Sanford Almost Perfect in 1-0 Victory
Published on August 29, 2011 under South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Augusta GreenJackets News Release
Greenville, SC - Shawn Sanford came three outs shy of accomplishing something that's never been done in the South Atlantic League - throwing a nine-inning perfect game. Although his perfect game bid ended on his first pitch of the ninth inning, Sanford's Augusta GreenJackets held on for their second straight shutout win over the Greenville Drive by a 1-0 score on Monday night.
Sanford (10-9) has taken a perfect game past the fifth inning on one other occasion this season - June 30th against the Charleston RiverDogs when he retired the first 16 hitters of the game. The lone run of the game to support Sanford's effort on Monday came when Ryan Scoma dumped a two-out single into right-center to bring home Joel Weeks in the fourth inning. It is the only run of support he's had in his last three starts.
The righty from the University of South Florida was backed by some sterling defense on several occasions. Carlos Willoughby made a diving catch and threw from his knees to retire Christian Vasquez to open the second inning. Felix Sanchez nearly reached on a dribbler to first in the fourth inning, but Sanford got to the bag in time to retire Sanchez by a step.
Of the 24 outs Sanford recorded, eight came through strikeouts, 14 were groundouts, one came on a liner and only two were on fly balls to the outfield. His final line: 8.1 scoreless innings of one-hit baseball - without allowing a walk - with eight strikeouts, one shy of a season-high.
After Sanford departed, Brett Bochy allowed a second hit in the ninth to put the tying run at second and the winning run at first. Bochy buckled down to strike out the final two hitters of the ballgame to earn his ninth save of the year.
Miguel Celestino (9-6) was a tough-luck loser for Greenville, allowing a run on five hits and two walks while striking out five.
The only other perfect game in South Atlantic League history came on August 8th 1964, when Salisbury Dodgers pitcher John Purdin threw a seven-inning perfect game against the Lexington Giants, winning 1-0. The last no-hitter in GreenJackets history came in 2006 when David Quinowski, Osiris Matos and Sergio Romo combined to no-hit Rome on August 10th. The South Atlantic League hasn't seen a no-hitter since July 23rd 2008 when Asheville's Bruce Billings no-hit the Lakewood BlueClaws.
The GreenJackets even the series with their second straight shutout win and only their seventh of the year. Taylor Rogers (11-9, 2.84) will attempt to pitch the GreenJackets to the series win on Tuesday in Augusta's final road game of the regular season against Greenville's Tyler Wilson (3-3, 3.03). First pitch from Greenville comes at 7:05 p.m. with radio pregame coverage beginning at 6:50, airing on WRDW-AM 1630 and online at www.greenjacketsbaseball.com .
Single-game tickets for any GreenJackets home game are currently available by calling the GreenJackets front office at 706-922-WINS while further information can be found online at www.greenjacketsbaseball.com .
South Atlantic League Stories from August 29, 2011
- West Virginia Takes 17-9 Slugfest Over Legends - Lexington Legends
- Dickerson's Walk-Off Moon Shot Darkens Suns 12-11 - Hagerstown Suns
- 'Dads Sweep BlueClaws in Monday Doubleheader - Hickory Crawdads
- Gnats Comeback Comes up Short in 9-6 Defeat Monday - Savannah Sand Gnats
- Power Bats Stay Hot in 17-9 Victory - Charleston Dirty Birds
- BlueClaws Swept in Doubleheader Monday - Jersey Shore BlueClaws
- Shorebirds Drop Eighth Straight Game, 8-0 - Delmarva Shorebirds
- 'Dogs Score Early and Often Before Holding on Late - Charleston RiverDogs
- Drive Shutout for Second Straight Night by 'Jackets, 1-0 - Greenville Drive
- Sanford Almost Perfect in 1-0 Victory - Augusta GreenJackets
- Rohm 3-Run Homer, Five Run First Lifts Braves - Rome Emperors
- Gnats Game Notes: Monday, August 29 Vs. Charleston - Savannah Sand Gnats
- Power Game Notes - Charleston Dirty Birds
- Groundbreaking Today for Miracle Field - Rome Emperors
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