Stalcup hurls three-hit shutout for Beloit

Matt Stalcup didn't only go the distance Tuesday, he set career highs in innings and strikeouts in the process.

The left-handed Oakland prospect went all nine frames in Class A Beloit's 3-0 win at Peoria, scattering three hits and racking up eight strikeouts without issuing a walk. He hadn't pitched more than six innings in a pro outing and bested his single-game strikeout mark by one.

Stalcup improved to 5-4 and lowered his ERA to 4.02 in his 19th appearance and 12th start of the year. Over 80 2/3 innings, he has struck out 62 and walked 18 while holding opposing batters to a .268 average.

The 2013 ninth-round pick allowed a two-out single to Richy Pedroza in the third inning, a one-out single to Pedroza in the sixth and a one-out single to C.J. McElroy in the ninth. No Chiefs baserunners reached second in the game until McElroy swiped one on defensive indifference late.

"(Stalcup) was mixing it up pretty good," Pedroza told the Journal Star of Peoria, Illinois. "He had a good changeup going, throwing strikes and he'd get up ahead of our hitters, we had a hard time. I thought we threw away a lot of at-bats against him, though."

The 24-year-old Kansas native made 11 appearances, four of which were starts, last year for Class A Short Season Vermont, where he went 2-4 with a 2.83 ERA.

On Tuesday, Beloit's Michael Soto hit a solo home run in the sixth, while Melvin Mercedes chipped in a run-scoring sacrifice fly in the fifth and an RBI single in the ninth. Branden Cogswell recorded a pair of hits as well.

Peoria's Chase Brookshire (4-7) allowed just two runs -- one earned -- over eight innings, allowing six hits while fanning eight and walking one.