Zebulon, NC --- Yorman Bazardo carried a perfect game into the seventh and no-hitter into the eighth as the Carolina Mudcats won their sixth straight game 8-2 over the Tennessee Smokies at Five County Stadium on Saturday night.

 

Bazardo (W, 3-0), who became just the fourth three-game winner in the Southern League, retired the first 18 batters on 66 pitches before walking Marland Williams to start the seventh inning.  Leading 3-0, Bazardo permitted Williams to score on a steal, groundball and wild pitch as Tennessee (4-12) closed to within 3-1.

 

However, the Mudcats (12-3) stormed away to the victory with a nine-batter, five-run seventh inning keyed by Dennis Anderson's two-run single.  Anderson will enter Sunday's game with eight consecutive hits after following up a 4-4 performance on Thursday with another 4-4 against the Smokies. 

 

After a near 25-minute Mudcats seventh inning which also saw Bazardo single and score, Bazardo returned to the mound with the no-hitter intact leading 8-1.  After recording a groundout, Jon Zeringue landed a double on the right-centerfield warning track for Tennessee's first hit.  The Smokies would add a run in the inning before Bazardo finished for the night, working eight full innings, allowing two hits, two runs, walking one and whiffing four.

 

Eric Reed, who bunted for a single in the third inning, tied the club record with a hit in his 19th straight game.  Reed finished 1-5 and a steal.

 

Ryan Baker, just recalled from High-A Jupiter, pitched the ninth inning and ended the game starting a 1-6-3 double play.

 

Carolina concludes its brief three-game homestand on Sunday at 2:00 PM ET with Josh Johnson (2-1, 1.13) starting against Tennessee's Matt Chico (0-3, 4.24). 

 

TENNESSEE        0 0 0   0 0 0   1 1 0   ---   2   3   0   2

CAROLINA           0 0 0   3 0 0   5 0 x   ---   8  13   0   6

 

WP - Bazardo (3-0)

LP - Lizarraga (0-1)

S - None.

HR - None.

 

Time:  2:17

Att:  3,879