Williams pitches 5-hitter for ’Birds

Veteran righty shuts out Sky Sox

Jerome Williams pitched a complete-game five-hitter in the Redbirds’ 2-0 win over the Colorado Springs Sky Sox on Saturday night in front of 8,034 fans at AutoZone Park.

The veteran (1-1) righthander needed just 105 pitches to finish his first complete game since May 1, 2012, when he threw a three-hit shutout with the Los Angeles Angels against the Minnesota Twins. It was the first complete game shutout by a Redbird since Tim Cooney on June 2, 2015, against Las Vegas.

Except for a first-inning triple to the second batter, the Sky Sox had all singles against Williams. From the end of the third through two outs in the eighth, Williams retired 15 straight Colorado Springs hitters. He finished by setting down 19 of the final 21 Sky Sox he faced.

That first-inning triple was erased trying to tag on a fly out by a throw from Nick Martini to Michael McKenry at the plate.

Memphis took advantage of the momentum in the home half of the first, when Kolten Wong singled and scored on a single by Jose Martinez.

The 1-0 lead held until Memphis (25-34) added a run in the seventh. Breyvic Valera walked and scored three batters later when Charlie Tilson singled and the throw bounced away from the first baseman.

Colorado Springs brought the tying run to the plate in the eighth and ninth innings, but Williams got a line out in the eighth and a pop out and a fly out in the ninth to finish the game.

The shutout win was Memphis’ fourth of the season.