• Wilmington Star-News Recap
WILMINGTON, N.C.--University of Evansville senior-to-be right-handed pitcher
Zach Taylor (Ft. Wayne, Ind./Carroll) made Coastal Plain League history on Thursday night, as he tossed the league’s first-ever perfect game in Wilmington’s 13-0 victory over the visiting Fayetteville (N.C.) SwampDogs at Buck Hardee Field in Wilmington, North Carolina.
Taylor needed just 117 pitches to complete the nine-inning perfect game for the Wilmington Sharks. Taylor’s night consisted of 13 ground-outs, 10 fly-outs and four strikeouts. His defense helped him complete the perfect game with a nice back-handed play at shortstop in the fourth inning, and a nice catch in deep left-center in the fifth inning.
“You’ve just got to go out and take advantage of every game you play,” Taylor told the Wilmington Star-News after the game. “I mean, it can be taken from you in a second, so you’ve just got to focus on every play.”
Taylor was making his fourth start of the year for the Sharks in the wooden-bat Coastal Plain League, considered one of the top collegiate summer leagues in the country. He was backed by one of Wilmington’s top offensive outputs of the season, although it included long middle innings, as the Sharks scored three runs in the fourth, six runs in the fifth and three more in the sixth.
“You just have to stay focused and realize you can only take care of what you can take care of,” Taylor once again told the Wilmington Star-News. “You have to let the at-bats go and just focus when you get out there.”
The game was extra-special for Taylor, as his family was in town from Ft. Wayne to see him pitch. It will likely be the last time they see Taylor pitch in the CPL before the summer season ends.
Taylor has enjoyed an outstanding summer on the mound for the Sharks, going 3-1 with a 1.82 ERA in nine appearances, including four starts. In 34.2 innings of work this summer, Taylor has allowed just seven earned runs on 27 base hits and five walks, while striking out 22 men. The opposition has hit just .229 against Taylor this summer, with just four extra-base hits in 118 at-bats.
Taylor was one of UE’s most reliable relief pitchers this past spring, as he went 3-1 with a 4.89 ERA?in 30 appearances spanning 49.2 innings of work for the Purple Aces. Taylor is one of 22 letterwinners, including seven position starters, who are scheduled to return for head coach Wes Carroll’s Purple Aces in the spring of 2011.
