Catfish lose finale to Savannah in 9th inning

The Savannah Sand Gnats (Mets) scored in the bottom of the 9th inning to eek out a 2-1 win over the Columbus Catfish Thursday night, earning a split and denying the Catfish the chance to win their 2nd straight series.

The game was a pitcher's duel, with Maikel Cleto and Alex Cobb exchanging zeroes throughout the early innings. Casey Craig got to Cobb in the first though, blasting his fourth homer of the season, a deep solo-shot over the wall in right to hand Cleto a 1-0 lead.

Cleto held the advantage until the fifth, when Shawn Williams singled in a run to tie it. The Gnats right-hander departed after 7.0 innings, yielding 1 run on 3 hits while walking 1 and striking out 4. Nick Waechter threw a scoreless eighth before Nick Abel (1-0) pitched a perfect ninth for the win.

The Catfish return home Friday night, opening a 3-game series with the Rome Braves, closing out the first half. Following the South Atlantic League All-star game on Tuesday -- where Catfish Maiko Loyola (OF) and Alex Cobb (P) will play, and OF Emeel Salem, out for the season with an injury, also earned a spot -- the Catfish open the second half Thursday hosting the Charleston RiverDogs (Yankees).