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Sweeney takes perfect game into seventh in 8-1 win

July 11, 2004 - Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Portland Beavers News Release


West Sacramento, CA— Brian Sweeney took a perfect game into the seventh inning, striking out eight and giving up a run on just one hit, and Freddy Guzman had four hits and four runs scored to lead the Portland Beavers to an 8-1 victory over the Sacramento River Cats Sunday evening at Raley Field.

Sweeney (8-2) retired the first 19 batters he faced before allowing back-to-back, one-out walks to Nick Swisher and Graham Koonce in the seventh. His no-hit bid came to an end one batter later when Dan Johnson, who had two of the three hits in the game for the River Cats, singled through the right side of the infield for Sacramento's only run.

In his two starts since being optioned down from San Diego recently, Sweeney is 2-0 with a 0.60 ERA (1er, 15.0ip) and 14 strikeouts, including a string of 14 straight scoreless innings before the River Cats' run in the seventh.

The Beavers (45-46), who have won six of their last eight games, took three of four from the River Cats (55-36), handing them just their second series defeat of the season and their first at Raley Field since the Portland took three of four from the 'Cats, July 21-24, 2003.

Steve Watkins worked the final two innings to round out things.

Portland had 13 hits in the game and batted .344 in the series with Sacramento, scoring 28 runs on 53 hits in the four-game set.

The Beavers got to work early, as Guzman beat out an infield single to start the game. Kerry Robinson followed with a perfectly placed bunt single and Tagg Bozied's sacrifice liner to left field plated Guzman for a 1-0 lead.

Jon Knott upped it to 3-0 in the third with a first-pitch, two-run homer off starter Steve Woodard (8-6) after Guzman reached base with his second single of the game.

Guzman, who came a home run shy of hitting for the cycle, added to the cushion in the fifth when his double down the right field line scored J.J. Furmaniak. Guzman stole third base for his 27th theft with the Beavers and scored on a sac fly to deep left field by Knott to make it 5-0.

The Beavers added another in the sixth on back-to-back doubles by Ben Risinger and Jake Gautreau.

Guzman tripled to start the seventh, scoring his fourth run on a groundout by the next batter, Robinson.

Ramon Vazquez and Alex Fernandez teamed up for consecutive doubles to lead off the eighth to complete the scoring.

The Beavers are off for the next three days for the Triple-A All-Star break. They resume play by opening a four-game series with Las Vegas at PGE Park on Thursday.

NOTES: Portland right-hander Tim Stauffer pitched the second inning for the U.S. team in Sunday's All-Star Futures Game at Minute Maid Park in Houston Sunday afternoon, striking out a pair. Stauffer's mound opponent in the first game of the Sacramento series, Joe Blanton, started for the United States team, walking one and striking out one in the 4-3 win over the World team ... Oregon State athletics broadcaster Mike Parker concluded his 11-game stint in the radio booth for the Beavers on Sunday. "It was an honor to pinch-hit for my good friend Rich Burk," said Parker, "and it was a lot of fun to get back into the PCL and settle into the distinctive day-to-day rhythms of baseball for a couple of weeks." Burk, the Beavers regular broadcaster, was in San Juan, P.R., doing games for the Montreal Expos and returns to the mix following the all-star break ... on Monday morning, right-handed pitcher Marty McLeary, trainer John Maxwell and general manager Jack Cain will travel to Pawtucket R.I., for Wednesday's Triple-A All-Star Game ... Risinger made his second appearance behind the plate on Sunday. He has caught Sweeney both times ... the Beavers have scored first in seven of their last eight games and are 33-12 in games when they score first this season ... Guzman matched his and the team's season high for runs in a game by a Portland batter ... the Beavers have won eight of their last 10 games at Raley Field dating back to the 2003 campaign ... Portland had seven extra-base hits.

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Pacific Coast League Stories from July 11, 2004


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