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Mississippi Beats The Pensacola Blue Wahoos 8-3
August 1, 2016
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos win 63.4 percent of the time at Blue Wahoos Stadium but the Mississippi Braves hit three home runs to take the opener of the five-game series, 8-3, Sunday.
Mississippi center fielder Connor Lien smacked two homers and drove in four runs, while the Braves No. 1 prospect Dansby Swanson hit a two-run blast in front of 4,502 Pensacola fans.
Pensacola had tied the game, 3-3, in the bottom of the sixth inning when third baseman Taylor Sparks crushed a solo shot to deep left center field, which was his sixth homer of the season.
But both of Lien’s homers came at critical times for Mississippi. His first one was a solo shot in the first inning and his second was a three-run blast in the seventh inning that put the Braves up, 6-3. He finished the game 2-5 with four RBIs and three runs scored.
Lien injured his thumb in Mississippi’s first game and returned June 23. Pensacola last saw Lien in the opener when he had a strike out and a walk before going on the disabled list. Lien now has four home runs in the last eight games and 10 RBIs on the season.
“We saw him in one at bat for Mississippi,” said Pensacola manager Pat Kelly. “He’s obviously a big strong guy and he hit two balls pretty good.”
Pensacola starter Tyler Mahle rebounded from his first bad showing in Double-A when he gave up seven earned runs in 4.2 innings against the Montgomery Biscuits.
Against Mississippi Sunday, Mahle threw six innings giving up three runs, one earned on six hits and a walk, while striking out six. Mahle, who led the High-A Florida State League in strikeouts, has 38 strikeouts in 44.1 innings with Pensacola. He left the game, when it was tied, 3-3.
Kelly said he has been impressed with the 21-year-old Mahle, who threw a no-hitter for High-A Daytona before getting called up to the Blue Wahoos.
“I don’t think you can be perfect every time out,” Kelly said. “He gave us six good innings and kept us in the game. He’s shown maturity all the way through.”
The game was a seesaw battle until the seventh inning. Mississippi right fielder Joey Meneses laced a line drive deep into the left center gap for a stand-up double that drove in both Lien and Swanson to put the Braves ahead, 3-2.
Pensacola had gone ahead in the fifth inning, 2-1, when Eric Jagielo scored on a deep sacrifice fly to center field by center fielder Beau Amaral.
The Blue Wahoos tied the game, 1-1, in the third inning when second baseman Alex Blandino hit a grounder past a diving Swanson to drive in Pensacola catcher Chad Wallach. Blandino is hitting .343 in his last 10 games and has driven in six runs.
All month, Zach Vincej was hot at the plate, going 34-92 for a .370 average and driving in 11 runs, making July his best month, so far, this season. He went 3-3 Sunday with a double and walk and is hitting .289 on the year.
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