Wahoos Beat Biscuits

June 11, 2016

After a 14 inning game the night before that led to the Pensacola Blue Wahoos boarding their bus at 1:15 a.m. and arriving home seven hours later at 8:15 a.m., it’s safe to say many of the players did not get their recommended eight hours of beauty sleep.

Pensacola third baseman Alex Blandino, with bags under his eyes, sliced a double in the ninth inning to drive in the tying run and then scored the winning run to give the Blue Wahoos a victory, 2-1, Friday over the Montgomery Biscuits in front of the 13th sellout crowd of 5,038 this season at Blue Wahoos Stadium.

Did Blandino get any sleep? “I’ll be catching up tonight,” he said jokingly.

Blandino stepped to the plate in a 1-28 slump before whipping a line drive to right center that scored Pensacola first baseman Kyle Parker to tie the game, 1-1. Parker started the rally when he led off the ninth inning with a double after hitting a high fly ball to the warning track in left field that the Montgomery outfielder misjudged.

Blandino then scored when Pensacola catcher Joe Hudson hit a chopper deep in the hole at shortstop that Montgomery’s Willy Adames threw high to first for an error.

“Initially, I thought it was a single through the six hole,” said Blandino. “(Third base coach) Alex (Pelaez) waved me all the way through. We’re neck and neck with Biloxi, so you have to put your personal struggles aside and help your team win.”

Pensacola remained in sole possession of first place in the Southern League South Division with a record of 35-25. The Biloxi Shuckers also won and improved to 34-26.

Pensacola manager Pat Kelly said winning back-to-back games in less than 24 hours near the end of the first half is huge for the team.

“These guys are fun to watch,” Kelly said. “I take it as a great sign when (Blandino) is hitting it to right center. What a clutch time to do it.”

The Blue Wahoos also got 6.2 clutch innings from starting pitcher Jackson Stephens. He allowed one run on six hits and struck out six.

Pensacola closer Carlos Gonzalez came in and pitched 2.1 hitless innings to blank Montgomery and struck out four. He improved to 3-1 on the season.

“Our bats were struggling early,” he said. “But our bats woke up and something good happened at the end. This is a very big win, especially late like this near the end of the half.”

The Pensacola bullpen, who has been dubbed the “Prospect Protectors” lived up to their name in the previous five-game series against the Jackson Generals. The Blue Wahoos highly touted starting rotation features four of its five pitchers as top 15 prospects in the Cincinnati Reds organization this season, according to MLB.com.

However, they posted an uncharacteristic 5.87 earned-run average in 23 innings pitched. Only two of the five starters — No. 4 prospect Amir Garrett and No. 15 prospect Sal Romano — pitched five innings or more in Jackson.

Meanwhile, the unheralded Pensacola bullpen posted a 2.19 ERA in 24.2 innings pitched, striking out 19. The relief work was crowned by 11 scoreless innings in which they allowed 11 hits, walked three and struck out eight to help beat Jackson, 10-5, in 14 innings Thursday.

Stephens laughed at the name. “We don’t have a problem with it,” he said. “They have the goal to go in and throw zeroes. We have confidence in them that that’s going to happen.”

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