Tag Archives: Huntsville Stars

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 8, 2012 · 4:28 am

Stars Power Past The Suns

Huntsville first baseman(above)drove in three runs and scored twice to lead the Stars over the Jacksonville Suns 7-4 at Joe Davis Stadium. Morris is third in the Southern League in batting, second in RBI’s, and first in extra-base hits. Photo Courtesy: Huntsville Stars

By Steve Kolbe

 
The Huntsville Stars hit three home runs to take game one of the three game series against the Suns, with a 7-4 win Saturday night at Joe Davis Stadium.  The Stars are third in the Southern League with a team batting average of .262, behind Montgomery and Birmingham.
 
The Stars jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning when Suns starter Alan Oaks struggled with his control.  Oaks walked three batters in the inning, and Hunter Morris hit his team leading twelfth home run of the season, a two-run blast to straight away center.  Oaks started two games for Jupiter this season, Saturday was his first start with the Suns.  Jacksonville fell to 9-33 when allowing the first run of the game.
 
Huntsville used the long ball again in the second inning to tack on another run, with Kentrail Davis going deep for the second time this season, to increase the lead to 3-0.  After the Davis home run, Oaks retired seven of the next eight batters he faced, five by strikeout.
 
The Suns got on the scoreboard in the top of the third, when Shawn Bowman belted his eighth home run of the season off of Stars starter Evan Anundsen to cut the lead to 3-1.  Bowman is second on the team in homers behind Kyle Jensen (10).
 
Suns lefty Bobby Bramhall had his toughest outing of the season.  With Bramhall taking over in the fifth inning, Stars catcher Anderson De La Rosa led off with his fourth home run of the season to add to the lead at 4-1.  Huntsville pitcher Evan Anundsen helped his own cause with a double off the wall in right field, and Lee Haydel then singled to put runners on the corners with no outs.  Josh Prince drove in a run with a sacrifice fly to put the Stars up 5-1, with Anundsen scoring on the play.  Hunter Morris then tripled to right field with two outs to drive in Haydel from first for a 6-1 Stars advantage.  Hanley Statia knocked in a run with a double to cap the scoring, with the Stars sending eight men to the plate and building a 7-1 lead.
 
Paul Gran hit a solo home run for the Suns in the sixth to make the score 7-2 Stars. Gran has hit a home run in back-to-back games, and has three round trippers in his last five games in the starting lineup.  The Suns have hit seven home runs in their seven games against the Stars this season.
 
Jacksonville added two more runs in the eighth inning against reliever Kyle Heckathorn.  Jose Duarte led off with a single, and pinch hitter Curt Smith doubled behind him to put runners on second and third with no outs.  Paul Gran drove in a run with a ground out, and Chris Gutierrez plated a run with a single to make the score 7-4 Stars.
 
Jose Duarte went 2-for-4 with a pair of singles.  Shawn Bowman and Paul Gran each hit home runs.  The Suns have hit 59 home runs this season, seven against Huntsville.  Hunter Morris finished 2-for-4, scored two runs, and drove in three.  He now has 62 RBI’s, just one behind Tennessee’s Justin Bour for the league lead.  Morris hit a two-run home run and added a triple against the Suns.  He leads the Southern League with 42 extra-base hits. 
 
Alan Oaks (1-2) allowed three runs on three hits over four innings in his first start for the Suns.  He walked three in the first inning, after entering the game having walked a total of three batters in his first three appearances.  Evan Anundsen (5-4) allowed two runs on three hits in six innings for the win.  Brandon Kintzler retired the Suns in order in the ninth to earn his third save of the season.
 
Game two of the series is Sunday from Joe Davis Stadium in Huntsville, with the first pitch scheduled for 4:05 p.m.  RHP Bryan Evans (2-5, 3.61) will take the mound for the Suns.  RHP Johnnie Lowe (4-0, 3.55 ERA in Triple-A) will start for the Stars.

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April 10, 2012 · 3:35 am

Suns Take Series Finale 7-4 Over The Stars

Suns pitcher Omar Poveda earns the win over the Huntsville Stars. Photo Courtesy: Jacksonville Suns

By Steve Kolbe

The Suns finished their season-opening series against the Stars with a 7-4 win on Monday afternoon to improve to 3-2 on the season.

The Suns began the scoring in the third inning off of Stars starter R.J. Seidel, when Paul Gran singled and pitcher Omar Poveda walked. Jeff Dominguez then hit a three-run home run into the right field seats to give Jacksonville a 3-0 lead for the second time in as many days. It was the first hit of the season for Dominguez, and the Suns second three-run blast of the year.

In the fifth inning, Jake Smolinski scratched out an infield hit and Kyle Jensen drew a walk. Smolinksi would score on a Kyle Skipworth sacrifice fly and Jensen would cross the plate on a pass ball to increase the Suns lead to 5-0. Smolinski finished the day 0-for-5 with a run scored. Jensen went 1-for-3 with a run scored.

The stars would get on the scoreboard in the sixth inning, scoring twice to cut the Jacksonville lead to 5-2. The Stars collected four hits in the inning, with Anderson De La Rosa and Lee Haydel each scoring a run. De La Rosa and Haydel combined for six of the 14 hits by the Stars in the game. Kentrail Davis, Jeff Bianchi, and Scooter Gennett had two hits apiece. Huntsville put at least one runner on base in every inning except the eighth.

The Stars drew even closer in the seventh. Hunter Davis reached base on an error and was driven in by De La Rose with an RBI single. Haydel then tripled into the right field corner to push De La Rosa across to make it a one-run game at 5-4.

But that was as close as Huntsville would get. Reliever Evan Reed entered and made sure there wouldn’t be another comeback by tossing two solid hitless innings for the Suns. Jacksonville added a run in the seventh on an Skipworth single that drove in Shawn Bowman, and another run in the eighth when Curt Smith hit a solo home run to left. It was Jacksonville’s fifth home run in five games to start the season.

The two teams combined for 24 hits in the game, and over the last two games there have been a total of 39 hits. Eight different Suns players had at least one hit in Monday’s game.

The winning pitcher was Omar Poveda. In his first start of the season he pitched five and two-thirds innings allowing 10 hits and two runs. He struck out six and walked only one. Last season Poveda struck out 116 batters in his 27 starts. Even Reed earned his first save of the year.

The Suns begin a five-game series against the Chattanooga Lookouts on Tuesday April 10th, with the first pitch scheduled for 7:05PM. Joey O’Gara looks to make his second start of the season for the Suns when they take on the Lookouts. O’Gara allowed only three hits and no runs to earn the win in the season opener against Huntsville.

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April 9, 2012 · 4:03 am

Duarte Lifts The Suns To 6-5 Win

Home runs power Jacksonville in a win over Huntsville. Photo Courtesy: Jacksonville Suns

By Steve Kolbe 

 
In the first matinee of the season, the Jacksonville Suns came ready to play and slipped past the Stars 6-5 on Sunday afternoon to even their record at 2-2.  The scoring started early for the Suns against Stars starter Kyle Heckathorn, when leadoff man Jake Smolinski drew a walk and Ryan Patterson was given a base on balls right behind him.  Walks have led to runs throughout the series, and that was the case again in the first inning when Shawn Bowman came through with and RBI single to give Jacksonville a 1-0 lead.  Curt Smith made the score 2-0 with a double to right field that drove in Patterson.  Smith would later score on an ground out by Jake Jefferies, and the Suns had their second three-run inning of the season and a 3-0 lead.
 
In the top of the second inning Khris Davis put Huntsville on the board when he hit his first home run of the season off of Suns starter Graham Taylor.  Davis entered the game having gone 1-for-9 in the first three games of the series.  His home run was the first for the Stars this season.
 
With the score 3-1, Kentrail Davis drew a two-out walk in the top of the fifth inning, and scored on Domnit Bolivar’s triple into the left field corner to make it a one-run game.  Bolivar has tripled twice in the last three games.  Kentrail Davis finished the day by going 3-for-4.
 
The Suns saw their three-run lead evaporate when Huntsville tied the game in the seventh, scoring the first of three straight unearned runs.  Suns reliever Bryan Evans took over for Taylor and retired the first two batters he faced in the seventh.  Then pinch hitter Lee Haydel singled, and that was followed by a Kentrail Davis walk.  The Stars tied the game 3-3 on an error by third baseman Shawn Bowman, who’s throw couldn’t be handled by Smith at first and Haydel came in to score.  Haydel has hit safely in three straight games, all as a pinch hitter.
 
Jacksonville took a 4-3 lead in the seventh when Smolinski once again walked to leadoff the inning, stole second, and scored on a sacrifice fly by Curt Smith.  Smith finished the game going 2-for-3 with a pair of runs batted in.  The stolen base by Smolinski was Jacksonville’s first of the season.
 
The Stars scored two more unearned runs in the top of the eighth when Angel Gonzalez and Hunter Morris scored the tying and go-ahead runs for a 5-4 lead.
 
Huntsville won earlier in the week with a late inning rally, but on Sunday Jacksonville turned the tables.  Paul Gran reached base on an error to lead off the bottom of the eighth, and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt.  That set the stage for Jose Duarte who was called upon as a pinch hitter against Huntsville relief pitcher Santo Manzanillo, who has one of the best fastballs in the Brewers system.  Duarte turned on a fastball, and sent a drive over the left field wall to put the Suns back in front 6-5.  It was the Suns third home run in the first four games of the season.
 
Kyle Kaminska pitched the ninth for the Suns, and finished off the Stars by getting Bolivar to ground into a game-ending double play.
 
Graham Taylor was moved up in the starting rotation and pitched six innings for Jacksonville, allowing six hits and two runs.  Kyle Heckathorn went five and two-thirds innings for Huntsville, allowing three hits and three runs.  The two starting pitchers combined to strike out 14 batters.  Heckathorn finished with eight strikeouts, while Taylor fanned six.
 
Jake Smolinski followed up his three-hit performance on Saturday with three walks and two runs scored on Sunday.  Ryan Patterson finished 2-for-4 with a run scored, and Shawn Bowman went 1-for-3 with a run batted in. 
 
Suns batters drew seven walks in the game, three of those base runners came around to score.  In the first four games of the series, five of the 17 Suns hitters that have been given a base on balls have eventually scored. 
 
Each of the first four games between the Suns and Stars have been decide by two runs or less.  The series finale is Sunday with the first pitch scheduled for 12:05 PM.  It’s a match up of right-handers, with R.J. Seidel on the mound for Hunstville and Omar Poveda scheduled to take the hill for Jacksonville.
 

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April 8, 2012 · 3:56 pm

Stars Ninth Inning Rally Sinks The Suns

The Huntsville Stars get past the Suns. Photo Courtesy: Huntsville Stars

 

By Steve Kolbe
 
The Suns took a 4-3 lead into the ninth inning on Friday but couldn’t hold on, as the Huntsville Stars scored two runs for a 5-4 win at the Baseball Grounds.
 
Jacksonville starting pitcher Jose Alvarez went five innings and allowed two hits and two runs.  Huntsville started the scoring in the third.  With runners on first and second, the Stars took a 2-0 lead when Brock Kjeldgaard doubled to left-center and drove in his first two runs of the season.  It was Kjeldgaard’s third hit of the series and his second double. 
 
The Suns cut the lead in half in the bottom of the fourth when Ryan Patterson hit Jacksonville’s first home run of the season over the left field wall.  During the 2011 season the Suns hit 103 home runs, with Luke Montz hitting 22 of them.
 
Bryan Evans took over for Alvarez to start the sixth inning and retired the first batter he faced.  He then walked Khris Davis, who eventually scored on an RBI single by Angel Gonzalez to make it 3-1 in favor of Huntsville.  Evans pitched two innings allowing two hits and one run.
 
Trailing by two, the Suns took the lead in the home half of the eighth inning.  Pinch-hitter Curt Smith singled and Donnie Webb reached base on an error by Stars left fielder Khris Davis.  With two on and no one out, Jaime Ortiz blasted a three-run homer into the right field stands to give the Suns a 4-3 lead.
 
Wade Korpi and Josh Schmidt combined to pitch a scoreless eighth inning.  Closer Evan Reed entered the game in the ninth looking for his second save in as many nights, but started the inning off by walking Josh Kline.  Pinch-hitter Domnit Bolivar would deliver the tying run with a stand-up triple into deep center field and the game was tied 4-4.  Bolivar would then score the go-ahead run on a Kentrail Davis sacrifice fly to left.
 
The Suns threatened in the bottom of the ninth when Jaime Ortiz and Kyle Jensen both took advantage of some control issues by reliever Santo Manzanillo, who failed to throw a strike with his first nine pitches.  But after walking the first two batters and getting called for a bulk to move Ortiz and Jensen to second and third, Manzanillo settled down.  Kyle Skipworth stuck out and Ryan Patterson and Jeff Dominguez each flew out to left to end the game.
 
The losing pitcher was Evan Reed.  He allowed two hits and two runs in the ninth.  Last season the Suns were 55-5 when leading after the eighth inning.  The winning pitcher was Josh Stinson, who was just claimed off waivers from the New York Mets.  Manzanillo earns his first save of the season.  Jacksonville went 2-for-16 with runners in scoring position and left 11 runners on base.  Huntsville stranded seven.
 
Game three of the series is Saturday April 7th with the first pitch scheduled for 6:05PM.  Matt Montgomery takes the mound for the Suns against Evan Anundsen for the Stars.
 

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April 7, 2012 · 3:40 pm

Suns Fall To Stars 3-1

Photo Courtesy: Jacksonville Suns

By Steve Kolbe

After winning the first game of the season, the Jacksonville Suns have dropped two straight after a 3-1 loss to Huntsville on Saturday night.

The Stars struck early when Suns starting pitcher Matt Montgomery walked Kentrail Davis on four pitches to begin the game. After stealing second base and then moving to third base on a ground out, Davis scored the first run of the night when Scooter Gennett grounded to short and the Stars led 1-0.

Davis reached base again in the third inning, stole second, and scored on Gennett’s single to left to make it 2-0 Huntsville. The Suns scored their only run of the night in the third inning. Donnie Webb bunted for a base hit, and later scored on a sacrifice fly by Kyle Jensen to cut the Stars lead in half at 2-1.

That would be as close as the Suns would get. Huntsville added a run in the sixth inning on an RBI double by pinch hitter Lee Haydel to make the score 3-1. It marks the second straight game that a Stars pinch hitter has driven in a run.

The Suns were 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position, while the Stars were 5-for-13. Through three games Jacksonville is 5-for-26 with runners in scoring position.

Jake Smolinski had a big night at the plate, going 3-for-4 with three doubles. He fell just short of tying the Southern League record for most doubles in a game by a single player. The record is four, last accomplished by Jacksonville’s Jimmy Rohan during the 2006 season.

Huntsville catcher Jason Jaramillo collected three hits. Angel Gonzalez and Jeff Bianchi combined for four of the Stars 12 total hits.

Second baseman Paul Gran had a pair of singles and finished 2-for-4. Jaime Ortiz, Shawn Bowman, and Donnie Webb each had a hit in the game. Gennett drove in two of the three Huntsville runs, Lee Haydel drove in the other. Kyle Jensen had the only run driven in for the Suns.

Jacksonville starter Matt Montgomery suffers the loss. He pitched five and two thirds innings, allowing eight hits and three runs. Kyle Kaminska and Josh Schmidt combined to pitch three and a third shutout innings. Huntsville starting pitcher Evan Anundsen went three innings and allowed five hits and a run. Bradley Blanks, Jesus Sanchez, and Robert Wooten each pitched two innings for the Stars. Blanks picks up his first win, while Wooten earns the save.

Right-hander Kyle Heckathorn takes the mound for Huntsville in game four of the series on Sunday afternoon. The Suns will give the ball to lefty Graham Taylor.

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April 6, 2012 · 5:33 am

Suns Shine Bright In Opening Night Win

Suns pitcher Joey O'Gara. Photo Courtesy: Jacksonville Suns

By Steve Kolbe

The 50th Anniversary season of Jacksonville Suns Baseball began with 2-0 victory over the Huntsville Stars on Thurdsday night.  Pitching was the story of the first game of the 2012 season.  Joey O’Gara had a solid outing as the Opening Day starter, going six and two-thirds of an inning to record the win allowing only three hits and striking out two batters. 
 
The Suns were able to get to Huntsville starter Dan Merklinger in the first inning.  After walks to Jake Smolinski and Kyle Jensen, Shawn Bowman reached base on an infield single to load the bases and bring Kyle Skipworth to the plate.  Jacksonville’s catcher would lift a sacrifice fly to right field with Smolinski scoring the first run of the night.  Merklinger would settle down and retire the next 12 batters he faced and the hard-throwing lefty finished with eight strikeouts on the night, but a base on balls would cost him again in the sixth.  Jose Duarte drew a leadoff walk, and scored on Kyle Jensen’s RBI single to center off of relief pitcher Jesus Sanchez to make the score 2-0. The biggest concern of the night for the Suns was an apparent injury to pitcher Peter Andrelczyk in the eighth inning.
 
There were only seven hits between the two teams.  Jeff Bianchi and Brock Kjeldgaard were the only Huntsville players with hits in the game, each going 2-for-4 with a double.  The Suns had only three hits in the game with Jake Smolinski, Kyle Jensen, and Shawn Bowman each with singles. 
 
The Suns had seven shutouts last season, with with Joey O’Gara involved in two of them.  O’Gara was at it again on Opening Day 2012 as four Suns pitchers combine to blank the Stars.  Peter Andrelczyk pitched one inning and struck out two of the batters he faced, and A.J Ramos retired the only batter he faced.  Evan Reed pitched the ninth to record the save. 
 
Game two of the five-game series is Friday with Jacksonville sending lefty Jose Alvarez to the mound, and Huntsville turning to right-hander Tyler Thornburg.  First pitch at 7:05PM at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville.  

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April 5, 2012 · 3:58 pm

Suns Shine Bright On Opening Night

Opening Night In Jacksonville. Photo Courtesy: Jacksonville Suns

By Steve Kolbe

The 50th Anniversary season of Jacksonville Suns Baseball began with 2-0 victory over the Huntsville Stars on Thurdsday night.  Pitching was the story of the first game of the 2012 season.  Joey O’Gara had a solid outing as the Opening Day starter, going six and two-thirds of an inning to record the win while allowing only three hits and striking out two batters. 

 
The Suns were able to get to Huntsville starter Dan Merklinger in the first inning.  After walks to Jake Smolinski and Kyle Jensen, Shawn Bowman reached base on an infield single to load the bases and bring Kyle Skipworth to the plate.  Jacksonville’s catcher would lift a sacrifice fly to right field to plate the first run of the night.  Merklinger would settle down to retire the next 12 batters he faced, he finished with eight strikeouts on the night, but a base on balls would cost him again in the sixth.  Jose Duarte drew a leadoff walk, and scored on Kyle Jensen’s RBI single to center off of relief pitcher Jesus Sanchez to make the score 2-0. The biggest concern of the night for the Suns was an apparent injury to pitcher Peter Andrelczyk in the eight inning.
 
There were only seven hits between the two teams.  Jeff Bianchi and Brock Kjeldgaard were the only Huntsville players with hits in the game, each going 2-for-4 with a double.  The Suns had only three hits in the game with Jake Smolinski, Kyle Jensen, and Shawn Bowman each with singles. 
 
The Suns had seven shutouts last season, with with Joey O’Gara involved in two of them.  O’Gara was at it again on Opening Day 2012 as four Suns pitchers combine to blank the Stars.  Peter Andrelczyk pitched one inning and struck out two of the batters he faced, and A.J Ramos retired the only batter he faced.  Evan Reed pitched the ninth to record the save. 
 
Game two of the five-game series is Friday with Jacksonville sending lefty Jose Alvarez to the mound, and Huntsville turning to right-hander Tyler Thornburg.  First pitch at 7:05PM at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville. 

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