Wahoos Take Series With 4-0 Win

May 6, 2012

Pensacola starter J.C. Sulbaran and reliever Justin Freeman combined to shut out the Jackson offense, while right fielder P.J. Phillips and left fielder Cody Puckett each homered to give the Blue Wahoos a 4-0 victory over the Generals in front of another sell-out crowd of 5,038 on Saturday night at Pensacola’s bayfront stadium. The victory gave the Blue Wahoos a 3-2 victory in the series.

It was also the tenth time in 14 home dates this year that Pensacola has hosted a capacity crowd. The Blue Wahoos started the night leading the Southern League in average attendance at just over 4,800 in 14 openings.

Sulbaran (7.0 IP, 5 H, 9 SO) was solid in his seven shutout frames, fanning nine batters and yielding just five hits to earn his second win of the season, while Freeman (2.0 IP, 1 H, 2 SO) gave up just one hit over the final two innings. Jackson starting pitcher Danny Hultzen (4.1 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 7 BB, 4 SO), the second-best prospect in the Seattle Mariners’ system according to Baseball America, suffered the loss to fall to 2-3 after giving up two earned runs on seven walks in 4.1 frames.

After CF Ryan LaMarre scored on a wild pitch in the second frame Phillips and Puckett each left the yard with solo homers, with Phillips blasting a lead-off shot in the fifth, while Puckett hit his an inning later. Phillips’ homer was his first longball since August 19, 2009, while it was Puckett’s third roundtripper of the season. Pensacola tacked on an additional insurance run in the sixth when C Koyie Hill came home on DH Yordanys Perez’s run-scoring single.

Generals 2B Nick Franklin (2-4, 1 2B) and RF Johermyn Chavez (2-4) each collected two hits in the contest, while no Blue Wahoos hitters recorded a multi-hit game. Pensacola 3B Henry Rodriguez tallied a single in the seventh frame to extend his hitting streak to a team-record 13 games. Since April 22, the infielder has hit .408 (20-49) with ten runs, two doubles and eight RBI.

The Blue Wahoos now head back on the road for a five-game series with the Mississippi Braves, the Double-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. First pitch for the opening game of the series is set for 5:00 pm, with RHP Tim Gustafson expected to take the hill for Pensacola. Mississippi’s starting pitcher for the first game has not yet been announced.

By Andrew Green

Pictured: J.C. Sulbaran fired seven shutout innings in Pensacola’s 4-0 win Saturday night over Jackson. Photo by Chris Nelson for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.

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Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News, Sports, TOP sports