Wahoos Earn Season-Opening Win Over Braves

April 8, 2016

Phillip Ervin wanted to prove that getting in shape this offseason would improve his game. He shed 10 pounds to 205 and the Pensacola Blue Wahoos left fielder said he could feel a big difference.

Ervin hit a triple and double in four at bats and scored Pensacola’s first run as the Blue Wahoos defeated the Mississippi Braves, 3-1, at Trustmark Park in Pearl, Miss. The Cincinnati Reds No. 12 prospect according to Baseball America, had two of the team’s four hits.

The victory was Pensacola’s fourth in its five opening season games since its inaugural year in the Southern League in 2012.

The Blue Wahoos took the lead over Mississippi in the fourth when Ervin led off the inning with a triple on a fly ball just left of dead centerfield. Ervin scored when Donald Lutz followed him with a deep fly out to left.

In the bottom of the fourth inning, Mississippi loaded the bases with no outs against Pensacola right-hander Nick Travieso. Dustin Peterson doubled, Jacob Schrader walked and Carlos Franco singled to left field. But Travieso struck out Matt Lipka and forced Willians Astudillo to ground out into a double play to end the threat.

Travieso, the Cincinnati Reds No. 7 prospect according to Baseball America, pitched five shutout innings in his Double-A debut with Pensacola. He allowed four hits by walking two and striking out five.

Pensacola scored two more runs in the top of the seventh to go ahead, 3-0, when second baseman Brandon Dixon scored on a ground out into a double play by pinch hitter Pin-Chieh Chen. Blue Wahoos centerfielder Beau Amaral then hit a two-out single to left field that scored right fielder Sebastian Elizalde from third base.

Mississippi got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the seventh when Jordy Lara singled in Johan Comargo to trail Pensacola, 3-1.

The Braves did strike out 13 Pensacola hitters with starter Lucas Sims leading the way with nine in his five innings of one-hit, one-earned-run ball.

Calten Daal started the game at shortstop for Pensacola but the third pitch to him in the first inning by Mississippi’s Sims clocked him in the helmet. Zach Vincej replaced Daal, the No. 23 prospect in the Reds organization.

By Duwayne Escobedo / Pensacola Blue Wahoos

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