Four In A Row: Pensacola Blue Wahoos Beat Jacksonsville

May 16, 2015

The Pensacola Blue Wahoos beat the Jacksonville Suns for the fourth straight game and now have won seven of its last eight games—the club’s best streak in two seasons since Aug. 18-24, 2013.

You could call it the Barry Larkin Effect.

The Blue Wahoos have won its last two series since the Hall of Fame shortstop and new minor league roving infield instructor for the Cincinnati Reds coached the team during its last series May 5-9 against the Tennessee Smokies.

The, 3-1, Pensacola victory at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville also lifted the Blue Wahoos out of last place into fourth in the Southern League South Division. Pensacola is 15-20, while Jacksonville dropped to last at 14-20.

Blue Wahoos Manager Pat Kelly and many of the Blue Wahoos credited Larkin for getting them out of their early season slump, when they fell 11 games below .500.

Right fielder Kyle Waldrop, who spoke to Larkin about hitting mechanics, extended his hitting streak to eight games in the eighth inning with an RBI single that drove in left fielder Jesse Winker to put Pensacola out front, 1-0. Third baseman, Seth Mejias-Brean then doubled to clear the bases, plating both first baseman Marquez Smith and Waldrop.

Waldrop is on fire. In the Jacksonville series, he had two homers and 10 RBIs, along with two triples and a double. During his hitting streak, he is batting .419 with 13 hits in 31 at-bats. He leads the team with a .298 batting average, five home runs and 24 RBIs this season.

Both starting pitchers matched each other inning for inning. Blue Wahoos starter Wandy Peralta threw six scoreless innings, allowing just three hits and two walks, and striking out six. He threw 90 pitches, including 59 for strikes.

Meanwhile, Jacksonville’s Kendry Flores went seven scoreless innings, lowering his ERA to 2.06.

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Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News, Sports