Ponce, Perrin shutout BayBears as Shuckers win season finale

MOBILE, AL - Cody Ponce and Jon Perrin combined for a three-hit shutout in the season finale for the Biloxi Shuckers, beating the Mobile BayBears by a score of 5-0 on Monday afternoon. The Shuckers took four of five from the BayBears in the final series of the season and won 12 of 19 games played against their closest geographical rival.
The Shuckers finish the season with a 71-66 record in 137 games, securing the second-best overall record in the South Division. The franchise has finished above the .500 mark in all three seasons since moving to Biloxi in 2015.

Ponce (W, 2-1) turned in 6.0 scoreless innings of three-hit ball, stifling the BayBears for the second time in two weeks after taking a no-hitter into the sixth against them in his Double-A debut. The righty struck out three and walked one over the course of his outing, lowering his Shuckers ERA to 1.53.
Biloxi drew first blood in the second inning when Troy Stokes Jr. doubled and came home on a two-out RBI single from Dustin DeMuth . That was the only blemish on the afternoon for Mobile starter Luis Peña (L, 1-3), who allowed just four hits in 6.0 innings for a quality start.
In the top of the seventh, Jacob Nottingham extended Biloxi's lead with an RBI double off Kevin Grendell. After Johnny Davis extended the inning with an infield single, Angel Ortega launched a three-run home run to left field to make the score 5-0. With the home run, Ortega took over the team lead with 50 runs batted in on the season.
Perrin (S, 1) returned to the long relief role he occupied earlier in the season, tossing three hitless innings for his first professional save.
As the season comes to a close, Davis leads the team with a .263 batting average, 133 hits and a league-best 52 stolen bases. Clint Coulter paces the team with 14 home runs, and Ortega leads the team with 50 RBI. On the pitching side, Aaron Wilkerson 's team-leading 11 wins are tied for fourth, his 3.16 ERA is eighth, his 143 strikeouts are third, and his 1.07 WHIP is best in the league. Matt Ramsey 's franchise-record 27 saves lead the Southern League, and the recently-promoted Nick Ramirez tied for third with 48 relief appearances.
The first-half champion Pensacola Blue Wahoos will play host to the second-half champion Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp in the South Division playoffs starting on Wednesday. The winner of that series will face the winner of Chattanooga and Montgomery from the North Division to determine the Southern League champion.
The Shuckers open up their 2018 season on the road at Montgomery before their home opener against Mississippi on April 11. More information on the fourth season of Biloxi Shuckers baseball will be available at biloxishuckers.com as the offseason progresses.
ABOUT THE BILOXI SHUCKERS: The Biloxi Shuckers are the Double-A Southern League 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.