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Woodruff homers, flirts with perfection, in Biloxi's 1-0 win over Wahoos

Brandon Woodruff struck out nine over six innings of one-hit ball
July 24, 2016

PENSACOLA, FL. - Brandon Woodruff hit a solo home run and dominated the Pensacola Blue Wahoos (15-15, 56-44) over six scoreless innings in the Biloxi Shuckers' (11-19, 50-49), 1-0 shutout to wrap up a five-game series on Sunday night at Blue Wahoos Stadium. The right-hander took a perfect game through four innings before allowing a hit to Sebastian Elizalde to leadoff the fifth, but still managed to retire 18 of 19 batters faced.

The Milwaukee Brewers' 29th-ranked prospect (MLB.com) has not allowed a run over his last 17.1 innings, dating back to the first inning against the Jacksonville Suns on July 8. Over his last three starts, the 23-year-old has allowed just an unearned run through 18 frames with two hits allowed, two walks and 25 strikeouts.

Woodruff came within a strikeout of tying a career high for a second consecutive start with nine on the outing. Woodruff did not issue a free pass for the third time this season, and first time since doing so against the Dunedin Blue Jays while with the Brevard County Manatees (MIL, A+) on May 14. The quality start was his ninth on the season in 20 overall starts.

The former two-way player at Mississippi State (5-6) ruined Barrett Astin's (6-3) bid for perfection the first time through the Shuckers' lineup with a solo shot over the wall in right for his first professional home run to give Biloxi a 1-0 lead.

The homer would be the only hit allowed by Astin during his spot start. The former Milwaukee Brewers' farmhand lasted five innings on Sunday night, striking out seven.

Stephen Peterson came out of the bullpen to start off the seventh inning and picked up where Woodruff left off by striking out the side in his only inning of work. Tristan Archer tossed a perfect eighth and added a strikeout to his line. Stephen Kohlscheen allowed a leadoff double to Chad Wallach in the ninth to snap a stretch 12 consecutive outs recorded by Shuckers' pitching, but went on to strike out the next two batters and retire Alex Blandino on a lineout to left to secure his 12th save of the season.

Overall, Biloxi pitching retired 27 of 29 Blue Wahoos with 15 coming on strikeouts, three short of a franchise record.

The Shuckers continue their seven-game road trip to Mobile to face off against the BayBears after the league-wide off day on Monday. The first two games of the five-game set take place at Hank Aaron Stadium, with the final three being played at MGM Park. Game one features RHP Angel Ventura (0-2, 5.06) on the mound for the Shuckers, while it has yet to be determined who will make the start for the BayBears. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m., with coverage starting at 6:40 p.m. on the Biloxi Shuckers' Radio Network's flagship station WGCM 1240 AM, 100.9 FM, Pascagoula's WPMO 1580 AM and the TuneIn Radio app.

Biloxi returns to MGM Park July 28-30 for the final three games of a five-game series against the Mobile BayBears. Thursday, July 28, will be Christmas in July and Double Play Thursday at the Shuckers' home ballpark. Friday, July 29, the ZOOperstars! will make their way to MGM Park. Saturday, July 30 will be another Fireworks Extravaganza, as Biloxi's night sky will light up for the 10th time this season.

Tickets for individual regular season games are currently on-sale and may be purchased by visiting the MGM Park box office or any Ticketmaster outlet. Season Tickets, Shmini Plans, Group Tickets, Party Deck Tickets and Mercedes-Benz Mini Suite Tickets are available by calling the Shuckers at 228-233-3465. For more details, visit biloxishuckers.com.    

About the Biloxi Shuckers:            

The Biloxi Shuckers are the Double-A Affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers and a member of the Southern League. For up-to-date news and notes throughout the offseason, visit biloxishuckers.com, follow the club on Twitter (@biloxishuckers), Instagram (@officialbiloxishuckers) or like the team on Facebook (facebook.com/biloxishuckers).