Toussaint posts seven zeros for Mississippi

Entering Saturday night's tilt as the Southern League strikeouts leader, Touki Toussaint found a way to top himself.
The Braves' No. 11 prospect matched his career high with 11 strikeouts and pitched seven scoreless innings before Double-A Mississippi let a late lead slip away in a 2-1 loss to Pensacola at Blue Wahoos Stadium. He gave up two hits and issued three walks while lowering his ERA to 2.93 with 107 strikeouts in his 16th start.

Toussaint has a 1.17 ERA in his past five outings, spanning 30 2/3 innings. The stretch began with a six-inning four-hitter against Montgomery on June 4 and includes his third double-digit strikeout performance of the season, in which he fanned 10 and surrendered three runs over seven frames against Biloxi on June 14.
The 22-year-old right-hander debuted on the circuit for seven starts last season. He fared well in his first tangle with the Southern League, going 3-4 with a 3.18 ERA, 44 strikeouts and a .235 opponents' batting average over 39 2/3 innings. He's taken a step forward this year, improving his strikeout rate to 11.2 per nine innings while holding foes to a .208 average.
"He's maturing. Everybody matures at their own pace," Mississsippi pitching coach Dennis Lewallyn told MiLB.com last month. "In the past, when things started going south on him, he couldn't slow the game. Now, when he gets in trouble, he's able to slow it down and take it one pitch at a time. It's helped him pitch into games."
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The D-backs' first-round pick in 2014 whiffed eighth through four perfect innings against Pensacola, striking out the side in the third, before plunking Mitch Nay to start the fifth. He struck out Luis Gonzalez before surrendering his first hit to Narciso Crook and ended the threat by getting Taylor Sparks to fly to center.

The Pembroke Pines, Florida, native worked around three walks in the sixth and left the bases loaded with his final punchout of the evening.
Already at 92 pitches through six innings, Mississippi manager Chris Maloney opted not to use a pinch-hitter when Toussaint's turn came up in the lineup. The move showed he'd be back out for the seventh, but Toussaint has been more than competent at the plate this season. He went 0-for-3 with a pair of strikeouts -- including his final at-bat in the sixth -- but remains a .333 hitter with three doubles and six RBIs in 27 at-bats.
He allowed another hit in the seventh and exited with a 1-0 lead after throwing 63 of 102 pitches for strikes -- matching a season high.
Brian O'Grady quickly tied the game with a leadoff homer in the eighth off reliever Kelvin Vasquez and Nay doubled home Reds No. 14 prospectTJ Friedl with the go-ahead run.