Dominant Corry unhittable for Augusta

In the latest in a string of gems, Seth Corry might have outdone himself but not even allowing a hit Monday night.
The eighth-ranked San Francisco prospect gave up just a walk while striking out a career-high 10 over 5 2/3 innings as Class A Augusta topped Lexington, 9-1, at Whitaker Bank Ballpark.

The GreenJackets carried the no-hit bid into the eighth inning before Brhet Bewley grounded a single to left field off right-handed reliever Ryan Walker.
"Everything I've been working on for the last year and recently is starting to click," Corry said. "Obviously, there are a couple of cues I work on to help repeat. I've worked on a few little things with our pitching coach [Clay Rapada], and I do everything I can to keep my delivery in line going toward home."
A one-out walk to Jeison Guzman on a 3-2 pitch in the first proved to be the only baserunner against the left-hander. Corry (8-2) then induced Nathan Eaton to fly out to right before punching out Eric Cole to end the frame.
Gameday box score
The 20-year-old whiffed the side in the third and struck out two in the second and sixth frames. Corry threw 90 pitches, 50 for strikes.
"I've gotten a good feel for the bullpen before a game," he said. "It's all about repeating. I'm sticking with my pregame routine, throwing program and then translating that bullpen into the game.
"My four-seam and two-seam have been really consistent in the second half. I'm able to work both sides of the plate. Today, being able to spot the fastball opened up my changeup. I felt I could throw that in any count to any batter and it would be a strike."
The 2017 third-round pick won for the seventh straight start and lowered his ERA to 1.85, tops in the South Atlantic League. It marked his third scoreless start in a row, spanning 16 2/3 innings. Corry also paces the circuit with 129 strikeouts and stands third in WHIP (1.09), tied with Kannapolis' Taylor Varnell behind Lakewood's Ethan Lindow (0.98) and Asheville's Colten Schmidt (1.06).
Jacob Gonzalez put the GreenJackets on the board in the fourth on a two-run homer, his seventh, off C.J. Eldred (0-4).
Augusta padded its lead with a five-run fifth, highlighted by Frankie Tostado's 14th long ball, a two-run shot over the right-field wall.
"That was definitely a big boost," Corry said of the offensive outburst. "In the back of your head, you're always wanting to get the win. When we started scoring, it was a boost. I could go out and pitch with no added pressure.
"I really didn't pay attention to [the no-hitter]. I knew it was happening, but I just wanted to pound the zone, throw the fastball on both sides of the plate and up and down."
In the seventh, Tostado picked up his third RBI with a sacrifice fly to right to cap the GreenJackets' scoring.
Lexington averted the shutout in the eighth. Rubendy Jaquez reached on a fielding error by Augusta second baseman Shane Matheny and moved to second on a wild pitch by Walker. Bewley followed with the single that ended the no-hitter.

In 13 starts during the first half of the season, Corry went 1-2 with a 2.74 ERA over 49 1/3 innings. He allowed 24 runs -- 15 earned -- with 37 walks and 73 strikeouts. In eight second-half appearances, he's amassed a 7-0 record with a 0.84 ERA in 43 frames, yielding six runs -- four earned -- with 11 free passes and 56 whiffs.  
"People have had confidence in me from the beginning," the Utah native said. "I'm trusting our pitching coach to help me. I've worked really, really hard and it's made a world of difference. The second half of the season, I feel like a totally different pitcher. I have confidence no matter who I'm facing."