Blue Wahoos Lose To Lookouts

July 1, 2016

Pensacola Blue Wahoos right hander Rookie Davis had a grueling outing against the Chattanooga Lookouts on Thursday night.

Davis has nagging hip and back injuries but gritted it out and when Pensacola went to the bullpen to start the seventh, the Blue Wahoos trailed the Lookouts by one run, 2-1. However, Chattanooga tagged the Blue Wahoos relievers to go on to win the game, 7-3, in front of 4,884 at Blue Wahoos Stadium.

Pensacola manager Pat Kelly said Davis, who dropped to 6-2 with a 2.67 earned-run average, has shown some toughness this year. He came over in the trade between the Cincinnati Reds and New York Yankees for star closer Aroldis Chapman.

“He labored a couple of innings,” Kelly said. “But he’s amazing. He makes do and gets his innings. I don’t think he had his best stuff and I don’t think he felt that good physically today.”

Davis ended up working six innings, giving up six hits, allowing two earned runs, walking one and striking out three.

In the fourth inning, Chattanooga slugger Daniel Palka slammed his Southern League-leading 20th homer into the Hill-Kelly hill in right field for a 1-0 Chattanooga lead. Then, Lookouts shortstop Leo Reginatto hit a deep fly ball to center to score left fielder Travis Harrison to put the Lookouts up, 2-0.

Pensacola center fielder Jeff Gelalich tripled in the right field corner with two outs in the bottom of the fifth inning that scored shortstop Calten Daal that pulled the Blue Wahoos within, 2-1.

Pensacola dropped to 3-4 in the second half and 43-33 overall in the Southern League South Division.

Kelly said he needs to find Gelalich more playing time. He went 2-4 with a double and triple, scored a run and knocked in another. On the season for Pensacola, he’s batting .298 in 57 at bats with six RBIs.

“Jeff has done a good job in a limited role,” Kelly said. “Every time he gets a chance, he does good things. He sparks this offense.”

The game got away from Pensacola in the seventh inning when they brought in Caleb Cotham in the seventh inning—a Cincinnati Reds’ reliever who is doing a Major League rehab for right shoulder inflammation. Kelly said they were going to give him 15-20 pitches.

He threw 18 pitches to four batters and failed to get an out, giving up three runs, two earned to the Lookouts who went ahead, 5-1.

The play that hurt Cotham the most was a routine chopper by Chattanooga center fielder Shannon Wilkerson that Daal fielded at short and then lobbed over the first baseman’s head, allowing Stuart Turner to score the first run on the inning to put the Lookouts ahead, 3-1.

Third baseman Engelb Vielma then scored for a 4-1 lead when Chattanooga second baseman Ryan Walker singled to right field. The final run scored when Chattanooga slugger Palka hit a chopper up the middle that Daal reached but he didn’t have a play, allowing Wilkerson to score and giving Chattanooga a 5-1 lead.

Wilkerson, who replaced Granite in center field in the fourth inning, then blasted a two-out, two-run homer in the eighth that put Chattanooga up, 7-1. Also scoring was Turner, who reached first on Pensacola third baseman Taylor Sparks’ high throw to first.

Blue Wahoos right fielder Sebastian Elizalde singled to right field, despite a defensive shift, that scored Gelalich that made the score, 7-2 in the bottom of the eighth inning. Pensacola DH Juan Duran then hit a grass burner to left field to drive in Elizalde and cut the lead to 7-3.

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