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04/26/2008 10:10 PM ET
Nickerson loses perfect game in eighth
Outduels rehabbing big leaguer Slowey in Flying Tigers' 3-2 win
By Tom Cardinale
Jonah Nickerson has taken a no-hitter into the seventh inning three times in two years. (Carl Kline/MLB.com)

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The crowd at Lakeland's Joker Marchant Stadium was treated to a rare occurrence on Saturday: 12 combined innings of no-hit baseball.

Jonah Nickerson retired the first 21 batters he faced to outduel rehabbing Major Leaguer Kevin Slowey as the Lakeland Flying Tigers held on for a 3-2 victory over the Fort Myers Miracle.

Making the second of three expected rehab starts, Slowey hurled five hitless innings to keep the game scoreless.

"It was a little frustrating," Nickerson admitted. "But I knew at some point we would score some runs and I had to keep going out and doing my job. It actually helped a little bit; I was able to get into a rhythm and not sit too long and get cold."

The Flying Tigers finally got on the board in the sixth, taking advantage of two errors by Fort Myers third baseman Daniel Valencia and getting an RBI double from Justin Justice.

Nickerson protected the 2-0 lead, recording three groundouts in the seventh to keep his perfect game intact.

"I was aware [of the perfect game], I realized it early, but I didn't start thinking about it until the fifth inning," he said. "I was just sitting where I normally sat. Guys were doing their own thing. No one mentioned it or said anything about it."

The Most Outstanding Player at the 2006 College World Series took the mound in the eighth with a 3-0 cushion, but his quest for history ended when Johnny Woodward looped a leadoff single to center field.

"I was thankful for the game I had, but at the same time, those types of hits could've happened in the first inning and that kind of ran through my head that I'd just went seven innings of perfect baseball," Nickerson said. "I wasn't mad about it, that's baseball; those types of hits are going to fall. That's why that situation is so rare."

The 23-year-old right-hander sandwiched singles around a flyout before exiting. Reliever Angel Castro promptly surrendered a two-run triple to Whitney Robbins as Nickerson was charged with two runs on two hits with four strikeouts over 7 1/3 innings.

Castro avoided further damage and Ed Clelland recorded the final three outs for his second save.

For Nickerson, it was another brush with perfection that came up short. He set down the first 18 batters last July 28 for Class A West Michigan.

Nickeron's was the latest exceptional start for a member of the Flying Tigers' rotation. Luis Marte tossed seven hitless innings on April 18 and followed that up by yielding an unearned run over seven frames on Wednesday.

"Each guy on our staff is different," Nickerson said. "[Marte's] had success just attacking guys with his fastball. He's got a great arm. It helps when other guys are having success.

"Each time I go out and have a good start I cherish it. Sometimes they're tough to come by, especially the way I've been pitching, but I think it could be a big confidence boost. I'll remember this for a while with my other accomplishments."

A seventh-round pick in the 2006 draft, Nickerson hopes Saturday's outing will mark a turning point in his season after entering with a 1-2 record and 7.64 ERA in four starts.

"I think it's just going to give me confidence," he added. "The biggest adjustment was really just throwing strike one and getting the confidence to do what I want with the hitters."

Reliever Matthew Fox (1-1) took the loss for Fort Myers after allowing three unearned runs on three hits in two innings.

Tom Cardinale is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues or its clubs.