Brice strikes out career-high 13 for Suns

Marlins Double-A affiliate Jacksonville got one of the season's best pitching performances from No. 15 prospect Austin Brice, as well as a big day at the plate from No. 19 prospect J.T. Riddle.

Brice was unquestionably the star of the Sun's 12-1 win over Biloxi on Monday. The 6-foot-4 right-hander went off, striking out 13 while giving up one hit and one walk in eight shutout innings. His strikeout total was a new career-high and only the second time Brice has notched double-digit Ks in his six years of pro ball.

After giving up a single in the first frame, he retired 20 straight batters. It was the first time Brice tossed eight innings in a game. His previous high was seven innings, which he did in two starts last year.

"Honestly, after the first inning, I can usually tell if it's going to be a long day or not," Brice, now 3-6 with a 5.61 ERA, told MiLB.com after the game. "Today, I could feel that I was really staying behind the ball well right away. My feel for all my pitches today was above-average what it usually is for me, too. So at that point, I just went ahead and rolled with it."

While Jacksonville's offense didn't need to provide much support to win, Riddle stood out with a 3-for-4 performance, including a double and a three-run homer that came as part of a 10-run third inning.

The dinger was Riddle's first at the Double-A level and he's gone 4-for-12 (.333) since his promotion on Saturday. Riddle, a shortstop, didn't need to do much on the defensive side while Brice racked up punchouts.

"You're trying to keep your rhythm out on the field, but I didn't get my first ball until the first out of the ninth inning," Riddle said to MiLB.com. "I went eight whole innings without a ball getting to me. You always have to stay ready for anything, but that's a good sign when your pitcher's throwing it like that."