battlekow

Final: Nashville 9, @Salt Lake 4 Sounds Win Fourth Straight, 9-4 Over BeesNashville Sounds SALT LAKE CITY, Utah - The Nashville Sounds continued their winning ways on Saturday evening at Spring Mobile Ballpark, hanging a 9-4 defeat on the host Salt Lake Bees. The red-hot Sounds (17-24) extended their longest winning streak of the season to four games and have been victorious in eight of their past 10 contests. The Nashville offense exploded for a season-high 15 hits, including eight for extra bases. The Sounds' seven doubles on the night were one shy of the single-game franchise record. Catcher George Kottaras paced the attack with a 3-for-3, four-RBI night that included his first home run of the year and a pair of doubles. Mat Gamel continued his hot hitting with a 4-for-5, two-double evening and Brendan Katin plated two runs in the contest. Every Sound recorded a hit in the contest except Caleb Gindl (0-for-4), but the outfielder drew a walk to extend his on-base streak to 23 games. The Bees jumped out to a 2-0 first-inning lead, taking advantage of a pair of Nashville errors. With one out, Andrew Romine singled then moved to third when Sounds starter Sam Narron misfired to first on a pickoff attempt. Jeff Baisley followed with a grounder to short which was mishandled by Edwin Maysonet, allowing Romine to race home with the game's first run. Two batters later, Baisley scored on Chris Petit's two-out triple to right. Nashville halved the lead to 2-1 in the second on back-to-back two-out doubles off the bats of Maysonet and Kottaras. The Sounds jumped in front, 4-2, with a three-run fourth against Salt Lake starter Brian Lawrence, sending nine batters to the plate during the frame. Katin opened the scoring with an RBI double, then Taylor Green and Eric Farris added run-scoring singles later in the inning. Farris went 2-for-5 on the night to extend his longest hitting streak of the year to six games. Salt Lake pulled back within a run at 4-3 in the bottom of the fifth when Cole Armstrong took Narron deep for his first home run of the season, a one-out solo shot to center. The teams traded runs in the sixth. Kottaras led off the frame with his first roundtripper of the season for Nashville, then Salt Lake responded in the home half with a two-out run courtesy of a Baisley single. The visitors finally got some breathing room in the seventh, plating three insurance runs against Bees reliever Amalio Diaz to extend the lead to 8-4. Jordan Brown drew an inning-opening walk and later scored on a Katin RBI single. Later in the frame, Kottaras continued his solid night with a two-run double to center. Gamel wrapped up the night's scoring with an RBI double in the ninth off Bobby Cassevah that brought home Brett Carroll. Narron (2-1) earned a win for the second straight outing by hurling his second quality start of the year. The lanky lefty allowed four runs (two earned) on seven hits over seven innings. He struck out four batters and walked none during his 102-pitch effort. Sean Green followed Narron with a pair of scoreless frames for Nashville. Lawrence (2-3) was saddled with the loss after permitting five runs on 10 hits over his six frames of work. The Sounds will try for a four-game sweep when the teams wrap up the series with a 3:05 p.m. CT meeting on Sunday afternoon. Right-hander Frankie De La Cruz (0-2, 3.43) will take the hill for the Sounds to face Salt Lake right-hander Bear Bay (1-2, 4.62). Nashville box scoreActually that about covers it. Nashville play-by-play

Hunter Morris 2-for-4 in Huntsville Stars debutMark McCarter/Huntsville Times HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- Hunter Morris, the first Huntsville native to play for the Stars, made his debut a memorable one. Morris went 2-for-4 and scored two runs as Huntsville's first baseman in its 9-6 loss to the Montgomery Biscuits Saturday night. Morris, a Grissom High graduate and All-SEC player for Auburn before being drafted by Milwaukee in the fourth round last June, had two other long flies caught on the warning track, one on a spectacular sliding catch by leftfielder Reid Fronk. Morris was informed Friday he'd be promoted from Class A Brevard, where he was batting .317 with a league-leading 16 doubles, to replace Sean Halton, who has gone on the disabled list. It's not known now if this will be a brief stay for Morris or if he'll stick here as he climbs the ladder in the Milwaukee system. His first at-bat was an opposite-field fly on which Fronk made the sensational catch, then he drove the ball deep on left-center on his next trip. In a five-run seventh, he legged out a chopper to shortstop. In the ninth, he scorched a triple down the right field line. The Stars' struggles continue. They have lost 14 of their last 19 games. http://media.al.com/sports_impact/photo/9602352-large.jpg (Bob Gathany/Huntsville Times)

Final: Montgomery 9, @Huntsville 6 Huntsville box score The Stars were down 8-0 in the 7th before scoring five runs against the prize of the Matt Garza trade, Chris Archer, to make it interesting. Michael Bowman got blitzed for seven runs in four innings. The big news for Stars fans was of course Huntsville native Hunter Morris making his team debut, and he didn't disappoint, going 2-4 with a triple. Erik Komatsu and Hainley Statia each doubled Huntsville play-by-playLooks like Komatsu maybe got robbed here; if that had fallen in, the game would have been even more interesting: Huntsville Bottom of the 7thBrandon Jones singles on a ground ball to right fielder John Matulia.Steffan Wilson singles on a ground ball to right fielder John Matulia. Brandon Jones to 2nd.Hunter Morris singles on a ground ball to shortstop Tim Beckham. Brandon Jones to 3rd. Steffan Wilson to 2nd.Martin Maldonado hit by pitch. Brandon Jones scores. Steffan Wilson to 3rd. Hunter Morris to 2nd.Sergio Miranda grounds into a force out, second baseman Cole Figueroa to shortstop Tim Beckham. Steffan Wilson scores. Hunter Morris to 3rd. Martin Maldonado out at 2nd. Sergio Miranda to 1st.Hainley Statia doubles (2) on a line drive to right fielder John Matulia. Hunter Morris scores. Sergio Miranda to 3rd.Pitcher Change: Neil Schenk replaces Christopher Archer.Lee Haydel singles on a line drive to left fielder Reid Fronk. Sergio Miranda scores. Hainley Statia scores.Erik Komatsu flies into double play, right fielder John Matulia to first baseman Henry Wrigley. Lee Haydel doubled off 1st.

Final (game one): @Wisconsin 4, Burlington 3 (7 innings) Rattlers welcome Hall to the Midwest League with a winChris Mehring/Wisconsin Timber Rattlers GRAND CHUTE, WI – Milwaukee Brewers pitching prospect Brooks Hall can now say that he won his Midwest League debut. Hall, the newest Wisconsin Timber Rattlers pitcher, picked up the victory in a 4-3 win over the Burlington Bees in the first game of a doubleheader Saturday night at Time Warner Cable Field. TJ Mittelstaedt chipped in with a pair of RBI and Eric Marzec worked the final two innings for the save. Wisconsin (23-18) got on the scoreboard first. Chris Dennis tripled to start the second inning. Mike Walker doubled him home and the Rattlers were up 1-0. But, Burlington (29-12) answered with three runs in the top of the third of Brooks. They started the inning with four straight singles off Hall. Nino Leyja’s single was the fourth of the series and he drove in the run to tie the game 1-1. Douglas Landeaeta and Yordy Cabrera had consecutive sacrifice flies to take a 3-1 lead. Wisconsin rallied in the bottom of the third. Reggie Keen drew a walk with one out. Nick Shaw followed with a double. Mittelstaedt doubled into the left field corner to drive in two runs and tie the game at 3-3. Dennis followed with a single to right and the Rattlers went back in front, 4-3. Hall settled down after the rough third inning and set down the Bees in order in the fourth. In the fifth, Hall retired the first two batters. But, a walk and a hit batsman put the tying run in scoring position and the lead run on base with cleanup batter Yordy Cabrera coming to the plate. Hall was not phased and struck out Cabrera looking at a 1-2 fastball that caught the inside corner to the right-hand hitting prospect of the Oakland A’s. Hall allowed three runs on six hits with a walk and three strikeouts in his five innings of work on Saturday. Marzec relieved Hall to start the top of the sixth and he worked around a two out single in the sixth and a two out walk in the seventh to record the save. The Rattlers have won four straight games. Wisconsin box score (game one)Pretty solid full-season debut for Hall. As YoungGeezy indicated, he threw a lot of strikes; Chris had him at 50 of 76. In addition to the walk, he hit a batter, but still pretty good control. Dennis has 10 extra-base hits in 19 games with the Rattlers. Keen tried to nab his 18th base but was instead caught for the sixth time. Wisconsin play-by-play (game one)

Final: @Fort Myers 7, Brevard County 6 Brevard County box scoreVery poor outing for Kyle Heckathorn: 5 IP, 10 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 3 BB, 2 K, 1 HR. After walking just one batter in his first four starts (23.2 IP), he's walked 14 in his last five (27 IP). It's the fourth straight start he's allowed 4+ runs in (though in the first of those, all four runs were unearned). As noted above, Maverick Lasker was much more effective in tonight's relief appearance than he'd been in his last three starts. Scooter Gennett and D'Vontrey Richardson each homered in the first inning, their first and third respectively, to spot Heckathorn a three-run lead he couldn't hold; Richardson also walked. Actually, everyone had a reasonably productive game. Logan Schafer had two hits, Kentrail Davis singled, walked, and was hit by a pitch, and Khris Davis singled and was also hit by a pitch. Richardson played center field; Schafer was the DH. Brevard County play-by-playBC scored a run in the 9th to get within one run: Brevard County Top of the 9thLogan Schafer singles on a line drive to center fielder Aaron Hicks.Kentrail Davis grounds out to first baseman Nathan Hanson. Logan Schafer to 2nd.Khristopher Davis singles on a ground ball to shortstop Brian Dozier. Logan Schafer scores. Throwing error by shortstop Brian Dozier.D' Vontrey Richardson grounds into a force out, third baseman Anderson Hidalgo to second baseman Nicholas Romero. Khristopher Davis out at 2nd. D' Vontrey Richardson to 1st.Brock Kjeldgaard strikes out swinging.

1B Cody Hawn hits the DL at Wisconsin, with SS Carlos George activated from the DL in Hawn's stead. As with Miller, still no official word on what's ailing Hawn.

RHP Brooks Hall transferred back to Wisconsin, with RHP Matt Miller going on the DL. We still haven't heard what happened to Miller when he left Thursday's start after two batters, but Michael Woods speculates that Miller injured his oblique.

Jonathan Mayo's first mock is up:

If you care about Mat Gamel ever getting a shot, signing Branyan would be a bad thing.

I think they stay on the 7-day DL for 14 days, after which they get transferred to the regular 15-day one.

Watch Prince Fielder's walk-off homer.

Former Grissom and Auburn standout Hunter Morris promoted to Huntsville StarsMark McCarter/Huntsville Times HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- Hunter Morris is coming home. The former Grissom High star, who played collegiately at Auburn, has been promoted to the Huntsville Stars from Class A Brevard County and will make his Huntsville debut Saturday night, The Times has learned. Morris becomes the first player to grow up in Huntsville to become a member of the Stars. The Stars, who have lost nine in a row, will be hosting Montgomery in a 6:43 p.m. game. Morris was batting a team-leading .317 with four homers and 24 RBIs in 40 games for the Manatees. He leads the Florida State League in doubles with 16. The Brewers have been working him at first base and third base. He'll step in at first at Huntsville, with Sean Halton having gone on the disabled list. It's a quick rise for Morris, 22, who was the fourth-round pick of the Brewers last June after having been selected the SEC Player of the Year in 2010 after batting .386 with 23 homers and 76 RBIs in his final season there. He played in 71 games at the low-A farm club at Wisconsin and was with Milwaukee's Arizona Fall League team, for organizations' top prospects.

Final: @Wisconsin 4, Burlington 3 Mittelstaedt’s homer makes the differenceChris Mehring/Wisconsin Timber Rattlers GRAND CHUTE, WI – TJ Mittelstaedt’s leadoff homer in the bottom of the seventh inning provided the winning margin for the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers on Friday night. Wisconsin topped the Burlington Bees 4-3 at Time Warner Cable Field to secure their third consecutive win. The Rattlers (22-18) scored a run in the bottom of the first inning against Burlington starter Blake Hassebrock. Reggie Keen reached on an error to start the inning. He stole second. Then, Mittelstaedt drew a walk. One out later, Keen broke for third early and Hassebrock stepped off the pitching rubber to throw directly to third. However, his throw was wild and Keen scored easily for a 1-0 lead. Hassebrock walked four in the inning, but the Rattlers could not convert another run in the frame. Burlington (29-11) tied the game against Timber Rattlers starter Charly Bashara in the second on a two-out RBI single by AJ Kirby-Jones. But, the Rattlers took the lead again with single runs in the second and the third. Mittelstaedt singled in Nick Shaw with two outs in the second. Then, Franklin Romero beat out a potential inning-ending double play to let Mike Walker score from third for a 3-1 advantage. But, the Bees evened the game again with an RBI double by Yorby Cabrera in the fifth and a solo homer to left-center by Wade Kirkland in the sixth. The Bees, who entered Friday’s game with the best record in the Midwest League, looked poised to take the lead in the top of the seventh against reliever Tyler Cravy as the first two batters reached on singles. Cravy recovered and struck out the next three batters to keep the game tied heading to the seventh inning stretch. The game did not remain tied long. Mittelstaedt deposited a 1-0 pitch from Bees reliever Pedro Vidal on the deck in right field and the Rattlers went up 4-3. Cravy worked a scoreless eighth inning. Then, Greg Holle recorded his tenth save of the season with a perfect ninth inning. The teams continue their series on Saturday evening with a pair of seven inning games. Game one of the twinbill is set to start at 5:05pm. There will be a 30 minute break between the end of game one and the start of game two. The Timber Rattlers had tentatively named Brooks Hall as their starting pitcher in game one and the game two starter had yet to be announced. If Hall does start game one, it will be the Midwest League debut for the 4th round pick of the Brewers from the 2009 draft. Burlington has announced Josh Bowman (4-0, 3.16) and Nate Long (2-0, 3.24) as their starters for game one and game two. If you can’t make it out to the ballpark, tune in for the broadcast on AM1280, WNAM or timberrattlers.com for the Miller Lite Pregame Show starting at 4:45pm. Wisconsin box scoreHe's 23, so it doesn't quite fit, but I'll be playing tonight in honor of Mittelstaedt, the former Long Beach State Dirtbag. Walker had a hit and two lived up his last name twice, and Tyler Roberts also drew two free passes, which has to be the first time he's done that all year given that he had all of six entering the game. No Cody Hawn again today. Keen's two steals give him 17 already and put him on pace for over 60. Cravy's been erratic this year but has turned in a couple of overpowering relief outings; his 20/5 K/BB in 14.1 IP is grand, but the 23 hits he's allowed explains his near-seven ERA. Wisconsin play-by-play

Final: Nashville 5, @Salt Lake 2 Sounds Win Second Straight In Salt Lake, 5-2Nashville Sounds SALT LAKE CITY, Utah - The Nashville Sounds won their third straight game on Friday evening at Spring Mobile Ballpark, defeating the Salt Lake Bees by a 5-2 margin. Sounds third baseman Chris Nowak (2-for-4) spotted the visitors a 1-0 lead in the top of the third inning, drilling Ryan Ketchner's 3-1 offering over the left field wall for a one-out solo homer. It was the infielder's first roundtripper of the year. Salt Lake evened the contest at 1-1 in the home half of the fourth when Andrew Romine drew an inning-opening walk from Sounds starter Amaury Rivas then later scored on a groundout. Nashville reclaimed the lead in the fifth when Eric Farris' two-out single off Ketchner to right plated catcher Dayton Buller to make it a 2-1 game. The Bees came back to re-knot the score at 2-2 in the seventh against Nashville reliever Donovan Hand. Gil Velazquez greeted the right-hander with a single and tied the contest two batters later when he raced home on Dwayne Bailey's one-out double to right. The Sounds pulled back in front in the eighth when Mat Gamel's two-out single to left off Salt Lake reliever Horacio Ramirez brought home Caleb Gindl. Nashville tacked on a pair of insurance runs with two outs in the ninth against Bees reliever Michael Kohn. After the first two batters of the frame were retired, Buller doubled then Nowak and Gindl delivered consecutive RBI singles to extend the Sounds' lead to 5-2. Mark DiFelice worked around a leadoff single by Velazquez in the bottom of the ninth to toss a scoreless frame and notch his team-leading fifth save for Nashville. Hand (1-2) backed into the victory for the Sounds after suffering a blown save in the contest. He allowed one run in his two innings of work. Ramirez (2-1) was saddled with his first loss of the year after surrendering the go-ahead run in his only frame of action. Rivas took a no-decision despite working his team-leading fifth quality start of the year. The right-hander allowed just one run on four hits over his six innings of work, but walked five batters while striking out only three. He induced nine groundouts against only one flyout during his 97-pitch effort. The teams continue the series with another 7:35 p.m. CT meeting on Saturday. Sounds left-hander Sam Narron (1-1, 3.44) will make the start to face Salt Lake right-hander Brian Lawrence (2-2, 5.21). Nashville box scoreAs you would expect given the walk total, Rivas wasn't in the zone much: 97 pitches, only 53 strikes. DiFelice continues to do solid work--two strikeouts and no walks tonight give him a 16/3 K/BB in 12.1 innings; gotta figure he'll see Milwaukee at some point this year. Gindl had three hits, so his on-base streak continues. Brett Carroll drew two walks and threw out yet another runner. Buller entered the game in the 3rd for George Kottaras in what would have been Kottaras's first plate appearance. Nashville play-by-playThe only play Kottaras was involved in before being lifted was a caught-stealing in the bottom of the 1st; perhaps he fainted from shock or retired on the spot.

Final: @Fort Myers 7, Brevard County 2 Brevard County box score"Rehabbing" Mark Rogers got the start instead of Kyle Heckathorn and continued his struggles, allowing three runs while only recording five outs. He allowed four hits, walked three, hit a batter, and only struck out one. Mark Willinsky also allowed three runs in relief, and the Sea Cows were sunk. Kentrail Davis led the way on offense with his second homer; he also drew two free passes. Scooter Gennett and Hunter Morris each singled and walked. Khris Davis was back in the lineup; he took a walk and was hit by a pitch. Shawn Zarraga was back, too, and went 1-4. Logan Schafer walked once in five trips, committed a fielding error, and threw a runner out at third.Brevard County play-by-play Fort Myers Bottom of the 1stAaron Hicks grounds out to first baseman Brock Kjeldgaard.James Beresford walks.Brian Dozier singles on a bunt ground ball to third baseman Mike Brownstein. James Beresford to 2nd.Nathan Hanson pops out to first baseman Brock Kjeldgaard.Daniel Rams singles on a line drive to left fielder Khristopher Davis. James Beresford scores. Brian Dozier to 3rd.Anderson Hidalgo grounds out, third baseman Mike Brownstein to first baseman Brock Kjeldgaard. Fort Myers Bottom of the 2ndReggie Williams walks.Ramon Santana strikes out swinging.Steven Liddle hit by pitch. Reggie Williams to 2nd.Aaron Hicks singles on a fly ball to center fielder Logan Schafer. Reggie Williams to 3rd. Steven Liddle to 2nd.James Beresford grounds into a force out, shortstop Shea Vucinich to second baseman Scooter Gennett. Reggie Williams scores. Steven Liddle to 3rd. Aaron Hicks out at 2nd. James Beresford to 1st.Brian Dozier singles on a ground ball to center fielder Logan Schafer. Steven Liddle scores. James Beresford to 2nd.Nathan Hanson walks. James Beresford to 3rd. Brian Dozier to 2nd.Pitcher Change: Mark Willinsky replaces Mark Rogers.Daniel Rams called out on strikes.

Final: @Huntsville 6, Montgomery 5 Huntsville box scoreThey really meant that guarantee this time. After being handcuffed by top prospect Matt Moore through six innings, the Stars entering the bottom of the 7th trailing 5-1. They scored one run in the 7th and one in the 8th to narrow the gap before Brandon Jones belted a two-out walk-off three-run homer to break their eight-game losing skein in thrilling fashion. Lee Haydel was on three times with two hits and a walk, Erik Komatsu also had a hit and a walk, and Hainley Statia singled and doubled. Dan Merklinger was effective albeit uninspiring as the starter, allowing two runs (one earned) in 5.2 innings with a 2/2 K/BB. Darren Byrd was knocked around for three runs in Merklinger's stead. Hopefully Corey Frerichs, who turned in two scoreless frames for the win, is finding his footing at AA. Huntsville play-by-playHuntsville Bottom of the 7thMartin Maldonado lines out to left fielder Reid Fronk.Sergio Miranda reaches on throwing error by shortstop Tim Beckham.Hainley Statia singles on a ground ball to right fielder John Matulia. Sergio Miranda to 3rd.Lee Haydel strikes out swinging.Erik Komatsu singles on a soft line drive to right fielder John Matulia. Sergio Miranda scores. Hainley Statia to 3rd.Angel Gonzalez flies out to center fielder John Shelby. Huntsville Bottom of the 8thBrandon Jones singles on a soft ground ball to third baseman Daniel Mayora. Brandon Jones advances to 2nd, on throwing error by third baseman Daniel Mayora.Steffan Wilson flies out to right fielder John Matulia.Chuck Caufield grounds out, third baseman Daniel Mayora to first baseman Henry Wrigley.Martin Maldonado singles on a ground ball to left fielder Reid Fronk, deflected by pitcher Neil Schenk. Brandon Jones scores.Sergio Miranda flies out to center fielder John Shelby. Huntsville Bottom of the 9thHainley Statia strikes out swinging.Lee Haydel singles on a line drive to left fielder Reid Fronk.Erik Komatsu walks. Lee Haydel to 2nd.Angel Gonzalez flies out to right fielder John Matulia. Lee Haydel to 3rd.Brandon Jones homers (2) on a fly ball to right center field. Lee Haydel scores. Erik Komatsu scores. Haydel and Sergio Miranda teamed up to cut down what could have been an important insurance run for the Biscuits in the 8th; Montgomery Top of the 8thPitcher Change: Corey Frerichs replaces Darren Byrd.Nevin Ashley doubles (6) on a fly ball to left fielder Lee Haydel. Nevin Ashley out at 3rd, left fielder Lee Haydel to second baseman Sergio Miranda to third baseman Angel Gonzalez.Henry Wrigley strikes out swinging.Reid Fronk singles on a soft line drive to right fielder Brandon Jones.John Shelby pops out to shortstop Hainley Statia.

Nashville game notes

From the Stars:

Michael Woods says Matt Miller grabbed his side and guesses it was an oblique injury. Our old friend, the oblique.

Final: Nashville 9, @Salt Lake 8 Sounds Win 9-8 Over Salt Lake In Road Trip OpenerNashville Sounds SALT LAKE CITY, Utah - The Nashville Sounds began their eight-game road trip with a 9-8 victory over the Salt Lake Bees on Thursday evening at Spring Mobile Ballpark in the opener of a four-game series. The victory was Nashville's (15-24) sixth in the last eight games. Mat Gamel and Jordan Brown each collected three hits in the victory, while Eric Farris and George Kottaras both had two hits with two runs scored. Chase Wright (1-3) earned his first win with five scoreless innings for Nashville. The left-hander gave up five hits while fanning a season-high six batters. Coming into tonight's contest with hits in nine of his last 12 games, Gamel gave the Sounds their first run with a bases loaded single in the top of the first inning. Nashville plated three more runs on Salt Lake starter Matt Palmer in the next inning to go up 4-0. Kottaras led off the frame with a double and scored on the next play when Taylor Green singled. After Farris hit a base hit to move Green into scoring position, Brown knocked an RBI base hit to center field. Gamel then drove in his second RBI of the game with a two-out base hit to right field. The Sounds tacked on three more to extend the lead to 7-0 in the next inning. After Nashville loaded the bases with no outs against Palmer, Farris knocked a two-run single to right field. Reliever Barret Browning entered the contest and offered up a sacrifice fly to Brown for the final run. The Bees' first runs came in the sixth inning off reliever Robert Hinton. In his first appearance for the Sounds in 2011, Hinton gave up a double to Paul McAnulty before Chris Pettit hit his first homer of the season. Brown knocked an RBI-double in the bottom of the eighth inning to make it 8-2 Nashville. Green walked to start the inning, moved to second on an infield groundout, and scored when Brown doubled to right field [audio]. Salt Lake got a run back in the next inning when McAnulty singled and moved to third on a fielding error. Jeff Baisley plated the runner on an infield groundout. Nashville's final run came in the top of the ninth inning. With the bases loaded again in the game for Nashville, Kottaras grounded into a double play that allowed Gamel to score. The Bees made it close in the bottom of the ninth inning, plating five runs on reliever Zack Segovia. The right-hander allowed three singles and a walk to Salt Lake before Baisley belted a grand slam over the wall in left field. The home run was Baisley's 10th homer and Salt Lake's first grand slam of the year. Hinton gave up two runs in two innings pitched. Sean Green allowed an unearned run in one inning pitched. Green set a season-high with three runs scored from the ninth hole in the Nashville lineup. The Sounds matched a season-best eight walks in the game, previously set on April 9 against New Orleans. Palmer (0-4) was charged for the loss after allowing seven runs on nine hits and four walks in 2 1/3 innings. The Sounds and Bees continue their series at 7:35 pm CT on Friday evening at Spring Mobile Ballpark. Right-hander Amaury Rivas (3-3, 4.03) takes the mound for Nashville against Salt Lake southpaw Ryan Ketchner (2-1, 3.12). Nashville box scoreThe Sounds had 11 hits to go with their eight free passes. I'd wager their winning percentage is rather low in games that the statement "Chase Wright was our best pitcher" is true for, but give Wright his due--he pitched well. Caleb Gindl, who didn't play on Tuesday, was back in the lineup and drew one of those walks to extend his on-base streak. Nashville play-by-play

Final (game two): @Wisconsin 4, Beloit 3 Rattlers bullpen comes through in game twoWisconsin picks up 4-3 win to earn doubleheader sweep GRAND CHUTE, WI – The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers bullpen answered the call in game two of Thursday’s doubleheader with the Beloit Snappers. Starting pitcher Matt Miller left the game after two batters after a visit to the mound by the Rattlers trainer, manager, and pitching coach. Relievers Jameson Dunn, Stosh Wawrzasek, and Eric Marzec worked all seven innings of the game as Wisconsin rallied to a 4-3 victory and a twinbill sweep of their in-state rivals. Miller walked the leadoff batter and Derek McCallum followed with a ground rule double. Miller left the game without making any pitches to the plate after the trio of staff members visited the mound. Dunn, a non-drafted free agent out of Oral Roberts University, came in. The right-hander, who was signed by the Brewers in January of 2011 was shaky at first. He allowed the first run to score on an infield grounder by Nate Roberts, walked Michael Gonzales, and let in another run on a RBI fielder’s choice by Daniel Ortiz. Lance Ray was next and he doubled in Ortiz to five the Snappers (21-19) a 3-0 lead. Dunn did the job after that. He retired the final seven batters he faced. Wisconsin’s offense got going against Beloit starter Michael Tonkin in the third inning. Reggie Keen singled with one out. Then, he stole second, and went to third on an errant pickoff throw by Tonkin. Chris Dennis drove in Keen with a single. Mike Walker doubled off the wall in left to put runners on second and third. Greg Hopkins plated Dennis with an infield single to make the score 3-2. Tonkin looked like he was going to get out of the inning after a strikeout for the second out. Then, Franklin Romero sent a high chopper to shortstop Daniel Santana. Santana went to second for the force on Hopkins, but the ball was dropped by McCallum. That error allowed Walker to score the tying run. Wawrzasek entered the game in the fourth inning and he worked three scoreless frames with six strikeouts. He had to pitch around a pair of walks and a hit, but he kept the Snappers off the board. Wisconsin (21-18) took the lead in the bottom of the fourth inning on an odd play. Dennis was at the plate with Yadiel Rivera at third and Keen at first. Dennis hit a flyball to shallow center and Wang Wei Lin came on to make a diving catch. Rivera tagged and scored. However, Keen, who went halfway to second on the flyball, did not see or hear the out call by the base umpire. Keen headed to second base as the throw went home to catcher Matt Parker. Gonzales, the first baseman for the Snappers, was not covering first base since he was the cutoff man on the throw home. Parker realized the that the catch had been made before Keen. This allowed Parker to begin sprinting for first base and eventually just barely beat Keen to the bag to double him off first to end the inning with an odd 8-2 double play. And since Rivera scored before the final out had been recorded, the run counted to put the Rattlers up 4-3. The Rattlers still held that 4-3 lead heading to the top of the seventh and Marzec came on in relief. The righty out of Youngstown State University pitched a perfect inning to pick up his first professional save. The doubleheader sweep moved the Rattlers past the Snappers and into second place in the Midwest League’s Western Division. Wisconsin begins a four-day, five-game series with the Burlington Bees on Friday night at Time Warner Cable Field. Burlington leads the Western Division at 29-10, the best record in the Midwest League. Game one of the series begins at 6:35pm with Charly Bashara (2-2, 4.43) scheduled to make the start for the Rattlers. The Bees will counter with Blake Hassebrock (3-0, 0.90). Friday night is North Shore Bank/95.9 KISS Family Night. As part of Family Night, children 12 and under eat free. Plus, the first 500 fans will receive a Cody Hawn magnet courtesy of Lamers Bus Lines. The magnet is the first in a series of four that will be given away during the 2011 season After the game, Fazoli's presents Kids Run the Bases for children 14 and under. If you can’t make it out to the ballpark on Friday night, tune in to AM1280, WNAM or timberrattlers.com for the broadcast. The Miller Lite Pregame Show starts at 6:15pm. Wisconsin box score (game two)Obviously congrats to the Rattlers on the DH sweep, but the first concern is for Miller. Awesome firebreathing relief appearance from STOSH! Keen's steal was his 15th--not a misprint. Wisconsin play-by-play (game two)

Stars' losing streak grows to eight as Montgomery Biscuits stifle HuntsvilleMark McCarter/Huntsville Times HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- "Baseball doesn't guarantee anything," Stars' manager Mike Guerrero said, sitting in his office an hour before Thursday's game. That's a simple fact that Huntsville general manager Buck Rogers neglected when he pronounced it a "Guaranteed Win Night," as the Stars limped in on a seven-game losing streak. The streak is now eight. The Montgomery Biscuits blistered Huntsville 6-0, holding the Stars to a mere three hits. Since Rogers' guarantee didn't hold up, the 1,591 in Thursday's announced crowd have free admission tonight. For Guerrero's statement on guarantees, there is an asterisk: "The one guarantee is we'll play our butts off tonight and we'll play our butts off tomorrow," Guerrero said before the game. Even in this dismal stretch, in which Huntsville has lost 12 of 16, the manager maintains the players have continued to work hard and their spirits remain high. Though the team held a lighthearted "Kangaroo Court" before the game, it was a significantly less buoyant clubhouse afterward. Guerrero sternly warned his players "there's no excuse for us. ... There's nobody else to blame" but themselves. That would include, despite their less than stellar performance, the umpires, one of whom ejected coach Al LeBoeuf, his first ejection in 10 years. LeBoeuf will serve as the Stars' manager the next two nights as Guerrero flies to Florida for the high school graduation of his son Michael. When the Stars left for their 10-game road trip, on which they went 2-8, the pitching staff had a 3.83 earned-run average. It's now 4.50. It allowed 11-plus hits and seven-plus runs per game on the road trip. "It always looks worse when you don't pitch well and you don't hit well," Guerrero said. The Stars' offense actually improved its team average by five points, but scoring only 46 runs in the 10 games wasn't enough to make up the difference. It found itself in a 5-0 hole after two innings Thursday when the Biscuits roughed up starter Wily Peralta. One of the Brewers' top prospects and the No. 1 man in the rotation when the season opened, Peralta hasn't won since April 13. He allowed only four hits and three runs in his first 12 innings of work, but has yielded 41 hits and 19 runs in the 29 innings since. "It always hurts when you give up two runs in the first and three in the second. You're having to play from behind," Guerrero said. "But you've got to keep playing ball."

Final: Montgomery 6, @Huntsville 0 Huntsville box scoreThe Stars guaranteed a win; it didn't work out. Because they lost (for the eight straight game), Huntsvillians can use tonight's ticket for admission to tomorrow's game. Wily Peralta started and had a very shaky first two innings, allowing five runs on seven hits. He quieted down after that, tossing three uneventful frames to round out his day, but five runs on nine hits with only one strikeout isn't pretty regardless. He only walked one, but 56 strikes in 95 pitches indicates suboptimal control. Rob Wooten (who's on Twitter!) made his first appearance for the Stars since 2009 and allowed an unearned run in two innings on a walk and a hit with two strikeouts. The Stars had only five baserunners, so this will be easy: Lee Haydel walked, Erik Komatsu singled, Brandon Jones walked, Martin Maldonado doubled, and Hainley Statia singled. Cool Breeze stole his 5th base, and Haydel was caught for the sixth time; he has only seven successful steals. Huntsville play-by-playSome ground-ball singles in here that might have been bad luck, but also three hard-hit extra-base knocks: Montgomery Top of the 1stShawn O'Malley triples (1) on a line drive to right fielder Chuck Caufield.Tim Beckham grounds out, shortstop Hainley Statia to first baseman Steffan Wilson. Shawn O'Malley scores.Stephen Vogt singles on a ground ball to second baseman Matt Cline.Daniel Mayora singles on a ground ball to center fielder Erik Komatsu. Stephen Vogt to 3rd. Daniel Mayora to 2nd on the throw.John Matulia out on a sacrifice fly to center fielder Erik Komatsu. Stephen Vogt scores.Nevin Ashley grounds out, shortstop Hainley Statia to first baseman Steffan Wilson. Montgomery Top of the 2ndHenry Wrigley doubles (13) on a fly ball to center fielder Erik Komatsu.Matthew Sweeney grounds out softly, shortstop Hainley Statia to first baseman Steffan Wilson.Kyeong Kang grounds out, pitcher Wily Peralta to first baseman Steffan Wilson. Henry Wrigley to 3rd.Shawn O'Malley singles on a ground ball to right fielder Chuck Caufield. Henry Wrigley scores.Tim Beckham singles on a ground ball to second baseman Matt Cline. Shawn O'Malley to 2nd.Stephen Vogt doubles (12) on a fly ball to center fielder Erik Komatsu. Shawn O'Malley scores. Tim Beckham scores.Daniel Mayora strikes out swinging.

Final: @Fort Myers 4, Brevard County 3 (10 innings) Brevard County box scoreStarter Hiram Burgos pitched very well, shutting out the Miracle for six innings. His relief, Santo Manzanillo and Jon Pokorny, did not; Manzanillo allowed two runs in the 8th to put BC down one, and then after 9th- and 10th-inning tallies by the Sea Cows to tie and take the lead, Pokorny let in two more in the bottom of the 10th to lose the game. Logan Schafer led the way offensively with two hits and two walks--hit your way back to Huntsville, Logan. Big Brock Kjeldgaard (don't think I've called him that yet this year) socked his sixth homer to tie the game in the 9th. Hunter Morris: 1-5, double. Kentrail Davis: 0-4, walk. D'Vontrey Richardson: 0-4, threw a runner out at home. Scooter Gennett: 0-5. Khris Davis did not play. Shawn Zarraga also did not play, for the second game in a row. Brevard County play-by-playManzanillo's runs were unearned thanks to a Shea Vucinich error, but he didn't do himself any favors: Fort Myers Bottom of the 8thReggie Williams reaches on throwing error by shortstop Shea Vucinich. Reggie Williams to 2nd.Offensive Substitution: Pinch runner James Beresford replaces Reggie Williams.Josmil Pinto singles on a fly ball to right fielder D' Vontrey Richardson. James Beresford to 3rd.With Steven Liddle batting, wild pitch by Santo Manzanillo, Josmil Pinto to 2nd.Steven Liddle out on a sacrifice fly to left fielder Kentrail Davis. James Beresford scores. Josmil Pinto to 3rd.Aaron Hicks grounds out to second baseman Scooter Gennett.With Jonathan Goncalves batting, wild pitch by Santo Manzanillo, Josmil Pinto scores.Jonathan Goncalves pops out to second baseman Scooter Gennett. The 10th inning: Brevard County Top of the 10thSean McCraw lines out to center fielder Aaron Hicks.Juan Sanchez walks.Scooter Gennett grounds into a force out, second baseman James Beresford to shortstop Brian Dozier. Juan Sanchez out at 2nd. Scooter Gennett to 1st.With Logan Schafer batting, wild pitch by Jhon Garcia, Scooter Gennett to 2nd.Logan Schafer singles on a ground ball to shortstop Brian Dozier. Scooter Gennett scores. Logan Schafer to 3rd. Throwing error by shortstop Brian Dozier.Kentrail Davis walks.Hunter Morris flies out to right fielder Steven Liddle. Fort Myers Bottom of the 10thJames Beresford flies out to left fielder Kentrail Davis.Josmil Pinto singles on a line drive to left fielder Kentrail Davis.Steven Liddle walks. Josmil Pinto to 2nd.Aaron Hicks hit by pitch. Josmil Pinto to 3rd. Steven Liddle to 2nd.Jonathan Goncalves pops out to second baseman Scooter Gennett on the infield fly rule.Brian Dozier singles on a line drive to center fielder Logan Schafer. Josmil Pinto scores. Steven Liddle scores. Aaron Hicks to 2nd. Pokorny's miserable season continues.

Chris: "Didn't see what it was, but the trainer, pitching coach, and manager all came out after the 2B...Miller did not throw any warm up pitches after everyone came out."