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With the Mobile Bay Bears leading the Stars, 6-3, in the bottom of the 9th on this Friday night, it was Jim Sak's job to shut the door.

But instead of closing the door, Sak opened it wide.

Huntsville starter Jeff D'Amico worked in and out of trouble in six innings of work, allowing 3 runs on 7 hits and 4 walks. Former Huntsville Star David Newhan scored from third on a foul ball down the left-field line in the 1st inning, with Eric Chavez making a pretty over-the-shoulder catch. Johnny Powers, who had moved to third on the play, scored on another sacrifice fly -- this one coming from Dusty Allen -- to make it 2-0.

The Stars tied it at 3-3, thanks to Ramon Hernandez, but the Bay Bears tacked on two more runs in the 9th to give them a 6-3 lead.

Jim Sak, who saved 27 games the year before for Class A-Rancho Cucamonga, was called in to get the save for starter Bryan Walters. At Rancho, Sak had a strikeout-walk ratio of 3.8:1, but he walked the first three batters to load the bases.

Showing the kind of poise you want in a closer, Sak went about the business of striking out Webster Garrison and Danny Ardoin.

Kerwin Moore, on his way to a 2-for-38 month with strikeouts in nearly half his at-bats --- walked to send Ramon Hernandez home, and the Stars were down by two runs with the bases still loaded.

2nd baseman Jose Ortiz then made Sak pay for his uncharacteristic lack of control, ripping a bases-loaded double down the left field line, allowing pinch-runner Mario Encarnacion to score the winning run from 1st base.

The hits gave the Stars a 7-6 victory in three wins in the four-game series against Mobile.

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