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Many loose ends as Stars wrap up 2010 seasonMark McCarter/The Huntsville Times HUNTSVILLE, AL. --I've been thinking about how many of these Stars-season-is-over, close-the-book columns I've written. Seven? Eight? Nine? They've been filed from various corners of the Southern League. They've come after soul-crushing losses, like when the team's best reliever gave up a ninth-inning homer to lose a championship game. They've come after the merriment of a day when the ultimate multi-tasker, Jared Mathis, played all nine positions, one an inning. This one is different. This one, there is no closure. There are loose strings flopping all over the place. The Stars ended their season with a 6-1 loss to Mobile Monday afternoon, finishing with a three-game losing streak and 12 losses in 18 games. They finished 67-73, their second consecutive losing season. They were the epitome of mediocre. Sixth in the 10-team league in ERA, fifth in runs scored. Seventh in batting average. Worst in fielding, and most unearned runs allowed. Four of the '10 Stars reached the majors, most notably Jonathan Lucroy, who put himself in position to be the first every-day Brewers catcher produced by the farm system since Milwaukee became affiliated with Huntsville in 1999. Though second baseman Brett Lawrie will likely reach the majors, nowhere was there the can't-miss guy in whom even laymen could see major league stardom potential, like a Ryan Braun or Ben Sheets. Manager Mike Guerrero's mantra of being professional and exhibiting 100 percent effort did manifest itself in this team 80 percent of the time. The Stars seldom ran out of effort; they just ran short of talent. "For the most part, we competed and they learned how to play properly," Guerrero said. But as the season ends, things are just beginning. We're back to those loose strings. First, if I had to put money on it, I'd bet the affiliation with the Brewers will end and the Stars' new major league partner will be the Anaheim Angels, moving from Little Rock in the Texas League. The Angels, Brewers and Tigers are the only teams without Class AA affiliates for next season. Team owner Miles Prentice has a previous working relationship with Anaheim. It would make sense for Milwaukee, linked with the Triple-A vacancy at Oklahoma City, to want to have its Class AA team reasonably close in Arkansas. Even more than the concern over the affiliate is the future of baseball itself in this city. The Stars drew 1,541 on Monday, giving them 91,237 for the season, the worst in Class AA, eighth-worst among the 90 teams at the top three tiers in the minors. Put that in perspective: More people watched one football game in Tuscaloosa Saturday against a creampuff opponent than saw the Stars play in 70. I think it's close to being a done-deal to have a Southern League team in Pensacola in 2012. The Stars are one of three fragile franchises that could move there. Unless Prentice invests some time and resources in Huntsville, the franchise will simply continue to deteriorate. A new stadium isn't the answer. That's a far-fetched, win-the-lottery dream. However, some simple yet substantial improvements are necessary, however funded. While the city owns the stadium, the meager return it gets on a sweetheart of a lease deal doesn't justify throwing tax dollars at it. It needs to be a private-partnership. My gut feeling is that the Stars days are numbered, perhaps one more year left. That's the season-is-over, close-the-book column I most dread writing. http://media.al.com/sports_impact/photo/drew-andersonjpg-cdfc3358d9131573_large.jpg Drew Anderson, 29, plays final game in Stars' finale, finishes as team career leader in doubles; he plans to become a scout. (Bob Gathany/Huntsville Times)

Final: @Great Falls 12, Helena 3Helena box score Jose Oviedo and Seth Lintz were both pounded, though Alex Jones struck out four in 1.2 scoreless innings and Jimmy Nelson fanned two in his two shutout frames. Cody Hawn smoked his 13th homer to account for all three Helena runs, Robbie Garvey was on three times with a single and two walks, and Carlos George had two hits. I kinda wish the Brewers would trade for Great Falls SS Kyle Davis and put him in the Brevard County outfield next year. Helena play-by-play

1B Cody Hawn, RHP Matt Miller, and manager Joe Ayrault were named to the Pioneer League All-Star team. 3B Greg Hopkins, 2B Shea Vucinich, SS Carlos George, and RHP Brian Garman were honorable mentions.

Really happy for Kintzler.

Final: Mobile 6, @Huntsville 1Huntsville box score We'll always have 2008, Stars. Not much going on today in what is likely the Stars' swan song as a Brewers affiliate, unfortunately. Michael Bowman allowed three runs in six innings, Lucas Luetge came in and allowed three more, and the offense couldn't do anything. Taylor Green knocked out a solo homer for their only run. Drew Anderson doubled, and Andy Machado had two hits. Caleb Gindl was 0-3 with a walk, and Brett Lawrie did not play. Thanks to Chad and the guys for their efforts this year, in particular Aaron for being so friendly on Twitter. Badgers fans: Aaron's calling the Northwestern-Wisconsin football game for the Wildcats in November. Huntsville play-by-play

Final: Wisconsin 7, @Kane County 0Rattlers wrap up 2010 with a shutout win Chris Mehring/Wisconsin Timber Rattlers GENEVA, IL - The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers are heading into the off season with a win under their belts. Wisconsin shutout Kane County 7-0 in a Labor Day matinee at Elstrom Stadium to close out the 2010 season. Nick Bucci allowed two hits over seven scoreless innings to pick up the victory. Chris Dennis homered and drove in three runs while Kentrail Davis collected three hits to pace a 12-hit day for the Rattlers. Wisconsin (58-80 overall, 32-38 second half) broke the scoreless tie with a pair of runs in the top of the fourth inning. Cutter Dykstra started the inning with a single. Kentrail Davis was next and his deep fly ball to center was just off the glove of Tyreace House. Dykstra hustled around to the plate and just beat the throw for the first run of the game. Davis broke for third on the throw home and scored when the throw to get him went into left field. The only trouble that Bucci saw on the afternoon was when he gave up a leadoff double to Jason Christian in the bottom of the fifth inning. But, he worked around the double and kept the Cougars (71-67, 39-30) off the scoreboard. The Rattler offense rewarded Bucci for his efforts with a four run outburst in the top of the sixth. Kentrail Davis and Khris Davis started the rally with back-to-back singles. Hunter Morris followed with a single to plate Kentrail Davis. Then, Dennis doubled in both Khris Davis and Morris for a 5-0 advantage. Dennis, who took third on the throw to the plate, would score when he beat a throw home from short after a grounder off the bat of Cameron Garfield and the Rattlers were up 6-0. Dennis struck again in the top of the eighth. He launched his eighteenth home run of the season to lead off the eighth. The three RBI in the game gave Dennis 87 on the season. Those are the most in a single season by a Timber Rattlers player since Jon Nelson had 91 in 2003. The Timber Rattlers record for RBI in a season is 107 and is held by Juan Silvestre, who set the mark in 1999. Matt Costello and Jon Pokorny each pitched a scoreless inning to wrap up the Rattlers victory over the Cougars. The Timber Rattlers begin the 2011 season on Thursday, April 7 at Time Warner Cable Field. Their opponents are the Kane County Cougars. Game time is 6:35pm. Wisconsin box score A satisfying conclusion. Bucci walked three and struck out four, throwing 86 pitches, 56 of which were strikes. Nice for him to go out on a high note after an inconsistent year. Also glad to see Pokorny not walk anyone for the first time in seven games; he fanned two. Morris and Kh. Davis each had two hits. Wisconsin play-by-play

Final: @New Orleans 10, Nashville 2Sounds close out season with 10-2 loss Nashville Sounds METAIRIE, La. - The Nashville Sounds wrapped up their 2010 slate on the short end of a 10-2 loss to the New Orleans Zephyrs in a Labor Day finale on Monday afternoon at Zephyr Field. With the defeat, Nashville (77-67) split the four-game series with New Orleans but finished the year with an 11-5 victory in the season series against the Z's. Brendan Katin (2-for-3) drove in both Sounds runs on the afternoon and finished the year with 76 RBIs, second-most on the club. First baseman Joe Koshansky went 1-for-4 on the day for Nashville to close out the year with an 18-game hitting streak, tied for the 6th-longest streak by a Pacific Coast League player all season and the best effort by a Sounds batter since Vinny Rottino hit in 24 straight in 2008. Katin got the scoring started as he continued his late-season surge at the plate with a two-out solo homer to left in the top of the first inning to give the Sounds a 1-0 lead. The blast, which came against Zephyrs starter James Houser, was the slugger's career-best 26th of the year. Katin set a new career high for roundtrippers this season despite being sidelined for seven weeks due to an early-season knee injury. New Orleans rallied to take a 3-1 lead in the third against Sounds starter Chase Wright. Miguel Fermin led off with a single and scored the tying run on John Raynor's one-out RBI single. Later in the frame, Brian Barden put the home team in front with a two-run double to center. The Sounds missed a big opportunity to tie the game or better in the fourth, loading the bases with no outs and failing to score. After the first three batters of the frame singled off Houser, Eric Farris hit a fly ball to right and Katin was thrown out at the plate by Chris Aguila for a double play as he attempted to score. Houser then retired Adam Stern on an inning-ending groundout to escape the frame with no damage. The Zephyrs put the game out of reach in the fifth, taking advantage of a suddenly-inaccurate Wright and an ineffective Chuck Lofgren to post a six-run frame in extending their lead to 9-1. New Orleans sent 10 batters to the plate in the frame. Wright hit his mound counterpart with a pitch to open the frame, walked Raynor, and allowed a single to Richar to load the bases before issuing a free pass to Greg Burns to force home Houser. Lofgren was summoned from the Sounds' bullpen and inherited the no-out, bases-loaded jam. After Mike Lamb greeted the left-hander by lifting a sacrifice fly to center to bring home Raynor, Aguila ripped an RBI single to left for a 6-1 lead. Mark Saccomanno drew a walk to load the bases again before veteran infielder Gookie Dawkins unloaded the bags with one swing, launching a three-run double to center to make it a 9-1 game. Aguila struck again for the Z's in the seventh, swatting a one-out solo homer to left off Lofgren to extend the home team's lead to 10-1. It was the veteran outfielder's sixth longball of the year. Katin wrapped up the day's scoring when he drove in his second run of the afternoon with an eighth-inning sacrifice fly against Z's reliever Matt Peterson. The Sounds left the bases loaded in the frame, as the right-hander escape further damage by inducing an inning-ending groundout from Johnny Raburn. Houser (1-2) earned his first win of the year in the final game of the season for the Zephyrs after holding the Sounds to one run on five hits over his five innings of work. Wright (8-9) closed out his season with a loss for Nashville after giving up seven runs on seven hits over four-plus innings. He walked two batters and struck out four in his 85-pitch outing. Baseball returns to Greer Stadium in April 2011 when the Sounds begin their 34th season of competition. Season tickets are available now by calling 615-690-HITS or visiting the Greer Stadium box office. Nashville box score Congrats to the Sounds on a nice year; despite finishing last in their division, a record ten games over .500 is nothing to be ashamed of. Congrats in particular to Katin, who was just a monster over the last month or so. Farris and Ray Olmedo also had two hits. No doubt many of the Sounds will be moving on, as might the Sounds themselves, so thanks to everyone involved for a fun season. Nashville play-by-play

To make room for IF Connor Lind and LHP Efrain Nieves, both of whom returned yesterday (from the DL and Temp. Inactive list, respectively), RHP Maverick Lasker and LHP Del Howell, who won't pitch again this year, were shuffled to the AZL Brewers roster in a paper move.

Jim Callis on Khris Davis: "Legit power but more DH than LF, have to see how bat plays at higher levels."

Final: Helena 12, @Missoula 3Brewers closing in on playoff berth Helena Independent Record MISSOULA — Their season has included a fair amount of both highs and lows, but the Helena Brewers are one game away from returning to the Pioneer League playoffs for the first time since 2007. Newcomer Kenneth Allison had two hits and drove in three runs as the Brewers beat the Missoula Osprey 12-3 on Sunday, maintaining a one-half game lead over Great Falls in the Pioneer League’s North Division. Equally important, however, was the fact that Great Falls beat Billings 3-1 in a weather-shortened contest. The Mustangs’ loss drops them 3 ½ games behind Helena in the composite season standings. Helena can advance to the playoffs in either of two ways: hold-off Great Falls for the second-half title, or have a better overall season record than Billings should Great Falls (which won the first-half title) pass Helena for the second-half title. Helena can clinch a playoff berth tonight with either a win over the Voyageurs in Great Falls or a loss by Billings at home against Missoula. Should Helena make the playoffs in either manner, the best-of-three North Division series against Great Falls would open Friday night at Kindrick Legion Field. Helena (40-32 overall, 21-13 second half) scored in bunches on Sunday. The Brewers got four in the third inning on John Dishon’s leadoff home run, Mike Walker’s single, Brent Dean’s double and Allison’s single. Missoula closed the gap to 4-2 in the fifth, before Helena put the game away with eight runs in the top of the seventh inning. Shea Vucinich, Allison and Robbie Garvey each doubled, while Greg Hopkins, Walker and Dishon singled as Helena sent 13 men to the plate. Austin Ross (2-1) gave Helena another solid outing on the mound, allowing just three runs (two earned) on eight hits in seven innings, while striking out a season-high eight. The Brewers gave him plenty of support, pounding out 16 hits against five Missoula pitchers. Every player in the Helena lineup hit safely, with Cody Hawn, Walker, Allison, Dean and Dishon getting multiple hits. Andrea Pizziconi (0-1) was charged with the loss, allowing four runs on seven hits in just more than four innings. The one bright spot for Missoula may have come in the stands, where the Osprey to set a new single-season attendance mark of 87, 345 in 37 games (2,361 average). http://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/missoulian.com/content/tncms/assets/editorial/5/48/65c/54865c24-b950-11df-af51-001cc4c002e0-revisions/4c843a25b5a87.image.jpg Missoula Osprey catcher Jae Yun Kim tags out Helena Brewers Brent Dean in a collision at home plate at Ogren-Allegiance Park on Sunday evening. (Linda Thompson/Missoulian) Helena box score Dishon and Walker had three hits each; for a change, Walker didn't walk. Ross, in keeping with the fine numbers he's been putting up, walked one and hit a batter; he recorded seven ground outs against four fly outs. Alex Periard worked a scoreless inning despite giving up three hits; he was aided by two strikeouts. Helena play-by-play The glorious 7th: Helena Top of the 7th Robert Garvey reaches on fielding error by right fielder Javan Williams. Robert Garvey to 2nd. John Dishon lines out to right fielder Javan Williams. Robert Garvey to 3rd. Nick Shaw hit by pitch. Shea Vucinich doubles (14) on a line drive to left fielder Adam Eaton. Robert Garvey scores. Nick Shaw scores. Shea Vucinich to 3rd. Throwing error by left fielder Adam Eaton. Pitcher Change: Rashad Tucker replaces William Watt. Cody Hawn reaches on a fielder's choice, fielded by second baseman Adonys Canelo. Shea Vucinich scores. Gregory Hopkins singles on a line drive to left fielder Adam Eaton. Cody Hawn to 2nd. Michael Walker singles on a ground ball to center fielder Roberto Rodriguez. Cody Hawn to 3rd. Gregory Hopkins to 2nd. Brent Dean flies out to left fielder Adam Eaton. Kenneth Allison doubles (1) on a ground ball to left fielder Adam Eaton. Cody Hawn scores. Gregory Hopkins scores. Michael Walker to 3rd. Robert Garvey doubles (8) on a ground ball to right fielder Javan Williams. Michael Walker scores. Kenneth Allison scores. John Dishon singles on a ground ball to center fielder Roberto Rodriguez. Robert Garvey scores. Pitcher Change: Casey Upperman replaces Rashad Tucker. Nick Shaw walks. John Dishon to 2nd. Shea Vucinich lines out to shortstop Raul Navarro.

Final: Nashville 7, @New Orleans 5Katin, Dillard lead Sounds past Z's, 7-5 Nashville Sounds METAIRIE, La. - Brendan Katin homered and drove in four runs and pitcher Tim Dillard recorded his fourth straight quality start to lead the Nashville Sounds to a 7-5 victory over the New Orleans Zephyrs on Sunday evening at Zephyr Field. Nashville (77-66), which was out-hit 12-7 in the contest by the Z's, picked up its eighth win in the club's last nine games in New Orleans. Dillard (5-7) held New Orleans to two runs on seven hits over his seven frames of work to improve to 4-2 with a 2.77 ERA (15er/48.2ip) in his eight starts for the Sounds this season. Katin (2-for-4) gave the visitors an early 2-0 lead when he crushed Wes Whisler's 3-2 offering over the left field wall for his 25th home run of the season, a new career high for the slugger. Prior to this season, Katin had belted 24 roundtrippers in a year on two occasions (2007 with Huntsville, 2009 with Nashville). Eric Farris, who preceded Katin by reaching on a fielder's choice, also scored on the two-run shot. Nashville jumped ahead 5-0 in the second with a three-run frame, keyed by a two-run Katin double. A trio of walks came back to haunt Whisler in the frame as all three of his free passes came around to score. Johnny Raburn and Martin Maldonado drew consecutive walks to open the frame. After Dillard sacrificed the runners to second and third, Norris Hopper lifted a sacrifice fly to bring home Raburn for a 3-0 lead. After Farris walked, Katin upped the Sounds' lead to five with a two-out, two-run double to right. Farris made it a 6-0 game in the fourth when he muscled out just his second home run of the year, a one-out solo shot to left off Whisler, and Maldonado stretched the visitors' advantage to seven in the fifth with an RBI single off Whisler. Whisler (4-6) took the loss for the Z's after giving up seven runs on seven hits in just 4 2/3 innings of work. Dillard was dealing for the Sounds early on, facing one over the minimum through the first four frames while tossing just 38 pitches over that span. New Orleans finally broke through against Dillard in the bottom of the fifth, scoring one run on a Greg Burns RBI single to make it a 7-1 game. The Z's missed a chance to do more damage, however, after having the bases loaded with only one out. Dillard, who threw 27 pitches in the fifth frame alone, worked out of the jam with minimal damage by retiring Bryan Petersen on a flyout and Danny Richar on a groundout. Veteran third baseman Mike Lamb slugged a one-out solo homer off Dillard in the sixth, his seventh tater of the year, to cut the Sounds' lead to 7-2 before the Zephyrs plated three runs off David Johnson in the eighth to pull within two at 7-5. Chris Smith worked around back-to-back two-out singles in the bottom of the ninth to record a scoreless frame in earning his PCL-leading 26th save of the year. First baseman Joe Koshansky extended Nashville's longest hit streak of the year to 17 games with a fourth-inning single. The teams wrap up the 2010 season with a 1:00 p.m. Labor Day matinee finale. Left-hander Chase Wright (8-8, 4.84) will take the hill for the Sounds and face New Orleans left-hander James Houser (0-2, 3.89). Nashville box score Man, it's been the Katin & Koshansky show lately. Well, Dillard too, I guess. Very strong finishes for all three. Adam Stern, who hasn't been so bad himself, was on twice with a single and a walk. Nashville play-by-play

Final: @Kane County 9, Wisconsin 4Khris Davis sets Rattler home-run record in loss at Kane County Chris Mehring/Wisconsin Timber Rattlers GENEVA, IL - Khris Davis is the new single-season home run champ in Wisconsin Timber Rattlers history. Davis blasted his 22nd home run of the season and gave the Rattlers a brief lead on Sunday night at Elfstrom Stadium. But, the playoff bound Kane County Cougars spoiled the good vibes with a 9-4 victory over the Rattlers. Anthony Aliotti drove in three runs for Kane County, who will be playing on Wednesday in game one of a Midwest League playoff series against Quad Cities. The Rattlers (57-80 overall, 31-38 second half) grabbed the lead with a first inning run. Cutter Dykstra drew a leadoff walk and moved to second on an errant pickoff throw. Kentrail Davis singled in Dykstra and Wisconsin was up 1-0 two batters into the game. Kane County (71-66, 39-29) took their first lead with two runs in the bottom of the second. Juan Nunez doubled in a pair of runs with a looping line drive down the left field line to put the Cougars up 2-1. Khris Davis stepped to the plate in the top of the third inning with Dykstra on base and two out. He worked the count to 3-1 against Aaron Larsen and put a charge into the fifth pitch of the at bat. The ball soared over the scoreboard in left-center field and Davis circled the bases as the Timber Rattlers new record holder for homers in a season. His teammates greeted him on the top step of the dugout with hugs, high fives, and fist bumps. Juan Silvestre set the old record of 21 in 1999. The mark was matched by Matt Hagen in 2003. Davis had just eight home runs at the Midwest League All-Star Break. Then, he would win the MWL Home Run Derby on All-Star Monday in Fort Wayne, Indiana on June 21 and made a memorable run to the record. Hunter Morris followed the home run with a single and a steal of second. D'Vontrey Richardson was next and he smacked a run-scoring a single for a 4-2 advantage. The Cougars rallied against Efrain Nieves in the fourth inning. Nieves faced four batters and did not retire any of them. Mitch LeVier just got enough of a pitch to get it over the wall in left field for a leadoff homer and cut Wisconsin's lead to 4-3. Nunez was next and he reached on an error. Then, Mike Gilmartin singled. Conner Crumbliss drove Nunez in with the tying run (and drove Nieves from the game) when he singled. Reliever Adrian Rosario uncorked a wild pitch to allow both runners to move into scoring position. Tyreace House sent Gilmartin home with the go ahead run on a sacrifice fly. One out later Anthony Aliotti came up and singled to center. Crumbliss just beat the throw to the the pate and Kane County was up 6-4. A combination of four Kane County relievers pitched the final five innings and kept the Rattlers off the scoreboard. Aliotti added to the Kane County lead with a two-run triple in the sixth inning. Myrio Richard knocked in Aliotti with an infield grounder and Kane County was up 9-4. The Timber Rattlers play their final game of the 2010 season on Monday afternoon. Nick Bucci (5-7, 3.72) is the scheduled starting pitcher for Wisconsin. Kane County has Kenny Smalley (0-1, 6.14) as their scheduled starter. Game time is 1:00pm. Tune in for the radio broadcast on AM1280, WNAM starting with the Miller Lite Pregame Show at 12:45pm. Wisconsin box score Congrats to Mr. Davis; he added a single and his third steal of the year. Dykstra was on three times (what else is new?) with two singles and a walk and stole two bases--and committed his 22nd error. Morris also had two hits. Scooter Gennett missed his third game in a row. Wisconsin play-by-play

Final: Mobile 9, @Huntsville 1Huntsville box score Michael Fiers started and posted solid peripherals, striking out six in six innings while walking two and allowing four hits, but let in four runs (three earned); 54 of his 82 pitches were strikes. Robert Hinton didn't help matters by surrendering five more. Catcher Patrick Arlis pitched a scoreless 9th in his second mound appearance of the year. I'm sure Chuckie Caufield would have come in for his sixth relief appearance, but he had already been double-switched out. Lee Haydel went 2-3 and drew the Stars' only walk. Caleb Gindl and Brett Lawrie were both 0-4 with two strikeouts, and Taylor Green did not play. Huntsville play-by-play Fiers had allowed just two baserunners through four innings and the game was tied at 1, but had some problems in the 5th & 6th: Mobile Top of the 5th Taylor Harbin doubles (27) on a line drive to right fielder Chuck Caufield. Chris Rahl reaches on fielding error by third baseman Zelous Wheeler. Taylor Harbin to 3rd. Jacob Elmore walks. Chris Rahl to 2nd. Wade Miley reaches on a fielder's choice, fielded by second baseman Brett Lawrie. Taylor Harbin scores. Chris Rahl to 3rd. Jacob Elmore to 2nd. Daniel Kaczrowski grounds into double play, shortstop Anderson Machado to second baseman Brett Lawrie to first baseman Chris Nowak. Chris Rahl scores. Jacob Elmore to 3rd. Wade Miley out at 2nd. Ollie LintonJr. grounds out, second baseman Brett Lawrie to first baseman Chris Nowak. Mobile Top of the 6th Evan Frey walks. Sean Coughlin strikes out swinging. Evan Frey steals (34) 2nd base. Ryan Wheeler grounds out, shortstop Anderson Machado to first baseman Chris Nowak. Evan Frey to 3rd. Taylor Harbin singles on a ground ball to shortstop Anderson Machado. Evan Frey scores. Chris Rahl flies out to right fielder Chuck Caufield.

Final: Brevard County 1, @Clearwater 0Clearwater falls in season finale against Manatees Clearwater Threshers CLEARWATER, Fla. - In the final game of the 2010 season, the Clearwater Threshers fell to the Brevard County Manatees 1-0 on Sunday afternoon at Bright House Field. The home team made a bid to come back in its final at bat but stranded the bases loaded. Joseph Esposito and Brevard County pitchers R.J. Seidel and Trey Watten hurled scoreless innings through the first seven frames to start the ball game. The Manatees finally broke through for the only run in the contest, a solo home run by Juan Sanchez in the top of the eighth. Clearwater opened the ninth with three consecutive singles to load the bases but failed to get a run in. Marshall Schuler picked up the loss in his Class A Advance debut, giving up just the one run in two innings. Watten finishes the season at 4-8 and Mark Willinsky earned his fourth save. The Threshers close the season at 30-39 in the second half and 67-72 overall, good for fourth place. The team would like to thank all its fans for their continued support by helping the franchise reach a new single season attendance mark of 172,726. Brevard County box score And the Manatees go out as winners. None of the three 'Tees pitchers walked a batter; Seidel fanned two and allowed three hits in his three frames, Watten one and two in his five (and a 12/0 GO/AO!), and Willinsky two and three in his one inning of work. Erik Komatsu also went out on a high note, 2-3 with a double and a walk to put a cherry on top of his outstanding season; he also stole a base but was caught twice despite entering the game with 27 thefts in 34 attempts, a solid success rate. Shawn Zarraga was also on twice with a single and a walk and swiped a bag as well. Brevard County play-by-play

Final: @Clearwater 9, Brevard County 8 (12 innings)Rundle's single caps Threshers' rally in extras Clearwater Threshers CLEARWATER, Fla. - Drew Rundle delivered the game winning knock, a two-RBI single, to carry the Clearwater Threshers over the Brevard County Manatees 9-8 in extra innings. The Threshers erased an early lead to win their 67th game of the year, and also broke the single season attendance record in the process. With the home team down 8-7 in the bottom of the 12th inning, Joel Naughton led off with a bunt single and advance to third on a double by Jim Murphy. Both runners came around to score when Rundle lofted a fly ball into left field off Dexter Bobo. Jon Velasquez worked three innings to improve to 3-9 while Bobo falls to 0-2. After Clearwater spotted the visitors with a 4-0 lead, Naughton drove home a run on an infield single. Fidel Hernandez also wound up scoring on the play due to an errant throw by Matt Cline. Then in the bottom of the seventh with two runners aboard, Steve Susdorf ripped his 11th home run of the year to give the Threshers their first lead of the ballgame. Darin Ruf made it back-to-back jacks with a solo homer to make it 6-4. Brevard County knotted up the score in the top of the eighth when Sean McCraw launched a two-run homer to right field. The Threshers responded in the bottom half on a two-out RBI single by Fidel Hernandez. With the Manatees down their final at bat, Cline singled to left and then moved to third on a Clearwater error. Erik Komatsu followed with a sacrifice fly to left field to score Cline and force extra innings. 5,080 came out for the final Saturday night contest at Bright House Field, setting a new franchise record for single season attendance at 170,990 with one more game to game. Catch the final game of the 2010 season Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. and stick around for a post-game party at Frenchy's Tiki Pavilon. Gates open at noon. Brevard County box score That's two losses in two games for Bobo at BC, and several wasted rallies tonight for the Manatees. Starter Cody Scarpetta fanned six while allowing two runs on seven hits, two walks, and a hit batter in 5.2 innings. The usually reliable Dan Meadows let in four runs in 1.1 innings. Corey Frerichs, by contrast, was outstanding, striking out five in 3.1 perfect frames. Sean Halton was 3-6, and McCraw, Cline, Sergio Miranda, and Juan Sanchez each had two hits. Angel Salome doubled and walked, and Komatsu added a single and walk to his sac fly. Brevard County play-by-play The 'Tees almost took the lead in the 11th: Brevard County Top of the 11th Juan Sanchez strikes out swinging. Josh Prince flies out to right fielder Robert Stumpo. Offensive Substitution: Pinch hitter Steve Braun replaces Matt Cline. Steve Braun singles on a ground ball to center fielder Tim Kennelly. Sergio Miranda doubles (18) on a line drive to left fielder Steve Susdorf. Steve Braun out at home, left fielder Steve Susdorf to shortstop Troy Hanzawa to catcher Joel Naughton to third baseman Jim Murphy. The action-packed 12th: Brevard County Top of the 12th Erik Komatsu walks. With Angel Salome batting, Erik Komatsu steals (27) 2nd base, . Erik Komatsu advances to 3rd, on throwing error by catcher Joel Naughton. Angel Salome walks. Offensive Substitution: Pinch runner Peter Fatse replaces Angel Salome. Sean Halton singles on a ground ball to center fielder Tim Kennelly. Erik Komatsu scores. Peter Fatse to 2nd. Brock Kjeldgaard strikes out swinging. Sean McCraw grounds into double play, shortstop Troy Hanzawa to second baseman Fidel Hernandez to first baseman Darin Ruf. Sean Halton out at 2nd. Clearwater Bottom of the 12th Peter Fatse remains in the game as the designated hitter. Pitcher Change: Dexter Bobo replaces Corey Frerichs. Joel Naughton singles on a bunt ground ball to third baseman Sergio Miranda. Jim Murphy doubles (29) on a line drive to center fielder Erik Komatsu. Joel Naughton to 3rd. Drew Rundle singles on a line drive to left fielder Brock Kjeldgaard. Joel Naughton scores. Jim Murphy scores.

Final: @Missoula 5, Helena 2Brewers fall back in pennant race with loss to Osprey Helena Independent Record MISSOULA — Adonys Canelo belted a three-run homer in the second inning as the Missoula Osprey defeated the Helena Brewers 5-2 on Saturday. The Brewers (39-32 overall, 20-13 second half) remain 1/2 game ahead of Great Falls in the second-half Pioneer League standings after the Voyagers (42-28, 19-13) doubled up Billings 10-5. Canelo’s home run came after Brewers starting pitcher Matt Miller walked Bobby Stone and gave up a single on a fly ball to center by Matt Helm. Fidel Pena singled on an infield grounder, scoring Stone, before Canelo went yard. Miller (7-2), who leads the league in wins, went four innings and gave up four earned runs on five hits. He struck out eight and walked one before Charly Bashara came in relief and finished with one run on four hits and three strikeouts. Brandon Sizemore hit a sacrifice fly and Rafael Neda followed up with an RBI grounder as the Brewers picked up their only runs in the seventh. Shea Vucinich led the Brewers with the only multi-hit game. He had two in five at-bats one night after hitting a walk-off home run and getting three RBIs against the Voyagers. Missoula starter Patrick Schuster (5-4) picked up the win after going six innings, giving up both runs on five hits while walking and striking out three apiece. Helena box score Kind of an odd line from Miller, who by the looks of it certainly didn't deserve to give up four runs from only six baserunners. Neda was 1-2 with a walk, Greg Hopkins and Johnny Dishon both doubled, and Mike Walker, true to form, walked twice. Cody Hawn made a welcome return to the lineup from a hamstring issue and went 1-3 with a walk. Despite what the recap says, the box score lists Vucinich with one hit and Carlos George with two. Helena play-by-play

Final: @New Orleans 2, Nashville 1Zephyrs even series with 2-1 win Nashville Sounds METAIRIE, La. - New Orleans catcher Neil Wilson hit a seventh-inning home run to propel the Zephyrs to a 2-1 victory over the Nashville Sounds on Saturday night at Zephyr Field, evening the series at one game apiece. The loss snapped a three-game win streak for the Sounds (76-66) as well as the club's seven-game victory streak at Zephyr Field. It was the fifth consecutive one-run decision for Nashville (3-2 over that stretch). The Zephyrs took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth inning when John Raynor led off with a single against Sounds starter Josh Butler then later scored the game's first run on a Danny Richar sacrifice fly. The Sounds rallied to tie the game in the sixth against Z's starter Tom Mastny. With Eric Farris on base following a one-out single, Brendan Katin drew a two-out walk to push the speedy infielder into scoring position for team RBI leader Joe Koshansky, who knotted the contest at 1-1 with a single to center. The game-tying knock extended Koshansky's hitting streak to 16 games, the longest by a Sound since 2007. For the second consecutive evening, both teams' starting pitchers turned in quality starts and both left with no-decisions for their efforts. Butler turned in his second straight strong outing against the Z's, holding New Orleans to one run on three hits over six innings. He allowed just two runs over 14.0 innings in that two-start swing. Mastny matched the right-hander's effort, allowing one run on five hits over six frames of work. Left-hander Chris Waters replaced Butler on the Nashville hill in the seventh, making his first appearance since July 30th due to a left elbow injury. After the first two batters of the frame were retired, Wilson touched the southpaw for a go-ahead solo homer to put the home team back in front, 2-1. The longball was Wilson's sixth of the year. Brett Sinkbeil (3-3) picked up the win after working one scoreless relief inning for New Orleans. Taylor Tankersley worked a perfect eighth for the Z's before closer Scott Strickland worked around a one-out Johnny Raburn single to toss a scoreless ninth for his 14th save of the year. Waters (5-10) absorbed the loss for the Sounds after surrendering the eventual game-winning run in his lone frame of action. Martin Maldonado finished 0-for-4 in the contest, snapping the Nashville backstop's six-game hit streak. The teams meet again at 6:00 p.m. on Sunday evening. Right-hander Tim Dillard (4-7, 4.22) will start for Nashville and face New Orleans left-hander Wes Whisler (3-6, 5.90). Nashville box score Butler's line: 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, 8/7 GO/AO, 69 pitches, 44 strikes. Raburn was 2-3 with a walk. Katin was 0-2 but was also hit by a pitch in addition to drawing the aforementioned walk. Koshansky also walked to go with his hit. Mitch Stetter worked a scoreless 8th. Nashville play-by-play

Final: @Kane County 6, Wisconsin 2Straily, Cougars top Rattlers Chris Mehring/Wisconsin Timber Rattlers GENEVA, IL - The Kane County Cougars scored four times in the third inning to erase an early Wisconsin Timber Rattlers lead at Elfstrom Stadium on Saturday night. That was more than enough for Kane County starting pitcher Dan Straily. The Cougars closed in on a playoff berth with their 6-2 win over the Rattlers. Wisconsin (57-79 overall, 31-37 second half) scored quickly against Straily. Kentrail Davis doubled with one out in the top of the first. Khris Davis walked to put two runners on base. Then, Hunter Morris singled to send Kentrail Davis home for a 1-0 lead. But, that was all Straily would allow in the game. He struck out seven and would give up just one more hit over his final 5-2/3 innings. Kane County (70-66, 38-29) got their offense going against Wisconsin starting pitcher Hiram Burgos in the bottom of the third inning. Max Stassi doubled to start the inning. Jose Crisotomo and Conner Crumbliss followed with a walk and a single to load the bases with no outs. Tyreace House doubled to left and drove in two runs. Crumbliss came all the way around from first to score when Khris Davis overran the ball in left and the Cougars were up 3-1. Later in the inning, House was at third with one out and Leonardo Gil struck out on a pitch in the dirt. Rattlers catcher Cameron Garfield looked House back at third before throwing to first to get Gil. But, as Garfield threw the ball, House broke for the plate. He just beat the return throw from Morris and Kane County was up 4-1. The Cougars added two more runs in the fourth inning. Crisotomo knocked in a run with an infield grounder. The second runs scored when House dropped a perfect suicide squeeze for a bunt single to get Stassi home from third base and give Kane County a 6-1 lead. Chris Dennis got the Rattlers back on the scoreboard in the top of the ninth inning. He blasted a home run, his seventeenth of the season, to right-center to start the top of the ninth. Wisconsin got two more runners on in the inning, but could not score again as they fell 6-2. Game two of the series is Sunday evening at 6:00pm. Efrain Nieves (4-4, 5.27) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers. Kane County has Aaron Larsen (0-1, 10.80) as their scheduled starter. Game time is 6:00pm. Tune in for the broadcast on AM1280, WNAM starting with the Miller Lite Pregame Show at 5:40pm. Wisconsin box score Burgos's line: 6 IP, 10 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, 8/6 GO/AO, 94 pitches, 60 strikes. Khris Davis walked twice. Scooter Gennett again did not play. Wisconsin play-by-play

C Dayton Buller activated from the Huntsville DL.

Final: @Helena 5, Great Falls 4Brewers win in walk-off fashion, remain in first place Brett Billings/ Helena Brewers The Helena Brewers used a walk-off home run to take the final game of a three game series against the Great Falls Voyagers on Friday Night at Kindrick Legion Field. The Brewers entered the bottom of the seventh training by one. Kenny Allison, who was just promoted from the Arizona League, found his first hit as a Helena Brewer by hammering a solo shot over the left field fence. Carlos George singled two batters later, and Shea Vucinich doubled him in with a bullet down the left field line that went for a double, and the Brewers held a one run lead. Great Falls tied the game in the top of the ninth inning. With Brian Garman pitching, Jose Ramos reached on an error by first baseman Mike Walker. Ramos advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt and scored on a double from Michael Earley. Helena and Great Falls have played into extra innings on four separate occasions this season. Vucinich didn't want to see a fifth and hammered a no-doubt bomb into the "helenet" over the left field fence to give the Brewers the walk-off victory. The win coupled with a Billings loss earlier in the evening gives the Brewers a 2.5 game lead in the overall standings, which is crucial in deciding Helena's playoff fate. They lead Great Falls by 1.5 games in the second half standings as they head into the final stretch. The Brewers hit the road tomorrow to play Missoula for two games and Great Falls for two more. They will return home on Wednesday to face Missoula for the final series of the 2010 regular season. Helena box score Nice to see Vucinich get hot lately, as he really struggled for most of August; he also walked and hit a sac fly. Evan Frederickson started and walked five in 3.1 innings; he also had two wild pitches. Moral victory that he didn't hit any batters? Alex Jones and his plus slider struck out three in 1.2 innings. Garman, unusually, failed to strike out a batter in his 1.1 innings; he entered the game with 41 punch-outs in 27.2 innings. Jones has now fanned 31 in 20.2 frames, and Eric Marzec has struck out 37 in 28.2--that's some quality relief work the H-Crew has gotten. Walker lived up to his name and reputation by walking twice, Johnny Dishon tripled and walked, and George had two hits. Tyler Roberts saw his first game action at Helena this year and went 0-3 with a walk. Helena play-by-play

Final: @Huntsville 3, Mobile 1Huntsville box score Wily Peralta continues to be wild lately, but tonight it worked out okay: 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 5 BB, 1 HBP, 4 K, 1 WP, 4/5 GO/AO, 92 pitches, 44 strikes. Way too few strikes to have success going forward. Brett Lawrie, Caleb Gindl, and Lee Haydel each had two hits. One of Haydel's hits was a double, and he stole a base. Peralta actually had a two-run double, his first professional hit. Huntsville play-by-play Peralta was able to work around the wildness because most of it came with two outs: Mobile Top of the 2nd Konrad Schmidt flies out to center fielder Caleb Gindl. Ryan Wheeler called out on strikes. Taylor Harbin hit by pitch. Jacob Elmore walks. Taylor Harbin to 2nd. Ollie LintonJr. walks. Taylor Harbin to 3rd. Jacob Elmore to 2nd. Joshua Collmenter called out on strikes. Mobile Top of the 5th Joshua Collmenter grounds out to first baseman Chris Nowak. Evan Frey walks. Collin Cowgill grounds out, second baseman Brett Lawrie to first baseman Chris Nowak. Evan Frey to 2nd. Bryan Byrne walks. Konrad Schmidt walks. Evan Frey to 3rd. Bryan Byrne to 2nd. Ryan Wheeler flies out to left fielder Lee Haydel in foul territory. Go Wily! Huntsville Bottom of the 4th Taylor Green grounds out, first baseman Bryan Byrne to pitcher Joshua Collmenter. Lee Haydel singles on a line drive to center fielder Collin Cowgill. Anderson De La Rosa singles on a line drive to left fielder Ollie LintonJr. Lee Haydel to 3rd. Wily Peralta doubles (1) on a fly ball to left fielder Ollie LintonJr. Lee Haydel scores. Anderson De La Rosa scores. Brett Lawrie pops out to second baseman Taylor Harbin. Caleb Gindl strikes out swinging.

Final: Nashville 4, @New Orleans 3Sounds edge Z's with run in ninth Nashville Sounds METAIRIE, La. - The Nashville Sounds plated a run in the top of the ninth inning to edge New Orleans, 4-3, on Friday evening at Zephyr Field in the opener of a four-game series. Nashville (76-65), which extended its winning streak to four games, recorded its 20th last at-bat win of the year and won its seventh consecutive game in New Orleans, dating back to last season. The Sounds took a 2-0 lead in the top of the third inning on second baseman Eric Farris' two-out, two-run double to left off Z's starter Nic Ungs. Norris Hopper and Martin Maldonado, who opened the frame with consecutive singles, scored on the two-bagger. Nashville upped its lead to 3-0 in the fourth when Joe Koshansky (2-for-4) walloped his team-leading 26th home run of the season, a one-out solo shot to center off Ungs. The big fly extend Koshansky's hitting streak to 15 games, the longest by a Sounds batter all season. Sounds starter Sam Narron was nearly flawless over his first six innings of action, allowing four hits while keeping New Orleans off the board, before the home team rallied to tie the contest with a three-run seventh. Brian Barden and Danny Richar started the rally with singles to put runners on the corners before Chris Aguila put the Z's on the board by lifting a sacrifice fly to left. PCL uber-veteran Mark Saccomanno stepped in and crushed the first pitch he saw from Narron for a game-tying, two-run homer to right-center. The infielder's sixth roundtripper of the season made it a 3-3 contest. The contest remained tied until the ninth, when Nashville pulled back in front. With one out in the top of the ninth, Brendan Katin drew a walk from Z's reliever James Houser and moved to third on a Koshansky double. After Ray Olmedo was intentionally walked to load the bases with one down, left-hander Dan Meyer took over on the hill and was greeted by an RBI groundout off the bat of Hopper, which plated Katin to give the Sounds a 4-3 lead. Richar, the second baseman, made a great diving play to keep the ball from getting to right field and allowing an additional run to score. Brandon Kintzler took the hill for the Sounds in the bottom of the ninth and retired the Zephyrs in order to secure the win and nail down his sixth save of the year. Sounds reliever Mitch Stetter (3-2) was the beneficiary of the last at-bat Sounds rally and picked up the victory after working a scoreless eighth inning. House (0-2) took the loss for New Orleans after surrendering the game-winning run in his 1 1/3 innings of work. Both starting pitchers in the contest took no-decisions despite a pair of quality-start efforts. Narron took a no-decision for Nashville despite tossing his team-leading 10th quality start of the year. The veteran southpaw allowed three runs on seven hits over his seven frames of action. Ungs matched Narron's effort, allowing three runs over seven innings. Katin finished 0-for-3 in the contest to snap his longest hit streak of the year at seven games. The teams continue the series with a 6:00 p.m. meeting on Saturday night. Right-hander Josh Butler (5-1, 4.99) will toe the rubber for the Sounds to face New Orleans right-hander Tom Mastny (4-5, 4.48). Nashville box score Kintzler struck out two. He's certainly positioned himself well going into spring training next year. The Sounds staff as a whole issued zero walks tonight. Nashville play-by-play

Final: Quad Cities 4, @Wisconsin 0Bandits shut out Rattlers in Wisconsin's home finale Chris Mehring/Wisconsin Timber Rattlers GRAND CHUTE, WI – Michael Blazek spoiled the final home game of the season for the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. The starting pitcher for the Quad Cities River Bandits gave up three hits over eight shutout innings and picked up the victory in a 4-0 win over the Rattlers. Michael Swinson drove in three runs to give Blazek more than enough offense. Rainel Rosario tripled to start the Quad Cities half of the fourth inning. An RBI grounder by Alan Ahmady sent Rosario home with the first run of the game. The River Bandits (82-53 overall, 42-24 second half) added to their lead in the top of the fifth. Rattlers starting pitcher Damon Krestalude walked a pair of batters in the inning. But, Quad Cities needed a two out single by Swinson to plate the run for a 2-0 lead. Krestalude pitched well for the Rattlers (57-78, 31-36). He allowed four hits and two runs over six innings and matched his professional high for strikeouts in a game with seven. But, the Wisconsin hitters never got on track. At no point in the evening did the Rattlers place more than one runner on the bases at the same time. Swinson put the game out of reach in the top of the ninth inning with a two-out, two-run homer off Rattlers reliever Eric Arnett. Jose Rondon walked one, but pitched an otherwise uneventful bottom of the ninth inning to complete the shutout for Quad Cities. Wisconsin drew 4,476 fans to Time Warner Cable Field for their home finale. That pushed the season attendance total to 244,331. That was the second highest total in team history. Wisconsin drew that many fans in 65 openings to give them an average attendance of 3,759. That is the highest average attendance for the team since it came into existence in 1995. The Timber Rattlers start their final series of the 2010 season on Saturday night with a game against the Kane County Cougars in Geneva, IL. Hiram Burgos (5-6, 4.08) is the scheduled starting pitcher for Wisconsin. Kane County has Dan Straily (9-7, 4.44) as their scheduled starter. Game time is 6:00pm. Tune in for the broadcast on AM1280, WNAM starting with the Miller Lite Pregame Show at 5:40pm. Wisconsin box score Krestalude did pitch well; those two walks were the only ones he issued. Arnett allowed four hits and a walk while striking out one in three innings. Cutter Dykstra, Chris Dennis, and Michael Marseco had the Rattlers' only three hits. Dennis stole his 11th base. Joey Paciorek walked twice Khris Davis was 0-2 but drew a walk and had a sac bunt. D'Vontrey Richardson was 0-4 and struck out three times. Scooter Gennett did not play. Wisconsin play-by-play

Final: Brevard County 12, @Clearwater 2Brevard County box score Angel Salome went off, homering twice as well as singling and drawing a walk. Brock Kjeldgaard also homered, Sergio Miranda had two singles, a walk, and two steals, Sean Halton doubled and singled, and Juan Sanchez tripled and singled. Erik Komatsu was 1-5. Darren Byrd, Brandon Ritchie, and Mark Willinsky all pitched well. Brevard County play-by-play Salome was very productive in the early going: Brevard County Top of the 1st Peter Fatse strikes out swinging. Sergio Miranda singles on a line drive to left fielder Drew Rundle. With Erik Komatsu batting, Sergio Miranda steals (12) 2nd base, . Sergio Miranda advances to 3rd, on throwing error by catcher Robert Stumpo. Erik Komatsu strikes out swinging. Angel Salome homers (5) on a fly ball to right field. Sergio Miranda scores. Sean Halton singles on a ground ball to right fielder Tim Kennelly. Brock Kjeldgaard flies out to left fielder Drew Rundle. Brevard County Top of the 3rd Peter Fatse singles on a line drive to right fielder Tim Kennelly. Sergio Miranda grounds into a force out, first baseman Darin Ruf to shortstop Troy Hanzawa. Peter Fatse out at 2nd. Sergio Miranda to 1st. With Erik Komatsu batting, Sergio Miranda steals (13) 2nd base. Erik Komatsu grounds out, second baseman Fidel Hernandez to first baseman Darin Ruf. Sergio Miranda to 3rd. Angel Salome homers (6) on a fly ball to right field. Sergio Miranda scores. Sean Halton grounds out, shortstop Troy Hanzawa to first baseman Darin Ruf.

Final: Great Falls 2, @Helena 1Voyagers down Brewers in pitchers' duel Brett Billings/Helena Brewers The Helena Brewers fell to the Great Falls Voyagers on Thursday night in a pitchers' duel 2-1. RHP Stosh Wawrzasek (2-4, 5.20) took the loss. He threw five innings and allowed two earned runs. Wawrzasek struck out four and walked one. Helena's only run came in the fourth inning. Nick Shaw, who was recently promoted from Arizona, started the inning with a double and later scored on a fielding error. The run tied the game at one apiece at the time, but the Voyagers scored again in the fifth and held the Brewers scoreless for the rest of the night. RHP Alex Periard made an appearance on the mound for the Brewers after being transferred here earlier this week from Arizona on a rehab assignment. Periard didn't allow a runner in one inning of work. The loss ensures Great Falls of a series win, but Helena will look to avoid the sweep tomorrow night. LHP Spencer Arroyo (7-2, 2.49) is starting on the mound for the Voyagers. The Brewers are starting LHP Evan Frederickson (3-3, 4.93). First pitch is a 7:05. Gates open at 6:00. Helena box score The Brewers drew no walks. Mike Walker went 2-4. Robbie Garvey also had a double. Helena play-by-play