Catfish set team record with 23 Ks

Brent Leach recorded 14 of a team-record 23 strikeouts for the Columbus Catfish on Friday night in a 6-5, 13-inning loss to the Asheville Tourists.

Leach pitched just five innings but came within two strikeouts of the individual team record, set by Julio Pimentel on June 10, 2004 in the first game of a doubleheader against Rome. The 23-year-old left-hander fanned four in the opening inning, when the Tourists took advantage of a passed ball and a throwing error to score twice.

The Dodgers' sixth-round pick in the 2005 draft, Leach struck out six straight batters over the first two innings, then fanned two more in each of the next two frames. He finished with a flourish, striking out the side in the fifth before exiting with the score tied at 2-2.

David Pfeiffer fanned three in 2 2/3 hitless innings and Francisco Felix struck out three while surrendering three runs on four hits in 2 1/3 innings. That brought the Catfish's total to 20 strikeouts, breaking the team mark of 19 set in an 11-inning game against Savannah in 1991.

Miguel Sanfler extended the record with three punchouts in three innings, but he gave up an RBI single to Phillip Cuadrado in the 13th that snapped a 5-5 tie.

Five Asheville pitchers combined for 10 strikeouts, with David Patton tossing three scoreless innings for the win and James Burok getting in and out of trouble in the 13th for his second save.

Everyone in the Tourists' lineup struck out at least once, with Eric Young Jr., Daniel Carte and Christopher Cooke fanning four times apiece.

Russell Mitchell collected three hits and Lucas May tripled, homered and scored twice for Columbus, which has lost five straight.