McGowan Knocks Down Birds Tuesday

Savannah, GA - The Savannah Sand Gnats opened their seven-game homestand with a clean 4-0 victory over the Delmarva Shorebirds. Savannah starter Kevin McGowan outdueled Hunter Harvey, the Orioles first round pick in the 2013 draft, to earn his first South Atlantic League win.

The Gnats (15-8) took advantage of Harvey's control problems in the first to score a run without a basehit when LF Stefan Sabol drew a bases-loaded walk to force home SS Gavin Cecchini who had also walked. Harvey walked three batters and hit one in the first inning.

The two starters controlled the middle innings. Harvey retired 10 batters in a row from the end of the first through the end of the fourth. On the other side, McGowan set down 10 batters in a row from the fourth through two outs in the seventh, striking out five of those seven. He finished 6.2 innings, his longest outing of 2014.

The Gnats cracked the game open with three runs in the sixth against a tiring Harvey and reliever Williams Louico. 2B LJ Mazzilli began the inning with a crisp single to left and then scored when RF Jared King clobbered a triple to deep right-center field. After Stefan Sabol walked, Harvey was lifted for Louico. Matt Oberste walked, and then King scored on a wild pitch and Sabol came home on a sacrifice fly by catcher Colton Plaia.

The Shorebirds (12-12) did not get a runner to second base against McGowan and reliever Robert Coles after the second inning.

The Gnats will send RHP Ricky Knapp (0-2, 3.68) to the mound in game two on Wednesday against LHP Steven Brault (2-1, 3.52). Wednesday's game will be a Pack the Park for Charity Night featuring the Zoe Foundation. For more information about the charity or to purchase tickets to the game to help their cause visit Zoe-Foundation.Org. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 pm. Gates to Historic Grayson Stadium open at 6 pm. The radio pregame show begins at 6:45 on News/Talk 630 and sandgnats.com.