By Kevin Winter SportsTicker Staff Writer

BOSTON (Ticker) -- Lakewood righthander Gavin Floyd became the third pitcher in the 42-year history of the South Atlantic League to throw a no-hitter and lose as the BlueClaws dropped a 1-0 decision to Lexington on July 24.

Floyd, the fourth overall pick of the Philadelphia Phillies in the 2001 draft, threw 97 pitches, 59 for strikes, and yielded an unearned run while fanning eight and walking one. He also established a record by tossing Lakewood's first nine-inning no-hitter.

In the sixth inning, leadoff batter Charleton Jimerson reached when Floyd made a poor throw on a bunt. Jimerson then stole second and took third when catcher Ben Margalski committed a throwing error. He then scored on a sacrifice fly by Reinaldo Ruiz.

"That was about as much of a dominant game as I've seen in a long time," BlueClaws manager Jeff Manto said. "To go through that lineup the way he did is utter dominance ... but it's bittersweet."

On July 28, 1996, Lexington's Larry Tolliver threw a no-hitter in a 3-2 loss and Earnest Milius suffered a 2-0 defeat in his no-hitter for Rock Hill on May 13, 1963.

Keith Bucktrot threw the only other no-hitter for the BlueClaws, a seven-inning gem over Hickory in the second game of a doubleheader on April 12, 2001

Floyd dropped to 8-7 with the loss, but lowered his ERA to 2.88 and has recorded 110 strikeouts in 122 innings this season. After going 3-4 in the first 11 starts of his career, the righthander has gotten stronger over his last nine, posting a 5-3 record with a 2.52 ERA.

Run, Run, Run -------------

Ogden outfielder Mario Mendez established a Pioneer League record when he stole six bases in the Raptors' 13-12 victory over Great Falls on July 19.

The 20-year-old became just the fourth minor leaguer to swipe six bases in a game since 1992. Alex Requena was the last to accomplish the feat for Columbus of the Class A South Atlantic League back in 2000.

Mendez, who entered the game with nine stolen bases in 11 attempts, had only nabbed more than one base in a game once this season, July 17 versus the Dodgers. Before that, he had gone 12 games without a steal.

Overall, Mendez topped a Pioneer League record that had stood for nearly 33 years. Billy North collected five stolen bases for Caldwell back on August 8, 1969.

Minor League Highlights -----------------------

Batavia (Class A-New York-Penn League) righthander Erick Artega, lefthander Beau Richardson and righthander Victor Moreno combined to throw 13 scoreless innings as the Muckdogs blanked Vermont, 1-0, on July 19. Artega, who retired the last 10 batters he faced, spun eight shutout frames, yielding three hits, a walk and striking out three. Richardson entered in the ninth and allowed a hit, a walk and fanned five over four frames to pick up the win, his third straight. Moreno yielded a hit and a walk in the 13th, but held on to record his fourth save of the season. Second baseman Andres Silvera, who collected two of Batavia's three hits, belted a home run to left field with two outs in the top of the 13th to help the Muckdogs improve to 2-4 in extra-inning contests.

Kinston (Class A-Carolina League) shortstop Hector Luna drove in designated hitter Luke Scott with a single in the bottom of the 15th inning to lift the Indians over the Frederick Keys, 3-2, on July 20. Scott tied the game with a solo homer in the ninth frame.

Lake Elsinore (Class A-California League) eliminated a 7-0 deficit with an eight-run seventh inning in an 8-7 victory over Visalia on July 22. Shortstop Khalil Greene hit a two-run triple and designated hitter Al Benjamin and catcher Andre Gomez each hit two-run singles in the inning for the Storm.

Macon (Class A-South Atlantic League) third baseman Andy Marte drove in five runs and became the league's second player this year to hit for the cycle in the Braves' 8-2 victory over Augusta on July 24. The 18-year-old hit his 25th double of the season in the first inning, crushed a three-run homer in the fifth, singled and scored in the eighth and tripled home two runs in the ninth, giving him a league-high 80 RBI. The last Macon player to accomplish the feat was George Lombard on July 8, 1996.

Potomac (Class A-Carolina League) catcher Ryan Hamill belted a one-out solo home run in the top of the 11th inning, giving the Cannons a 4-3 win over Kinston. Third baseman Albert Rodgers tied the game at 3-3 with a two-run homer over the left field fence in the top of the ninth inning. Potomac improved to 8-9 in extra-inning affairs this season and had five consecutive games that have gone beyond the ninth inning.

Top Pitching Performances -------------------------

Rancho Cucamonga (Class A-California League) righthander Bobby Jenks recorded his first professional shutout and registered a career-high 13 strikeouts to help the Quakes blank High Desert, 2-0, on July 18. The California native, who carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning, yielded two hits and three walks to earn his first win in his last four starts. The 21-year-old became the league's eighth pitcher to collect 13 or more strikeouts in a game this season.

South Bend (Class A-Midwest League) righthander Edgar Gonzalez pitched a two-hit shutout at Fort Wayne, 3-0, on July 24. Gonzalez, who yielded just a fourth-inning single and a double in the eighth, struck out five without issuing a walk to even his record at 8-8 with a 3.11 ERA in 20 starts. The 19-year-old, who threw a nine-inning no-hitter with 11 strikeouts back on April 14, snapped a five-game losing streak.

Streaking ---------

Dayton (Class A-Midwest League) righthander Nathan Cotton captured his league-leading 26th save to help the Dragons defeat Fort Wayne, 3-2, on July 22. Cotton, a Rookie-level Pioneer League All-Star in 2001, yielded one hit and retired the final five batters via flyout to capture his sixth save in as many appearances and his 15th in his last 18 games. With his performance, the 23-year-old reliever has an ERA of 1.34 in 47 innings pitched, including 23 1/3 consecutive frames without allowing an earned run in 18 road appearances this year.

Kingsport (rookie level-Appalachian League) second baseman Jesus Linares extended his run-scoring streak to 11 games to help the Mets deal Princeton its ninth straight loss with a 9-5 victory on July 18. The Venezuela native reached on a fielder's choice and crossed home plate in the top of the first inning and also singled home a run in the fourth. Linares hit .375 during the streak with 15 hits and six RBI.

Ogden (rookie level-Pioneer League) first baseman Prince Fielder drove home a run in his ninth consecutive game, an 8-7 loss to Medicine Hat on July 24. Fielder finished the contest 2-for-3 with a pair of RBI and two walks. He knocked home a run in the first inning on a groundout and laced an RBI single in the third. He had 16 RBI over the nine-game span.

Princeton (rookie level-Appalachian League) outfielder Jason Pridie hit safely in 19 straight games (36-88, 3 2B, 3 3B, 7 RBI, 4 SB) July 3-23, raising his average from .276 to .356. Pridie pushed the streak to 20 straight games before going 0-for-3 against Johnson City on July 25. He tied Devil Rays outfielder Carl Crawford for the third longest hitting streak in the history of the Tampa organization.

San Jose (Class A-California League) righthander Jeff Clark won his seventh consecutive start, tossing seven scoreless innings in the Giants' 3-0 victory over Modesto on July 18. The 6-6, 240-pound Connecticut native yielded six hits and struck out six batters to capture the win and spun 23 consecutive innings without allowing a run July 3-18. Clark was leading the league with a 2.15 ERA through July 24.

Lowlights ---------

Brevard County (Class A-Florida State League) righthander Shane Arthurs went 0-10 with a 4.96 ERA in 22 games May 4-July 19 (69 IP, 80 H, 51 R, 38 ER, 37 BB, 38 SO).

Savannah (Class A-South Atlantic League) outfielder Anthony Mongeluzzo, who made history earlier this season when he hit four home runs on April 20 against Asheville was released by the Rangers organization on July 21. Mongeluzzo had a .219 batting average on the season with nine homers and 43 RBI. He was in the midst of a 3-for-40 slump when he was released.

West Michigan (Class A-Midwest League) lefthander Matt Coenen, who was leading the league with 11 wins and pitched a two-hit shutout against Burlington on July 17, had his worst outing of the season on July 23. Coenen gave up seven runs, nine hits and three walks in just 2 2/3 innings of work as the Whitecaps fell to Dayton, 7-5.