Hoppers almost make History

from Scott Gierman Savannah Sand Gnats:Grasshoppers a near-perfect game with Christian Martinez on the mound……

SAVANNAH, Ga. – The Sand Gnats broke up the perfect game bid by Greensboro’s Cristhian Martinez in the eighth inning but were unable to mount the full comeback as they fell, 7-2 on Thursday night. D.J. Wabick led off the eighth inning with a single to break up the perfect game.

Martinez retired the first 21 batters he faced. A couple of nice defensive plays in the sixth and seventh innings helped keep the perfect game alive. For the third game in a row, Greensboro took an early lead. The Grasshoppers took a 4-0 in the second inning when they scored four runs off of starter Josh Stinson and the Gnats. Two errors in that inning helped prolong the inning as only two of those four runs were earned.

The Grasshoppers added a run in the fifth and two more in the sixth to make it 7-0. Savannah scored its two runs in the eighth to pull within 7-2 when Jonathan Sanchez broke up a scoreless innings streak of 30.2 innings with a two-run home run to right field. It was Sanchez’s second home run of the season.

Martinez (6-3) earned the win and finished the night with seven strikeouts in 8.0 innings of work, allowing just the two runs on two hits.