Smith, Winker Smash Homers In Wahoos 3-1 Win Over B’ham

July 19, 2015

Pensacola Blue Wahoos Marquez Smith and Jesse Winker both hit solo home runs against the Birmingham Barons Saturday at Regions Field to win its second game in a row.

Smith crushed a fly ball deep to left field for his fifth homer of the season in the fourth inning and Winker lined a drive to right center field for his sixth homer in the eighth inning.

The five-game series between Pensacola and Birmingham is tied at two games apiece after the Blue Wahoos, 3-1, victory. Pensacola, which has won eight of its last 10 games, plays the final game of the series with the Barons at 3 p.m. Sunday.

Smith, who was the DH, currently has five homers and 29 RBIs, while Winker, who was playing left field, now has six homers and 31 RBIs.

Pensacola went ahead, 2-1, when it scored its other run in the seventh inning after shortstop Juan Perez doubled in third baseman Seth Mejias-Brean, who doubled to lead off the inning.

Birmingham had tied the game, 1-1 in the bottom of the fourth inning when first baseman Danny Hayes singled on a line drive to right field to score third baseman Nick Delmonico.

Pensacola starter Daniel Wright improved to 6-7 with a 4.57 ERA, after scattering nine hits and striking out four in eight innings of work. It was Wright’s third win in four games and his longest start of the year for the Blue Wahoos.

In his past two games, both wins, Wright has allowed one earned run in 15 innings for a 1.20 ERA that dropped his ERA below 5.0 runs per game for the first time this season.

Zack Weiss earned his team-leading 10th save, allowing one hit, one walk and striking out one.

Pensacola catcher Kyle Skipworth’s franchise record five home runs in five games was broken and Zach Vincej’s hitting streak ended at 10 games.

Mejias-Brean, who doubled Saturday in four at bats, has gotten a hit in 12 of his last 15 games, including four multi-hit games. He is now batting .255 on the year.

Pensacola is now 13-9 in the second half of the Southern League season and is tied for first place in the South Division. The last time the Blue Wahoos were in first place this late in the season was July 22, 2012.

The Barons dropped to 16-5 in the second half and lead the North Division by five games over the Montgomery Biscuits.

The Blue Wahoos return home to play the Jacksonville Suns July 20-21 and the Biloxi Shuckers July 22-26.


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