2064 Shark Bites TN No. 4 - NO HITTER

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JOHANNESBURG - Jean-Sebastien Mangin etched his name into Sydney Sharks lore on Tuesday, pitching the first no-hitter in franchise history in a dominant 4-0 victory over the Johannesburg Gold at Golden Palace.

The 26-year-old right-hander was nearly untouchable, striking out six and walking three over nine masterful innings. He needed 108 pitches66 for strikesto silence the Gold, relying on a sharp mix of his dangerous fastball-slider combo to keep hitters off balance all night.

"I thought Jean-Sebastien started off a little slow and was struggling with his command at first," Sharks manager Jim Sanchez said. "He lucked his way through the early innings, and they helped him out by not being patient. Eventually, it all came together for him, and from there on the Gold never had a chance. He dominated them."

Mangin's gem was backed by early run support. Grigori Perunov tripled in the first inning to drive in a run and later doubled in the eighth. Jose Crespo added a solo home run in the sixth, his seventh of the year. Defensively, the Sharks turned two double plays and played error-free baseball behind their starter.

The historic performance couldn't have come at a better time for Sydney, which now sits at 38-29 and holds first place in the GBC AfSamOc division. Mangin, now 5-3 with a 3.13 ERA, has emerged as the cornerstone of a pitching staff that also features veteran Ielemia Faletose and steady reliever Edgardo Reyes.

"This is for everyone who believed in this team," Mangin said afterward. "We're here to win, and tonight was a step."