Snappers Snap West Michigan win streak

West Michigan 5 at Beloit 8

W: D. Vais (1-0, 2.25); L: M. O'Brien (1-1, 10.80); SV: A. Slama (3)
HR: BEL: G. Olson (2).

The Beloit Snappers got back into the Midwest League playoff series, storming out to a 7 run lead in the first 2 innings and then hangning on to win 8-5. West Michigan leads the best-of-5 series, 2-game-to-1.

Joe Benson doubleed out to left field to start the game, and moved to 3rd on a fielding error by Jeramy Laster. Steve Singleton knocked him in. Deibinson Romero hit into a force out that nabbed Singleton a 2nd, but Chris Parmelee's line drive over the Snapper's 3rd baseman over to third. Greg Yersich plated Romero. After Rene Tosoni was taken out on strikes, Danny Santiesteban brought Parms in with a line drive to center. Garrett Olson would ground out to end the inning, stranding 2 but with the Snappers leading 3-0.

Danny Berg doubled to get things started in the 2nd, followed by a Benson bunt and a Singelton grounder to bring him home. Romero's line drive saw Benson across the plate for the 2nd time in the game, and Parmelee's sac-fly brought Singlton in. Tosoni doubled to bring in Romero before the Whitecaps brought in Lauren Gagnier to end the inning.

A pair of walks, a single by Gorkys Hernandez and a double by Laster saw West Michigan pick up 3 runs in the top of the 3rd. Undaunted, Olson homered for Beloit in botttom of the inning, before the scoring frenzy began to die down.

Jordan Newton hit a ground ball to left to get on base in the 4th followed a Michael Bertram single, but Joe Tucker would ground into a force out, which took Bertram out at second. Hernandez would plate Newton with a grounder to left before James Skelton struck out and Scott Sizemore popped out to end the inning.

The Whitecaps continued to chip away at the Beloit lead in the 5th when Brennan Boesch walked. Danny Vais was brought into the game to replace starter Cole Devries. Ryan Strieby greeted him with a ground ball single. Boesch would score on a Bertram single with 2 outs before Tucker would ground out to retire the West Michigan.

Newton would hit a double off reliever Dan Leatherman in the top of the 8th, and the Snappers threatened briefly in the bottom of the inning, but the big lead was too much for the Whitecaps to overcome.

Cole Devries would be tagged for 5 runs on 7 hits and 4 walks while striking out 4 in 4.1 innings of the no-decision. Vais picked up the win on 2 hits while striking out 2 in 2.2 innings.

Matt O'Brien suffered the Whitecaps loss, giving up 7 runs on 10 hits while striking out only 1 in 1.2 innings.

The two teams rematch tonight at 6:30 central, 7:30 eastern, at Pohlman Field. Matt Fox will make the start for the Snappers, West Michigan will counter with right-hander Jeff Gerbe.

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The Eastern League series had the night off for travel. In Richmond, the Braves fell to the Durham Bulls, 3-2. Francisley Bueno threw a no hitter for the Braves through 6 innings. He was replaced in the top of the 7th by Buddy Hernandez after throwing 99 pitches, and Hernandez would start out by hitting Jason Pridie with a pitch. After that the Durham bats got to work, with the Bulls picking up 3 runs in the inning, to rally past Richmond.

Wes Timmons had both runs for the Braves. The Bulls now lead the series, 2-game-to-1 and clinch tonight with a victory in Richmond at The Diamond.

Pridie had been taken by the Twins in 2006 in the Rule-5 draft, but Minnesota decided not to keep him, sending him back to the Devil Rays at the end of spring training. Pridie's brother Jon was a former Miracle and pitched in the Twins minor league system for a number of years. MiLB

Ryan resigns: Twins general manager Terry Ryan resigned after 13 years in the Minnesota hot seat to focus on scouting. Assistant General Manager Bill Smith takes over the reins from him. Ryan will remain with the organization as a special advisor to Smith.

"I felt a lot of elation when we won, and sorrow when we lost," Ryan said in his resignation speach as it was reported on TwinsBaseball.com. "Now, all of a sudden, the defeats are getting a little harder to take, and the wins aren't as much fun. That's not a good thing to experience as a general manager."

The change becomes effective at the end of the 2007 season.