Pensacola Blue Wahoos Over Huntsville 7-5

July 22, 2013

The Pensacola Blue Wahoos overcame a late two-run deficit with four runs in the last of the seventh inning to knock off the Huntsville Stars 7-5 on Sunday afternoon at Pensacola Bayfront Stadium. The win snapped Pensacola’s three-game losing streak and seven-game home losing skid.

Trailing 5-3 entering the seventh inning, Corey Wimberly drew a leadoff walk in front of Mike Costanzo who launched his first homer in a Wahoos uniform this season to knot the game at five. Yorman Rodriguez followed with a walk before Donald Lutz tripled him home on a fly ball to center, giving Pensacola a 6-5 lead. Tucker Barnhart drove home Lutz with a sacrifice fly to left to give the Wahoos a two-run lead.

Jamie Walczak fired a 1-2-3 eighth to set up Trevor Bell, who notched his sixth save of the season with a scoreless ninth frame, picking up two strikeouts in the process.

Pensacola jumped out on top in the contest in the last of the first against Huntsville starter Ariel Pena. With two on and one out, Lutz singled to right to score Costanzo before Barnhart brought home Rodriguez with a groundout, pushing Pensacola out in front 2-0. Lutz had the lone multi-hit game for the Wahoos posting a 2-for-3 night with two RBI. Barnhart saw his eight-game hitting streak come to an end, but still managed to drive home two runs.

The two teams traded tallies in the fifth inning. In the top half of the frame, Chadwin Stang tripled and scored on Nick Shaw’s sacrifice fly to make it 2-1. Pensacola countered in the last of the inning by loading the bases with nobody out and scoring a run on a double play ball off the bat of Barnhart.

Wahoos starter Josh Smith then ran into trouble in the sixth inning as he yielded a leadoff homer to Jason Rogers, his fourth homer in the last two games. Mike Walker then doubled before a walk and a fielder’s choice forced Smith from the contest. Drew Hayes entered and promptly gave up a go-ahead three-run homer to Hector Gomez, giving the Stars a 5-3 lead.

Hayes battled back to pick up the win, improving to 3-2. The right-hander was charged with a run on two hits with three strikeouts. Smith took a no-decision while allowing four runs on five hits in 5.1 innings with seven strikeouts. Overall, the Wahoos struck out 14 Stars, setting a new season-high for a nine-inning game.

Arcenio Leon (1-6) took the loss for Huntsville as he gave up three of the four runs in the seventh inning. Pena lasted five frames for Huntsville, giving up three runs on five hits with six strikeouts and five walks.

The five-game series wraps up on Monday at 7 p.m. at Pensacola Bayfront Stadium. Shaun Ellis (3-1, 3.55) will get the ball for Pensacola against Huntsville’s Andy Moye (4-10, 4.37).

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Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News, Sports