Tyler Saladino jumped all over an 0-1 fastball from Drew Hayes leading off the top of the 10 thinning, blasting his fifth homer of the season to give the Birmingham Barons a 7-6 walk-off win over the Pensacola Blue Wahoos on Tuesday night at Regions Field.

Saladino’s blast capped a wild back-and-forth affair that saw both teams take advantage of opportunities, but also strand a combined 24 runners. Pensacola was able to score in each of its first two innings against Southern League wins leader Scott Snodgress, getting a run in the first on a Donald Lutz RBI single and a run in the second on a Ray Chang RBI base knock to make it 2-0.

Birmingham came back with two in the last of the second off of Pensacola starter Carlos Contreras, scoring the tying run on a strikeout wild pitch with two outs. Contreras allowed just the two runs on three hits in five innings of work for the Wahoos.

The score remained tied until the fifth when Pensacola scored an unearned run on a sacrifice fly from Devin Lohman to make it 3-2 in favor of the Wahoos. Snodgress left in line for the loss, allowing three runs (two earned) on six hits in six innings, but he was taken off the hook thanks to a four-run bottom of the sixth inning for Birmingham against Wahoo reliever Shaun Ellis.

Down 6-3 headed to the seventh, Pensacola responded with three more unearned runs, all coming with two outs. With the bases loaded, Yorman Rodriguez reached on an RBI infield single and was followed by a Lutz two-run single, knotting the game at six. Lutz had a huge night, going 3-for-5 at the dish with three runs batted in. Rodriguez chipped in three hits and an RBI as well.

The Wahoos did leave the bases loaded, however, in the seventh, and went on to strand 12 runners on the night, including nine in their final four at-bats.

Birmingham had a chance to win it in the ninth, loading the bases against Parker Frazier, but Keenyn Walker struck out to send the game to extras. Dan Remenowsky (1-2) picked up the win for the Barons by working around a leadoff single in the 10^th inning. Hayes (3-3) took the loss, giving up the walk-off homer to Saladino, the first batter he faced.

Pensacola now returns home for a crucial five-game series with the first-place Jacksonville Suns starting on Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Pensacola Bayfront Stadium. The Blue Wahoos currently sit five games behind the Suns in the South Division standings after both teams lost on Tuesday. Jon Moscot (0-0, 21.00) gets the call for Pensacola while Jacksonville will counter with Anthony DeSclafani (3-2, 4.36).

story by Kevin Burke