Savannah 8, Augusta 0

All-Star southpaw Robert Carson (7-6) tossed the South Atlantic League’s second nine-inning, complete-game shutout Saturday night as the Sand Gnats took the series finale from the Legends, 8-0. Carson is the first Gnat to throw a nine-inning complete game since Maikel Cleto accomplished the same feat May 22, 2008 at Augusta. Cleto also allowed only three hits in the game.

The 20-year-old from Hattiesburg, Miss. did not allow a hit until the fourth and allowed just three hits total in the game. It is the first complete game in the professional career of Carson, who was selected out of high school in the 14th round of the 2007 draft. His eight strikeouts are a season high but fall short of a career-high 12-strikeout performance he turned in last season with the GCL Mets.

Jefry Marte’s first-inning home run would have been enough for the way that Carson was dealing Saturday night but the Gnats erupted for seven more runs in the game. Marte’s home run was his fifth of the year. Five Sand Gnats collected multi-hit games in the win including Josh Satin, who was 3-for-4 with a walk.

Savannah broke the game open in the sixth with two away when third baseman Ebert Rosario mishandled a ground ball off the bat of Kai Gronauer that would have ended the inning. Instead, the Gnats (9-8, 44-43) scored four unearned runs off starter Ross Seaton (6-8). Ironically, the South Atlantic League’s only other nine-inning complete game this season was thrown by Seaton at Applebee’s Park on June 1.

Marte, Imbewer Alvarez and Sean Ratliff all had two hits apiece and each drove in two runs in the shutout for the Gnats. It is Savannah’s sixth shutout of the year and the third that Carson has had a hand in. Carson started Savannah’s shutouts of Asheville on May 29 and Charleston on June 27.

The Sand Gnats finish up their eight-game road swing with a 5-3 record and will head home on a two-game winning streak.