Minor league notebook

The pitcher was perfect, the batter was pretty darn close and both local players helped their teams win playoff games Thursday night.

Burke County's Jonathan Broxton threw two perfect innings that night to finish off a no-hitter for the Jacksonville Suns, while Midland Valley's Bernard Stephens went 4-for-5 with two home runs to keep his High Desert Mavericks alive in the California League playoffs.

Suns starter Chad Billingsley held the Birmingham Barons hitless for seven innings before Broxton took over in Game 1 of the South Division playoffs in the Double-A Southern League.

"Chad threw the ball extremely well and Broxton came in and did the same thing," Birmingham manager Razor Shines told the Florida Times-Union. "Those two guys would have beaten a lot of major-league clubs tonight."

Broxton then picked up his second save of the series Friday night to close a 4-2 win.

- Across the country, Stephens belted a two-run homer off Lancaster's Reuben Kerbs in the Mavericks' eight-run eighth inning to break open a tie game and force a deciding third game, which the Mavericks ended up losing Friday night.

"I've faced (Kerbs) quite a few times," Stephens, who drove in five runs, told the Victory Valley Daily Press. "I was just trying to drive it and it scraped over the wall."

- A few Red Sox prospects who spent at least part of a season with the Augusta GreenJackets have the Double-A Portland Sea Dogs on their way to a first-round series win against Trenton.

Third baseman Chad Spann, who was a South Atlantic League postseason All-Star in 2003 with the GreenJackets, hit his first two home runs for the Sea Dogs in their first two playoff games.

In Game 1, Spann hit a walk-off grand slam off Trenton closer Justin Pope in the bottom of the ninth inning. In Game 2, he hit a go-ahead two-run homer in the sixth inning.

Left-hander Randy Beam, who spent time in Augusta last season, picked up wins in both games in relief. That only involved two-thirds of an inning in Game 1, but the Sea Dogs needed Beam to pitch his longest pro outing in Game 2. The former starter at Florida Atlantic was perfect in 3Q innings.

"There's no doubt his tank was on empty," Portland manager Todd Claus told the Portland Press Herald. "He gave us everything he had."

Claus threw four pitchers in the first game, and all four have pitched for the GreenJackets. Barry Hertzler and Edgar Martinez helped finish off the game, which was started by another standout from the 2003 team, Jon Lester. The left-hander held the Thunder to two runs on four hits in seven innings before handing off to Martinez, who was converted from catcher to pitcher last season in Augusta. Hertzler, who pitched here last year, started the ninth before Beam entered with one out.

SALLY AWARDS: GreenJackets right-hander Ben Thurmond earned the South Atlantic League's Pitcher of the Week award for the final week of the season. In his final two starts, he went 1-0 with a 1.93 ERA with 18 strikeouts and one walk.

- GreenJackets bat boy Dexter Kelley earned SAL Bat Person of the Year. Kelley, who was an honorable mention selection to The Augusta Chronicle's All-Area baseball team as a sophomore at Josey last season, missed the last part of the GreenJackets' season. Augusta staff members said Kelley moved to Atlanta.

FINISHING STRONG: Stephens ended the regular season on a nine-game hitting streak that pushed his batting average to .303 - the first time it was above .300 since Opening Day.

- Augusta Christian's Jordan Belcher went 6-for-11 in his final three games for the Dayton Dragons - low A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds - to raise his average from .256 to .292.

Reach Kristy Shonka at (706) 823-3216 or kristy.shonka@augustachronicle.com.