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Updated game story -- Calls, knuckeballs go wrong way for Red Sox in 6-1 loss »
June 23, 2007
LOUISVILLE, Ky.-The Pawtucket Red Sox did not get an offensive
explosion Saturday night, but right-hander Devern Hansack's performance ensured
that they didn't need one.
Hansack (3-6) retired the first 21 batters he faced and took a
perfect game into the eighth inning to help Pawtucket to a 4-1 win over
Louisville in the second of a four-game series at Slugger Field.
Hansack lost the perfect game in the eighth, but threw eight commanding innings,
allowing three hits and one run while striking out seven. He left after the game
was delayed by rain in the top of the ninth.
"I felt good tonight and was able to throw all my pitches for
strikes," Hansack said. "The best part for me was not throwing many pitches.
They kept hitting the ball in the air and on the ground and my teammates played
good defense.
"I really don't care if I get strikeouts when the other team is hitting the
first or second pitch right at one of my teammates."
The PawSox got nine hits, which was enough support for Hansack.
After being shut out 7-0 and limited to four hits in the series
opener Friday, it didn't take the PawSox long to put a run on the board. With
one out in the first, Joe McEwing homered to left off Elizardo Ramirez to give
Pawtucket a 1-0 lead.
The PawSox added another run in the second when the slumping Jeff Bailey singled
to left, stole second and later came home on a groundout by Bryan Pritz, who was
called up from Portland Friday.
Louisville left fielder Joey Votto prevented a Pawtucket run in the third. With
two out and McEwing on first base after reaching on a fielder's choice, Bobby
Scales lined a ball into the gap in left-center. Votto made a diving catch to
prevent the ball from going to the wall.
Hansack breezed through the Bats' lineup over the first seven innings, retiring
the first 21 batters. He got ahead in the count to every batter but three.
Anderson Machado was the only batter able to push Hansack to three-ball count.
Hansack went to 3-2 on Machado with one out in the seventh, but struck him out
with a fastball.
Through the first six innings, Hansack threw only 54 pitches, including six each
in the fourth and sixth. The only hard hit ball off Hansack until the eighth was
a liner by Aaron Herr in the second which McEwing caught at third base.
Leading off the eighth, Aaron Herr broke up both the perfect game and the
no-hitter with one swing. Behind in the count 1-2, Herr lashed a line drive over
the head of right fielder Brandon Moss for a double. A rattled Hansack then
balked Herr to third. Hansack struck out Mark Bellhorn, but Jesse Gutierrez
plated Herr with a groundout to third, ending the shutout and cutting the PawSox
lead to 2-1.
Mike Edwards and Chris Dickerson followed with singles, but Hansack struck out
Ryan Jorgenson to strand the tying and go-ahead runs. Rain arrived after the
final out of the eighth, triggering a 70-minute delay.
When the game resumed Travis Hughes relieved Hansack. Hughes allowed two
baserunners with one out but retired Herr and Bellhorn to notch the save.
Hansack threw 85 pitches, including 64 strikes.
Pawtucket batters didn't exactly tattoo Louisville Ramirez (0-1), reaching the
right-hander for only four hits in his 62/3 innings. Ramirez retired eight of
the final nine batters he faced and exited in the seventh in favor of Gary
Majewski, who was optioned to Louisville by the Reds earlier this month.
The rain apparently stirred Pawtucket's bats. After getting only two hits in
innings 5-8, the PawSox reached reliever Kirk Saarloos for three hits and two
runs in the ninth, both scoring on a single by Moss. Jeff Bailey and Michael
Tucker led Pawtucket with two hits each.
--JEFF ROBINSON (Special to the Journal)
Posted by Corey Bourassa 
at 10:06 PM to PawSox
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