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04/16/2008 3:47 PM ET
Rock Cats cruise behind Swarzak, Peterson
Starter fans 10, first baseman drives in all four runs
By Benjamin Hill
Rochester right fielder Garrett Jones has hit safely in eight of his last nine games. (Joy R. Absalon/MLB.com)

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• Box score
• Anthony Swarzak's player page
• Audio: Swarzak notches his double-digit K
• Brock Peterson's statistics
• Perspective: Swarzak bounces back

New Britain defeated New Hampshire on Wednesday afternoon, thanks to one standout performance on the mound and another at the plate.

Anthony Swarzak struck out 10 batters over six shutout innings and Brock Peterson drove in four runs as the visiting Rock Cats coasted to a 4-1 victory over the Fisher Cats.

For Swarzak, it was the continuation of a stellar start to the season. The 22-year-old right-hander improved his record to 2-0 over three starts and lowered his ERA to a microscopic 0.56. On Wednesday, Swarzak retired the first nine batters he faced and 18 of 21 overall. He did not issue a walk in the contest and allowed just one batter to reach second base.

"I've been throwing strikes and getting ahead in the count, and when you do that you win games. It's really as simple as that," said Swarzak, who went 5-4 with a 3.23 ERA in 15 appearances with the Rock Cats last season. "I was out there trying to win every pitch, and fortunately I was able to get it done."

Swarzak's 10 strikeouts on Wednesday more than doubled his season total, as he now has whiffed 18 batters over 16 innings.

"The strikeouts are just one of those things, you can't always control it," said Swarzak. "In my first two games I was staying ahead in the count, but I couldn't always put them away. Today I established the fastball early and really stuck with it throughout the game."

On the offensive side of the equation, Peterson provided more than enough firepower to carry the Rock Cats to victory. The 24-year-old first baseman hit a two-run double in the third inning, an RBI single in the fifth, and a sacrifice fly in the ninth.

After collecting just three hits in his first 29 at-bats this season, Peterson is showing signs of breaking out of his slump. He has now hit safely in his last three ballgames -- including a home run in yesterday's 4-2 loss -- and his 10 RBIs are the most on the team.

The Fisher Cats' offense mounted a mild threat in the ninth inning, but it was a case of too little, too late. Ryan Patterson's single with two outs in the frame scored Kyle Phillps and moved Eric Nielsen to third, but Brian Jeroloman then grounded out to Peterson to end the ballgame.

Brandon Magee (0-2) took the loss for the Fisher Cats, allowing three runs on seven hits over 5 2/3 innings. Sean Stidfole followed with 2 1/3 scoreless frames before Daryl Harang was touched for a run in the ninth.

Benjamin Hill 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.