Wahoos Remain In First Place Despite Loss

June 16, 2016

The Pensacola Blue Wahoos lost for the second straight game but remained tied with the Biloxi Shuckers for first place in the Southern League South Division.

Pensacola managed just two hits off of Mobile starting pitcher Anthony Banda, who threw eight scoreless innings to lead the BayBears to a 2-0 win Wednesday in front of a crowd of 4,340 at Blue Wahoos Stadium.

Blue Wahoos manager Pat Kelly knew that Mobile had some strong arms coming in to the six-game series boasting a 3.40 ERA, which is good for third in the Southern League.

“(Banda) was outstanding,” Kelly said. “We didn’t have many good swings on him. His fastball is very deceptive and he has a very good changeup.”

Pensacola center fielder Phillip Ervin got the first hit by either team in the bottom of the fourth inning on a ground ball past the second baseman into right field. Blue Wahoos shortstop Calten Daal in his first game back from the disabled list got the other hit when he hit a bloop single to right field.

Pensacola first baseman Kyle Parker got a third hit for Pensacola off of Mobile reliever Joey Krehbiel.

In its last six games, the Blue Wahoos are hitting .187 as a team. They’re hitting .244 on the year.

“I think we’ve seen some good pitching,” Kelly said. “We knew it would be tough.”

Banda, the Arizona Diamondbacks No. 14 prospect according to MLB.com, threw a season-high eight innings, gave up a season-low two hits and tied his season-high with nine strikeouts.

Despite Pensacola’s loss it is still deadlocked at 37-28 for the Southern League South Division lead with Biloxi, who fell to Jacksonville, 8-4.

With just five games to play in the first half, including a seven-inning doubleheader that begins at 5 p.m. Thursday, Kelly said he likes how his team is playing.

“I mean it’s fun,” Kelly said about battling Biloxi for the first half crown. “I’d rather be in that position than where we were last year—out of contention.”

Raisel Iglesias threw a total of 23 pitches and 18 strikes in two scoreless innings and didn’t allow a hit, while striking out two. Like his first two-inning rehab assignment with Pensacola, he showed a mix of pitches and motions. In his first rehab assignment June 11, Iglesias allowed two hits and struck out two throwing 30 pitches with 22 for strikes.

After five starts with the Cincinnati Reds, including the opening day start, Iglesias went on the disabled list with an impingement in his right shoulder.

Kelly, who played catcher, said Iglesias is scheduled to pitch one more time in Pensacola.

“I saw a little better velocity,” Kelly said. “He was impressive to me tonight.”

In the top of the fifth inning, Mobile catcher Michael Perez earned the BayBears first hit of the game. Perez hit it up the middle and Pensacola second baseman Brandon Dixon dived and knocked it down behind second base. Blue Wahoos shortstop Calten Daal picked it up and threw it away, allowing Mobile third baseman Travis Denker, who led off the inning by getting hit by a pitch, to advance to third base and Perez to reach second.

Pensacola pitcher Jackson Stephens got the next two batters to fly out to bring up Mobile pitcher Anthony Banda to the plate. Banda hit a line drive single to left field to get his first RBI of his professional career, scoring Denker for a Mobile lead, 1-0.

Stephens then allowed the first two Mobile hitters to single in the sixth inning but worked out of the jam.

Mobile centerfielder Evan Marzilli tripled to lead off the eighth inning and then scored on right fielder Gabriel Guerrero’s double over Pensacola center fielder Phillip Ervin’s head in dead center for a 2-0 BayBears lead.

In the ninth inning, Pensacola had runners at first and second with the winning run at the plate but couldn’t get a hit.

“We thought Iglesias and Stephens would keep us in the ball game and they did,” Kelly said. “They could have easily blown us out.”

Comments

Comments are closed.

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