Blue Wahoos Score Four In Ninth To Top Birmingham

September 4, 2016

Jackson Stephens last start was, well, very un-Jackson Stephens like.

The Jacksonville Suns knocked him out of the game after 0.2 innings, scoring four runs on three hits and three walks. It was the 22-year-old right hander’s shortest start in his five-year minor league career.

He returned to the old Stephens with a quality start, throwing six innings and allowing two runs, one earned on eight hits, a walk and striking out seven.

Birmingham loaded the bases with no outs in the top of the sixth. Barons shortstop Trey Michalczewski singled to center, DH Eudy Pina earned an infield single to second base and first baseman Keon Barnum walked.

Birmingham catcher Chris O’Dowd then hit a ground ball to force out Barnum at second base. But Pensacola shortstop Zach Vincej committed a throwing error, his fifth error this season. Both Michalczewski and Pina scored on the play to put the Barons ahead, 2-0.

But Pensacola came right back in its next at bat in the top of the seventh to knot the game, 2-2.  Blue Wahoos right fielder Sebastian Elizalde singled to center field with the bases loaded and two outs to score both Pensacola first baseman Eric Jagielo and right fielder Ronald Bueno.

In the eighth inning, Pensacola loaded the bases twice. With one out, Blue Wahoos third baseman Taylor Sparks was forced out at home for the second out. Bueno walked to load the bases again but Pensacola second baseman Alex Blandino grounded out to end the inning.

In the top of the ninth inning, the Blue Wahoos busted out with a four-run inning. Vincej singled to center with one out to drive in Elizalde to put Pensacola on top, 3-2. With the bases loaded, two more runs scored when catcher Chad Wallach grounded to Birmingham third baseman Marcus Lemon, who.  threw the ball away. Both center fielder Brandon Dixon and Vincej scored to increase the Blue Wahoos lead to 5-2. Pensacola’s Jagielo then singled on a line drive to right field that drove in Sparks. Bueno then lifted a fly ball to Barons right fielder Keenyn Walker and Wallach tried to score but was thrown out at home.

Meanwhile, Evan Mitchell relieved Stephens and shutdown the Birmingham offense. He threw three hitless innings and struck out six. Mitchell, who was recently selected to represent the Cincinnati Reds in the Arizona Fall League, improved to 4-1 with a 2.70 ERA.

Pensacola benefited from the bats of Elizalde, Vincej and Jagielo. Elizalde was 4-5 with a run scored and two RBIs. He has 50 RBIs on the season and is hitting .296 on the year. He now leads the team with 34 multi-hit games.

Vincej also went 4-5 with one run and one RBI. He has 26 multi-hit games and lifted his average to .279.

Meanwhile, Jagielo got a hit in his fifth consecutive game, going 3-4 with a run scored and he drove in one.

The Mississippi Braves won their fifth straight game and remain in first place in the Southern League South Division. The Braves are 1.5 games in front of the Blue Wahoos in the second half of the season and would have to lose their last two games of the season, while Pensacola won their last two for the Blue Wahoos to add the second half title to its first half title.

Mississippi is 39-28 and 73-63 overall. Meanwhile, Pensacola is 38-30 in the second half and 79-59 overall.

Pensacola and Mississippi will play each other in the first round of the Southern League playoffs on Wednesday at Blue Wahoos Stadium. In the North Division, the playoffs match the Montgomery Biscuits, second half winners, against the Jackson Generals, first half winners.

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