Nine inning complete games in the Pacific Coast League are rare. Complete-game shutouts are even more unusual.

Yet for the second time in three games, the Salt Lake Bees had a pitcher hurl a complete, nine-inning game without giving up a single run. Bees lefty Joe Saunders led Salt Lake to an 8-0 victory Wednesday night over the New Orleans Zephyrs — two days after Jered Weaver blanked these same Zephyrs at Franklin Covey Field.

To put that in perspective, the previous nine-inning shutout by a Salt Lake pitcher before Weaver's was nearly two years ago by Chris Bootcheck.

"We're roommates on the road and we're roommates here (in Salt Lake)," said Saunders of himself and Weaver. "He tries to one-up me all the time. I've got to hang with him. Whatever he does, I've got to try to match it. We have a little friendly competition going."

Saunders scattered five hits and didn't walk a single batter to improve to 6-2 on the season and decrease his earned run average to 2.89 in the process.

"Those are a couple of pretty good pitchers," said Bees manager Brian Harper of Saunders and Weaver.

Salt Lake improved to 27-18 with the victory, while New Orleans fell to 24-21.

Bees right fielder Nick Goureault drove in the 399th and 400th runs of his minor-league career in the first inning with a two-run double to left, giving the Bees all the offense they would need.

But it didn't stop there. Salt Lake added a run in the third on a double by second baseman Howie Kendrick, giving the Bees a 3-0 lead.

The Bees getting off to a 3-0 lead after three innings should have surprised no one. That has been Salt Lake's penchant all year, as they have now outscored opponents 106-44 over the first three innings of games this season.

Adam Pavkovich blasted a solo homer off the concessions stand beyond the left-field fence to give the Bees a 4-0 advantage in the fifth. Salt Lake added two more runs that same inning, as Kendrick and Gourneault each had run-scoring doubles. Shortstop Casey Smith's sixth-inning double drove in two more runs, as the Bees went up by eight.

Saunders made sure New Orleans wouldn't make any sort of comeback.

"When you throw a shutout, you feel like you've played as close to a perfect game as you can play," said Harper. "We played good defense and got the big hits. Overall, it was just a good game."

BEES WAX: New Orleans shortstop Josh Labandeira lost control of his bat on a swing and threw it into the crowd above the visitor's dugout during the seventh inning. The bat hit a young female fan, opening up a cut on her head. Play was delayed for several minutes as the fan received medical attention. She was later taken to the hospital by ambulance to get stitches . . . Smith left the team on Wednesday to fly home to Alabama for the birth of his child. His wife is being induced into labor today. Smith will rejoin the Bees during their trip to Las Vegas . . . Salt Lake centerfielder Reggie Willits walked in the first inning, singled in the third and doubled in the fifth. He extended his streak to 17 consecutive home games by reaching base by either a hit or a walk . . . Zephyrs infielder Greg Thissen was suspended Wednesday for 50 games for testing positive for drugs. The suspension took effect immediately . . . The final game of the four-game series will be played tonight at 6:30. Salt Lake RHP Kasey Olenberger (3-1, 3.93 ERA) is scheduled to start against New Orleans RHP Andrew Good (0-3, 5.98) . . . Attendance for the game was 4,208.

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