Pensacola First Half South Division Champions

June 20, 2016

On Father’s Day, Eric Jagielo had his dad, Steve, in the stands watching him play.

He treated his dad to one of the best Father’s Day gifts possible by hitting a walk-off single with two outs that hugged the third base line and bounced over the third base bag, scoring Pensacola second baseman Brandon Dixon for a 2-1 victory over Mobile.

Not only did his dad celebrate but the 18th sellout crowd of 5,038 at Blue Wahoos Stadium went wild. The Blue Wahoos went wild after the game mostly spraying each other with about three dozen bottles of iced champagne.

Jagielo came in for Kyle Parker to play first base in the ninth inning. He came to the plate hitting .198 before the game-winning hit that upped his average to .202.

“My dad was in the stands on Father’s Day,” Jagielo said. “I just let my instincts take over as who I am as a baseball player. I’m not going to say it’s a storybook ending but it left a good feeling for the entire day.”

The Blue Wahoos improved Sunday to 41-29 – the most victories by Pensacola in a half in its five-year history. The Blue Wahoos were also perfect at home winning all seven series.

Meanwhile, Biloxi lost the opening game of a doubleheader, 2-1, against the Jacksonville Suns, so Pensacola knew it won the division crown in the bottom of the first inning. The Shuckers finished 39-30, 1.5 games back of Pensacola.

Pensacola manager Pat Kelly said he preferred winning it the “Wahoo Way” as his players have dubbed it. It means winning on a walk-off hit, which Pensacola has done in five of the last 10 games and they tied the club record with seven walk-offs on the year.

The win was even more special to Kelly, he said, because they won the division by earning a victory.

“This team just finds ways to win,” said Kelly, who was drenched with champagne by his players, while conducting an interview with the media on the field. “We’re not doing anything all game but we stay close and have a chance to win in the ninth. We turn it on in the last three innings.”

It was a not-so-secret secret that the Blue Wahoos had won their second straight South Division title with players giving each other high fives and hugs in the dugout near the beginning of the game. The team broke the news in the middle of the eighth inning to the Pensacola fans by projecting “South Division Champions” on the scoreboard. The sold out crowd gave the team a loud standing ovation.

Like it has done a lot lately, Pensacola tied the score, 1-1, when left fielder Tony Renda hit a high pop up half way between third base and left field near the line. Mobile shortstop Ildemaro Vargas and left fielder Cody Regis collided and the ball dropped to the ground. Neither Vargas or Regis moved to pick up the ball as Renda raced around the bases for an inside the park home run. It was his first homer of the year for Pensacola.

It was his first inside the park home run since T-ball, said Renda. His .326 average gave him the Southern League first half batting crown.

“It was always drilled into me to run hard because you never know what’s going to happen,” said Renda, who has hit in 20 of his last 22 games at a .413 clip. “I thought, ‘You know, you should run. I saw them both lying on the ground. It was good.”

The Southern League All-Star added, “It’s fun. One of the best feelings you can have is cold champagne running down your back. What a way to win the game.”

The BayBears led, 1-0, in the second inning when Vargas doubled in the right center gap with two outs and then scored on catcher Ronnie Freeman’s bloop single.

Pensacola also got a quality start by Nick Travieso, who was the Blue Wahoos opening day starter. Travieso threw six innings, giving up one earned run on three hits, two walks and struck out two. He lowered his ERA to 4.91, which is below 5.00 for the first time since May 28.

Travieso said he’s been working hard with Pensacola pitching coaches and in the weight room to get back to his form that made him the Cincinnati Reds’ Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2014.

“In the second inning, I saw the guys celebrating,” Travieso said. “I knew I had a job to take care of. I wanted to come in and win it. We have a bunch of guys who are hungry.”

The ever-popular Ray Chang made his second appearance in a game in June in the sixth inning. He walked and hit an infield single to shortstop. He also showed flashy fielding in the hot corner picking up a slow roller with his bare hand in the seventh inning to get the speedy Mobile shortstop Ildemaro Vargas. In the eighth inning, Chang back handed a hard hit grounder behind the third base bag and robbed a hit from first baseman Kevin Cron.

Asked which division title was more fun, Chang hesitated. It was his second game in a row that he’s played this month. He said he had the jitters just like he did when he played his first game ever.

“Probably the second time,” said Chang. “You kind of know what to expect. I don’t know. It’s a tie. It’s awesome.”

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