Wahoos Beat The Braves 7-6

June 29, 2013

Devin Lohman launched a leadoff homer in the first inning, setting the stage for the Pensacola Blue Wahoos’ 7-6 victory over the Mississippi Braves on Friday night in front of a sellout crowd of 5,038 at Pensacola Bayfront Stadium. Combined with Jacksonville’s loss to Mobile, Pensacola moved back into a tie for the first place through the first 10 games of the second half.

Lohman’s dinger was part of a two-run first inning for Pensacola. Yorman Rodriguez reached on an error and came around to score on a double from Marquez Smith to make it 2-0. After Mississippi tied the game on a Mycal Jones RBI double in the top of the second, Pensacola rallied for five straight runs.

In the second inning, Devin Lohman brought home his second run of the day on a two-out single scoring Ryan LaMarre to make it 3-1. The power returned in the last of the third, as Donald Lutz singled to set up a two-run blast from Smith, his second in as many days. Two batters later, Travis Mattair mashed his team-leading 11th homer of the year to left-center to push Pensacola’s lead to 6-1. The solo shot was also Mattair’s third round-tripper in the last four games.

All of the runs in the first three frames were charged to Braves starter Aaron Northcraft (3-6). The right-hander gave up six runs (five earned) on seven hits, three of which were long balls. The Mississippi bullpen stopped the bleeding by allowing just one run over the final five at-bats for Pensacola.

Pensacola tacked on what turned out to be an important insurance run, though, in the fourth when Lutz singled home Lohman who had walked earlier in the frame.

Josh Smith (6-6) picked up the win for the Wahoos by keeping the Braves at bay through six frames. He allowed just one run while scattering five hits.

Once Smith exited, though, the Braves made things interesting against the Pensacola bullpen. Trailing by six entering the seventh, Mississippi strung together three one-out hits, culminating in a Dan Brewer three-run homer to slice the deficit in half at 7-4 against Wilkin De La Rosa.

Mississippi cut the lead to just one in the eighth inning but putting two on with one out. Barrett Kleinknecht brought home a run with a sac fly against Jamie Walczak, who was replaced by Trevor Bell. The Pensacola closer’s first offering went straight to the backstop, allowing Emerson Landoni to scamper home, making it a 7-6 game.

Bell retired the last batter of the eighth inning before closing the door on Mississippi in the ninth for his third save of the year.

Having won back-to-back series for the first time all year, Pensacola travels to Jacksonville to start a five-game series against the Suns at 6:05 p.m. CT. Chad Rogers (3-2, 2.09) will get the start for the Blue Wahoos against the Suns’ Robert Morey (3-4, 4.73).

story by Kevin Burke

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Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News, Sports