Pensacola Rallies For 11th Inning Win Over Huntsville

June 22, 2014

Not only do the Pensacola Blue Wahoos boast three newly bald headed players who shaved their heads in front of the dugout before the game to raise money for children with cancer, they might have started a new hairstyle trend.

The bald Wahoos were instrumental in Pensacola’s rally, with bald Brodie Greene starting a ninth inning rally that tied the game, 3-3, and the bald Travis Mattair slamming a walkoff, ground rule double on one-hop over the centerfield fence to give the team a, 4-3, victory over the Huntsville Stars in the 11th inning. The win tied the series 2-2.

Mattair was mobbed at second base by his teammates as Jesse Winker crossed the plate with the winning run.

Mattair had helped push for the Blue Wahoos to support 4-year-old Carolyn Hendrix who had a rare cancer. She was declared cancer free at the end of May. And Sunday, Mattair, Greene and Josh Fellhauer, along with season ticket holder JRoAnne Bergman shaved their head in front of fans and the Hendrix family to raise money for the St. Baldrick’s organization.

“This is a great cause and the Hendrix family is just awesome,” said Mattair, who got to meet and hug Carolyn in the dugout before the game. “She has been through a lot and she put life in perspective for me.”

In the past five games, Mattair had only two hits in 16 at bats. The previous game he struck out three times in four plate appearances.

“It was a great feeling to get a game winner like that,” said Mattair, who signed about 50 autographs after the game. “I just have to keep putting my work in. I’ve been in this situation before and crawled out of it and I’ll do it again.”

Pensacola manager Delino DeShields said it made him happy to see Mattair come through with the RBI double to win the game.

“We need his offense,” DeShields said. “Hopefully, he can keep it going.”

Pensacola was down two runs heading into their last at bat in the ninth inning, when Greene started the rally with a leadoff walk. The Wahoos managed to load the bases with one out when Mattair took a fastball in the back from Huntsville reliever Tanner Poppe. That scored Greene and pulled Pensacola within one run, 3-2.

Then the Blue Wahoos tied it, 3-3, on a high inside pitch to Ryan Wright that got past Huntsville catcher Joey Paciorek and allowed Jesse Winker to score from third.

Pensacola starting pitcher Robert Stephenson entered the game having given up 12 runs, 10 earned in his previous three starts. But Stephenson held Huntsville to three runs over seven innings with two of those coming on solo home run blasts by Joey Paciorek and Greg Hopkins in the second inning. Stephenson, who was the 27th pick in the first round in 2011, struck out seven and now has 80 on the year in 77 innings.

As far as more Blue Wahoos show up bald?

DeShields who has no hair said after the game: “We may have to talk about that.”

Mattair also weighed in on sporting a bald head for the first time as an adult. “I was a lot cooler out there. I enjoyed it and I will recommend it to people.”

by Tommy Thrall


The Pensacola Blue Wahoos beat the Huntsville Stars 4-3 Sunday in Pensacola. Photos by Michael Spooneybarger, Pensacola Blue Wahoos, for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.

Comments

One Response to “Pensacola Rallies For 11th Inning Win Over Huntsville”

  1. Nanoof04 on June 23rd, 2014 2:52 am

    What a great group of guys ;)

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