and Player of the Game Info: Thanks to Beloit management for putting together this very detailed report... www.snappersbaseball.com/...me_id=1219 Beloit Box Score: Thanks, Snappers, for a fine season! GAME DATE: 9/11/03 LANSING 4 AT BELOIT 2 (EXTRA INNINGS) YTD YTD LANSING AB R H BI AVG BELOIT AB R H BI AVG F.Pie CF 3 0 0 1 .429 K.Bibbs LF 5 0 3 1 .323 B.Coats SS 4 1 2 0 .348 C.Crabbe DH 2 0 1 0 .440 P.O'Toole RF 3 0 1 1 .182 T.Gwynn CF 4 1 0 0 .333 C.McGehee 3B 5 0 1 1 .188 P.Fielder 1B 4 0 1 0 .394 B.Dopirak DH 4 1 2 1 .333 R.Weeks 2B 4 0 2 1 .185 C.Walker PR 0 0 0 0 .333 T.Hinton RF 3 0 0 0 .261 J.Fox CAT 0 0 0 0 .235 M.Mendez PH 1 0 0 0 .000 M.Creighton 1B 4 0 0 0 .200 M.Mendez RF 1 0 0 0 .000 J.Reyes CAT 4 0 1 0 .263 J.Vanden Ber CAT 5 0 1 0 .211 N.Jones PR 0 1 0 0 .500 J.Eure 3B 5 1 3 0 .263 R.Chirinos 2B 4 1 1 0 .133 C.Terni SS 3 0 0 0 .214 K.Butler LF 4 0 2 0 .333 J.Baker PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 R.Cherry PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 T.Bausher PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 R.O'Malley PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Alliston PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Wylie PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 B.Hall PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 35 4 10 4 TOTALS 37 2 11 2 LANSING 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2- 4 10 1 BELOIT 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0- 2 11 1 E--R.Cherry, C.Terni. DP--LANSING 1, BELOIT 2. LOB--LANSING 6, BELOIT 12. 2B--B.Dopirak (2). HR--B.Dopirak (1). SB--B.Coats (1), P.O'Toole (1), C.McGehee (1), K.Bibbs (4), R.Weeks (2). CS--K.Butler, R.Weeks. HBP--P.O'Toole, T.Gwynn. SF--F.Pie, P.O'Toole. SH--C.Crabbe, C.Terni. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA LANSING R.Cherry 5.0 6 2 1 2 4 0 3.60 R.O'Malley (W,2-0) 4.0 5 0 0 1 2 0 1.13 J.Wylie (S,4) 1.0 0 0 0 1 1 0 1.50 BELOIT J.Baker 6.0 5 2 2 0 6 1 1.59 T.Bausher 2.0 2 0 0 1 2 0 13.50 J.Alliston 1.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1.93 B.Hall (L,0-1) 1.0 2 2 0 1 1 0 1.69 HB--R.Cherry, J.Baker. SO--B.Coats, C.McGehee 2, B.Dopirak 2, M.Creighton 2, J.Reyes, R.Chirinos, K.Bibbs, P.Fielder, R.Weeks, T.Hinton, M.Mendez, C.Terni 2. BB--F.Pie, B.Coats, C.Crabbe 2, P.Fielder, R.Weeks. T--3:09. A--904

Huntsville Times Game Story: Quotes galore... www.al.com/stars/huntsvil...271200.xml

Thursday's Daily Menu : HUNTSVILLE: Idle until Friday; that nine-hour bus ride today must have been so much more fun after Wednesday's result BELOIT: RHP Jason Baker at home vs. Lansing (Cubs), 7:00 PM, -- no web audio; Lugnuts lead best-of-five, 2-0 Beloit Site Jason Baker Profile Page: www.snappersbaseball.com/...p?pid=1002 There is local audio for those of you in the Beloit/Rockville stateline area... www.snappersbaseball.com/...6e5ea7cd27

Huntsville Site Game Summary: Kade Johnson in the accompanying photo... www.huntsvillestars.com/s...newsId=330

David Weiser's www.starsboxscore.com Huntsville Update: KADE ENDS CHARITY CALLIt was a game to remember as a cap-off of the 2003 home season for the Huntsville Stars! For the second time in the history of Joe Davis Stadium, the Stars won a playoff game with a "walkoff" homer, and the Stars set two playoff records en route to a much necessary victory in Game 2 of the Southern League Championship Series vs. Carolina. It was a game of missed opportunities like you've never seen before........ Although there were only 12 hits combined, both teams left a total of 22 runners on base. The Stars left 15, one shy of a club record in their playoff history. Three times they loaded the bases with two runs to show for it. Had this scenario existed in the first half of the season, the Stars would have scored 20 runs off Carolina........ The Mudcats were more charitable than Rockefeller, but the Stars had trouble using the gift package of 10 walks, 2 hit batters, 6 errors, and 6 hits (until Kade Johnson's HR)........ With runners on second and third in the 2nd inning and starter Jeff Housman at bat, manager Frank Kremblas put the squeeze on, even though Housman had two strikes on him. The squeeze was perfectly placed in front of the plate and Noochie Varner, who was going on the 1-2 count, scored to give the Stars a 1-0 lead....... The Stars later loaded the bases, but J.J. Hardy hit into a 6-4 force play to end the 2nd. Housman had retired seven straight hitters, when in the top of the 4th, the Mudcats hit three hard balls off him....... Leadoff hitter Chris Aguila took Brad Nelson to the track, but Josh Willingham, cheered on once again by fans who drove an hour and a half from Florence, doubled off the Gibson's BBQ sign in left field........ Next, Chris Ashby, whose last home run was on July 22, lined a 2-2 pitch for a home run to left field. It was the first HR given up by a Stars pitcher in the post-season since Brian Adams served one up to Juan Piniella in Game One vs. Birmingham. Down 2-1 in the 5th, the Stars squandered another chance........ A double play ball by Dave Krynzel erased Alejandro Machado's leadoff single, but Hardy reached on a two-base fielding error by Chip Ambres in center. Tony Moser had Corey Hart 2-and-2, then hit him in the back with a pitch and Brandon Gemoll drew a walk to load the bases....... Varner, however, struck out on a 2-2 slider to end the inning. The Mudcats took a 4-1 lead after six after Housman walked Aguila and Willingham singled to left........ That was all for Housman, who threw 78 pitches, 47 for strikes (60.2%)....... Facing Ken Ray, Chris Ashby laid his first pitch down on the third base side to move the runners. They moved a little better than the Stars would have liked after Corey threw the ball away, striking Ashby. Aguila scored and Willingham went to third, Ashby going to second......... Ambres then hit a 1-2 pitch to right field, not deep, but deep enough to score Willingham and send Ashby to third........ The Mudcats left runners on first and third when Ray struck out pinch-hitter Pat Magness. While the Stars clawed their way back, Dave Nolasco and Chris Saenz combined to strike out six Mudcat hitters in four innings of perfect no-hit relief....... Nolasco, making his first post-season appearance for the Stars, struck out Ashby and Ambres on curve balls in the 8th and Saenz' slider was outstanding, using that pitch to get his four Ks......... An error, one of three by Ryan Jorgensen, put Machado on base, followed by a walk to Krynzel to start the Stars' half of the 7th inning........ Sean Fesh tried to pick off Krinkles as Kremblas called for the double steal. First baseman Willingham took a wide throw by Fesh and threw to Billy Hall at 3rd base, but Hall let the ball get by him and Machado scored, Krynzel going all the way to third........ Hardy then hit the hardest hit ball in the game since the 4th inning, sending a 2-2 pitch near the right field line for an RBI double....... Corey laid down his first sacrifice bunt of the whole season to move J.J. to third but Fesh settled down, and despite a walk and stolen base to Varner, struck out Gemoll on a slider and Nelson on a 2-2 fastball. Do-it-or-die time in the 9th....... Carolina manager Tracy Woodson stuck with Fesh, their tough set-up man for Mike Flannery........ Actually, the Stars have had a tougher time this season hitting Fesh (3-for-15) than Flannery, who the Stars scored off of twice in Game One......... Fesh grazed Krynzel's uniform on a 1-2 pitch and he was awarded 1st base to leadoff the 9th. After Hardy flied out to center for the first out, Krynzel stole second on a 1-1 pitch to Hart, then took third on an overthrow from Jorgensen, his 3rd error of the game........ Gemoll up with the tying run on third. He hits an 0-1 pitch to Willingham, who holds on to the ball while Krynzel scores........ Gemoll is retired at first, but Willingham's loss of sanity on the play costs the Mudcats, as Hart moved to second on the play....... Mike Flannery is brought in to pitch to the right-hander Varner. He walks Noochie on five pitches, then gives way to Franklin Gracesqui who'll face the batter he arguably struck out to end Game One....... Varner steals 2nd without a throw from Jorgensen as Gracesqui works to Nelson, but this time, he loses him and Nelson walks on a full count........ Kade Johnson, 1-for-15 to this point in the post-season hits a 1-2 pitch to Jesus Medrano, who takes the ball on the short hop and goes to first to send the game into extra innings. More tomorrow. I gotta go. Thanks, David -- we know how it ends up, but we'll look forward to your account of those final innings and Kade's blast...

Huntsville Box Score: GAME DATE: 9/10/03 CAROLINA 4 AT HUNTSVILLE 5 (EXTRA INNINGS) YTD YTD CAROLINA AB R H BI AVG HUNTSVILLE AB R H BI AVG B.Hall 3B 6 0 0 0 .107 A.Machado 2B 5 1 2 0 .160 J.Medrano 2B 5 0 0 0 .154 D.Krynzel CF 3 2 0 0 .148 C.Aguila RF 4 1 0 0 .250 J.Hardy SS 5 0 2 1 .259 J.Willingham 1B 4 2 2 0 .364 C.Hart 3B 3 0 0 0 .208 C.Ashby LF 4 1 2 2 .455 B.Gemoll 1B 5 0 0 1 .231 C.Ambres CF 4 0 0 1 .188 N.Varner RF 4 1 1 0 .269 K.Polcovich SS 4 0 0 0 .125 B.Nelson LF 4 0 1 0 .160 R.Jorgensen CAT 5 0 1 0 .353 K.Johnson CAT 6 1 1 1 .118 T.Moser PIT 2 0 0 0 .000 J.Housman PIT 1 0 0 1 .000 P.Magness PH 1 0 0 0 .250 K.Ray PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 R.Messenger PIT 0 0 0 0 .500 D.Clark PH 1 0 0 0 .000 S.Fesh PIT 1 0 0 0 .000 D.Nolasco PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 M.Flannery PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 C.Barnwell PH 1 0 0 0 .286 F.Gracesqui PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 C.Saenz PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 C.House PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 M.Kremblas PH 1 0 0 0 .100 D.Niles PH 0 0 0 0 .286 M.Adams PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Cueto PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 40 4 5 3 TOTALS 39 5 7 4 CAROLINA 0 0 0 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0- 4 5 6 HUNTSVILLE 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 0 0 1- 5 7 2 E--B.Hall, C.Ambres, K.Polcovich, R.Jorgensen 3, A.Machado, C.Hart. DP--CAROLINA 2, HUNTSVILLE 0. LOB--CAROLINA 7, HUNTSVILLE 15. 2B-- J.Willingham (4), J.Hardy (2). HR--C.Ashby (2), K.Johnson (1). SB--J.Medrano (1), A.Machado 3 (4), D.Krynzel (1), C.Hart (1), N.Varner 2 (3). HBP--D.Krynzel, C.Hart. SF--C.Ambres. SH--C.Ashby, D.Niles, C.Hart, J.Housman. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA CAROLINA T.Moser 5.0 4 1 1 4 7 0 8.53 R.Messenger 1.0 2 2 1 1 0 0 1.35 S.Fesh 2.2 0 1 1 2 4 0 1.80 M.Flannery 0.0 0 0 0 1 0 0 4.91 F.Gracesqui 1.0 0 0 0 2 1 0 0.00 C.House 1.1 0 0 0 0 4 0 0.00 J.Cueto (L,0-1) 0.0 1 1 1 0 0 1 9.00 HUNTSVILLE J.Housman 5.0 3 4 3 3 4 1 2.25 K.Ray 1.0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0.00 D.Nolasco 2.0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0.00 C.Saenz 2.0 0 0 0 0 4 0 0.00 M.Adams (W,1-0) 2.0 2 0 0 0 3 0 0.00 HB--T.Moser, S.Fesh. SO--B.Hall, J.Medrano, J.Willingham, C.Ashby, C.Ambres 2, K.Polcovich 4, R.Jorgensen 2, P.Magness, S.Fesh, D.Krynzel 2, C.Hart 3, B.Gemoll 2, N.Varner 2, B.Nelson 3, K.Johnson 2, J.Housman, C.Barnwell. BB--J.Medrano, C.Aguila, J.Willingham, K.Polcovich, A.Machado, D.Krynzel 2, J.Hardy, C.Hart, B.Gemoll, N.Varner 2, B.Nelson 2. T--3:55. A--1221

Beloit Box Score: Rickie Weeks hitting .130 in seven post-season games... GAME DATE: 9/10/03 BELOIT 2 AT LANSING 3 YTD YTD BELOIT AB R H BI AVG LANSING AB R H BI AVG K.Bibbs LF 4 0 2 0 .269 F.Pie CF 3 1 0 0 .480 C.Crabbe DH 3 0 1 0 .435 B.Coats SS 3 0 2 1 .316 T.Gwynn CF 3 0 0 0 .385 C.McGehee 3B 5 0 0 0 .185 P.Fielder 1B 3 1 2 0 .414 B.Dopirak 1B 4 0 2 1 .304 R.Weeks 2B 3 0 0 0 .130 M.Creighton 1B 0 0 0 0 .250 J.Vanden Ber CAT 4 0 1 0 .214 J.Fox DH 4 0 1 0 .235 J.Eure 3B 4 1 1 0 .143 R.Chirinos 2B 4 0 0 0 .091 M.Mendez RF 2 0 0 0 .000 J.Reyes CAT 3 1 1 0 .267 T.Hinton PH 1 0 1 1 .300 J.Johnson RF 2 1 1 0 .389 C.Terni SS 4 0 0 0 .240 C.Walker RF 1 0 1 0 .333 L.Pena PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 K.Butler LF 4 0 1 1 .304 C.Breslow PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 A.Sisco PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 F.Martin PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 W.O'Brien PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 B.Benik PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Wylie PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 31 2 8 1 TOTALS 33 3 9 3 BELOIT 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1- 2 8 1 LANSING 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 X- 3 9 0 E--C.Terni. DP--BELOIT 0, LANSING 2. LOB--BELOIT 7, LANSING 12. 2B--K.Bibbs (1), J.Eure (1). SB--J.Johnson (1), K.Butler (1). HBP-- R.Weeks. SH--C.Crabbe, B.Coats. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA BELOIT L.Pena (L,0-2) 5.0 5 1 0 2 5 0 4.05 C.Breslow 1.0 2 2 2 2 1 0 27.00 F.Martin 2.0 2 0 0 1 2 0 0.00 LANSING A.Sisco (W,1-0) 6.1 6 1 0 0 3 0 0.00 W.O'Brien 0.1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0.00 B.Benik 1.1 0 0 0 2 1 0 0.00 J.Wylie (S,3) 1.0 2 1 1 0 0 0 1.80 HB--A.Sisco. WP--L.Pena, C.Breslow, W.O'Brien. PB--J.Reyes. SO-- K.Bibbs, C.Crabbe, C.Terni 2, F.Pie, C.McGehee, J.Fox 2, R.Chirinos 2, J.Reyes 2. BB--T.Gwynn, P.Fielder, M.Mendez, F.Pie 2, B.Coats, J.Reyes, J.Johnson. T--2:29. A--1704

Beloit Game Summary (Lansing Site): LANSING -- The Lansing Lugnuts remained undefeated in the 2003 postseason Wednesday night and crept to within one game of the Midwest League championship with a 3-2 win over the Beloit Snappers at Oldsmobile Park. Lansing starter Andrew Sisco pitched an outstanding game and the team played error-free defense that at times was sparkling. The club needs to win just one of three games at Beloit's Pohlman Field to bring home the city's first championship since 1997. Sisco and Beloit starter Luis Pena battled scorelessly through four innings, allowing only a handful of hits. Lansing finally broke the silence in the fifth as Pena tired. In that inning, Keith Butler, who had reached on an error by Beloit shortstop Chas Terni, was tagged out at the plate on a contact play for the second out of the frame, but Brian Dopirak followed with a clutch single to take the 1-0 lead. Beloit made a bid to even it up in the sixth when leadoff man Kennard Bibbs dumped a blooper into left. Butler, who has played spectacular defense during the postseason, dove and gloved it, but the ball popped out for a double. Callix Crabbe sacrificed him to second base, and Tony Gwynn followed with a fly ball to left. Butler robbed Gwynn of a sacrifice fly and held the lead for Lansing by gunning down the speedy Bibbs at the plate to end the inning. Lansing rode that momentum and tagged reliever Craig Breslow for two runs in the sixth inning on a Butler single to score Jose Reyes and a run-producing groundout by Buck Coats. Sisco slipped up a bit in the seventh, allowing a leadoff single to Prince Fielder and a one-out single to John Vanden Berg. He also threw a wild pitch in the inning and a Reyes passed ball allowed Fielder to score. But the run stayed unearned to Sisco as relievers Weston O'Brien and B.J. Benik each recorded an out to finish the seventh for him. Sisco finished with 6 1/3 innings of work, allowing six hits and one unearned run. He struck out three and hit a batter. Benik was saved in the seventh when J.J. Johnson made a running catch to end the inning on a drive by Terni. Johnson slammed into the wall and collapsed to the ground with a sore collarbone and shoulder. Johnson is clear to play on Thursday. Benik, who has pitched in all six postseason games, also threw a scoreless eighth inning. In the bottom of the eighth, Lansing put runners at the corners with no outs after singles by Reyes and Chris Walker, but reliever Forrest Martin held them there. In the ninth, Jason Wylie came in to close it out. He allowed a one-out double by Jeff Eure and an ensuing RBI single by pinch-hitter Travis Hinton. But Terni grounded into a 6-4-3 double play to end the game. Lansing will go for the sweep on Thursday and attempt to go a perfect 7-0 in the postseason at Pohlman Field with an 8 p.m. game. Lansing righty Rocky Cherry will match up against Beloit's Jason Baker.

Kade walk-off HR!

In progress: Carolina 4, Huntsville 4, after 10 innings Stars have stranded 15 thru ten innings! Huntsville bullpen (Ray, Nolasco, Saenz) with five shutout innings thus far. Mike Adams now in for Chris Saenz -- Saenz retired all six men he faced, striking out four.

Huntsville now down, 4-1 in the 7th...

Game note from Brewerfan poster "lend d money": I got my final update. We scored a run in the top of the seventh. The inning ended on a deep fly ball by Chas Terni that was grabbed by an outfielder as he banged against the wall. I guess there was some controversy over whether he actually held onto the ball upon his descent. Nonetheless, umpire call him out. The game ended in the ninth when the Snappers had runners on first and second with one out. Weeks ended the game on a ground ball double play ball. Once again the Snapper parent said a main difference in the game was the Lugnuts flawless infield defense vs. our porous infield. Eure was the third baseman tonight and Vandy caught. I was told that Pena did in fact start the game, not Baker. Maybe I'm getting old, but my memory told me it was going to be Baker. At any rate, another one run loss and a sweep at home needed for a championship.

In progress: Carolina (Marlins) 2, Huntsville 1, after five innings SOU 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E - - - - - - - - - - - - CAROLINA 0 0 0 2 0 2 HUNTSVILLE 0 1 0 0 0 1 (END 5) HOME RUNS: CAR - CHRIS ASHBY (2) OFF JEFF HOUSMAN IN THE 4TH

Lansing (Cubs) 3, Beloit 2 Snappers trailing in the best-of-five, 2-0 Beloit Line Score: MID FINAL R H E - - - BELOIT 2 8 1 LANSING 3 9 0

Wow, is Uecker railing on Martnez' wildness tonight. Justified in this case...