Shuckers' Bettinger fans career-best 12

Friday was National Donut Day, and Biloxi starter Alec Bettinger likes deep-fried dough.
And while his first pitch sailed over the left-center field wall, it was the beginning of a night to remember -- complete with a discounted price on donuts from a national chain.
The Brewers prospect struck out a career-high 12 and allowed only one more hit over seven innings as Double-A Biloxi thumped Pensacola, 9-1, at MGM Park.

The 23-year-old right-hander was 0-3 with an 8.13 ERA through his first six starts this season. In his last six games, he's 4-1 while allowing six earned runs -- three in a loss to Mobile on May 22 -- on 21 hits and six walks over 38 innings to lower his ERA to 4.25.
"It was nothing mechanical or one pitch," he said of the turnaround. "I just have to go out and attack the game from the first pitch. I just started watching our other starters, seeing how they went after hitters."
Against the Blue Wahoos, Bettinger (4-4) struck out the side in the third and seventh innings and had two punchouts in the first and sixth. The 12 strikeouts topped his previous best of 10, accomplished most recently on May 16 against Chattanooga. He leads the Southern League with 79 strikeouts.
Twins No. 28 prospect Travis Blankenhorn led off the game by clearing the wall to give Pensacola a 1-0 lead. It was only the second dinger surrendered by Bettinger in his last six starts. He allowed one more hit the rest of the night, a triple in the second by Taylor Grzelakowski, before retiring 16 of the final 18 Blue Wahoos he faced.
Gameday box score
"A fastball away," he said. "[Blankenhorn] hit it into the wind, too. The ball just just doesn't travel well to that part of the park. He hit it well.
"It was a pretty important game. We came in one game behind Pensacola. I didn't want that leadoff home run to faze me."
In the bottom of the first, Luis Aviles Jr. reached on a bunt single ahead of Brewers No. 30 prospectTrent Grisham, who smacked a two-run homer off lefty Bryan Sammons to put the Shuckers in front for good. Grisham's 11th roundtripper of the season was his fifth in the past seven contests. He also extended his hitting streak to seven games and raised his average to .263, the highest it's been since April 8.
"When [Grisham] homered to that part of the field, too -- and he hit it well -- it showed me the ball was carrying," Bettinger said, adding that he and catcher Max McDowell decided to "switch up our game plan."
"Really, I was trying to keep my rhythm, my pace. I wanted to get us back in the dugout, get some more runs. That was a big key to the game."
Biloxi padded its lead with a four-run fourth, highlighted by Grisham's RBI single and a two-run base hit by Patrick Leonard.
The Shuckers salted away the game in the eighth, posting a three-spot against left-handed reliever Tyler Jay. Jake Gatewood, Milwaukee's 28th-ranked prospect, stroked a two-run double and Leonard capped the scoring with an RBI double.
Bettinger, a 2017 10th-round pick, struck out every Blue Wahoo except Jordan Gore. He twice rung up Blankenhorn, Jimmy Kerrigan, Michael Davis and Joe Cronin, throwing 69 of 107 pitches for strikes.
After his eighth punchout -- Blankenhorn in the top of the sixth -- there was a roar from the 2,508 fans. The Shuckers have a promotional deal: eight strikeouts means $5 for a dozen glazed donuts.
"I wanted those donuts, too," Bettinger chuckled.
"We play to win, try to win. We've been getting clutch ABs, giving nothing away, and our bullpen and starters have been good. We're definitely aware [of the standings]. We want to win the first half."

The Shuckers are tied with Pensacola for the South Division lead with nine games remaining.
The University of Virginia product, making his first start since being named Southern League Pitcher of the Week, lowered his WHIP to 1.04, which ranks third on the circuit behind Tennessee's Tyson Miller (0.91) and teammate Trey Supak (0.93). 
Aviles and Gatewood finished with three hits apiece, while Grisham and Leonard each had three RBIs to pace the Shuckers' 14-hit attack.
Sammons (0-1), making his third start since being promoted from Class A Advanced Fort Myers, gave up six runs on nine hits and a walk with two strikeouts over 3 2/3 innings.