Tag Archives: Bryan Evans

July 9, 2012 · 5:26 pm

Stars Hit Six Home Runs In 10-5 Win Over Suns

Stars first baseman Hunter Morris(above)hits one of his two solo home runs in 10-5 win over the Jacksonville Suns at Joe Davis Stadium. Photo Courtesy: Huntsville Stars

By Steve Kolbe

 
The Jacksonville Suns surrendered a season-high six home runs to the Huntsville Stars in a 10-5 loss on Sunday afternoon at Joe Davis Stadium.  The Stars have hit a total 47 home runs this season, with seven of them coming in the last two games against Suns pitching.
 
After a 10 minute delay due to rain, Huntsville got right to work in the bottom of the first by sending eight men to the plate against Suns starter Bryan Evans.  The first two batters reached base, when Lee Haydel led off with a single and Josh Prince walked.  With one out, Hunter Morris blistered a triple to right field with both runners scoring to put the Stars in front 2-0.  Morris drove in three runs and scored twice in the Stars win in game one of the series, and he would be a factor again throughout the day.  Hainley Statia added a run when he jumped on the first pitch that he saw from Evans, hitting a double to right field, with Morris cruising home to make the score 3-0. 
 
The Suns scored their first run of the game in the second inning against Stars pitcher Johnnie Lowe. Curt Smith hit the first of his three singles on the day, and moved to second base on a fielders choice.  After a Shawn Bowman walk put runners on first and second, Jose Duarte drove in his fifth run of the season with a single to right field, with Smith scoring from second to cut the lead to 3-1.  Duarte had gone without an RBI since April 20 (72 games).
 
In the third inning, Paul Gran and Chris Gutierrez both singled against Lowe to start a rally, and with two outs Curt Smith singled to drive in two runs to even the score 3-3.  The Suns scored all five of their runs in the game after there were two outs in an inning.
 
In the home half of the third, leadoff man T.J. Mittelstaedt hit his first Double-A home run off of Evans to put the Stars back in front 4-3.  It was also Mittelstaedt’s first Double-A RBI, and it gave Huntsville a lead they wouldn’t give up.
 
In the sixth inning the Stars sent eight men to the plate for the second time in the game.  Hunter Morris led off the inning with a solo home run to increase the lead to 5-3.  Morris has homered and tripled in two straight games, and his day was far from over.  After an infield single by Hainley Statia, Kentrail Davis added his name to the long ball list by smashing a two-run home run deep to right field to pad the Stars advantage to 7-3.  It was the third home run that Bryan Evans allowed in the game.
 
The Suns summoned Kyle Kaminska from the bullpen, and he was given a rude reception when pinch hitter Domnit Bolivar hit his first home run of the season to pad the lead at 8-3.  The Stars hit three home runs in the sixth inning.
 
In the seventh, Kyle Jensen crushed a two-run home run to the deepest part of Joe Davis Stadium to get the Suns to within two runs at 8-5.  Jensen leads the Suns with 11 home runs this season, and he’s tied for the team lead with 41 RBI’s with Shawn Bowman.
 
Huntsville belted two more home runs in the seventh inning off of Kaminska.  The first two batters of the inning, T.J Mittelstaedt and Hunter Morris, hit back-to-back solo home runs and the Stars led 10-5.  It’s the first time this season that a team has hit back-to-back home runs against the Suns.  Jacksonville has allowed double-digit runs against four times this season.
 
The Stars hit six home runs in the game, one shy of tying the Southern League record for the most home runs in a single game.  Seven is the record, set by six different teams over a 31 year span from 1961 through 1997.  Knoxville hit seven against Jacksonville July 28, 1997, and Huntsville hit seven against Chattanooga July 18, 1997.  Six round trippers are the most that the Suns have allowed in a game this season, and the most that the Stars have hit in a single game this year.  Three of the home runs in Sunday’s game were hit by the leadoff man in an inning.
 
Curt Smith went 3-for-5 with three singles, and he’s now 8-for-14 this season against Huntsville.  Smith had a hand in four of the Suns five runs, with two RBI’s and two runs scored.  Shawn Bowman had a multi-hit game, going 2-for-3.  Hunter Morris, Hainley Statia, and Kentrail Davis each collected three hits for the Stars.  Morris had a hand in seven of the 10 runs, with 4 RBI and three runs scored.  In the series, Morris has had a hand in 12 of the Stars 17 runs (7 RBI and 5 runs scored).  Lee Haydel and T.J. Mittelstaedt finished with two hits each.  Eight of the Stars 15 hits in the game went for extra-bases.  Seven different Stars players scored at least one run.
 
Bryan Evans (2-6) pitched five and a-third innings allowing seven runs on nine hits, both season highs.  Evans has allowed seven home runs in his last four starts, after giving up just two in his first 13 starts of the season.  Kyle Kaminska pitched an inning and two-thirds giving up three runs on six hits.  Kaminska was tagged for three home runs in the game.  He had allowed two home runs total in his previous 24 outings.  Stars starting pitcher Johnnie Lowe allowed three runs on six hits over his four innings of work and didn’t figure in the decision.  Dan Merklinger (2-7) pitched two innings of hitless baseball to earn the win.
 
The series finale is Monday night from Joe Davis Stadium with the first pitch scheduled for 6:43 p.m. local time.  RHP Zach Neal (4-6, 4.26) will start his tenth game of the season for the Suns.  Neal earned the win last week at Tennessee after getting the start when Rob Rasmussen was traded to the Houston Astros just prior to the game July 4 at Smokies Park.  RHP Hiram Burgos (4-1, 2.05) will take the mound for the eleventh time this season for the Huntsville Stars.   The Suns have not been swept in a series this season.
 
 
 

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July 4, 2012 · 3:17 pm

Blue Wahoos Defeat Suns

 

Blue Wahoos second baseman Brodie Greene(above)reached base three times and drove in a run in a 7-5 win over the Jacksonville Suns July 3, 2012 at the Baseball Grounds. Photo Courtesy: Pensacola Blue Wahoos

By Steve Kolbe

Pensacola shortstop Didi Gregorius hit a home run and drove in four to lead the Blue Wahoos past the Jacksonville Suns 7-5 Tuesday night in Jacksonville.  The crowd of 11,392 was the largest at the Baseball Grounds since the 2008 season.
 
Pensacola jumped out to a lead in the first inning against Suns starter Bryan Evans when Gregorius hit a two-run home run deep to right field.  It was his first home run of the season. 
 
The Suns answered in the home half of the first inning scoring three runs on four hits.  Jacksonville finished with seven hits in the game.  Kyle Skipworth drove in two runs with a single, and Shawn Bowman knocked in another to give the Suns a 3-2 lead.
 
Both teams scored twice in the fourth.  Beau Mills his his fourth home run of the season and David Vidal drove in another to put Pensacola up 4-3.  Shawn Bowman smashed his seventh home run, and Jeff Dominguez drove in a run to put the Suns back in front 5-4.
 
The Blue Wahoos took the lead for good in the sixth inning, sending eight men to the plate and scoring three runs to take the lead back at 7-5.  
 
Suns pitcher Mike Ojala (0-1) suffered the loss.  Blue Wahoos reliever Mark Serrano (5-1) pitched and inning to earn the win.  Curtis Partch picked up his fifth save of the season.
 
The Suns open a three game set in Tennessee against the Smokies on Wednesday night with the first pitch scheduled for 7:15 p.m.

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June 29, 2012 · 6:52 am

Biscuits Take Over First Place In South

Biscuits first baseman Ryan Garko belted a three-run home run in the sixth inning to lead Montgomery to an 8-3 win over the Jacksonville Suns June 28, 2012 at Riverwalk Stadium. Photo Courtesy: Montgomery Biscuits

 By Steve Kolbe

The Montgomery Biscuits scored five times in the sixth inning on the way to an 8-3 win over the Suns on Thursday at Riverwalk Stadium.  The Biscuits improved to 5-3 in the second half, and took sole possession of first place in the South Division.
 
Before many found their seats, Jake Smolinski hit his second home run of the season, swinging at the first pitch of the game and sending it over the left field wall to put the Suns in front 1-0.  It’s the second time this season that Jacksonville has had their first batter of the game go deep.  Donnie Webb hit a home run against Tennessee while leading off on June 22nd at the Baseball Grounds. 
 
The Biscuits threatened in the third inning when they loaded the bases with only one out.  After falling behind in the count 3-0 to Tyler Bortnick, Suns starter Bryan Evans wiggled his way out of the jam when Bortnick grounded into an inning-ending double play. 
 
Montgomery started another rally in the fifth inning when Mark Thomas reached base with an infield single, and Ty Morrison doubled to put runners on second and third with one out.  Evans then let a pitch get away, hitting Ryan Garko in the batting helmet to load the bases.  Kyeong Kang walked on four pitches, pushing Thomas across the plate to tie the game 1-1.  Bortnick came to the plate with the bases full of Biscuits for the second time in three innings, and came up empty again when he grounded into another inning ending double play.
 
Kyle Jensen gave the Suns a 2-1 lead in the sixth, hammering the first pitch of the inning to deep left-center field for his tenth home run of the season.  Jensen has hit a home run in two straight games, and is the first Suns player to reach double digits.
 
Jacksonville summoned reliever Chris Squires to begin the sixth inning.  He walked the first batter that he faced in his return to the Suns when he gave Tyler Bortnick a free pass.  After Bortnick advanced to second base on a wild pitch, Squires settled down and retired the next two batters he faced.  With two outs, Mark Thomas hit a hard grounder to third and Shawn Bowman’s throw to first sailed over the head of Curt Smith, with Sexton scoring to even the score 2-2.
 
After Hak-Ju Lee was issued an intentional walk, Ty Morrison drove in Thomas with a single to right field to put the Biscuits ahead to stay at 3-2.  Squires then fell behind in the count 3-1 to Ryan Garko and when he tried to challenge him with the fastball, Garko smashed his fifth home run of the season to left-center.  The three-run blast increased the Biscuits lead to 6-2.  Garko has reached base safely in 11 straight games.  Montgomery sent eight men to the plate and scored five runs on three hits in the inning.
 
The Biscuits added to their lead in the seventh inning against Zach Neal, when Greg Sexton hit a two-run home run to make the score 8-3.  Montgomery has scored 54 runs in the first eight games of the second half (over seven runs per game).  The Biscuits improved to 26-3 when they score six or more runs, the Suns have only three victories when they score three or fewer.
 
Jake Smolinski and Jeff Dominguez each had multi-hit games for the Suns.  For Montgomery, Tyler Bortnick extended his team-high hit streak to 14 games with his infield single in the second inning.  Mark Thomas finished 3-for-4 with three singles and scored two runs.  Hak-Ju Lee and Ty Morrison each collected two hits.  Lee extended his hit streak to nine games.
 
The Biscuits leadoff hitters made things difficult for Suns pitchers throughout the night, reaching base in seven of the eight innings (triple, double, two singles, three walks).  The Suns have scored the first run in all three games of the series but have lost twice.
 
Suns starter Bryan Evans (2-5) didn’t figure in the decision after allowing just one run on five hits over five innings.  Chris Squires (0-1) suffered the loss after giving up five runs on three hits in the sixth inning.  Biscuits starter Jake Thompson (5-5) allowed three runs on seven hits and earned the win.  Thompson went 0-4 in his first seven starts of the season, but is 5-1 in his last seven starts.  Neil Schenk allowed just one hit over the final two and two-thirds innings for his first save of the season.
 
Game four of the series is Friday night from Riverwalk Stadium in Montgomery with the first pitch scheduled for 8:05 p.m. EST.  The Suns will send LHP Graham Taylor (4-6, 4.54) to the mound for his sixteenth start of the season.  The Biscuits will look to win the series with RHP Joe Cruz (5-6, 4.96) on the hill for his fifteenth start of the year.

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June 24, 2012 · 5:50 am

Suns Ninth Inning Rally Falls Short

Jacksonville center fielder Donnie Webb paced the offense with a two-run home run, a triple, and three RBI in the Suns 7-6 loss to the Tennessee Smokies. Photo Courtesy: Jackonville Suns

By Steve Kolbe

After a 30 minute rain delay,  the Jacksonville Suns fell behind early on Saturday night, and a ninth inning comeback fell just short in a 7-6 loss to the Tennessee Smokies at the Baseball Grounds.

The Suns took the lead in the second inning when Kyle Skipworth and Curt Smith each hit solo home runs to give Jacksonville a 2-0 advantage.  The Suns have started the scoring in all three games of the series against the Smokies, but have lost two of three contests. 

Tennessee put together a big inning in the top of third, sending nine men to the plate against Suns starter Bryan Evans.  Pitcher Jeff Antigua led off the inning with a walk, and Logan Watkins doubled behind him to put runners on second and third.  Jae-Hoon Ha then singled to left field, driving in Antigua to trim the Suns lead to 2-1.  With one out, Justin Bour increased his league-leading RBI total to 54, when he hit a sacrifice fly to center with Watkins hustling home from third to tie the game 2-2.  

With one on and two outs, Nelsen Perez hit a two-run home run into the right field stands to put the Smokies on top 4-2.  It was his first home run with Tennessee after being promoted from High-A Daytona three days earlier, where he ranked third in the Florida State League in round trippers.  The inning continued when Matt Cerda singled with two outs, and that brought Mike Burgess to the plate.  Burgess then belted a two-run home run to center field to increase the lead to 6-2.  The home run by Burgess is the longest hit at the Baseball Grounds this season.  In the inning, the Smokies scored six runs on five hits.  It’s the seventh time this season that the Suns have allowed five or more runs in an inning.  

The Smokies added a run in the seventh on a RBI single by Jae-Hoon Ha to make the score 7-2.  The Suns began their comeback attempt in the bottom half of the seventh, when pinch hitter Paul Gran singled and scored on Donnie Webb’s sixth triple of the season to make the score 7-3. 

In the home half of the ninth, reliever Kevin Rhoderick struck out Jeff Dominguez for the first out.  After Paul Gran was hit by a pitch for the 12th time this season, Donnie Webb blasted a two-run home run into the right field seats to cut the lead to 7-5.  Webb has hit a home run in two straight games, both to right field. 

Rhoderick struck out Chris Gutierrez for the second out of the inning, but Jake Smolinski scratched out an infield single, and stole second base.  Shawn Bowman then drove in Smolinski with a single to left, and the Suns were down 7-6.  With a runner on first, two outs, and the Suns down by just a run, the stage was set for high drama.  The Smokies made the call to the bullpen and summoned their closer Frank Batista.  In a showdown between two Southern League All-Stars, catcher Kyle Skipworth jumped on the first pitch that he saw from Batista, and nearly gave the Suns a walk-off win by sending a fly ball deep to left field.  With the crowd and the Suns dugout on their feet, left fielder Nelson Perez raced back and made the catch on the warning track, and the Suns comeback fell just a few feet short.  The Suns have scored three runs in the ninth inning four times this season, but Saturday’s loss is the first time that they have come up short of a win. 

Five of the 18 combined hits in the game were home runs.  Jacksonville belted three homers in a game for the first time this season, and have hit five home runs in the series.  For the Suns, Donnie Webb paced the offense going 2-for-5 with a home run, triple, and three RBI.  Webb is tied for third in the Southern League with six triples.  Logan Watkins, Justin Bour, and Jae-Hoon Ha each collected two hits for the Smokies.  Watkins tripled on the first pitch of the game from Bryan Evans. 

Suns starter Bryan Evans (2-5) entered the game with a 2.90 ERA, third lowest in the league.  He pitched four innings, allowing six runs on seven hits.  Evans had allowed only 12 runs in his first eight games at the Baseball Grounds.  Casey Weathers (3-1) picked up the win by allowing one hit over two innings of work for the Smokies.  Frank Batista, who finished second in the Florida State League with 26 saves last season with Daytona, recorded the final out to earn his 11th save of the season.

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June 16, 2012 · 6:08 am

Evans Leads Suns Past Braves

By Steve Kolbe

A day after allowing a season-high 13 runs, the Jacksonville Suns rebounded for a 6-1 win over the Braves at Trustmark Park in Pearl, Mississippi on Friday night. 

The Suns broke the ice in the first inning against Braves starter Luis Avilan.  Donnie Webb led off the inning with a walk, and Jake Smolinski reached on a throwing error by third baseman Joe Terdoslavich, with Webb advancing to third on the play.  Avilan then threw his fourth wild pitch of the season, with Webb scoring to give the Suns a 1-0 advantage.  The Suns have scored at least one run in the first inning in 18 games this season, and are 15-3 in those games.  Jacksonville is now 26-6 when crossing the plate first. 

In the third inning, Webb found himself in the middle of the offense again when he led off with a single and scored on a sacrifice fly by Shawn Bowman to increase the Suns lead to 2-0.   

Suns starter Bryan Evans baffled the Braves throughout the night, and after allowing a single in the first inning he retired the next 16 batters he faced until the seventh inning.  In the seventh, Keenan Wiley led off with a bunt single and went to second on a sacrifice bunt.  With two outs, Tim Smith put the Braves on the board with a RBI single, with Wiley scoring to cut the Suns lead to 2-1.  Kyle Kaminska took over for Evans to record the final out of the inning. 

In the eighth inning, the Suns scored four runs against reliever Brett Cammons, all with two outs.  Jake Smolinksi walked and scored when Shawn Bowman hit his team-leading 16th double of the season, and the lead was 3-1.  Kyle Jensen extended the inning when he reached base on an infield single, with Smolinski moving around to third to put runners on the corners.  Curt Smith delivered the big hit in the inning, with a towering three-run home run to left field to pad the Suns lead to 6-1.  After going without a round tripper since the first series of the year, Smith has now hit two home runs in his last four games. 

The Suns have won seven of their last 10 road games, and improved to 19-14 away from home this season.  Jacksonville has scored at least five runs in six of their last seven road wins.  The Suns won for just the second time this season on Friday (2-9).  The Braves have lost six of their last eight games overall.  Mississippi has won two games in a row only once in the last 22 games. 

Suns shortstop Chris Gutierrez extended his hit streak to 14 games with a single in the third inning.  He hasn’t gone hitless since May 30th.  Mississippi center fielder Todd Cunningham also increased his hit streak to 14 consecutive games with a single in the first.  Shawn Bowman drove in two runs for the Suns, and now leads the team with 32 runs batted in.  Curt Smith has hit two three-run home runs in the last week, and he now has 27 runs batted in this season. 

Bryan Evans entered the game among the top five pitchers in the league in lowest batting average against.  He had a dominant performance, pitching six and two-thirds innings and allowing one run on three hits to improve his record to 2-4.  He has won his last two decisions.  Evans struck out a season-high eight batters, including striking out the side in the second inning and retiring the side in the third on just nine pitches.  Evans retired 16 Braves in a row after allowing a single in the first inning.  Kyle Kaminska and A.J. Ramos combined to pitch the final two and a-third innings. 

Braves starter Luis Avilan pitched a season-high six innings, allowing just two hits and one earned run, but saw his record fall to 1-5 on the season.

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June 11, 2012 · 4:48 am

Suns Rout Generals 7-0 and 9-0 Sunday

 

Suns center fielder Donnie Webb went 2-for-5 with a home run and two RBI in a 7-0 Game 1 win over the Jackson Generals June 10, 2012. Photo Courtesy: Jacksonville Suns

By Steve Kolbe

The Jacksonville Suns shut out the Jackson Generals twice on Sunday, scoring a combined 16 runs on 23 hits.  The Suns started the day with a 7-0 win in the completion of a game that was suspended by rain on Saturday night.  In the seven-inning night cap, the Suns again blanked the Generals, 9-0.
 
The Jacksonville Suns had already built a 4-0 lead over the Jackson Generals at the Baseball Grounds on Saturday night, with Donnie Webb hitting a two-run home run, and Ryan Patterson and Shawn Bowman each driving in a run.  Rain then stopped the play, and the game was suspended in the bottom of the fourth inning.  Webb has hit the Suns last two home runs.
 
After a rain delay of one hour and 20 minutes, the game resumed on Sunday at 4:25 p.m., with the Suns batting in the fourth.  Generals reliever Moises Hernandez took over on the mound, and the Suns picked up where they had left off the night before.  With two outs, Chris Gutierrez increased the Suns lead to 6-0 by sending a double to the gap in right-center, with Jake Jefferies and Paul Gran scoring on the play.  Gutierrez is the fifth Suns player this season with 20 or more runs batted in. 
 
The Suns tacked on another run in the sixth, when Jake Jefferies led off the inning with a double for his second hit of the game.  After Paul Gran grounded out, Ryan Patterson drove in Jefferies with his second double of the game to pad the lead to 7-0.
 
The Suns had four playres with a multi-hit game, led by Ryan Patterson who was 3-for-4 with two doubles, two RBI and a run scored.   Donnie Webb finished 2-for-5 with two RBI and scored a pair of runs.  Chris Gutierrez went 2-for-4 with two runs batted in.  Jake Jefferies also had two hits and scored twice.
 
Suns starting pitcher Bryan Evans was cruising along in search of his second straight win before the game was suspended the previous night.  He had retired the first seven batters he faced, and allowed just two hits over four innings.  Left hander Bobby Bramhall (1-1) was pressed into service to re-start the game on Sunday afternoon.  He allowed just three hits in his four innings of work to win his first game of the season. 
 
Josh Schmidt struck out two of the three batters he faced in the ninth.  Steve Garrison (3-3) allowed six runs on seven hits.  The Generals had just five singles in the game. 
 
In the second game, the Suns continued to batter Generals pitching on the way to a 9-0 win, with every player reaching base safely at least once.   It didn’t take long for the Suns to figure out Jackson starter Taylor Stanton.  Back in left field for the first time since his concussion, Jake Smolinski led off the first inning with a single, and scored when Chris Gutierrez doubled to the wall in left field for 1-0 lead.  Ryan Patterson then singled, with Gutierrez coasting home, and it was 2-0 Suns.  The Suns improved to 14-3 this season when scoring in the first inning.
 
Suns first baseman Curt Smith had the big swing in the third inning, connecting for a three-run home run and a 5-0 Jacksonville advantage.  It was Smith’s second home run of the year, and first since the fifth game of the season, when he hit a two-run homer against the Huntsville Stars in the first series. 
 
Jacksonville added three more runs in the fourth to pad the lead to 8-0, with Kyle Skipworth driving in two runs with his second triple of the season, and Kyle Jensen delivering with a RBI single. 
 
The Suns plated one more in the sixth on three straight singles, with Ryan Patterson driving in the Suns ninth run of the night.  On the play, Patterson appeared to injure his left ankle when rounding first base and trying to stop. 
 
Every Suns player finished with at least one hit with the exception of third baseman Shawn Bowman.  Jake Smolinski, Kyle Skipworth, Kyle Jensen, and Ryan Patterson each finished with two hits. 
 
By scoring at least a run in the first inning in both games, Jacksonville improved to 24-5 when crossing the plate first.  The Suns have seven shutouts this season, matching their total from the 2011 campaign.  It’s the first time this season that the Jackson Generals have been blanked in two straight games.
 
Suns starter Graham Taylor allowed just four hits in his five innings of work to improve his record to 4-5.  Taylor has won two of his last three starts after dropping three in a row.  A.J. Ramos and Evan Reed each pitched an inning.  Taylor Stanton( 1-2) surrendered eight runs on nine hits over four innings.  Every Suns batter reached base at least once in the game.  Jacksonville is now 9-3 in games played on Sunday.
 
The final game of the series is Monday at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville, with the first pitch scheduled for 7:05 p.m.  RHP Matthew Neil (1-0, 4.37) will start the Suns final home game in the first half of the season .  RHP Brandon Maurer (4-1, 3.80) is set to start his 13th game of the year for the Generals. 

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June 10, 2012 · 12:42 am

Suns-Generals Game Suspended

The Suns-Generals game June 9, 2012 at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville was suspended due to heavy rain and storms. The game will be continued Sunday June 10, 2012 as part of a double header. Photo Courtesy: Jacksonville Suns

By Steve Kolbe

 The Jacksonville Suns built a 4-0 lead over the Jackson Generals at the Baseball Grounds on Saturday night, when rain stopped the play and eventually suspended the game in the bottom of the fourth inning.  Saturday’s game will be completed beginning at 3:05 p.m. Sunday afternoon, with the Suns and Generals playing their regularly scheduled game Sunday night.  Game two will be a  seven-inning contest. 

The Suns came out swinging in the first inning against Generals starter Steve Garrison.  Donnie Webb and Chris Gutierrez led off the game with singles, and with the first two batters the Suns had matched their hit total from Friday night’s 1-0 loss.  After a force out, third baseman Shawn Bowman drove in his 29th run of the season with a sacrifice fly, with Webb scoring to put the Suns in front 1-0. 

Jacksonville added three more runs in the second, all with two outs.  Paul Gran singled to start the rally, and scored on Ryan Patterson’s double to increase the lead to 2-0.  Donnie Webb then smashed a two-run home run over the left field fence to give the Suns a 4-0 advantage.  Webb has hit two round trippers in his last four games.

Suns starting pitcher Bryan Evans began the game in search of his second straight win.  He retired the first seven batters he faced, and allowed just two hits in four innings.  Generals starter Steve Garrison allowed four runs on seven hits and was on the mound in the bottom of the fourth with one out when the skies opened.

In the second game on Sunday, LHP Graham Taylor (3-5, 4.93) will start his 13th game the season for the Suns.  RHP Taylor Stanton (1-1, 7.56) takes the hill for the Generals for his third start of the year. 

 

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June 5, 2012 · 4:26 pm

Blue Wahoos Edge Suns In Extra Innings

    

 

The Blue Wahoos scored the game-winning run with two outs in the 11th inning for a 3-2 victory over the Jacksonville Suns June 4, 2012 at Bayfront Stadium. Photo Courtesy: Pensacola Blue Wahoos

By Steve Kolbe

 
Blue Wahoos first baseman Joel Guzman’s only hit of the night propelled Pensacola to a 3-2 walk-off win over the Jacksonville Suns in eleven innings on Monday at Bayfront Stadium.
 
The Blue Wahoos took an early lead in the first inning with two unearned runs against Suns starter Bryan Evans.  Ryan LaMarre led off the inning with a double down the left field line, and Didi Gregorius singled with LaMarre taking third on the play.  Brodie Green then sent a fly ball to Donnie Webb, but the throw to the plate from the Suns center fielder bounced into the Jacksonville dugout with both LaMarre and Gregorius scoring on the error to put Pensacola in front 2-0.  The Suns are now 6-26 when allowing the first run of the game.
 
The Suns tied the game in the fourth inning against Pensacola starting pitcher Kyle Lotzkar.  Paul Gran was hit between the numbers by Lotzkar to begin the inning.  It was the eleventh time this season that Gran has been hit by a pitch.  Suns first baseman German Duran continued his hot streak on the first pitch that he saw in the inning, hitting his third home run of the season over the left field fence to even the score 2-2.  Duran is 5-for-11 with two home runs, five runs batted in, and five runs scored in the first three games of the series.  The Suns have hit a home run in 12 of the their last 20 games, with the last two coming off the bat of Duran.
 
The game remained tied until the home half of the eleventh.  Suns reliever Corey Madden struck out Ryan LaMarre to start the inning, but then allowed a single to Didi Gregorius.  Brodie Green popped out to right field for the second out of the inning, and then the drama began.  Joel Guzman promptly ended the game by smashing a two-out single up the middle, with Gregorius scoring the game winning run.  The jubilation began as the Blue Wahoos exploded from their dugout and chased Guzman all over the field.  Before his extra inning walk-off hit, Guzman was 1-for-14 in the series.
 
The Suns are 2-2 in extra-inning games this season, with all four of the games played on the road.  The Blue Wahoos are 4-3 when working overtime.  Six of the eight games played between the Suns and Blue Wahoos at Pensacola’s Bayfront Stadium have been decided by a single run.
 
Jeff Dominguez finished 2-for-5 and was the only Suns player with more than one hit.  For the Blue Wahoos, Josh Fellhauer went 4-for-5 with four singles.  Didi Gregorius was 3-for-5 and scored two runs on the night. 
 
Both starting pitchers didn’t figure in the decision.  Bryan Evans allowed two unearned runs on six hits over six innings for the Suns.  Evans struck out five and did not walk a batter.  Kyle Lotzkar allowed two runs on seven hits in his seven innings of work, and struck out a season-high 10 batters.  Corey Madden (1-1) allowed four hits in his two and two-thirds innings, and surrendered the game-winning run.  Blue Wahoos relievers Curtis Partch and Justin Freeman combined to pitch four innings of one-hit ball.  Freeman (3-5) pitched the eleventh inning to earn the win.  Suns batters struck out 16 times, one shy of their season-high.
 
The Suns had won four straight games on the road before Monday’s loss.  Jacksonville is 27-31 on the season and five games behind Mobile in the South Division.  The Suns haven’t won more than two games in a row since a four-game win streak April 28 to May 2. 

Game four of the series is Tuesday with the first pitch scheduled for 8:00 p.m. EST.  For the Suns, LHP Graham Taylor (3-4, 4.41) will take the mound.  In his last start, Taylor allowed two runs on six hits in a win over Mobile.  The Blue Wahoos will look to even the series with RHP Daniel Corcino (2-3, 3.79) on the hill.

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May 30, 2012 · 11:30 pm

Suns Stop BayBears 9-0

Suns catcher Kyle Skipworth hit two doubles, drove in two runs and scored twice in a 9-0 win over the Mobile BayBears May 30, 2012 at the Baseball Grounds. Photo Courtesy: Jacksonville Suns

By Steve Kolbe 

In their most lopsided win of the season, the Jacksonville Suns blanked the Mobile BayBears 9-0 on Wednesday afternoon.  The Suns had lost their first seven games against the BayBears at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville this season by a combined score of 31-6.
 
BayBears mistakes helped the Suns take the lead in the second inning against starter Derek Eitel.  Third baseman Matt Davidson committed two costly throwing errors in the inning, allowing both Kyle Skipworth and Ryan Patterson to reach base.   Davidson has committed a team-high 14 errors.  With one out in the second, Chris Gutierrez put the Suns in front 3-0 with his first home run of the season, a no-doubt blast over the left field wall.  The Suns improved to 20-5 when they score the game’s first run.  The BayBears have committed a league-high 61 errors.  Last season Mobile had the fewest errors in the Southern League with only 98.
 
In the third, Paul Gran led off the inning when he was hit by a pitch.  With two outs, Kyle Skipworth popped up in foul ground but BayBears catcher Rossmell Perez dropped the ball.  Skipworth made the most of his second chance, hitting a double to right field to put runners on second and third.  Kyle Jensen and Ryan Patterson followed with back-to-back RBI singles to increase the Suns lead to 5-0.
 
The Suns loaded the bases in the fourth inning when pitcher Bryan Evans singled for his first hit of the season, and BayBears pitcher Derek Eitel walked both German Duran and Paul Gran on four straight pitches.  Jake Smolinski then drove in his fourteenth run of the season with a sacrifice fly to left, with Evans scoring for a 6-0 Suns advantage.
 
Jacksonville added to the lead with a two-out rally in the eighth inning against reliever Yonata Ortega.  After striking out Donnie Webb and retiring German Duran on a liner, Ortega hit Paul Gran in the numbers.  Gran was hit twice in the game, and this season has been hit by the pitch a team-high 10 times.  Struggling with his command, Ortega issued four-pitch walks to both Jake Smolinski and Shawn Bowman to load the bases.  Kyle Skipworth came to the plate and smashed his second double of the game, driving in both Gran and Smolinski to increase the lead to 8-0.  Shawn Bowman completed the scoring when he came home on an Ortega balk.
 
Both managers were ejected from the game by home plate umpire Jay Pierce.  In the fourth inning, Suns skipper Andy Barkett was throw out of a game for the first time this season.  When Brent Clevlen hit a ball down the left field line that was ruled fair for a double, Barkett came out for an animated discussion.  BayBears manager Turner Ward also had a run-in, and was tossed in the seventh for arguing balls and strikes. 
 
Kyle Skipworth finished 2-for-5 for his seventh multi-hit game of the season.  He drove in two runs and scored two runs, and has now hit safely in six of his last seven games.  Chris Gutierrez was 2-for-4 with a three-run home run.  Jake Smolinski went 2-for-3 with a RBI and scored a run.  Eight Suns players had at least one hit on the day.   Mobile pitchers had held Jacksonville hitters to a .180 batting average during the seven game winning streak.
 
The Suns have blanked their opponents five times this season, with two of the shutouts coming against the BayBears.  Mobile has been held off the scoreboard only twice this season, both times against the Suns.  Graham Taylor and two relievers combined on a 7-0 three-hitter April 23 at Hank Aaron Stadium.
 
Jacksonville starter Bryan Evans (1-4) won for the first time this season.  He allowed just three hits and struck out four over his six innings of work.  In his last three starts, Evans has allowed just five runs over 15 innings.  Corey Madden pitched two innings and allowed two hits, and A.J. Ramos tossed the ninth for the Suns.
 
With the win the Suns improved the record to 24-29 overall, and 10-18 at the Baseball Grounds.

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May 25, 2012 · 4:57 am

Lookouts Handle Suns 4-1

Lookouts starting pitcher Matt Magill allowed just two hits and struck out ten batters over seven innings to improve his record to 4-2. Photo Courtesy: Chattanooga Lookouts

 By Steve Kolbe 

Chattanooga Lookouts starting pitcher Matt Magill was nearly untouchable, allowing just two hits over seven innings as the Lookouts topped the Suns 4-1 at AT&T Field on Thursday night.

Magill retired the first nine Suns batters he faced in the game, four by strike out.  The only two hits he allowed were doubles to Jeff Dominguez in the fourth inning and Shawn Bowman in the fifth.  The Lookouts scored their first run of the night in the second inning, when Blake Smith drew a leadoff walk from Suns starter Bryan Evans.  With one out, Brahiam Maldonado doubled off the wall in left field with Smith scoring to put Chattanooga in front 1-0.  The walk to Smith was the first issued by Evans in his last three starts. 
 
In the seventh, Evans again walked Smith to lead off the inning and then hit Travis Denker with a 3-2 pitch.  With two on and no one out, the Suns made the call to the bullpen.  Corey Madden came into the game to face Brahiam Maldonado, who has been one of the best hitters in the series so far for the Lookouts.  Maldonado hit a ball high off the left field wall that was initially ruled a home run.  After a lengthy discussion by the umpiring crew, Maldonado was given a double.  Smith and Denker scored on the play to increase the Lookouts lead to 3-0.  Maldonado has driven in five of the Lookouts 10 runs in the series.  Chattanooga tacked on another run to make it 4-0, when Griff Erickson singled to center field with Maldonado crossing the plate.
 
The Suns lone run of the game came against reliever Allen Webster in the eighth inning.  Jake Jefferies led off with a single, and scored when Donnie Webb drove in his tenth run of the season with a double off the left field wall. 
 
Matt Magill tossed seven innings allowing just two hits to improve his record to 4-2.  He struck out 10 Suns batters and did not issue a walk.  Magill has won four of his last five starts since April 24, allowing a total of five runs.  Bryan Evans pitched six innings allowing three runs on three hits to fall 0-4 on the season.  For the second straight start Evans deserved a better fate.  In his last two starts he has gotten just three hits and one run of offensive support while he’s been on the mound.
 
Jeff Dominguez went 2-for-4, and for the second straight game he finished the night with two doubles.  Shawn Bowman, Jake Jefferies, and Donnie Webb were the only other Suns with a hit.  Like the Suns, the Lookouts had only five hits in the game with Brahiam Maldonado going 2-for-2 with three runs batted in.  Blake Smith walked twice and scored to runs for Chattanooga.
 
The Suns have been outscored 14-5 during their three-game losing streak.  Overall, the Suns have lost 15 of the last 20 games since May 6th to fall to 21-26 on the season.   The Lookouts have won five straight games for the first time this year, and Chattanooga is over .500 (24-23) for the first time since beating the Suns April 13 at the Baseball Grounds.  On that night, the Lookouts improved to 5-4 in the ninth game of the season.  The Lookouts two longest winning streaks this season, four games and five games, have both come at the expense of the Suns.
 
Game three of the series is Friday night with the first pitch slated for  7:15 p.m. at AT&T Field in Chattanooga.  Suns lefty Graham Taylor (2-4, 4.47) will make his tenth start of the season for the Suns.  Right-hander Chris Withrow (1-1, 5.52) will take the mound for the Lookouts.
 

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