battlekow

Elbow tenderness.

Stars beat the rain and the Barons Aaron Morse/Huntsville Stars A wild pitch in the bottom of the sixth scored Brett Lawrie and the rains came right after that as the Huntsville Stars (24-26) beat the Birmingham Barons (17-32) by a final score of 6-5 in six innings Sunday afternoon. On a cloudy day at “The Joe”, the Stars took the early lead in the bottom of the first against Barons’ starter Charles Shirek. Lawrie, batting lead-off, singled to start the game. A Caleb Gindl ground-out moved Lawrie to second and with two away Mat Gamel singled him home for the 1-0 advantage. Lawrie would be in the thick of things in the second inning. With one away Lee Haydel drew a walk. After Martin Maldonado singled, Lawrie crushed his league-leading eighth triple of the year to clear the bases (audio). Lorenzo Cain followed that up with a RBI single and the Stars grabbed a 4-0 lead (audio). Josh Butler, on a rehab assignment from the Brewers, pitched four shutout innings to start the game. He scattered four hits, walked one, and struck-out three. Chris Cody, normally a starter, was called upon to pitch the fifth inning. It did not go well as the Barons loaded the bases on two singles and a walk. With two away and the bases juiced, Christian Marrero singled to right to drive in two and chase Cody from the game (audio). Jim Henderson entered and got the final out of the frame. The Stars extended the lead to 5-2 on a Haydel RBI single in the bottom of the fifth (audio). But in the top of the sixth Henderson could not find the strike zone as he walked the first two hitters of the inning. Robert Hinton relieved him and walked the first man he faced to load the bases. A fielder’s choice got the runner at second, but allowed a run to score. Back-to-back singles off the bats of Jim Gallagher (audio) and Brent Morel (audio) tied the game at five. Hinton got a fly-out and a ground-out to end the inning with no further damage. With the rains threatening in the bottom of the sixth, Maldonado was hit by a pitch by new pitcher Tyson Corley. Lawrie reached on a fielder’s choice and stole second base as Cain struck-out. Gindl drew a walk and Corley uncorked a wild pitch that allowed Lawrie to advance to third. Then another wild pitch from Corley brought Lawrie home and gave the Stars a 6-5 lead (audio). The inning would end without any further runs crossing the plate, but at that point the skies opened and the rain forced them to go into a delay. After awhile, the game was declared over and the Stars got a much-needed win. Hinton (1-2) got the win while Corley (0-3) suffered the loss. Lawrie had a huge day, going 2-4 with three runs scored and two RBI. The Stars gain ½ a game on the Smokies, who were rained out, so Huntsville is now 5.5 games out of first. Huntsville hosts Mobile Monday in a 4:00 PM start. Alex Periard will take the mound.

Tim Dillard impersonates Harry Caray.

He's on the DSL team. Still only 21, which is kind of amazing.

I guess I misread that the DSL Brewers were in action today; their game against the DSL A's is actually tomorrow.

Final: Iowa 5, Nashville 3Cubs defeat Sounds in rain-delayed contest, 5-3 Nashville Sounds NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Iowa Cubs plated a pair of late runs to clip the Nashville Sounds, 5-3, in a rain-delayed affair on Sunday afternoon at historic Greer Stadium. The final out was recorded at 7:18 p.m., over five hours after the 2:06 p.m. start time, due to a two hour and 26-minute rain delay in the top of the ninth inning. The Sounds took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the third as Saturday night's hero, Joe Koshansky, ripped a two-out, two-run double to the wall in right-center off Iowa starter Casey Coleman. Ray Olmedo (4-for-5), who extended his hit streak to seven with a two-out single, and Adam Heether (walk) scored on the two-bagger, which upped Koshansky's team-leading RBI total to 28 on the year. Iowa left fielder Jason Dubois halved the Nashville advantage in the fourth with a leadoff solo homer to right off Sounds starter Chuck Lofgren, the veteran's seventh longball of the year. The visitors took a 3-2 lead in the sixth when catcher Chris Robinson greeted Sounds reliever Mike Jones with a two-out, two-run triple to right. Dubois and Micah Hoffpauir scored on the knock after reaching base against Lofgren on a double and walk, respectively. Nashville knotted the contest at 3-3 in the seventh against Iowa reliever Justin Berg. Patrick Arlis led off with a single and was erased on a sacrifice bunt attempt by pinch-hitter Chuck Caufield. After moving to second on a groundout, Caufield came plateward on Olmedo's third hit of the afternoon, a two-out RBI single to right. Iowa pulled back ahead with a two-run rally in the eighth against A.J. Murray. Dubois and Brad Snyder opened the inning by drawing consecutive walks. Two batters later, Robinson plated Dubois with a go-ahead RBI double to left. Matt Camp followed with a run-scoring single to up the Cubs' lead to 5-3. With one out in the top of the ninth inning, the skies opened and played ceased for nearly two-and-a-half hours before resuming at 7:07 p.m. Nashville's last at-bat magic finally ran out against Iowa as Cubs closer Brian Schlitter worked into and out of a two-on, two-out jam in the bottom of the ninth to notch his fifth save of the year. Berg (1-1) picked up his first victory of the year for Iowa, benefitting from the late Iowa rally after allowing one run in his two innings of work. Murray (0-2) was saddled with the loss for the Sounds after giving up two runs in his lone inning of action. Coleman took a no-decision for Iowa despite tossing a quality start. He held the Sounds to two runs on six hits over six innings. The teams wrap up their four-game series with a 2:05 p.m. Memorial Day finale on Monday. Left-hander Chase Wright (3-2, 4.50) will make the start for the Sounds. Iowa will counter with right-hander Mitch Atkins (3-2, 3.25). http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/images/2010/05/30/wWXIHP3f.jpg(Mike Strasinger/Nashville Sounds) Nashville box score Nice game from Olmedo. Koshansky and Trent Oeltjen had two hits apiece. Heether was 0-4 apart from the walk. Lofgren's final line: 5.2 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 5 K. Nashville play-by-play

Five-run fourth inning propels BC past Miracle Frank Longobardo/Brevard County Manatees VIERA - The Brevard County Manatees salvaged a series split in a four-game set with the Fort Myers Miracle with a 6-2 win on Sunday afternoon at Space Coast Stadium. Brevard County got a quality start from Michael Fiers who went six strong innings and allowed just one run on two hits, while walking two and striking out four. The lone run that Fiers gave up was in the first inning, when Joe Benson scored after a wild pick-off throw by Fiers to third. The Manatees batted around in the fourth as they plated five in the frame. After Shawn Zarraga led off the inning with a walk, Scott Krieger ripped a double into right center field to score Zarraga from first. Two batters later, Juan Sanchez singled to right and Krieger scored after blowing past the stop sign at third and Sanchez then moved to second on the throw home. Following a Matt Cline walk, Sergio Miranda singled to load the bases. Erik Komatsu would then single off of the pitcher Steven Blivens to make it a 3-1 game. Two batters later, Sean Halton singled to left to score Cline and Miranda and give the Manatees a 5-1 lead. Halton would drive in another run in the sixth with a two-out RBI single to score Cline. Halton went 3-for-5 with three RBI. Daniel Meadows relieved Fiers in the seventh and struck out the side. He would punch out five Fort Myers hitters in his three innings of work. Miranda and Sanchez had two hits each for the Manatees as Brevard County was 6-for-18 with runners in scoring position on Sunday. Brevard County will hit the road for their next series as they will travel to take on the Jupiter Hammerheads in a four-game series beginning on Tuesday at 6:35 p.m. The Manatees will return home on Saturday at 7:05 p.m. to begin a four-game set with the Bradenton Marauders.

Final: Cedar Rapids 5, Wisconsin 4Win slips away from Wisconsin Chris Mehring/Wisconsin Timber Rattlers CEDAR RAPIDS, IA – Jake Odorizzi matched his career high for strikeouts. Chris Dennis hit a three-run homer. The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers had a 4-0 over the Cedar Rapids Kernels on Sunday afternoon at Perfect Game Field. But, the Western Division leading Kernels rallied for a 5-4 win. Cedar Rapids has beaten the Rattlers six straight times to run their record to 7-2 against Wisconsin this season. Early on things looked good for the Rattlers (18-32). Scooter Gennett and Khris Davis started the visitors half of the fourth inning with back-to-back singles. Dennis crushed the first pitch of his at bat for a three-run homer to right. It was the sixth home run of the season for Dennis. Cameron Garfield was next and he would double. Later in the inning, Cutter Dykstra singled to knock in Garfield for a 4-0 lead. Odorizzi gave up a one-out triple to Matt Long in the bottom of the fourth inning. A sacrifice fly by Jean Segura sent Long home to cut the Rattlers lead to 4-1. In the sixth, the Kernels had runners at first and third with no outs. They scored a run on a fielder’s choice to get to within 4-2. Odorizzi left the game after six innings. He allowed two runs on five hits and struck out eight. Del Howell relieved Odorizzi to start the bottom of the seventh. He walked the first three batters of the inning to load the bases. An error allowed a run to score and kept the bases loaded. Mike Trout singled to center on the next pitch to drive in two runs and give the Kernels a 5-4 lead. The Rattlers did not threaten to score in either the eighth or ninth innings. Wisconsin ends the Cedar Rapids part of their 13-game road trip on Memorial Day afternoon. Eric Arnett (0-4, 7.52) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers. Garrett Richards (4-2, 3.19) is set to start for the Kernels. Tune in for the action on AM 1280, WNAM. The Miller Lite Pregame Show starts at 1:45pm. Game time at Perfect Game Field is 2:05pm. Wisconsin box scoreThree things the Rattlers have really struggled with this year: walks, errors, and Mike Trout. Just when you though Howell was turning things around, too--the particularly troubling part is that he didn't strike anyone out. Oh well, at least Odorizzi was excellent again; he walked only one. Gennett was 3-5, Davis 2-3 with a walk and a HBP, and Dykstra 2-4 with a stolen base. D'Vontrey Richardson, on the other hand, was 0-5 with three Ks. Wisconsin play-by-play

Final: Huntsville 6, Birmingham 5 (6 innings)Huntsville box score The game was called after six innings. Josh Butler started and pitched well, four shutout innings with four hits and a walk, striking out three. The Stars bullpen did their best to blow the game, but Brett Lawrie scored what proved to be the winning run in the 6th on a wild pitch. He was 2-4 with a triple on the day and scored three runs, and Lorenzo Cain and Zelous Wheeler were also 2-4. Mat Gamel was 1-3 with a walk, Caleb Gindl was 0-3 with a walk, and Taylor Green 0-2 with a walk before leaving in the 6th inning; Green may have reinjured himself trying to go first to third on a single, judging from the PBP. Sure seems like there have been a lot of injuries incurred running the bases this year. Huntsville play-by-play Not exactly a conventional rally, but they'll take it: Huntsville Bottom 6th Martin Maldonado hit by pitch. Brett Lawrie grounds into a force out, pitcher Tyson Corley to shortstop Greg Paiml. Martin Maldonado out at 2nd. Brett Lawrie to 1st. Lorenzo Cain strikes out swinging. Brett Lawrie steals (12) 2nd base. Caleb Gindl walks. Wild pitch by pitcher Tyson Corley. Brett Lawrie to 3rd. With Mat Gamel batting, wild pitch by Tyson Corley, Brett Lawrie scores. Caleb Gindl to 2nd. Mat Gamel walks. Zelous Wheeler grounds into a force out, second baseman Justin Fuller to shortstop Greg Paiml. Mat Gamel out at 2nd. Here's the Green sequence: Huntsville Bottom 5th Mat Gamel grounds out, second baseman Justin Fuller to first baseman Christian Marrero. Zelous Wheeler singles on a ground ball to third baseman Brent Morel. Drew T. Anderson strikes out swinging. Taylor Green reaches on fielding error by third baseman Brent Morel. Zelous Wheeler to 2nd. Lee Haydel singles on a fly ball to right fielder Jim Gallagher. Zelous Wheeler scores. Taylor Green out at 3rd on the throw, right fielder Jim Gallagher to first baseman Christian Marrero to third baseman Brent Morel. Birmingham Top 6th Defensive switch from shortstop to third base for Zelous Wheeler. Defensive Substitution: Anderson Machado replaces third baseman Taylor Green, batting 7th, playing shortstop.

As Jim quoted above, Bruce Seid seemed particularly enthused about RHPs Joel Dicent and Jean Capellan. Jose Pena was the Brewers' highest-profile signing in awhile; though he "only" received a $400K bonus, he was expected to get much more than that in the weeks leading up to the signing period and seems to be at least a notch or two higher than the usual talent level of Brewers international signees. Shortstop Andres Martinez received the highest bonus two years ago, at $225K. He's got some promise, though his numbers last year were terrible. Hitaniel Arias and Jose R. Garcia, both outfielders, were the two big signings three years ago, at $450K and $550K, respectively. They've both seen action stateside the last two years and haven't really done much, and to still be stuck in the DSL doesn't bode particularly well for their futures. Finally, OF Ronny Puello, though he was 19--too old to really be considered a prospect in the DSL--put up a 921 OPS last year.

Final: Brevard County 6, Fort Myers 2Brevard County box score Mike Fiers gave up a run on two hits and a walk in the first inning but rallied to allow only one more baserunner and no runs over the next five innings. Dan Meadows followed with three innings of one-run ball to clinch the victory. Fiers struck out four. The Miracle pitching staff must have been exceptionally wild, because I don't remember the Manatees drawing eight walks before. Matt Cline, Erik Komatsu, and Shawn Zarraga each had two, with Cline and Komatsu each adding a single as well. Sean Halton didn't need to bother with free passes--he had three hits instead. Josh Prince and Kentrail Davis did not play; with normal backup center fielder Juan Sanchez at short for Prince, Komatsu got his first start in center this year. Brevard County play-by-play The Manatees' five-run 4th: Brevard County Bottom 4th Shawn Zarraga walks. Scott Krieger doubles (1) on a line drive to right fielder Evan Bigley. Shawn Zarraga scores. Anderson De La Rosa grounds out, third baseman Deibinson Romero to first baseman Nathan Hanson. Juan Sanchez singles on a ground ball to right fielder Evan Bigley. Scott Krieger scores. Juan Sanchez to 2nd on the throw. Matt Cline walks. Sergio Miranda singles on a ground ball to left fielder Jonathan Goncalves. Juan Sanchez to 3rd. Matt Cline to 2nd. Erik Komatsu singles on a line drive to pitcher Steven Blevins. Juan Sanchez scores. Matt Cline to 3rd. Sergio Miranda to 2nd. Brock Kjeldgaard strikes out swinging. Sean Halton singles on a ground ball to left fielder Jonathan Goncalves. Matt Cline scores. Sergio Miranda scores. Erik Komatsu to 2nd. Shawn Zarraga grounds out, pitcher Steven Blevins to first baseman Nathan Hanson.

Coach, do you know when we'll see Angel at Huntsville?

Rattler Radio: Game notes Today's pitchers Starting lineup

Link while active, text follows: Timber Rattlers profile: Del Howell Compiled by Post-Crescent staff writer Brett Christopherson Del Howell file - Age: 22. - Position: Pitcher. - Bats/throws: Left/left. - Height, weight: 6-4, 200. - Residence: Northport, Ala. - Glove: Wilson A2K. - Notes: Selected by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 15th round of the 2009 June draft. ... Was a two-way player at the University of Alabama, where he pitched and played the outfield. ... Named "Mr. Baseball" in 2006 by the Alabama Sports Writers Association after going 13-1 with a 0.18 ERA as a high school senior. ... Rated by Baseball America as the 22nd best prospect in the Brewers' minor league system. Favorites - MLB team growing up: Atlanta Braves. - MLB player growing up: Randy Johnson. - MLB player now: Andy Pettitte. - Brewers player: Prince Fielder. "He plays hard." - Sport other than baseball: Basketball. - Food: Buffalo wings with hot sauce. - Wisconsin food: "The brats with onions. That's the first time I've had them up here. It's good." - Thing about Appleton: "Everything seems laid back, not too big. Kind of reminds me of Tuscaloosa (Ala.), or where I'm from." Q&A Q: Is Alabama really that crazy for its college football? A: Big game in town. There will be people coming in on Wednesdays, setting up. It's unbelievable. The atmosphere on Saturday — there's more people outside of the stadium than there is in the stadium. Q: Is Paul "Bear" Bryant still The Man in Tuscaloosa? A: That's all they talk about. Maybe (Nick) Saban will get his name out before long, though. Q: You really tossed back-to-back perfect games as a senior in high school? A: State playoffs. That was just something you dream about and it actually comes true. It'll never happen again, probably. But to be able to do that … and my dad was one of the coaches, so that was fun to share that with him. Q: How far into that second perfect game did you think you might have something special going on? A: The second one, it was like the fifth or sixth inning, and a guy squared around to bunt on me. I hit him right in the chest, and I was like, 'No way, I just blew it.' But the umpires talked about it and said he didn't pull back, so it was a strike. I got lucky, there. I don't know how I got out of that one. Q: You were drafted by the Yankees in the 18th round out of high school but didn't sign. Why not? A: I was about to sign right before (college) started, but it didn't work out. It was fun to get drafted by the Yankees, but going to college, I grew up a lot. And I think that has helped me now, struggling at the beginning of the year. It helps you know how to get through that. Q: Grew up how? A: I think it's the first time you move out of the house, living on your own. You learn how to fight through struggles. Coming out of high school, I don't think I was ready for that because I had always been successful. Going to college, you had to learn that. Q: You mentioned the early season struggles. Have you diagnosed the problem? A: I think, at the beginning of the year, I was just kind of leaving the ball up. Everybody can hit here. But the last month or so, everything's starting to come together. I'm learning some new stuff, some new mechanics. It's fun. Q: That's a big mental adjustment, isn't it? Realizing hitters at this level were pretty good themselves? A: Yeah. You're playing with the best players on their team where they came from. It's fun — a lot more challenging. You've got to come out and play every day. Every team is good now. Every player is good. Q: You nearly returned to Alabama for your senior season before deciding to sign with the Brewers. What was the deal there? A: At the beginning of (my senior) year, I got mono the Thursday before the opening game on Friday. And I missed the first half of the year, so I think that kind of dropped me in the draft. But right towards the end, me and the Brewers were able to work something out. Q: Pitcher and Brewers top pick Eric Arnett is your roommate. He, too, has struggled. Do you find yourselves trying to pull each other through the rough times? A: Sometimes. But once you leave here, you try to get away from the game because you're here at 2 o'clock every day and don't leave till 10. But we room together on the road, so we kind of chat in the hotel room about stuff. Learn how to get through struggles together. … It gets rough because you're a thousand miles from home and all you can do is just call home. But you also learn to grow up here, too. It's life. It's business. You've got to learn how to get over it and get back on that stage and prepare. Q: What's your biggest area of improvement as you look to advance levels and make the climb to the majors? A: I'd say better command of the strike zone. Cut down on the walks. And get my pitch count down a little more. Q: Finally, you have a strong southern accent. What do you think of the way the locals talk up here? Weird, huh? A: (Laughing) Nah. I like it. But everybody says pop or soda for drinks. Never heard that before. I just call it Coke or Pepsi, Dr. Pepper — whatever it is. The tool box Wisconsin Timber Rattlers pitching coach Chris Hook breaks down Del Howell's skills: - Fastball velocity: He's an 87 (mph), 88 — tops out at 90. He'll throw two-seam and four-seam. … A large percentage of his fastballs should be sinker variety — two-seam. - Off-speed pitches: Slider/change. Doesn't throw a curveball. The slider's kind of got nice tilt to it. Not real big, but something he's very comfortable with. That's one pitch he comes in with that he feels good with from college and has been his pitch. And then the changeup is something that he's starting to get very, very comfortable with and strides with that pitch, as well. Good pitch for him. - Overall command: That's something he's improving on. The thing with Del that people don't realize, he hasn't pitched a whole lot. Last year at Alabama, he was sick most of the year. Never been a full-time pitcher. So here's this guy who comes in, he's a college guy and they expect these high expectations and he hasn't pitched a whole lot. So we're really getting him in a normal routine, he's starting to get comfortable now, and I think we're starting to see the fruits of that labor. - Movement: That's going to be his strong suit. He's got average sink on that fastball right now, and I think he's just learning how to get it. So you're seeing this life and action out of a pitch where he'll throw a fastball right down the middle and they're swinging and missing. It's not just velocity. It's action. That's what we're really excited about, and I think as he gets more and more of an idea on how that pitch behaves, then he'll be able to command it a little better. - Final thoughts: He had a lot of success at a D-I college and them comes in here and (struggles). But I think he has handled it very well. Most guys would be pouting, and he wanted to get better. We've worked very extensively for two weeks after he struggled, almost on a daily basis, just trying to get him comfortable. And a lot of times in this game, comfort leads to confidence.

Good news: 3B Taylor Green was activated from the DL at Huntsville. RHP Andre Lamontagne promoted to Brevard County, LHP Evan Frederickson sent back to extended spring training to find the strike zone, and RHP Jose Sanchez transferred from Helena to Wisconsin.

Final: DSL Brewers 6, DSL Mariners 5 (10 innings) DSL Brewers box score Hitaniel Arias kicked off the DSL season with a 3-5 performance including a two-run homer, and Brewerfan favorite Rigoberto Almonte struck out six in 3.1 shutout innings to pick up the win. Jose Pena, the Brewers' big international signing last year, was 1-5 in his pro debut. Shortstop Andres Martinez was 2-6. Outfielder Jose R. Garcia was 1-5. Allixon Cequea, who's spent the last three years playing for the Arizona Brewers, was 0-4 with a walk. Ronny Puello, who put up a 921 OPS for the DSL Orioles/Brewers squad last year, was 1-3 with a walk. DSL Brewers play-by-play The winning run: DSL Brewers Top 10th Erickson Salaya singles on a line drive to left fielder George Drullard. Joan Abreu reaches on throwing error by catcher Ivan Brea. Erickson Salaya to 3rd. Joan Abreu to 2nd. Carlos Pena pops out to third baseman Bertin Sanon. Yonki Hernandez grounds out, second baseman George Soto to first baseman Miguel Sanchez. Andres Martinez singles on a line drive to center fielder Randy Perez. Erickson Salaya scores. Joan Abreu out at home on the throw, center fielder Randy Perez to catcher Ivan Brea.

Final: Birmingham 4, Huntsville 2Stars slammed by Barons Aaron Morse/Huntsville Stars Sometimes one swing of the bat can be the difference in a game. That was certainly the case Saturday night as Salvador Sanchez’s grand slam home run was the reason the Huntsville Stars (33-36) lost to the Birmingham Barons (17-31) by a final score of 4-2. Early on, it was the Stars who looked to be in control. With one away in the first, Lee Haydel found a hole on the right side for a single. Brett Lawrie grounded out, but on the play Haydel moved into scoring position. After Mat Gamel walked, Zelous Wheeler smoked a single up the gut to drive in Haydel and give the Stars a 1-0 lead. They’d strike again in the second. Drew Anderson continued to rake as he doubled to start the frame. One out later Martin Maldonado hit a grounder to short and Birmingham’s Robbie Hudson attempted to get Anderson going to third, but the throw hit Anderson in the back and everyone was safe. That’s when Lorenzo Cain came up huge with a base knock to right and the Stars had a nice 2-0 advantage. But the lead would be short lived. With two outs and a runner on fist, Stars starter Amaury Rivas walked back-to-back hitters. The lack of control came back to burn him when Sanchez unloaded on a pitch for a grand slam to give the Barons a 4-2 edge. Rivas (5-3) pitched well, going 7 innings, scattering 5 hits, and giving up 4 runs, while walking 3 and striking out 6. But he took the loss due to the one mistake to Sanchez. The Stars’ offense could get nothing going all night, as their last 10 hitters in the game were retired in order by Barons pitching. Wheeler had a good day at the plate, going 3-4 with a RBI. Cain also had a multi-hit game, as he was 2-5 with a RBI. Jhonny Nunez (1-4) earned his first win of the year, going 5 innings scattering 6 hits, while giving up 2 runs, only 1 of which was earned. Anthony Carter pitched the ninth inning to pick up his fifth save of the year. With the loss, the Stars lose the series and fall to six games back of the Tennessee Smokies in the North Division. The finale of the five-game set is Sunday afternoon. Tune to www.huntsvillestars.com starting at 12:45 pm central time for all the action. Alex Periard (2-3, 4.18 ERA) will be on the mound for the Stars. Huntsville box score Rivas continues to get ground balls, 11/4 GO/AO today. Lawrie and Caleb Gindl were both 0-4. Gamel drew two walks. Huntsville play-by-play

Final: Nashville 5, Iowa 3Sounds win 5-3 on second straight walk-off home run Nashville Sounds NASHVILLE, Tenn. - With two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, first baseman Joe Koshansky crushed a walk-off, three run homer to propel the Nashville Sounds over the Iowa Cubs, 5-3, on Saturday night at historic Greer Stadium. In his first Triple-A at-bat, Chuck Caufield walked off reliever Blake Parker (1-2) with one out in the bottom of the ninth to begin the rally. Josh Anderson then followed with his second hit of the contest, with Caufield advancing to third on the base hit. Caufield reduced the Iowa lead to one when he scored on a fielding error during Ray Olmedo's next at-bat. After an Adam Heether flyout, Koshansky belted Parker's 2-2 pitch over the right field wall to end the game. With the win, Nashville (28-20) improved its record in divisional play to 12-4 on the year, the best such mark among the 16 PCL clubs, and notched its second straight last-bat victory and 10th of the season. David Riske (2-0) picked up the win in his fourth rehab appearance for the Brewers. The right-hander gave up two unearned runs while fanning one in two innings of work. Left-hander Mitch Stetter also threw one shutout inning in relief, striking out two in the process. Koshansky finished the contest 3-for-5 with a home run and four RBIs. Olmedo added two hits and two runs scored with an RBI, his third consecutive multi-hit contest. For his fourth quality start in his last five outings, Chris Waters surrendered just one run on four hits with four walks and four strikeouts over six innings pitched for a no decision. The Sounds jumped on the board in the bottom of the first inning. Olmedo singled to left field, stole second base, and then came home on an RBI-single by Koshansky for a 1-0 Sounds lead. The Cubs tied the contest at 1-1 in the top of the fifth. With two outs in the inning, Waters walked Sam Fuld, and then gave up two consecutive singles to plate Fuld and tie the game. Bryan LaHair and Bobby Scales opened the ninth inning with singles off Sounds right-hander Riske, with both runners advancing an extra base on a fielding error. The next batter Chris Robinson hit a sacrifice fly to deep center field that scored LaHair for the go-ahead run and advanced Scales to third. Pinch hitter Jim Adduci then followed with another sacrifice fly, a foul pop fly down the left field line that plated Scales for a 3-1 Iowa lead. Thomas Diamond also took a no decision, giving up one run with two walks and five strikeouts in six innings. Jeff Samardzija followed with a scoreless frame, retiring the side on seven pitches. The Sounds and Cubs will play at 2:30 pm CT on Sunday afternoon at historic Greer Stadium in the third game of a four-game series. Left-hander Chuck Lofgren (6-3, 4.67) takes the mound against Iowa right-hander Casey Coleman (5-3, 3.36). Nashville box scoreListen to Koshansky's blast here. Nothing better than sticking it to the Cubs, at any level. Heether was 0-4 with a walk. Nashville play-by-play

Final: Fort Myers 3, Brevard County 2Brevard County box score Well, it looks like Kentrail Davis is injured--again. The lefty was 3-3 but was removed for a pinch runner in the 5th inning. The Manatees had 14 hits but could only plate the two runs. Matt Cline also had three, while Brock Kjeldgaard, Sean Halton, and Shawn Zarraga each had two. Erik Komatsu was 1-5, and Josh Prince was 0-2 after coming on as Davis's pinch runner. Sinkerballer Trey Watten tossed 4.2 scoreless innings, allowing six hits, walking three, striking out three, and posting a 7/2 GO/AO. Reliever Brandon Ritchie followed and allowed all three of the Miracle's runs. Brevard County play-by-play Here's the sequence in which Davis was apparently injured: Brevard County Bottom 5th Erik Komatsu singles on a line drive to left fielder Jonathan Goncalves. Kentrail Davis singles on a ground ball to right fielder Evan Bigley. Erik Komatsu out at 3rd on the throw, right fielder Evan Bigley to third baseman Deibinson Romero. Brock Kjeldgaard doubles (8) on a line drive to center fielder Joe Benson. Kentrail Davis to 3rd. Offensive Substitution: Pinch runner Josh Prince replaces Kentrail Davis.

Final: Cedar Rapids 8, Wisconsin 3Rattlers can't slow down the Kernels Chris Mehring/Wisconsin Timber Rattlers CEDAR RAPIDS, IA – The Cedar Rapids Kernels went into Saturday’s game against the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers as winners of 10 of their last 11 games. Wisconsin had an early lead, but the Western Division leading Kernels scored eight runs in the middle innings to pull away for their eleventh win in their last twelve games. Cedar Rapids had 12 hits as they beat Wisconsin for the sixth time in eight meetings this season. The Rattlers (18-31) grabbed a 2-0 lead with single runs in the first and third innings. Chris Dennis tripled in a run with two outs in the first inning. Khris Davis grounded into a double play with runners at the corners in the third to allow a run to score. Wisconsin starting pitcher Maverick Lasker kept the Kernels (31-18) at bay through three innings. But, in the fourth, Justin Bass drove in the first Cedar Rapids run with a two-out single. In the fifth, the Kernels grabbed the lead. Jon Karcich drew a leadoff walk. Carlos Jimenez doubled to left to score Karcich with the tying run. One out later, Matt Long drove in Jimenez with another double for a 3-2 Kernels lead. An error on a grounder off the bat of Jean Segura let Long score. Davis got the Rattlers back to within a run on a leadoff homer in the top of the sixth inning. But, the Kernels responded with four runs in the bottom of the sixth. Efrain Nieves relieved Lasker to start the bottom of the sixth inning. Luis Jimenez singled and Bass followed with a single. Jimenez took third on the play and Bass went to second on the throw to third. Jeremy Cruz sent a grounder to short and Jimenez was caught in a rundown between third and home. He would score when he knocked the ball out of the glove of Nieves at the plate. Karcich was next and he doubled into the right field corner to plate two more runs. Karcich made the score 8-3 when he scored on a wild pitch. The Rattlers did put two runners on to start the top of the eighth inning, but Cedar Rapids turned a double play to kill the rally. Wisconsin went in order in the ninth. The Timber Rattlers and Kernels continue their series on Sunday afternoon. Jake Odorizzi (2-1, 3.54) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Rattlers. Cedar Rapids sends Stephen Locke (0-0, 3.00) to the hill. Tune in for the action on AM1280, WNAM starting with the Miller Lite Pregame Show at 1:45pm. Game time is 2:05pm. Wisconsin box scoreLasker allowed four runs in five innings on six hits and a walk, striking out one. D'Vontrey Richardson and Scooter Gennett each had two hits, and Gennett also drew a walk. Cameron Garfield and Cutter Dykstra were 0-4. Dykstra and Gennett each committed errors--wow, how does Dykstra have eight already? Mike Trout, the Rattlers' bete noire, was 2-4. Wisconsin play-by-play

Rattler Radio: Game notes Tonight's starter Starting lineup

Heether's line adjusted for park and luck at MLS is .325/.402/.519. He's doing fine.

From this week's chat: [tt][/tt]

Congratulations to OF Chuckie Caufield, who was a 39th-round pick in 2006, for getting called up to AAA for the first time in his career.

Final: Sacramento 5, Nashville 3Sounds lose to River Cats 5-3 in finale Nashville Sounds WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. - The Nashville Sounds lost to the Sacramento River Cats, 5-2, on Thursday night at Raley Field in the finale of a four-game series. Nashville falls to (26-20) after dropping three of the four contests to Sacramento in the four-game set. Graham Godfrey (2-4) earned the win, surrendering two runs on six hits with six strikeouts over six innings pitched. Sacramento jumped on the board in the opening frame, scoring three runs on Sounds starter Kameron Loe. Corey Wimberly was hit by Loe during the first at-bat, stole second base, and then came home for the first run on an Eric Sogard double. Chris Carter singled home Sogard from second for the club's second score, followed by an RBI-triple from Anthony Recker for a 3-0 River Cats advantage. The River Cats added to the lead in the bottom of the fifth inning with Joshua Donaldson's sixth home run of the season, a two-run shot to left-center for a Sacramento 5-0 lead. The Sounds cut the lead to 5-2 in the next frame, thanks to RBI singles from Erick Almonte and Joe Koshansky. Both runs came with no outs in the inning, but Nashville was unable to capitalize and do further damage in the inning. Henry Rodriguez picked up his fourth save throwing a scoreless ninth. Loe (4-3) took the loss after allowing five runs on six hits over six innings pitched, fanning five while walking none. Reliever Mike McClendon pitched two scoreless frames while giving up one hit. The Sounds return to Music City to open an eight-game homestand at 7:05 pm CT at historic Greer Stadium on Friday evening. Left-hander Chris Capuano (1-1, 2.14) takes the mound against Iowa left-hander J.R. Mathes (4-4, 5.40). Nashville box scoreAdam Heether was 0-3 with a walk. Almonte and Ray Olmedo each had two hits. Nashville play-by-play