Jacksonville Edges The Pensacola Blue Wahoos 2-1 To Take Series

June 7, 2012

Jacksonville starting pitcher Matthew Neil shutout Pensacola over six shutout frames, while center fielder Donnie Webb totaled three hits and fell a double short of the cycle as the Suns topped the Blue Wahoos 2-1 on Wednesday night at Pensacola Bayfront Stadium.

The win gives Jacksonville a 3-2 series victory and improves their season’s record to 28-32, while Pensacola fell to 27-33 on the year. It was the third time in four series this season that the final game decided a series between the two teams.

The Suns got on the board with single scores in the third and fifth frames. Webb led off the third with a triple before scoring on a sacrifice fly to center, while Webb would increase the advantage to 2-0 with a solo homer to right in the fifth.

The Blue Wahoos cut the deficit in half in the eighth when CF Ryan LaMarre started the frame with a base knock and advanced to second and third on a Jacksonville fielding miscue, before he came home on RF Josh Fellhauer’s sacrifice fly to right.

Neil (6.0 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 6 SO)earned his first victory at the Double-A level after being promoted to Jacksonville on May 18, tossing six shutout frames and yielding just five hits while fanning six. Suns relievers James Leverton (1.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 SO) and Evan Reed (1.1 IP, 1 BB, 3 SO) followed Neil by combining to give up the lone unearned run on only one hit in the last three innings. Neil received his first hold of the year, while Reed notched his 12th save of the year to tie him for the Southern League lead.

Pensacola starter Daniel Corcino (5.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 SO) suffered the loss to fall to 2-4 despite allowing just two earned runs on five hits in five innings of work. Chris Manno (2.0 IP, 1 BB, 3 SO) and Drew Hayes (2.0 IP, 1 H, 3 SO) were outstanding in support of Corcino, surrendering just one hit and a walk in the final four scoreless frames.

Webb (3-4, 2 R, 1 3B, 1 HR, 1 RBI) and LaMarre (3-4, 1 R) each recorded three hits for their respective clubs, with each collecting half of their team’s six base knocks in the game. Blue Wahoos SS Didi Gregorius and 3B David Vidal each tallied a base knock in the contest to extend their hit streaks to nine and six respectively.

Pensacola will now travel to Birmingham to face the Barons, the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox, with the first pitch of the series scheduled for Thursday night at 7:05 pm. RHP Tim Crabbe is expected to get the nod for the Fish, while Birmingham is slated to send RHP Simon Castro to the hill.

By Andrew Green

Pictured: OF Ryan LaMarre tallied three hits in the Fish’s 2-1 loss Wednesday night. Photo by Chris Nelson for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.

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