Shuckers Crowned First Half South Division Champs Behind Brown's One-Hitter

RHP Zack Brown (W, 6-0) took a no-hit bid through 26 outs on Friday night at MGM Park as the Biloxi Shuckers (40-28) locked up a first half South Division championship with a 5-0 win over the Mississippi Braves (28-40). Brown sealed the complete game, shutout in the clinching win, assuring the Shuckers a playoff berth come September.
The Shuckers' right-hander had his A+ material all night long. His shutout took 109 pitches as he struck out eight, the first shutout of his professional career. Brown was handed an early 2-0 lead in the first which allowed him to be aggressive on hitters. While he worked perfectly through seven innings, Nick Ramirez blasted a three-run home run in the bottom of the seventh to provide the 5-0 final. RHP Bryse Wilson (L, 1-4) took the loss after allowing the early runs.
The Brewers #23 prospect carried his perfect game into the eighth inning. The first batter of the inning, Tyler Marlette skied a fly ball to deep right-centerfield. Corey Ray and Trent Grisham converged, and the ensuing contact between the two caused the ball to pop out of Grisham's glove, marking an error as the first baserunner of the game for the Braves.
With two outs in the ninth and the game all but sealed, Brown had the M-Braves down to their final strike. Daniel Lockhart jammed a pitch to shallow centerfield. Ray laid out in hopes of sealing the game but fell just short, breaking up the no-hitter. Brown finished off his night by getting Connor Lien to ground out to shortstop, crowning the Shuckers division champions.
Following their celebration, the Shuckers will be back at MGM Park on Saturday night at 6:35 PM CT. LHP Kodi Medeiros (4-3, 3.88) toes the rubber for Biloxi against Mississippi's RHP Enderson Franco (2-4, 4.03) on One Coast Night.
The Biloxi Shuckers are the Double-A Affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. The Shuckers play at MGM Park in Biloxi, Mississippi. For more information please visit biloxishuckers.com and follow us on Twitter @biloxishuckers and at facebook.com/biloxishuckers.com. Single game tickets for the Biloxi Shuckers 2018 season are on sale now and can be purchased at the MGM Park box office or over the phone through Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Season tickets, flex plans and group outings are also available and can be reserved by calling 228-233-3465 or visiting www.biloxishuckers.com.