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06/05/2008 1:45 AM ET
Naturals' Wood three-hits Travelers
Righty matches career high with 10 strikeouts in 3-0 shutout
By Tom Cardinale
Blake Wood fanned at least one Arkansas hitter in every inning but the sixth frame. (Brad Glazier)

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After a rocky introduction to Double-A in his first start, Northwest Arkansas' Blake Wood didn't take long to make the necessary adjustments.

Wood (1-0) tossed a three-hitter, tying a career high with 10 strikeouts, en route to his first Double-A victory as the Naturals beat the Arkansas Travelers, 3-0, at Arvest Ballpark.

The former third-round pick fanned at least one hitter in every inning but the sixth and closed out his night with a strikeout of center fielder Adam Greenberg on his 99th pitch.

"I felt fine. You go out here for the ninth and you've got that last little bit of adrenaline rush coming because you know you're close to finishing," Wood said. "You don't really get an opportunity like that much."

Singles by Greenberg, Ben Johnson and Hainley Statia were the only blemishes on the evening for Wood, who faced just one batter over the minimum in his first professional complete game. The 22-year-old retired 11 in a row after Greenberg led off the game with a single and was erased trying to steal second. He closed out the game by retiring the final nine Travelers in a row.

"I was getting ahead of hitters and throwing my fastball and my change for strikes," he said. "That's what it is really all about -- throwing everything for strikes."

The 10 strikeouts matched the career best the Georgia Tech product established earlier this season with Class A Advanced Wilmington and matched most recently May 17 when he allowed one hit over six shutout innings against Myrtle Beach.

The dominating performance comes on the heels of Wood's subpar debut with the Naturals on May 29 against Midland. He surrendered three runs on seven hits in 4 1/3 innings, striking out six and walking two in a no-decision.

Wood said his regular routine fell by the wayside when he moved up to Northwest Arkansas and he was more settled by the time of his second start.

"I'm a lot closer than I was the other day," he said.

Wood was promoted from Wilmington after posting a 3-2 record and 2.67 ERA in 10 starts, fanning 63 in 57 1/3 innings.

Mario Lisson's two-run homer and a solo shot by Angel Sanchez provided more than enough offense behind Wood.

Dan Denham (4-5) was the hard-luck loser for Arkansas, allowing three runs on seven hits with four strikeouts over seven 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.