battlekow

Final: Brevard County 7, Palm Beach 2Brevard County box score The Manatees staff has been working backwards a lot recently, first with David Riske and now Josh Butler. Butler worked the first two innings, allowing no runs on a hit and a walk, striking out none and getting four ground outs. After that, it was Dan Merklinger taking over and working the last seven innings, giving up two runs on five hits and two walks with six strikeouts. Shawn Zarraga led the charge offensively with three hits, two of them doubles, and four RBI. Kentrail Davis broke out of his hitless skid with a triple, and Erik Komatsu, Josh Prince, and Sergio Miranda all had two hits, with Komatsu adding a walk and Miranda a HBP. Brevard County play-by-play

Final: Tennessee 8, Huntsville 3 (7 innings)Huntsville box score Mark Willinsky entered a 2-2 game in the 6th inning and, many batters and one out later, it was an 8-2 game. Chris Cody started and allowed two runs in five innings on six hits, striking out four and walking none. Lorenzo Cain snapped his three-game post-DL slump with two hits and a walk, but Brett Lawrie went 0-4 to take the doubleheader collar. Caleb Gindl was 0-3. Chris Errecart carried over his success from the first game, going 3-3 with a double. Huntsville play-by-play I'm going to look on the bright side and assume Lawrie made a nifty play here on a deflection: Marquez Smith grounds out, pitcher Chris Cody to second baseman Brett Lawrie to first baseman Chris Errecart. There was an injury delay immediately following, so I'm guessing Cody was shaken up but ultimately fine.

Final: Portland 4, Nashville 3 (7 innings)Sounds drop twinbill opener to Beavers, 4-3 Nashville Sounds NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Nashville Sounds dropped the opener of their Monday doubleheader, falling 4-3 to the visiting Portland Beavers in seven innings. Portland grabbed an early lead in the opener, plating a run against Sounds starter Kameron Loe in the top of the first inning. Sean Kazmar singled with one out and later scored on a Craig Cooper groundout. Nashville rallied to take a 2-1 advantage in the third against Portland starter Josh Geer. With one out, Ray Olmedo doubled to left then came home to tie the contest when Trent Oeltjen followed with an RBI single to right. After a Joe Koshansky single, Adam Heether drove in Oeltjen with an RBI single up the middle. The knock extended Heether's hit streak to eight games. The Beavers took the lead right back in the top of the fourth with a pair of home runs off Loe. Right fielder Mike Baxter, who played collegiately at Vanderbilt, knotted the contest with a leadoff solo homer to left, his third longball of the season. Lance Zawadazki spotted the visitors a 3-2 lead with a two-out solo homer to left-center, his first roundtripper of the year. Drew Anderson, who extended his hitting streak to eight games with a 2-for-3 effort, squared the contest in the bottom of the fourth with an RBI double to right-center that plated Luis Cruz, who singled earlier in the frame. Portland pulled ahead for good in the opener with an unearned run in the top of the sixth. Baxter led off with a single, moved to second on a Loe wild pitch, then scored to make it 4-3 when Olmedo mishandled Cruz's feed to second on a potential inning-ending, double-play grounder off the bat of Zawadzki. Geer (1-3) picked up his first win of the year for Portland in the night's first contest. The right-hander allowed three runs on nine hits over five frames of action. Ernesto Frieri worked a scoreless seventh for the Beavers to nail down his eighth save. Loe (4-2) took the loss for the Sounds after giving up four runs on seven hits in 5 2/3 innings of work. Nashville box scoreJonathan Lucroy didn't play.http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=t556&gid=2010_05_17_poraaa_nasaaa_1&cid=556&t=g_box Nashville play-by-play

Final: Tennessee 9, Huntsville 2 (7 innings)Huntsville box score Mark Rogers tossed five erratic innings, allowing three runs (all earned) on four hits and three walks while only striking out one. He threw 75 pitches, 41 for strikes. He allowed two runs in the first but then kept Tennessee off the board until the 5th, when they put another run across to break a 2-2 tie. Still, the Stars were in the game--until Rogers' "relief" go ahold of it, anyway: Donovan Hand and Jim Henderson allowed six runs over the next two innings to give away the game. For the offense, Caleb Gindl smacked his first homer in awhile and third on the year, while Brett Lawrie and Lorenzo Cain each went 0-3; Cain remains hitless since coming off the DL. Chris Errecart also had a home run. Huntsville play-by-play

McCalvy said Josh Butler was going to start today for the Manatees.

Final: Palm Beach 9, Brevard County 2Brevard County drops opener to Palm Beach Frank Longobardo/Brevard County Manatees The Brevard County Manatees waited through a two-hour rain delay and lost the series opener against the Palm Beach Cardinals 9-2 on Sunday evening at Space Coast Stadium. Manatees starter David Riske, who is on a rehabilitation assignment from Milwaukee, went two innings and allowed five runs, four earned on seven hits in just two innings. Palm Beach plated two more runs in the top of the fifth off of Wily Peralta to take a 7-0 lead. Brevard County scored its first run of the game in the bottom of the inning on a RBI single by Matt Cline. With five innings in the books, the tarp came on the field as both teams sat through a two-hour weather delay. After the delay, Palm Beach picked up another run off of Brandon Ritchie to make it 8-1. Manatees first baseman Sean Halton would drive in Kentrail Davis on a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the sixth for Brevard County's second run of the game. Cline had his second straight multi-hit game as he went 2-for-5 with a RBI. Josh Prince and Halton also had two hits each. Brevard County and Palm Beach will continue their four-game series on Monday night at 7:05 pm at Space Coast Stadium. Brevard County box scorePeralta allowed two runs, both earned, in three innings on four hits. He struck out four, walked none, and hit a batter. Evan Frederickson tossed two scoreless, hitless innings and struck out two, but walked three. Erik Komatsu and Kentrail Davis were each 0-3 with a walk; Davis is now 0 for his last 19, though he's walked five times and been hit by a pitch three times in that span. Shawn Zarraga was 1-3 and was hit by a pitch. Brevard County play-by-play

Carlos Gomez will join Wisconsin on Wednesday as part of his rehab; Josh Butler and Mat Gamel will do the same at Brevard County tomorrow and on Wednesday, respectively.

Final: Wisconsin 3, Beloit 1 Late Rattlers rally is the difference Chris Mehring/Wisconsin Timber Rattlers GRAND CHUTE, WI – The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers scored three times in the bottom of the eighth inning to defeat the Beloit Snappers 3-1 Sunday afternoon at Time Warner Cable Field. Scooter Gennett drove in the go-ahead run during the winning rally to salvage a fine pitching performance by Rattlers starter Kyle Heckathorn. Both starting pitchers were on their game on Sunday. Michael Tonkin, Beloit’s starting pitcher, gave up three hits and struck out six over seven shutout innings. Heckathorn allowed an unearned run in six innings and struck out three. Neither starter – in fact, neither pitching staff – walked a batter. The only blemish against Heckathorn happened in the top of the fourth inning. Brian Dozier started the inning with a single. Steven Liddle followed with a single to center and Dozier was heading for third base. Rattlers centerfielder D’Vontrey Richardson tried to get Dozier, but his throw was wild and wound up in the stands to allow the run to score. The error also sent Liddle to third base. One out later, Richardson got redemption. Josmil Pinto sent a fly ball to centerfield. Liddle tagged and tried to score. Richardson threw a strike to the plate to get Liddle for the third out. Richardson would also play a pivotal part in the winning rally by using his legs. Michael Marseco tripled with one out against reliever Ben Tootle. Erik Miller would be hit by a pitch to put runners at the corners. Richardson sent a grounder to first. Miller was forced at second, but Richardson beat the return throw to first to keep Beloit (22-15) from turning an inning ending double play. Marseco scored on the play to tie the score 1-1. Cutter Dykstra followed with a single to send Richardson to second and set the stage for Gennett’s bat and Richardson’s speed. Gennett lined a 2-0 pitch to right. Angel Morales fielded the ball one hop and came up throwing to the plate. In the second game of the doubleheader on Friday night, Morales had made a similar play in the bottom of the ninth and threw out Dykstra at the plate to keep the game tied 1-1. It was a different story on Sunday afternoon. The throw arrived at home just a beat before Richardson. But, the Rattlers centerfielder made a picture-perfect headfirst slide to the back of the plate to beat the tag and score the go-ahead run for Wisconsin (12-25). A wild pitch by Tootle let Dykstra score an insurance run. Maverick Lasker, who had pitched two scoreless innings of relief in the seventh and eighth, turned the game over to Andre Lamontagne for the ninth. The right-handed closer got the first out, but gave up a single and committed a throwing error on a grounder to the mound that put runners at the corners with one out. Lamontagne regrouped and got Tobias Streich to ground into a game-ending 5-4-3 double play. Wisconsin is off on Monday before returning to action on Tuesday against the Peoria Chiefs, the Midwest League affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. The Rattlers have Nick Bucci (1-1, 2.03) as the scheduled starting pitcher. Peoria manager and former UW-Oshkosh Titan Casey Kopitzke plans to send Rob Whitenack (2-2, 5.91) to the hill. Game time is 6:35pm. Tuesday is a 105.7WAPL Bang for Your Buck Night with soda, hotdogs, and Miller Beer is available for $1. It is also College Night, which means that college students with a valid college ID may purchase a reserved seat or general admission ticket for $1. Additionally, it is a KRAFT Singles Tuesday Night Tickets. Fans who bring in a KRAFT Singles package wrapper and purchase one reserved seat will receive a second reserved seat free. If you can’t make it out to Time Warner Cable Field, you can tune in to AM1280, WNAM for the broadcast starting with the Miller Lite Pregame Show at 6:15pm Wisconsin box scoreWell, that's a relief. The Rattlers didn't have a hit until Marseco's 6th-inning single; in fact, Tonkin had faced the minimum up to that point, the only baserunner having been Richardson, who reached on an error to lead off the 4th and was promptly picked off. This game was actually pretty much D'Vontrey Richardson's season in a nutshell: no hits, two strikeouts, a baserunning mistake, a defensive miscue, but also some stirring moments hinting at his potential: the speed, the throw, the slide. Marseco was the only Rattler with multiple hits; Khris Davis and Cameron Garfield joined Dykstra and Gennett with one hit, while Chris Dennis went 0-3. Heckathorn continues to demonstrate unusually good control, today throwing 53 of his 73 pitches for strikes. Wisconsin play-by-play The winning rally: Wisconsin Bottom 8th Peter Fatse flies out to center fielder Aaron Hicks. Michael Marseco triples (2) on a ground ball to right fielder Angel Morales. Erik Miller hit by pitch. D' Vontrey Richardson grounds into a force out, first baseman Steven Liddle to shortstop Brian Dozier. Michael Marseco scores. Erik Miller out at 2nd. D' Vontrey Richardson to 1st. Cutter Dykstra singles on a ground ball to shortstop Brian Dozier. D' Vontrey Richardson to 2nd. Ryan Gennett singles on a fly ball to right fielder Angel Morales. D' Vontrey Richardson scores. Cutter Dykstra to 3rd. Ryan Gennett to 2nd on the throw. With Khristopher Davis batting, wild pitch by Ben Tootle, Cutter Dykstra scores. Ryan Gennett to 3rd. Khristopher Davis strikes out swinging.

Sounds postponed as well. They'll also have a doubleheader tomorrow.

Stars postponed because of rain. Doubleheader tomorrow starting at 5.

Final: Nashville 9, Portland 3Heether powers Sounds past Beavers, 4-3 Nashville Sounds NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Third baseman Adam Heether homered and drove in five runs to lead the Nashville Sounds to a 9-3 victory over the visiting Portland Beavers in front of 9,049 fans on Saturday evening at historic Greer Stadium in the opener of a four-game series. The Sounds (22-13) recorded their fourth win in the last six contests and improved to 7-3 in series openers on the year. Heether (2-for-5) matched Joe Koshansky (May 7 at Albuquerque) for the highest single-game RBI total by a Nashville batter this season and was one of six Sounds hitters with multiple-hit efforts on the night. Nashville got started quickly against Beavers starter Will Inman, taking a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. Josh Anderson, Ray Olmedo, and Trent Oeltjen opened the frame with consecutive singles, the last of which plate Anderson for the game's first run. Portland rallied to grab a 2-1 lead in the second against Sounds starter Chuck Lofgren. The Beavers loaded the bases with one out on a Mike Baxter double sandwiched around a pair of walks. Chris Stewart tied the score with a sacrifice fly to center before Inman helped his own cause with a go-ahead RBI single through the left side of the infield. The Sounds made it a 2-2 game in the home half of the second when Olmedo (3-for-5) blooped an opposite-field, two-out RBI single to left to plate Luis Cruz from second. Heether staked Nashville to a 4-2 lead in the third when he slugged a two-run homer to left-center off Inman, his sixth roundtripper of the year which extended the infielder's hitting streak to a season-best seven games. Koshansky also scored on the blast after being hit by a pitch to open the inning. The Beavers pulled back within a run in the fourth as Lofgren issued a two-out, bases-loaded walk to Luis Durango to force in Aaron Cunningham. Nashville broke the game wide open in the sixth with five runs off Portland reliever Matt Buschmann that increased the lead to 9-3. Heether ripped a bases-loaded, three-run double to the wall in center that increased the Sounds' lead to 7-3. All three runners who scored on the two-bagger reached via walks earlier in the frame. Following yet another walk drawn by a Sounds batter (Drew Anderson), Jonathan Lucroy plated a pair of runs with a double to left-center to conclude the inning's scoring. Lofgren (5-2) picked up his team-leading fifth win of the year after allowing three runs on three hits over five innings of work. He walked six batters and struck out five in his outing. Left-hander Chase Wright followed with four scoreless frames for Nashville to pick up his first save of the year and third of his 10-year career. It was the southpaw's first relief outing of the season and his first overall appearance for the Sounds since May 3rd after being replaced in the rotation by Chris Capuano. Inman (2-1) took his first loss of the year for Portland after he allowed four runs on 11 hits while fanning five batters in his five frames of action. The clubs continue their series with a 2:05 p.m. matinee on Sunday afternoon. Right-hander Kameron Loe (4-1, 2.44) will take the hill for the Sounds to face Portland right-hander Josh Geer (0-3, 4.79). Nashville box score I have to admit, I'm of mixed emotions seeing the Sounds batter around Inman. Lofgren only allowed three fewer baserunners than did Inman; he was lucky to escape with only three runs allowed. Nice to see Heether have a great game (you can listen to the audio from his homer here), and it's great to see Lucroy with two hits, including a double. Nashville play-by-play

Final: Tennessee 8, Huntsville 2Stars bats missing against Smokies Jill Cacic/Huntsville Stars HUNTSVILLE, ALA.- The Huntsville Stars only mustered three hits in a 8-2 final against the first-place Tennessee Smokies Saturday night at Joe Davis Stadium. The Smokies (22-14) got to Stars starting pitcher Michael Bowman (2-4) early on. Tony Campana hit a leadoff single and stole second and third with Marwin Gonzalez at the plate. Ty Wright doubled to second and Blake Lalli followed up with a two-run dinger to make it 4-0. Tennessee added two more runs in the top of the third before the Stars (18-18) even got a hit. Third baseman Brett Lawrie drove in the Stars only two runs on the night, one in the sixth and another in the eighth. Catcher Sean McCraw was the only other Huntsville player to get a hit, going 1-for-2 with a run. The Stars and Smokies play game two of the five-game series tomorrow at 1 p.m. RHP Craig Muschko (1-0, 3.65) will take the mound for the Smokies against the Stars' own right hander Mark Rogers (2-2, 3.96). Huntsville box score Well, at least Lawrie had two hits, one of them a triple. Lorenzo Cain was 0-3 with a walk, and Caleb Gindl was 0-4. Bowman allowed six runs in 2.2 innings on six hits and three walks, striking out three. Huntsville play-by-play It looks like Lawrie could have made a baserunning error here, though admittedly the batted-ball classifications can be iffy: Huntsville Bottom 6th Brent Brewer reaches on fielding error by third baseman Russ Canzler. Lorenzo Cain walks. Brent Brewer to 2nd. Brett Lawrie singles on a fly ball to right fielder Matthew Spencer. Brent Brewer scores. Lorenzo Cain to 2nd. Caleb Gindl pops into double play, shortstop Marwin Gonzalez to first baseman Blake Lalli. Brett Lawrie doubled off 1st. Zelous Wheeler called out on strikes.

Final: Brevard County 6, Daytona 2Errors prove costly in 6-2 loss to Manatees Daytona Cubs DAYTONA BEACH, FL - The Daytona Cubs (14-22) battled late, but the bats were silenced in a 6-2 defeat against the Brevard County Manatees. Michael Fiers (2-3) struck out eleven in six dominant innings for Brevard County to pick up the win. The Manatees struck first with three runs in the top of the second inning. Second baseman Sergio Miranda started the inning off with a single and stole second base. He came home on a single off the bat of designated hitter Shawn Zarraga. Catcher Anderson De La Rosa followed with a walk and set the table for third baseman Matt Cline. Cline doubled to the wall in left to bring both runners in. The Cubs took advantage of a wild pitch in the bottom of the second inning to score one. Right fielder Kyler Burke roped a double to the gap in right-center with one out to get things going. D.J. LeMahieu singled to put runners on the corners. Fiers struck out Mark Reed for the second out and also got Smailey Borges to chase one in the dirt for strike three. The strike-out pitch got away from De La Rosa and Borges safely got to first, while Burke came into score. Brevard County touched up Cubs starter Brooks Raley (0-3) for another run in the fourth inning. Zarraga reached on a one-out walk and moved from first to third as Cubs third baseman Jake Opitz threw away a double-play opportunity into right field. Cline then came through again for the Manatees with a RBI-double down the right field line. The Manatees took advantage of some more Cubs miscues in the top of the fifth inning. Center fielder Kentrail Davis reached on an error by Daytona second baseman David Macias. First baseman Sean Halton then singled to right field and it slipped underneath the glove of Kyler Burke. Davis came all the way around to score from first and gave the Manatees a 5-1 lead. The Daytona Cubs tried to gain ground in the seventh inning when Kyler Burke singled and DJ LeMahieu promptly followed with an RBI double. The D-Cubs left LeMahieu in scoring position and wouldn't get another chance. Brevard County box scoreWow, Mike Fiers. 11 strikeouts and no walks in six innings is one way to get noticed. Cline had an eyepopping performance as well on offense, going 4-5 with two doubles, buoying his season line to .349/.442/.422. He's 24, but that performance should be respected from a right-handed hitter at BC regardless. Davis was 0-4 with a walk, Erik Komatsu 1-4 with a sacrifice, Josh Prince 0-5, and Zarraga 1-2 with two walks. Brevard County play-by-play

Final: Beloit 4, Wisconsin 3Snappers' two out lightning strikes Rattlers Chris Mehring/Wisconsin Timber Rattlers GRAND CHUTE, WI – The Beloit Snappers scored four times with two outs on Saturday afternoon at Time Warner Cable Field. They picked up a 4-3 win over the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. Danny Rams drove in the winning run with a single in the top of the eighth inning. Khris Davis gave the Rattlers (11-24) a 1-0 lead with an RBI single in the bottom of the first inning. Beloit (22-14) tied the game in the third inning. Wang Wei Lin reached on an error to start the frame. Brian Dozier doubled with two outs in the frame to score Lin with the tying run. The Snappers struck again with two outs in the top of the fourth. Anderson Hidalgo was at third and Eric Arnett walked Yosmil Pinto on a 3-2 pitch. An infield single by Lin plated Hidalgo. Aaron Hicks singled on the next pitch to send Pinto home for a 3-1 lead. Arnett tossed five innings, allowed three runs (two earned) on three hits with three walks, and five strikeouts. Wisconsin had opportunities against Beloit starting pitcher Edgar Ibarra after the first inning but did not cross the plate again until the Beloit bullpen took over the game. The Rattlers would even the game with a pair of runs in the sixth and they didn’t have a hit in the inning. Cutter Dykstra walked against reliever Peter Kennelly and took second on a passed ball to start the inning. A grounder sent Dykstra to third base and Michael Marseco walked. That was the end for Kennelly as Dakota Watts took over. Watts induced a grounder to short out of Carlos George that forced Marseco at second. But, the speedy number eight hitter stayed out of the double play by beating the relay to first to allow Dykstra to score. Watts extended the inning by hitting Erik Miller. Then, Watts allowed the tying run to score when D’Vontrey Richardson sent a one-hopper back to the mound. The ball popped out of Watts’ glove and he rushed his throw to first. George scored as the ball caromed off the wall in foul territory. However, the Rattlers would leave the bases loaded in the inning. The game stayed tied until late. Rattlers reliever Hiram Burgos, who took over for Arnett in the sixth, walked Steven Liddle to start the eighth. A sacrifice bunt and a fly ball to right got Liddle around to third base. Burgos got ahead of Rams 0-2. But, the third pitch of the at bat was a two-out single to right-center to drive in Liddle with the run that made the score 4-3. Rams has six RBI in 23 games this season. All six of his RBI are against Wisconsin. The Rattlers had two hits in the eighth and one more in the ninth, but could not even the score. Wisconsin left 13 runners on base in the game and went 1-for-13 with runner in scoring position as they dropped to 2-8 against the Snappers this season. Saturday’s game was also moved Wisconsin’s record in one-run games to 1-10 in 2010. Wisconsin and Beloit wrap up their series on Sunday afternoon. It is a Brewers Sunday presented by 107.5 The Fan. Timber Rattlers players will be wearing jerseys and caps based on those of the 1982 Milwaukee Brewers. Fans may play catch on the field before the game and participate in a post-game autograph session with the players. Time Warner Cable subscribers may bring in their bill and receive up to four half priced reserve seat tickets. Kyle Heckathorn (1-3, 5.12) is the scheduled starter for Wisconsin. Beloit will send Michael Tonkin (0-1, 6.75) to the hill. Game time is 1:05pm. If you can’t make it to the game, you can listen to the game on AM 1280, WNAM. The broadcast starts at 12:45pm with the Miller Lite Pregame Show. Wisconsin box score Arnett deserved better, as two iffy plays by George cost him. The first, an error in the 3rd, led to an unearned run. Then, in the 4th, George threw errantly to second for what have been the last out of the inning, allowing another run to score and keeping the inning alive for Aaron Hicks, who singled in another run on the next pitch. George wasn't charged with an error since he made a nice play just getting to the ball, but it sounded like a throw that should have been made. It would be one thing if George was an excellent defensive shortstop pushing Scooter Gennett to second base, but that doesn't appear to be the case. After walking two in the 1st, Arnett didn't walk another until the 4th, and that was after a lengthy battle that saw him battle back gamely from a 3-0 count. On offense, Richardson finished 1-4 with a triple and a walk and also made a nice diving catch to save a run in the 7th. Gennett was 2-4 with a walk (if Lawrie is Mr. 1-4, Gennett is Mr. 2-4). Davis and Dykstra were each 1-3, the former with two walks and the latter with one, while Cameron Garfield was 0-5. Wisconsin play-by-play

Forearm stiffness likely to delay Jeffress' return Adam McCalvy/MLB.com Suspended Brewers pitching prospect Jeremy Jeffress is eligible for reinstatement on Friday but his return to the mound will probably be delayed by a minor arm injury, assistant general manager Gord Ash said. Barring any rainouts at Class A Brevard County in the coming days, Jeffress' 100-game ban expires on May 21. He might have been able to hit the ground running at Brevard County if not for a bout of tightness in his right forearm that developed last week at extended Spring Training camp in Phoenix. Jeffress, Milwaukee's first-round pick in the 2006 Draft, was suspended last June under the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program, his third failed test for a "drug of abuse." One more violation would result in a lifetime ban. Unlike the Major League program, which strictly adheres to performance-enhancing drugs and amphetamines, Minor League players also can be suspended for using drugs like marijuana, cocaine and others. Jeffress has admitted in the last that he had a problem with marijuana, but he has been through a series of treatment programs during his suspension and has fulfilled all of his obligations, according to Ash. "He has been very, very good about it," Ash said. Jeffress will resume his career at Brevard County when he's ready, and the Brewers would like to promote him to Double-A Huntsville at some point soon thereafter. Club officials will face a decision after the season, when Jeffress must be placed on the 40-man roster or be exposed to the Rule 5 Draft.

OF Adam Stern was optioned to Nashville and RHP John Axford recalled to Milwaukee. RHP Mike McClendon was also promoted from Huntsville to Nashville.

I laughed at that too. We need to get out more.

Final: Beloit 2, Wisconsin 1 (10 innings)Extra innings unkind to Wisconsin Chris Mehring/Wisconsin Timber Rattlers GRAND CHUTE, WI – Game two of Friday’s doubleheader between the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers and the Beloit Snappers was a game of defense and missed opportunities. When it ended, the Snappers had a 2-1 win in 10 innings at Time Warner Cable Field to complete a twinbill sweep. Yosmil Pinto knocked in both Beloit runs in game two. Wisconsin (11-24) took the lead in the bottom of the second inning. The Rattlers loaded the bases with one out on a pair of walks and an error. Michael Marseco knocked in the run with a single to left. But, Wisconsin couldn’t convert another run in the frame as Carlos George grounded into an inning ending double play. It looked like Rattlers starting pitcher Jake Odorizzi would make that 1-0 lead stand. He faced the minimum through four innings. He had allowed a hit and a walk, but the Rattlers defense turned a pair of double plays in the first two innings. The defense also delivered in the top of the fifth. A leadoff walk to Steven Liddle and a one out single by Anderson Hidalgo put runners at the corners with Michael Gonzales at the plate. Hildalgo broke for second on a pitch to the plate. Rattlers catcher Austin Stockfisch pump faked a throw to second and Liddle bit on the fake. The Rattlers caught Liddle in a rundown for out number two. Odorizzi struck out Gonzales to end the inning. However, defense could not prevent the Snappers (21-14) from tying the game in the top of the sixth. Pinto hit a leadoff homer to even the game 1-1. The game remained tied past the scheduled seven innings. In the ninth, Beloit had a runner at third with one out against Wisconsin reliever Caleb Thielbar. Liddle worked the count full and sent a screamer to third. Marseco calmly caught the line drive and stepped on third to turn an inning ending, unassisted double play. In the bottom of the ninth, Marseco almost won the game for the Rattlers. Cutter Dykstra walked with one out and took second on a ground out. The Snappers elected to walk Stockfisch intentionally top face Marseco. The Rattlers third baseman had driven in two runs in the opening game of the doubleheader and drove in the first run of game two for Wisconsin. Marseco lined a 1-2 pitch to center and Dykstra lit out for home. Angel Morales came up throwing after getting to the ball on one hop, and just nipped Dykstra at the plate to send the game to the tenth. Efrain Nieves relieved Thielbar to start the tenth inning and retired the first two batters. But, the Wisconsin lefty would walk lefty Michael Gonzales, a .134 who was 0-for-3 with three strikeouts in game two, on four pitches. It would cost him. Pinto was next and he lined a 2-1 pitch to the right field corner. Pinch runner Wang Wei Lin scored all the way from first on the double for a 2-1 Beloit lead. Reggie Williams was next and he singled to center, but D’Vontrey Richardson threw out Pinto at the plate to end the inning. George started the bottom of the tenth with a single and went to third with the tying run on Scooter Gennett’s one out single. But, Khris Davis grounded into a game-ending 6-3 double play. The Rattlers are now 0-4 in extra inning games and 1-9 in games decided by one run. The series between the in-state rivals continues on Saturday afternoon. Eric Arnett (0-3, 9.00) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers. Beloit has Edgar Ibarra (3-2, 3.92) as their scheduled starter. Game time is 1:05pm at Time Warner Cable Field. If you can’t make it out to the ballpark, you can tune into the game on AM 1280, WNAM starting with the Miller Lite Pregame Show at 12:45pm. Wisconsin box score I'm running out of synonyms for "frustrating". At least Odorizzi was excellent; his final line: 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K. Four of his six strikeouts came in the last two innings. As mentioned, Dykstra had a nice night, 1-1 with three walks. Gennett and Richardson were each 1-5, Davis was 0-5, and Chris Dennis was 0-3 with a walk. Cameron Garfield had the second game off. Wisconsin play-by-play Wisconsin Bottom 10th Carlos George singles on a line drive to center fielder Angel Morales. D' Vontrey Richardson strikes out swinging. Ryan Gennett singles on a ground ball to right fielder Aaron Hicks. Carlos George to 3rd. Khristopher Davis grounds into double play, shortstop James Beresford to first baseman Steven Liddle. Ryan Gennett out at 2nd.

Biscuits nipped by Stars Joe Davis/Montgomery Biscuits MONTGOMERY, AL – Scott Krieger launched a seventh-inning solo homer off of Rayner Oliveros, and the Huntsville Stars (18-17) beat the Biscuits (19-15) by a final of 3-2 Friday night at Riverwalk. David Newmann’s first inning struggles continued, with Caleb Gindl and Zelous Wheeler knocking back-to-back two-out doubles to put the Stars up 1-0. The Biscuits answered quickly, with Emeel Salem doubling to start the frame and Nevin Ashley driving him in with a single, evening things up at 1-1. Huntsville wasted no time in taking their second lead, getting singles from Andy Machado and Chris Errecart, and a double from nine-hitter Brent Brewer to make it 2-1. In the bottom of the fifth, the Biscuits’ Emeel Salem hit a hard groundball to first that Errecart couldn’t handle, and went into second with two outs. Chris De La Cruz then followed with a double to plate Salem and tie things at 2-2. Krieger’s seventh inning bomb came with one out, and sliced over the right field wall. Matt Fields had three singles to lead the Biscuits, with Salem, De La Cruz, and Ashley all recording two hits at the top of the lineup. Newmann wound up pitching four scoreless frames after allowing a run in each of the first two, and left having struck out six and walked two. Huntsville starter Alex Periard took a no-decision, allowing two runs on seven hits in his five innings. Oliveros falls to 0-4 with the loss, while Mark Willinsky takes the win with 1.1 scoreless relief to go to 2-0. Brandon Kintzler worked a perfect ninth for his fifth save. The Biscuits head to Birmingham tomorrow to begin an 11-game roadtrip, with RHP Jeremy Hall opposing the Barons’ RHP Johnnie Lowe at 6:05.

Test your mettle.

Final: Tacoma 4, Nashville 3http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100514&content_id=10044490&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&sid=t556Tacoma Homers Twice In Ninth Frame, Wins 4-3 Nashville Sounds NASHVILLE - The Tacoma Rainiers homered twice in the ninth inning to steal a 4-3 victory over the Nashville Sounds on Friday night at historic Greer Stadium in the finale of a four-game series. With the loss this evening, Nashville (21-13) splits their four-game with Tacoma in its lone meeting this season. After Brad Nelson reached base on a fielding error by Ray Olmedo in the ninth inning, Mike Carp belted his sixth home run of the season over the right field wall off Chris Smith to tie the game at 3-3. Later in the frame, Matt Mangini added another home run to center that gave Tacoma the final 4-3 lead. It was Smith's (0-1) first blown save in his last 22 consecutive opportunities dating back to last season. The Rainiers jumped on the board first in the top of the second inning. Marco Estrada allowed a two-out double to Eliezer Alfonzo and then an RBI-single by Ramon Vazquez for a 1-0 Tacoma lead. Thanks to two walks and a fielding error by Tacoma in the next frame, the Sounds loaded the bases and took a 2-1 lead on a Luis Cruz two-run single to center field. Newly acquired centerfielder Josh Anderson drove in the next run for a 3-1 advantage, his first RBI of the season in his Sounds debut. Earning a no-decision, Estrada gave up only one run on four hits while matching a season-high eight strikeouts in his fourth quality start of the season. John Axford fanned two batters in one scoreless frame in relief. Tacoma starter David Pauley earned a no-decision, surrendering three runs (two earned) on four hits with two walks in seven innings. Reliever Brian Sweeney earned the win while striking out two batters over a scoreless inning. Chad Cordero picked up his fourth save with a perfect ninth frame. The Sounds welcome the Portland Beavers (AAA-Padres) to Music City for the opener of a four-game set at 6:35 pm CT on Saturday evening at historic Greer Stadium. Sounds starter Chuck Lofgren (4-2, 4.26) takes the mound against Beavers right-hander Will Inman (2-0, 2.41). The clubs split last season's series, 2-2, at PGE Park in Portland. Nashville box scoreEstrada continues to impress; he walked two. Jonathan Lucroy was 0-3, and Adam Heether had the day off. Note the opposing starter tomorrow. Nashville play-by-play Sigh: Tacoma Top 9th Pitcher Change: Chris Smith replaces John Axford. Brad Nelson reaches on fielding error by second baseman John Raburn. Tommy Everidge flies out to right fielder Trent Oeltjen. With Mike Carp batting, wild pitch by Chris Smith, Brad Nelson to 2nd. Mike Carp homers (6) on a fly ball to right field. Brad Nelson scores. Mike Wilson strikes out swinging. Matt Mangini homers (3) on a line drive to center field. Eliezer Alfonzo singles on a line drive to center fielder Josh Anderson. Ramon Vazquez grounds out, second baseman John Raburn to first baseman Joe Koshansky.

Brevard County's offense shut down by Daytona Frank Longobardo/Brevard County Manatees The Brevard County Manatees and the Daytona Cubs were locked in a scoreless pitcher's duel until the Cubs broke through for four runs in the seventh and topped the Manatees 4-2 on Friday night at Space Coast Stadium. Manatees starter Trey Watten kept the Cubs in check, allowing just three hits, while walking one and striking out one in 5 2/3 innings of work. Cubs starter Christopher Rusin was just as good as he threw 4 2/3 innings of no-hit ball. The Manatees first hit didn't come until the sixth inning, but it was a big one as Brock Kjeldgaard led off the inning with a triple, but Brevard County could not capitalize. The wheels came off for Brevard County in the seventh, when with one out, four consecutive batters reached base against Brandon Ritchie on three singles and an error. The final batter of those four, Smaily Borges drove in DJ LeMahieu to plate the first run of the game. After striking out David Macias, Jake Optiz blew the game open with a bases-clearing double to make it 4-0 in favor of Daytona. Ritchie allowed four runs, one earned, on five hits in 1 2/3 innings. Brevard County would get one back in the bottom of the inning, thanks to a RBI single off the bat of Sergio Miranda that scored Kentrail Davis to make it a 4-1 game. The Manatees couldn't do anything with a one-out double in the eighth from Anderson De La Rosa as he was stranded. With one more chance for a rally in the ninth, Miranda drove in Erik Komatsu with a two-out RBI single to make it 4-2. Miranda would reach second on a throwing error and then advance to third on a wild pitch. Kjeldgaard then drew a bases loaded walk to put the tying run on. But the Manatees couldn't finish the rally as Michael Roberts grounded out to second to end the game. Miranda was the only Manatee with a multi-hit game as he went 2-for-4 with two RBI. Brevard County will finish up its quick two-game set with the Daytona Cubs on Saturday night in Daytona Beach at 7:05 p.m. The Manatees will then come back to Viera to open up a four-game series with the Palm Beach Cardinals.

Final: Huntsville 3, Montgomery 2Huntsville box score Alex Periard mimicked Trey Watten and turned in a grounder-iffic 11/2 GO/AO en route to allowing two runs (one earned) in five innings on seven hits with one walk and one strikeout; he threw 85 pitches, 54 for strikes. Scott Krieger, in his second game since being called up to Huntsville from extended spring training, knocked the go-ahead homer in the 7th to power the Stars to victory. Lorenzo Cain was rusty in his first game back, 0-4 with three strikeouts. Brett Lawrie, back in the two spot, went 1-4 as usual. Caleb Gindl and Zelous Wheeler were both 2-4 with a double, and Andy Machado also had two hits. Brent Brewer chipped in with a double. Brandon Kintzler turned in a perfect 9th for his 5th save; he's spoiling us with his perfection. Huntsville play-by-play

Final: Daytona 4, Brevard County 2Brevard County box score Trey Watten pitched well and to his strength, riding a 10/2 GO/AO to 5.2 scoreless innings, allowing three hits, one walk, and two hit batters while striking out one. Brandon Ritchie relieved and gave up four runs, though only one earned, in 1.2 innings to take the loss. Kentrail Davis was 0-2 with a walk and a HBP, the sixth time already he's been hit in 73 plate appearances. Erik Komatsu was 1-4 and Josh Prince was 0-3 with a walk. Sergio Miranda went 2-4 to keep his average above .300, though he's walked only four times this year after posting a respectable walk rate last year. Brevard County play-by-play In a scoreless game at that point, the failure to get Brock Kjeldgaard home in the 6th had to hurt: Brevard County Bottom 6th Brock Kjeldgaard triples (1) on a fly ball to left fielder Smaily Borges. Michael Roberts lines out to left fielder Smaily Borges. Anderson De La Rosa strikes out swinging. Josh Prince walks. Matt Cline grounds out to catcher Michael Brenly. Matt Cline out on batter interference. Matt Cline was ejected arguing that play. Three of the four runs Ritchie allowed came on a two-out, bases-loaded double. Ouch: Daytona Top 7th Kyler Burke lines out to right fielder Erik Komatsu. DJ LeMahieu singles on a ground ball to shortstop Josh Prince. Michael Brenly reaches on fielding error by third baseman Sergio Miranda. DJ LeMahieu to 2nd. Jose Valdez singles on a ground ball to first baseman Sean Halton. DJ LeMahieu to 3rd. Michael Brenly to 2nd. Smaily Borges singles on a line drive to right fielder Erik Komatsu. DJ LeMahieu scores. Michael Brenly to 3rd. Jose Valdez to 2nd. David Macias called out on strikes. Jake Opitz doubles (1) on a fly ball to center fielder Kentrail Davis. Michael Brenly scores. Jose Valdez scores. Smaily Borges scores. Ryan Flaherty lines out to shortstop Josh Prince.

From last week: Gennett's now played 11 games at short and 22 at second base. I agree that their handling of his position, especially with Dykstra around, has been a little odd.