Wahoos Win Over Jax

April 25, 2016

Pensacola scored four runs in the fourth inning with Ray “The Mayor” Chang getting the clutch double that put the Blue Wahoos ahead for good Sunday, 3-2, against the Jacksonville Generals at Blue Wahoos Stadium.

His game-winning hit came in front of a sellout crowd of 5,038, who watched Pensacola go on to win 6-3 and improve to 11-7 this season. Pensacola now has sold out five of its eight home games and four in a row.

The 32-year-old Chang, who is an 11-year veteran, earned the nickname from his young teammates last season and this year’s young team has made it stick.

Another nickname for Chang could be Mr. Clutch. The first baseman went 3-4 with a run scored, a double and two RBIs Sunday and earlier this season, he had his second walk-off hit for the Blue Wahoos.

After Sunday’s game, The Mayor now leads the Blue Wahoos in batting average at .345 and is second on the team with eight RBIs in 10 games this season, so far.

“It started last year and I guess the more years I come here I’ll here it more often than not,” said Chang, who has four seasons under his belt in Pensacola.

Blue Wahoos manager Pat Kelly has come to rely on the veteran when the second place team in the Southern League South Division needs a hit.

“That was a big double right there,” he said. “It gives us a lead that we hold on to the rest of the way. Chang today did a really nice job.”

Trailing, 2-0, Pensacola came back in the fourth inning with four runs on four hits and a walk to go ahead, 4-2. DH Brandon Dixon drove in third baseman Eric Jagielo on a liner to left field to make the score, 2-1.

Chang then ripped his double that rolled to left field corner after Jackson’s Leon Landry dived for the ball but missed. Both left fielder Tony Renda and Dixon crossed the plate for a 3-2 lead. Pensacola shortstop Zach Vincej added one more run when his sacrifice fly to right field scored Chang for the fourth and final run of the inning.

Pensacola pitcher Nick Travieso took the mound after being reactivated from the disabled list with a pulled groin and three game suspension when umps felt he purposely threw at a batter. He threw four innings and allowed two earned runs on four hits and two walks, while striking out five. His ERA now stands at 2.63 for the season.

“I think he was a little rusty,” Kelly said. “We’ll see how he feels tomorrow.”

Kelly, though, said El’Hajj Muhammad’s 2.1 innings of relief were the most critical, allowing him to rest his other bullpen pitchers.

Muhammad got off to a rocky start allowing three straight singles in the fifth inning by Jackson second baseman Tim Lopes, right fielder Tyler O’Neill and left fielder Leon Landry to load the bases with no outs.

However, Muhammad struck out Generals first baseman D.J. Peterson and then got DH Dan Paolini to hit a bouncer back to him that he threw to catcher Chad Wallach and Wallach threw to first baseman Ray Chang for a double play to end the inning and the scoring threat. Muhammad pumped his fist in excitement after the defensive highlight.

Jackson had scored two runs in the fourth inning to go up, 2-0. The Generals’ Peterson doubled down left field line to score Landry with the first run. Jackson catcher Steve Baron then hit a slow roller that Blue Wahoos pitcher Nick Travieso couldn’t handle, allowing Peterson to score the second run.

Pensacola added two more insurance runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to go ahead, 6-3. Vincej walked to start the inning and scored when Jackson reliever Andrew Kittredge fielded a ground ball and threw wide of first base into the right field bullpen trying to get the Blue Wahoos speedy center fielder Beau Amaral. Second baseman Alex Blandino then hit a grounder into left field that scored Amaral.

Amaral went 0-4 with one run scored to end his eight-game hitting streak. He’s batting .286 on the year.

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