battlekow

Final: @Wisconsin 5, Cedar Rapids 3 Ross and Rattlers keep on rockingChris Mehring/Wisconsin Timber Rattlers GRAND CHUTE, WI – Coming out of the bullpen didn’t bother Wisconsin Timber Rattlers pitcher Austin Ross. The Brewers prospect struck out nine in a relief outing and picked up his fourth win of the season in a 5-3 victory over the Cedar Rapids Kernels Thursday night at Time Warner Cable Field. The win was the fifth straight for the Rattlers. Current Brewers pitcher Zach Braddock was the reason Ross came out of the bullpen. Braddock was on a rehab assignment from the Rattlers parent club and made the start. Braddock was on a 20 pitch limit and made the most of them. He struck out all five batters he faced. The Rattlers (16-15) grabbed the lead by scoring two runs in the bottom of the first inning. Nick Shaw started the inning with a single. A sacrifice bunt by TJ Mittelstaedt moved Shaw to second. Then, Cody Hawn drove in Shaw with a single. Chris Dennis followed with a double off the top of the wall in left field to send Hawn home for a 2-0 lead. Ross, who had started his first six games of the season, came on in the third inning and worked around a walk and a single thanks to a spectacular defensive play by Franklin Romero. The Wisconsin bats scored three times in the bottom of the third. Hawn reached on an error and stole second. Dennis followed with a triple. Mike Walker sent Dennis home with a single. Later in the frame, Tony Pechek grounded into a 4-6-3 double play that scored a run from third. Ross rolled until the sixth inning. Travis Witherspoon doubled and scored on an triple by Wes Hatton with one out. One out later, Brandon Decker and Carlos Ramirez had consecutive RBI hits to cut Wisconsin’s lead to 5-3. Ross rebounded in the seventh after Dan Eichelberger singled and – with one out in the inning – stole second and took third on a throwing error. Ross struck out Jean Almanzar for the second out of the inning after an 11 pitch battle that saw Almanzar foul off five two strike pitches. Then, Ross struck out Witherspoon looking to end the threat and keep the Rattlers up 5-3. His nine strikeouts on the evening give him 45 in 43-2/3 innings this season. After Ross tossed a scoreless eighth inning, Tom Keeling relieved in the top of the ninth and retired the Kernels (20-14) in order with a pair of strikeouts. The Rattlers have won five straight for the first time since June 19-27 of 2010. The win also pushed the Rattlers above .500 on the 2011 season for the first time since they were 4-3 on April 13. By sweeping the three game series from the Kernels, Wisconsin ends their six game homestand with a 5-1 record. Wisconsin begins a brief three game road trip on Saturday when they face the Clinton LumberKings at Alliant Energy Field. Tyler Thornburg (2-0, 1.80) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Rattlers. Clinton is scheduled to send James Paxton (0-1, 3.27) to the mound. Game time is 6:30. Tune in for the broadcast on AM1280, WNAM or timberrattlers.com starting with the Miller Lite Pregame Show at 6:10pm. Wisconsin box scoreBraddock's outing has been discussed in detail above; suffice to say that I can hardly think of a tougher assignment for A-ball hitters than a guy with closer's stuff (and it sounds like Braddock's stuff was just fine today). Ross really poured it in the strike zone: 106 pitches, 83 strikes. In honor of Keeling's third straight game without a walk: a cat and a dog sleeping together. Dennis's rediscovered power stroke since arriving in Wisconsin has been great to see. Hawn walked twice to go with his single and stolen base. Wisconsin play-by-play

Final: @Nashville 5, Fresno 2 Sounds Take Second Straight From Fresno, 5-2Nashville Sounds NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Nashville Sounds won their second straight game against Fresno on Thursday evening at Greer Stadium, posting a 5-2 victory. Second baseman Eric Farris paced the Sounds' offense with a 3-for-4 effort and two runs scored, finishing a home run shy of a cycle. Left fielder Jordan Brown drove in three runs on three sacrifice flies, which tied a Pacific Coast League single-game record. With the win, Nashville (11-22) recorded consecutive victories for the first time since April 21 & 22 at New Orleans. After the game was delayed an hour at the start due to rain, the Sounds grabbed a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning against Fresno starter Andrew Kown. Caleb Gindl led off with a single, extending his on-base streak to a Nashville season-best 16 straight games, then moved to third on a Farris double. Brown plated the game's first run with a sacrifice fly to center that brought home Gindl. Farris later scored the second run on a Mat Gamel groundout. Brown added his second sacrifice fly of the evening in the third, driving in Gindl again to up the Nashville lead to 3-0. Sounds starting pitcher Josh Butler helped his own cause in the fifth when he hit a two-out, seeing-eye single through the right side of the infield that drove home Gamel, who had opened the frame with a single of his own to extend Nashville's longest hit streak of the year to seven games. Fresno got on the board in the fifth with an unearned run against Butler. Travis Ishikawa drew a walk to open the frame then would have been doubled off first following Ryan Rohlinger's sharp liner back to Butler, but the Sounds hurler threw wide of first on the play, allowing Ishikawa to advance to second. The Grizzlies outfielder later scored the visitors' first run on pinch-hitter Tyler LaTorre's two-out single to left. Brown tied a Pacific Coast League record in the home half of the fifth, when he lifted his third sacrifice fly of the evening to center to bring home Farris after the Sounds' second baseman tripled to open the inning. Brown matched the mark established by Tucson's Andujar Cedeno on April 25, 1991 against Las Vegas. Fresno closed out the evening's scoring in the ninth against Zack Segovia. After loading the bases with none out on a double, single, and hit batter, the Nashville right-hander induced back-to-back flyouts, the first of which by Conor Gillaspie plated Terry Evans, before allowing an infield single to Brandon Belt to re-load the bags. Mark DiFelice was summoned from the Sounds' bullpen and threw one pitch to earn his third save of the year and second in two days. He induced a game-ending flyout to center from Edgar Gonzalez. Butler (2-2) earned his first win in his last five starts for Nashville, holding the Grizzlies to one unearned run on eight hits over 5 2/3 innings. He walked two batters and struck out a pair during his 98-pitch outing. Kown (4-3) drew the loss for Fresno after giving up four runs on six hits in his four frames. The teams wrap up the series with a 7:05 p.m. finale on Friday evening. Left-hander Chase Wright (0-3, 7.50) will make the start for the Sounds in search of his first victory of 2011. Fresno will counter with right-hander Josh Banks (2-2, 7.39).Nashville box score DiFelice was no B.J. Ryan, but he came close. When I first started collecting baseball cards, I had an Andujar Cedeno one; I thought it was really valuable because he hit for the cycle, which is really rare (I was a little confused as a youth). Anyway, way to go, Jordan Brown! And Eric Farris! And Caleb Gindl (who also walked twice)! You get a exclamation point! And you get an exclamation point! And you get an exclamation point! Brendan Katin's knee again limited him to pinch-hitting duty; he lined out in the 7th.Nashville play-by-play

Thanks for the scouting reports! Are those stadium gun readings or from scouts?

Braddock was dominant in his rehab appearance for the Timber Rattlers, striking out all five batters he faced. Details in the Link Report.

Final: @Tennessee 7, Huntsville 5 Huntsville box scoreLittle Pine rides again: Erik Komatsu had three hits for the third straight night, including a homer and a double. Every other Huntsville Star-ter, including pitcher Jesus Sanchez, had exactly one base hit (though Angel Gonzalez stayed hot with three walks), but it wasn't enough to overcome the bad pitching. Sanchez gave up three runs in three innings, and Jameson Dunn and Lucas Luetge each let in two more. Corey Frerichs finally had a nice outing for the Stars, striking out three over 2.1 scoreless frames. Huntsville play-by-playBoth of Komatsu's outs were lineouts. The man is locked in. Frerichs did have a good line of his own, but he let two inherited runners score what turned out to be the winning runs: Tennessee Bottom of the 6thJosh Vitters flies out to right fielder Brandon Jones.Marwin Gonzalez walks.Nate Samson strikes out swinging.James Adduci reaches on fielding error by catcher Martin Maldonado. Marwin Gonzalez to 2nd.Pitcher Change: Corey Frerichs replaces Lucas Luetge, batting 9th.DJ LeMahieu walks. Marwin Gonzalez to 3rd. James Adduci to 2nd.Ryan Flaherty doubles (8) on a fly ball to right fielder Brandon Jones. Marwin Gonzalez scores. James Adduci scores. DJ LeMahieu out at home on the throw, right fielder Brandon Jones to second baseman Sergio Miranda to catcher Martin Maldonado.

Final: @Brevard County 5, Charlotte 2 'Tees strike early to top CharlotteFrank Longobardo/Brevard County Manatees VIERA, Fla. -- The Brevard County Manatees scored all of its runs in the first four innings and defeated the Charlotte Stone Crabs 5-2 on Thursday night at Space Coast Stadium, in front of 1,256 fans. Despite five walks, Manatees starting pitcher Adrian Rosario allowed just one unearned run in five innings of work. He gave up three hits and struck out one. Santo Manzanillo earned his second save of the season by pitching a scoreless ninth. Brevard County (12-22) jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first, that started with a lead-off double by Josh Prince, who would score one batter later, when Kentrail Davis drove him in with a RBI single. Kentrail Davis would later score on a single by Khris Davis. The Davis's were at it again in the third as Kentrail led off the inning with a triple to right. He would come home on a sac fly by Hunter Morris, to make it 3-0 Manatees. Then for the second day in a row, Khris Davis hit a solo homer - his seventh of the season - to make it a 4-0 game. After Charlotte (12-22) put one on the board in the fourth, Brevard County would get that run back, in the form of a RBI single by Mike Brownstein, that scored Shea Vucinich. The top of the order for the 'Tees (Prince, Kentrail Davis, Morris and Khris Davis) did the damage at the plate as they combined to go 7-for-14 with three extra base hits and four RBI. Brevard County and Charlotte will close out their four-game series on Friday night at 7:05 p.m. The Manatees will be looking to win its first series since April 23-26 against Lakeland. In the series finale, Maverick Lasker (0-5, 6.43) will take the mound for the Manatees and Merrill Kelly (2-1, 1.71) will start for Charlotte. Brevard County box scoreWell, the results were okay for Rosario, but the process is seriously awry. Evan Anundsen worked three innings, allowing a run on two hits and a walk with two strikeouts. Kentrail Davis was a triples machine at BC last year with five in just 33 games; the three-bagger tonight was his second this year in 31. D'Vontrey Richardson had a quiet night, 0-4 with a strikeout. As I mentioned above, Scooter Gennett did not play after leaving yesterday's game early. Shawn Zarraga had the day off. Brevard County play-by-playTalk about walking the tightrope: Charlotte Top of the 4thTyler Bortnick walks.Brett Nommensen grounds into double play, second baseman Mike Brownstein to shortstop Josh Prince to first baseman Hunter Morris. Tyler Bortnick out at 2nd.Greg Sexton walks.Jake Jefferies walks. Greg Sexton to 2nd.Mayobanex Acosta singles on a ground ball to shortstop Josh Prince. Greg Sexton scores. Jake Jefferies to 3rd. Mayobanex Acosta to 2nd. Throwing error by shortstop Josh Prince.Anthony Scelfo lines out to second baseman Mike Brownstein.

Rattlers in a rain delay.

Gennett's not in the lineup today.

Wisconsin game notes and starting lineup: Nick Shaw – 2BTJ Mittelstaedt – LFCody Hawn – 1BChris Dennis – LFMike Walker – 3BFranklin Romero – RFReggie Keen – CFTony Pechek – CYadiel Rivera – SS SP – Zach Braddock (2 innings or 20 pitches), followed by Austin Ross Yes, that's two left fielders; I assume Dennis is DHing.

Mehring's postgame thoughts include this gem:

Final: @Wisconsin 9, Cedar Rapids 7 FOUR! Rattlers beat Kernels 9-7 for 4th straight winChris Mehring/Wisconsin Timber Rattlers GRAND CHUTE, WI – The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers rode their biggest inning since 2008 to a 9-7 win over the Cedar Rapids Kernels Wednesday night at Time Warner Cable Field. Chris Dennis hit a grand slam in a 7-run fifth inning to erase a 3-0 Kernels lead. Closer Greg Holle came on in the ninth to secure the win and get the Rattlers back to .500 for the first time since April 17. Rattlers starting pitcher Jimmy Nelson and Kernels starter Justin La Tempa kept the game scoreless through the first four inning. Cedar Rapids (20-13) broke through in the top of the fifth inning. Ricky Alvarez drew a leadoff walk. Wes Hatton drove in Alvarez with a double, but he was out at third when he tried to take the extra base on the throw home. Then, Dan Eichelberger drew a walk and stole second. A two-out single by Travis Witherspoon drove Eichelberger home. An RBI double by David Harris sent Eichelberger home for a 3-0 lead. The Rattlers (15-15) took advantage of some defensive lapses by the Kernels to mount a rally in the bottom of the fifth. Yadiel Rivera reached with one out when his popup in front of the mound was dropped for an error. Nick Shaw was hit by an 0-2 pitch by La Tempa and Greg Hopkins' fly ball to right-center was lost in the lights and dropped in for a hit to load the bases. Cody Hawn drew a walk to force in a run. That brought Dennis to the plate. The Rattlers left fielder jumped on the first pitch from La Tempa and sent a towering fly ball into the teeth of a brisk wind blowing in from right field. Dennis got just enough on the ball to clear the wall in right for a grand slam and a 5-3 lead. The slam was the first for Wisconsin since Scooter Gennett hit one at Quad Cities exactly one year ago – May 11, 2010. Wisconsin wasn’t done in the inning. Beau Brooks relieved La Tempa after the blast by Dennis and he walked Mike Walker. Franklin Romero extended his hitting streak to 12 games with a bunt single and Walker took third on a throwing error. Later in the inning, Romero stole second and Walker scored when the throw to second was wild. Tyler Roberts capped the scoring in the inning with an RBI single to drive Romero home for a 7-3 lead. Nelson pitched a 1-2-3 sixth inning and turned the game over to the Rattlers bullpen. Nelson allowed three runs on four hits, three walks, and three strikeouts to qualify for the win, his first in the Midwest League. But, there was the small matter of getting to the final out of the game. Walker, who had three hits in the game, padded the Rattlers lead to 8-3 with an RBI single in the bottom of the sixth. The Kernels edged closer in the seventh on an RBI single by Eichelberger and a sacrifice fly by Jeremy Cruz. But, Shaw got one of those runs back in the bottom of the seventh on an RBI single to make the score 9-5. Eichelberger picked up another RBI with another sacrifice fly in the top of the eighth. Holle came on to pitch the ninth and got the first out. Harris homered to left field and made the score 9-7. Holle got the second out, but consecutive singles by Brandon Decker and Carlos Ramirez put runners at the corners with the go ahead run at the plate. But, Holle ended the game with a strikeout of Alvarez to convert his seventh save of the season. Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Zach Braddock is on a rehab assignment and scheduled to make the start for the Timber Rattlers on Thursday night. Austin Ross (3-1, 1.43) will come on in relief for the Rattlers. The Kernels have Brian Diemer (4-1, 2.12) as their scheduled starting pitcher. Game time is 6:35pm. Thursday is a Slugger's Sports Bar Thirsty Thursday presented by 101.1, WIXX featuring 22 ounce Pepsi productsucts and 16 ounce Miller products are available for $2. Redeem a Thursday night game ticket at Slugger's, located inside Super Bowl on Northland Avenue, for a chance to win great prizes from Miller Lite. Plus, the first 1,000 fans into the ballpark will receive a pair of fingerless gloves from Auto-Wares Bumper to Bumper. Also, break out your costume for Halloween in May. There will be prizes for costumes and trick or treating for the kids. If you can’t make it out to the game, tune in for the broadcast on AM1280, WNAM or timberrattlers.com starting with the Miller Lite Pregame Show at 6:15pm. Wisconsin box scoreWinning is fun! Nelson didn't have particularly good control; only 51 of his 91 pitches were strikes. He continues to get a lot of groundouts--11/2 GO/FO today--but has otherwise been underwhelming for a second-round college pitcher in A-ball. Just for fun, in nine games with the Rattlers, Dennis is hitting .323/.432/.645; in nine games with Brevard County, he hit .103/.188/.138. It's good to be back, I guess. Dennis even got another assist from the Rattlers' outfield-arm fairy. With the three hits and walk, Walker was on four out of five times, as was Shaw with a hit, two walks, and a HBP. Apart from his healthy CS% (which took a bit of a hit today as the Kernels stole three and weren't caught), Tyler Roberts is really struggling. He committed his seventh passed ball tonight, and he's hitting .197/.227/.324 in what has been almost every-day playing time with Cameron Garfield on the DL much of the year. He's been to bat 75 times and has struck out 24 times while only drawing three walks. If Garfield was healthy, you'd have to think Roberts might have been sent back to extended spring training by now, but then again, the Brewers let Garfield flail away to the tune of .245/.287/.318, not a whole hell of a lot better than Roberts' current line, at Wisconsin for all of last year. Wisconsin play-by-play

A little late, but here are the Wisconsin game notes.

Six Run Inning Gives Stars Win Over SmokiesJill Cacic/Huntsville Stars Kodak, TN- The Huntsville Stars (19-13) put up six runs in the ninth inning to beat the Tennessee Smokies (19-14) 11-7 Wednesday afternoon and take sole lead of first place in the Southern League North Division. The Stars took an early 4-1 lead, putting up one run in the second, third, fourth and fifth innings. Angel Gonzalez hit his first homerun as a Star, a solo shot, in the top of the fifth. The Smokies put up a run in the bottom of the third, with a RBI-single from DJ LeMahieu. Matt Spencer hit a two-run bomb in the bottom of the sixth to close the gap, making it a one run game. Stars starter Michael Bowman was pulled before the end of the sixth for reliever Dan Meadows. Bowman was tagged with three runs on five hits in 5.2 innings of work. He walked two and struck out two. Tennessee starter Chris Rusin was pulled after six complete innings, giving up three earned runs on 10 hits. He walked one and struck out two. The Smokies took the lead in the bottom of the seventh with a four-run inning. Back-to-back singles scored Marwin Gonzalez. Ryan Flaherty hit the Smokies' second two-run homerun on the first pitch he saw from reliever Roque Mercedes. Spencer drew a walk and came home on the next play, a double from Steve Clevenger. The Stars put up another run in the eighth before exploding offensively for six runs in the ninth. Gonzalez led off the top of the ninth with a walk. Steffan Wilson hit a two-run shot in the next at-bat. Brandon Jones followed up with a single and was advanced to second on a sac-bunt by Chuckie Caufield. A wild pitch by reliever Blake Parker put Jones on third with one out. Catcher Martin Maldonado scored Jones on a sac fly. Matt Cline drew a walk in the next at-bat and Sean Halton was hit by a pitch to put runners on first and second. Erik Komatsu singled to score Cline and advanced to second on the throw. Lee Haydel singled to center field to score Halton and Komatsu, giving the Stars a four run lead going into the bottom of the ninth. Reliever Robert Hinton entered the game for Jameson Dunn, who picked up his first win at the Double-A level. He retired all three batters to end the game. Huntsville recorded a season-high 18 hits tonight and committed two errors. The Stars and Smokies play game four tomorrow at Smokies Park at 6:15 p.m. The Stars will look to RHP Jesus Sanchez (2-2, 3.94 ERA) for a series win tomorrow against the Smokies RHP Trey McNutt (1-2, 2.55 ERA). The Stars travel to Jackson, TN on Saturday for a five-game series before returning home on Thursday, May 19 for a five-game series against the Montgomery Biscuits. It is also a Bud Light Thirst-Aid Thursday where all 20-ounce drafts are just $2 through the seventh inning. For tickets and more information, call (256) 882-2562 or visit huntsvillestars.com!

Manatees fall to Stone Crabs in Wednesday matineeFrank Longobardo/Brevard County Manatees VIERA, Fla. -- The Brevard County Manatees fell 5-2 to the Charlotte Stone Crabs on Wednesday afternoon in front of 2,806 fans at Space Coast Stadium. Manatees starting pitcher Nicholas Bucci allowed three runs on nine hits in five innings of work as he was saddled with the loss. It was only the second time in seven appearances this season, that Bucci allowed three or more runs in an outing. Brevard County (11-22) did jump out on top early in the second inning as D'Vontrey Richardson ripped a triple to left-center field and then scored one batter later as Shea Vucinich knocked him home with an RBI single. The Stone Crabs (12-21) tied it up in the fourth and then took the lead in the fifth when Jake Jefferies hit a two-run single to put Charlotte on top 3-1. Jefferies is 5-for-6 in the two games so far against the 'Tees. The Manatees were able to cut the deficit to one in the sixth when Khristopher Davis hit a one-out solo shot over the left center field wall to make it a 3-2 game. It was Davis's team-leading sixth homer of the season and first since April 28. Charlotte would put the game out of reach in the top of the seventh when they scored two runs on a Mayobanex Acosta double off of Mark Willinsky to make it a 5-2 game. Richardson led the way at the plate for Brevard County as he went 3-for-4. Richardson has raised his batting average 50 points since the start of the series against the Stone Crabs. Brevard County and Charlotte will continue the series on Thursday night beginning at 7:05 p.m. Adrian Rosario (1-2, 6.75) is set to take the mound for the Manatees, while the Stone Crabs will send Alex Koronis (2-0, 3.19) to the hill. http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/images/2011/05/11/ZoA7jLor.jpg Nick Bucci (Dennis Greenblatt/Hawk-Eye Sports Photography)

Great news for Taylor Green: Emmylou Harris sings national anthem, introduces adoptable dogs at GreerPeter Cooper/The Tennessean Country Music Hall of Famer Emmylou Harris is also animal adoption advocate Emmylou Harris. She’ll be at Greer Stadium Sunday afternoon, May 15, to sing the national anthem before the Nashville Sounds take on the Sacramento River Cats at 2:05 p.m., and she’ll be introducing adoptable dogs during the game. Through her Bonaparte’s Retreat organization, Harris provides foster care for dogs who have run out of time at Metro Nashville Animal Control, preventing those dogs from being euthanized while seeking permanent homes. Dogs available for adoption will be at Greer, outside the stadium near the front box office. Harris has become something of a good luck charm for baseball teams. She sang the anthem at game seven of the 1992 National League Championship Series in Atlanta, when the Braves defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates as slow-footed Sid Bream slid safely home ahead of a throw from pre-steroids-era Barry Bonds. She also greeted Sounds third baseman Taylor Green this year for a Bonaparte’s Retreat photo shoot, and Green hit a home run in his first post-Emmylou at-bat. The Sounds, who as of Tuesday had lost eight games in a row, could use the luck. Tickets for Sunday’s game are available through www.nashvillesounds.com.

First And ForemostBob Brainerd/Sports32 The back-story on how William Cody Hawn made his way into the Milwaukee Brewers organization reads like a Wisconsin roadmap with the pavement under construction. Along the way you’ll encounter lane closures, detours, bottleneck traffic and long overdue repairs. “I put a lot of pressure on myself and didn’t start out so good,” said Hawn, now a member of the Class A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. Hawn was drafted in the sixth round in 2010 by the Brewers out of the University of Tennessee. He was earmarked to be the hometown hero, born and raised in Knoxville. Cody himself set his sights on sporting Volunteer orange one day. “I always wanted to be, without a doubt,” said Hawn. “I always thought I could have the opportunity to if I worked hard enough and things played out like they were supposed to.” But slow down. Road construction ahead. Cody didn’t sign with Tennessee at first, instead choosing to play baseball at Arkansas. But Hawn never had an at bat for the Razorbacks, tearing his ACL two weeks before his senior season of prep baseball. “I had some trouble with recovery, it just didn’t feel right,” explained Hawn. “They (Arkansas) wanted me to come and red-shirt for a year, but I didn’t want to do that. I ended up going to junior college for a year.” It turned out to be the proper path for Hawn, who posted gaudy freshman numbers at Walters State Community College. Smacking 23 home runs with 71 RBI and a .401 batting average made Hawn a slam dunk choice as the Tennessee Junior and Community College Athletic Association Player of the Year. The Volunteers took notice, and signed up Hawn. Detour… “It was an awful struggle,” Hawn recalls. “Just for the fact I was a hometown kid, people were excited for me to be there and I tried to do too much. My first 15 games or so I was hitting like .088. And I just didn’t think I was ever going to come out of it. “It hit me a little harder than it did everybody else. I had guys asking me ‘what’s the matter, what’s the problem?’ because I’ve always been able to hit.” Luckily, the homegrown product didn’t have to travel far to assist him over this bump in the road. “I actually had a talk with my parents and they just said ‘you’re not enjoying it right now, you’ve got to go out and have fun and do what you always did,’” said Hawn. “People are always going to be proud of you no matter the outcome. After that happened, things turned around for me and I really enjoyed it. “I put a lot of things on myself, but once the weight was lifted it went well.” Hawn shook off a bout with mono and a shoulder injury and dialed himself in for the next two seasons in Knoxville. He relished playing college baseball in his Tennessee “backyard” after early childhood days of doing just that in the real one back home. “One of the first things I remember was when I was three years old, playing Wiffleball with my parents and things like that,” said Hawn. “I’ve had a love of the game from about that time on. But I really became more interested in it when I started going to University of Tennessee baseball games because it was like ten minutes from my house. I was very lucky. My parents were very supportive of me and kept me around the game…they’re a big reason why I’m here today.” Hawn was front and center to map out his future watching former Tennessee standout Todd Helton play for the Volunteers back in the day. Helton is a Hawn favorite, and Cody modeled his game after that of the Colorado Rockies first baseman. “I met him once when I was like five or six years old, then met him once when I was like 12 or 13, and I actually got to sit down and talk for a little bit,” said Hawn. “I was kind of star struck at the time, I mean; this was when he was in the prime of his career with the Colorado Rockies, hitting .300 with 40 bombs a year. I just enjoyed the moment of being with him though.” Whatever Hawn was able to sponge from Helton translated into a Triple Crown season in 2009 when Cody hit .384 with 22 home runs and 81 RBI, just the tenth player in school history to pull off the team trifecta. Helton (6-2, 215) and Hawn (6-1, 215) are an inch away from an identical body frame, but hardly the strapping size of most first basemen in the game today…begging the question where Hawn generates his power stroke. “I kind of wonder that from time to time myself,” laughed Hawn. “It’s all about me staying short and having a good approach at the plate. I’m not trying to do too much with it and being relaxed. The smoother I am, the better it helps me not trying to do too much with the ball.” Drafted by the Brewers for the second time (Hawn was selected by Milwaukee in the 23rd round in 2007 and by Oakland in the 41st round in 2008 but did not sign either time) he embarked on attacking the Pioneer League. Hawn produced an encore performance of his eye-popping seasons with the Volunteers, tying for the rookie league top spot in RBI (61) and sprinkling his name among the league leaders in home runs (13) extra-base hits (33) doubles (20) and slugging percentage (.542). A bust out All Star season at Helena was certain to get the attention of the Brewers brass back in Milwaukee, but hardly satisfying to Hawn. “Hitting is a struggle day in and day out regardless of when I was younger or now, it’s just trying to stay in control and not try to do too much with pitches,” said Hawn. “It’s hard to do sometimes, but you’ve got to really focus on it.” Even after having “a night I’ll never forget” to win the Pioneer League Championship, when Hawn nailed two home runs and drove in eight to secure the hardware for Helena, Hawn continues to tinker with his craft at the dish. His baseball scenery is ever changing and so are his coaches and mentors along the way. But there is a constant resource available day and night. “My dad (Jeff) definitely,” said Hawn. “We were out there doing it every day since I can remember and the majority of the stuff I learned from him. It’s good to sit down and talk to him. Sometimes, not so much because he’ll get on me from time to time because he notices little things, which is good. “Some people came in and tweaked some things here and there and I picked up some good habits from college, here (Appleton), and my high school coach. But it’s definitely good to have him though. He’s always in my corner and he knows me best.” Father may know best, but so does the son. Wiffleball days and idol worship is over for Hawn, who must now bring his game face to the real world workplace. “Now it’s a job, it’s a business day in and day out,” said Hawn. “Going to college helped me out with that a lot. I feel like I grew up and matured a lot. You just have to know now that this is serious, this is when you make your paycheck and this is something I want to do the rest of my life. It makes you want to dedicate yourself a lot more.” There is still roadwork on the horizon, but Hawn is hoping for a smoother ride along the way. And this highway does have a destination point worthy of dreams…the big leagues. “I’m here preparing myself for that day, trying to get better day in, day out with all the little things,” said Hawn, who admits he dreams about playing in the majors every day. “It’s awesome. It’s going to be everything that I wanted. The competition and living the lifestyle…going out and playing baseball and not having to worry about anything else.” http://www.sports32.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Hawn-smaller4-199x300.jpg http://www.sports32.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Hawn-smaller-2-300x200.jpg(Brad Krause)

Final: @Nashville 4, Fresno 3 Caleb Gindl's Two-Run Bomb Gives Sounds 4-3 Victory Over GrizzliesNashville Sounds NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Outfielder Caleb Gindl belted a game-winning two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning to power the Nashville Sounds to a 4-3 victory over the Fresno Grizzlies on Wednesday afternoon at Greer Stadium. Trailing 3-1 entering the eighth, the Sounds (10-22) plated all three runs with two outs in the frame to snap a season-long nine-game losing streak. Pinch-hitter Jordan Brown started the rally with a single and moved to second base on Taylor Green's infield groundout. Anderson Machado then plated Brown with a softly hit two-out single over the shortstop in center field. Gindl then belted a two-run bomb off Steve Edlefsen (0-3) over the center field wall. The homer was Gindl's third of the season and first at home. Tim Dillard (3-1) contributed three scoreless innings in relief to earn the win for the Sounds. Mark DiFelice threw a perfect ninth to pick up his second save. Mat Gamel put the Sounds on the board in the bottom of the second inning with his fifth homer of the season, a solo shot over the center field wall. Fresno knotted the contest at 1-1 in the next frame. Jackson Williams led off the inning with base hit, moved to second on a sacrifice, advanced to third on a wild pitch, and scored on an Edgar Gonzalez base hit. Bred Eldred put Fresno ahead 2-1 in the next inning with a solo home run down the left field line, his third of the season. The Grizzlies tacked on their final run in the fifth to go up 3-1. Leadoff hitter Tyler Graham reached base on fielding error, stole second base, advanced to third on a wild pitch, and scored on a Brett Pill RBI base hit. In a no-decision, Frankie De La Cruz surrendered three runs (two earned) on six hits and two walks while fanning four batters in five innings pitched. Doug Mathis's quality start was wasted in the defeat, tossing a season-high seven scoreless innings. Gamel extended his hitting streak to six games, with homers in three of those contests. Gindl has now reached base in 12 consecutive games for Nashville. The Sounds and Grizzlies continue their four-game series with tomorrow's 7:05pm CT contest at Greer Stadium on Taco Bell Throwback Thursday. Right-hander Josh Butler (1-2, 4.91) takes the hill for Nashville against Grizzlies righty Andrew Kown (4-2, 3.71). Nashville box scoreWhew. Listen to Gindl's clutch yardwork here. Great work too by Dillard and DiFelice; Dillard fanned four in his three innings, and DiFelice needed just 11 pitches (9 strikes) to cut the Grizzlies' hair. Gamel is now hitting .325/.396/.517. Green's mini-streak of two-hit games ended with an 0-3 day. Idle thought: lotta G's on this team; G : Nashville :: K : Brevard County. Eric Farris was 1-4. Because it's simpler to say when he doesn't than when he does: Brett Carroll recorded no outfield assists. Nashville play-by-play

Final: Huntsville 11, @Tennessee 7 Huntsville box scoreWhat a great game. The Stars were down 7-5 entering the top of the 9th but exploded for six runs and the win. Angel Gonzalez, who's been on a tear since being signed, was on five of six times, including a homer. Steffan Wilson also went deep, and Erik Komatsu had three hits, including a double. Wilson, Brandon Jones, Chuckie Caufield, and Matt Cline all had two hits. If that sounds like a lot of hits, it is--Huntsville had 18 on the day. Martin Maldonado was 1-2 with a walk and two sac flies. For the second straight day, Lee Haydel didn't start but had a run-scoring pinch hit. Sean Halton also didn't start but like Haydel came off the bench to drive in a run, his with a sac fly; he was also hit by a pitch later. Add two sac bunts to the three sac flies and you might as well rename the team the Aztecs. Michael Bowman had another decent start, allowing three runs in 5.2 innings; it was Roque Mercedes letting in three runs in the 7th that put the Stars in a bad spot. Huntsville play-by-playHuntsville Top of the 9thAngel Gonzalez singles on a fly ball to left fielder Ryan Flaherty.Steffan Wilson homers (3) on a fly ball to left field. Angel Gonzalez scores.Brandon Jones singles on a sharp line drive to center fielder James Adduci.Chuck Caufield out on a sacrifice bunt, catcher Steve Clevenger to second baseman Nate Samson. Brandon Jones to 2nd.With Martin Maldonado batting, wild pitch by Blake Parker, Brandon Jones to 3rd.Martin Maldonado out on a sacrifice fly to center fielder James Adduci. Brandon Jones scores.Matt Cline walks.Sean Halton hit by pitch. Matt Cline to 2nd.Erik Komatsu singles on a line drive to right fielder Matthew Spencer. Matt Cline scores. Sean Halton to 3rd. Erik Komatsu to 2nd on the throw.Offensive Substitution: Pinch hitter Lee Haydel replaces Jameson Dunn.Lee Haydel singles on a line drive to center fielder James Adduci. Sean Halton scores. Erik Komatsu scores. Lee Haydel advances to 2nd, on fielding error by center fielder James Adduci.Angel Gonzalez grounds out, first baseman Blake Lalli to pitcher Blake Parker.

Zach Braddock rehab start on ThursdayChris Mehring/Wisconsin Timber Rattlers Left-handed Brewers reliever Zach Braddock is scheduled to make a rehab start for the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers on Thursday night at Time Warner Cable Field. He went on the disabled list with a sleep disorder. The road back to the big leagues starts on Thursday against Cedar Rapids. I heard that Braddock will pitch an inning. Then, Austin Ross will come on to pitch on his regular day. Game time is 6:35pm. Tickets available at (800) WI-TIMBER, (920) 733-4152, or in person at the Time Warner Cable Field Box Office.

Rosiak:

Final: Charlotte 5, @Brevard County 2 Brevard County box scoreNick Bucci got hit hard, allowing three runs on nine hits in five innings. This reminds me of Dave Bush: Bucci struck out four and walked just one but hit two batters. Jon Pokorny worked a perfect 1.1 innings, including his first strikeout since April; he has just five whiffs in 11.2 innings after fanning 13 men per nine innings last year at Wisconsin. Mercifully, Trey Watten also turned in a scoreless frame. As MH mentioned, Khris Davis returned to the lineup and went deep. D'Vontrey Richardson made my paragraph from last night look good with three hits, including a triple, and even didn't commit any baserunning blunders. Josh Prince had two hits to raise his average to .273, though his secondary numbers are still dismal. Kentrail Davis and Hunter Morris were each 1-4, while Shawn Zarraga was 1-3; Zarraga is quietly chugging along with a .290/.342/.406 line while throwing out eight of 19 potential base stealers (42%). No idea how the rest of his game is defensively, but if he's still producing reasonable numbers through June it might be nice to see what he could do outside of the heavy air of the Florida State League. Scooter Gennett was hitless before being lifted for a pinch hitter in the 7th; hope he's okay. Brevard County play-by-playI knew after praising Zarraga I'd find something terrible in the PBP: Brevard County Bottom of the 4thKhristopher Davis reaches on fielding error by catcher Mark Thomas.D' Vontrey Richardson singles on a line drive to left fielder Christopher Murrill. Khristopher Davis to 2nd.Shea Vucinich walks. Khristopher Davis to 3rd. D' Vontrey Richardson to 2nd.Brock Kjeldgaard strikes out swinging.Shawn Zarraga grounds into double play, second baseman Tyler Bortnick to shortstop Hak-Ju Lee to first baseman Mayobanex Acosta. Shea Vucinich out at 2nd.

Chris has your answer in his postgame thoughts: He also notes that Yadiel Rivera was as advertised defensively, both with the glove and arm. Check out his throw in the first play of the highlight reel:

Final: @Wisconsin 4, Cedar Rapids 1 Rattlers beat Kernels for third straight winChris Mehring/Wisconsin Timber Rattlers GRAND CHUTE, WI - The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers scored three times in the bottom of the eighth inning to snap a 1-1 tie and defeat the Cedar Rapids Kernels 4-1. Chris Dennis delivered a two-out, two-run triple in the decisive inning and break the tie on Tuesday night at Time Warner Cable Field. Eric Marzec provided three innings of scoreless relief to help the Rattlers claim their third straight win. Ricky Alvarez gave the Kernels (20-12) a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning. He lifted a leadoff home run to left field off Rattlers starter Del Howell. Wisconsin (14-15) tied the game with an unearned run in the bottom of the second. Greg Hopkins reached second on an throwing error with one out. Franklin Romero lined a single to center to drive in Hopkins with the tying run. Romero extended his hitting streak to eleven games with that RBI single. The game remained tied until the eighth inning. Cedar Rapids starting pitcher AJ Schugel was an emergency starter for the Kernels when scheduled starter Suammy Baez could not make his start. Schugel, who had made eight relief appearances without a start for the Kernels prior Monday, allowed one unearned run over five innings before turning the game over to the bullpen. Howell pitched into the seventh inning and scattered five hits without allowing another run after the homer by Alvarez. Howell was replaced by Marzec after a leadoff walk to Brandon Decker in the seventh. Marzec struck out Alvarez for the first out. Then - with Decker running - Marzec struck out Jesus Campos looking and Rattlers catcher Tyler Robers threw out Decker at second for an inning ending double play. Wisconsin had the go ahead run in scoring position with one out in the sixth and seventh innings, but could not score. So, they took a different approach in the eighth. Nick Shaw singled with one out and tried to steal with Reggie Keen at the plate. However, Keen was called out for interference and Shaw was sent back to first base. Cody Hawn singled to left to send Shaw around to third base. Dennis lined a 1-0 pitch from Caleb Graham, the third Cedar Rapids pitcher of the night, to left-center for a triple to drive in both Shaw and Hawn for a 3-1 lead. Mike Walker singled Dennis home moments later to give the Rattlers a 4-1 lead. Marzec went back out for the ninth. He pitched around a one out walk with back-to-back strikeouts to close out the Kernels. Game two of the series is Wednesday night at Time Warner Cable Field. Jimmy Nelson (0-2, 4.01) is the scheduled starter for the Timber Rattlers. Justin La Tempa (1-0, 2.55) is set to go for the Kernels. Game time is 6:35pm. Wednesday is a Bonus Bang For Your Buck Night with soda, hot dogs, and Miller products available for $1. Wednesday is also an American TV Win-It Wednesday. Every fan aged 16 and older will receive a scratch-off ticket. Every ticket is a winner with prizes from the Timber Rattlers and American TV of Appleton. If you can't make it out to the ballpark, tune in for the broadcast on AM1280, WNAM or timberrattlers.com starting with the Miller Lite Pregame Show at 6:15pm. Wisconsin box scoreAs mentioned above, Howell didn't strike anyone out but got a ton of grounders. Howell threw 83 pitches, 49 strikes. Dennis and Hawn each had two hits, and Hopkins doubled and walked. The Rattlers' collective assistmania spread to Dennis, who started in left and threw a runner out at home. Five strikeouts against just a walk and a hit in three innings for Marzec--very nice work. Roberts has now thrown out 10 of 18 attempted base stealers. Yadiel Rivera made his full-season debut and went 1-3 with two strikeouts as the ninth-place hitter. Wisconsin play-by-playRivera's strong arm came into play in his first inning of the year as he pitched in on Dennis's assist: Cedar Rapids Top of the 1stTravis Witherspoon singles on a ground ball to left fielder Chris Dennis.Wes Hatton grounds into a force out, pitcher Del Howell to second baseman Nick Shaw. Travis Witherspoon out at 2nd. Wes Hatton to 1st.Jeremy Cruz pops out to third baseman Gregory Hopkins in foul territory.Brandon Decker doubles (3) on a ground ball to left fielder Chris Dennis. Wes Hatton out at home on the throw, left fielder Chris Dennis to shortstop Yadiel Rivera to catcher Tyler Roberts.

Final: @Brevard County 7, Charlotte 0 'Tees snap eight-game skid by blanking CharlotteFrank Longobardo/Brevard County Manatees VIERA, Fla. -- The Brevard County Manatees snapped an eight-game losing streak and got their first win in the month of May by shutting out the Charlotte Stone Crabs 7-0 on Tuesday night at Space Coast Stadium. 'Tees (11-21) starting pitcher Hiram Burgos (1-1, 3.31) earned his first win of the season, went six innings and allowed four hits, while walking four and striking out three. Brevard County's bullpen was even better as R.J. Seidel and Santo Manzanillo combine to allow two hits and one walk in three innings of relief. Brevard County also got some pop from the middle of the order as Hunter Morris and D'Vontrey Richardson combined to go 4-for-8 with four RBI. The biggest hit of the night came in the seventh when Morris smoked a triple into right center field, to drive in two runs and give the Manatees a 5-0 lead. Both Shea Vucinich and Mike Brownstein also had two hits each. Brevard County and Charlotte (11-21) will continue their series on Wednesday with a matinee game beginning at 10:35 a.m. Nicholas Bucci (3-1, 2.12) will start on the mound for the Manatees, while the Stone Crabs will send Drew Leary (0-1, 6.43) to the hill. http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/images/2011/05/10/iTHynSct.jpg Hiram Burgos (Dennis Greenblatt/Hawk-Eye Sports Photography) Brevard County box scoreAlex Colome, one of the Rays' top prospects, was no-hitting the Manatees until the 5th, but BC got a run off him then and two more without him getting an out in the 6th. Vucinich was perfect, walking twice to go with his two hits. Kentrail Davis was hitless but drew two free passes and was hit by a pitch. Scooter Gennett (and that's what MiLB.com is calling him now instead of "Ryan") took an 0-5. Khris Davis did not play after leaving yesterday's game in the 2nd inning. Richardson gets his own paragraph. He was on four times with two singles, a walk, and a HBP. Something interesting about his season thus far--he's cut his strikeout rate in half from last year (13% vs. 28%) but is struggling because his BABIP is much lower (.207 vs. .355). So he's making a lot more contact but either making it much more weakly than last year or getting unlucky (or both). With Richardson's speed, we'd expect him to have a pretty high BABIP normally since he'll beat out his share of grounders; there's definitely something to be optimistic about here, the possibility of real growth obscured by a couple weeks of bad luck. Brevard County play-by-play Brevard County Bottom of the 5thScott Krieger flies out to left fielder Anthony Scelfo.Shea Vucinich hits a ground-rule double (7) on a fly ball to left-center field.With Sean McCraw batting, wild pitch by Alexander Colome, Shea Vucinich to 3rd.Sean McCraw walks.Mike Brownstein grounds out to first baseman Michael Sheridan. Shea Vucinich scores. Sean McCraw to 2nd.Scooter Gennett lines out to shortstop Hak-Ju Lee. Brevard County Bottom of the 6thKentrail Davis walks.Hunter Morris singles on a line drive to right fielder Brett Nommensen. Kentrail Davis to 3rd.D' Vontrey Richardson singles on a ground ball to left fielder Anthony Scelfo. Kentrail Davis scores. Hunter Morris to 2nd.Pitcher Change: Michael Jarman replaces Alexander Colome.Brock Kjeldgaard grounds into double play, third baseman Greg Sexton to second baseman Tyler Bortnick to first baseman Michael Sheridan. Hunter Morris to 3rd. D' Vontrey Richardson out at 2nd.Scott Krieger singles on a line drive to left fielder Anthony Scelfo. Hunter Morris scores.With Shea Vucinich batting, Scott Krieger steals (3) 2nd base.Shea Vucinich walks.Sean McCraw grounds out, shortstop Hak-Ju Lee to first baseman Michael Sheridan.

SS Edwin Maysonet was activated at Nashville.