Wahoos Win First Playoff Game

September 8, 2016

In the opening game of the best-of-five Southern League South Division playoffs, Pensacola did it the Wahoo Way.

They extended its franchise record to 12 walk-offs this year when with the bases loaded Blue Wahoos catcher Joe Hudson walked on four straight pitches from Mississippi closer Caleb Dirks to give Pensacola a dramatic 6-5 victory Wednesday.

The game was also entertaining for the 2,652 fans at Blue Wahoos Stadium and everyone else in attendance, including Pensacola manager Pat Kelly.

“They call it Wahoo Way baseball,” a grinning Kelly said. “We’ve played it all year. We only had to score two runs to win.”

The thriller came in front of all the top brass in the Cincinnati Reds organization.

“That was outstanding,” said Walt Jocketty, President of Baseball Operations. “It was the best game I’ve seen all year.”

It appeared the game was over with the Blue Wahoos ahead, 4-3, and Southern League saves leader Alejandro Chacin taking the mound to shut down the Braves like he had done in 30 of 35 times during the regular season.

But that’s not what happened. What happened was with one out left to go in the ninth, Mississippi pinch hitter Stephen Gaylor slapped a single up the middle to score right fielder Connor Lien. A low throw from Pensacola center fielder Brandon Dixon and a high throw from second baseman Alex Blandino to home allowed Mississippi shortstop Johan Camargo to score, putting the Braves back on top, 5-4.

After the inning, a dejected looking Chacin walked slower than a turtle back to the dugout.

“We didn’t want to say it but we had a feeling in the dugout that something special was going to happen,” said veteran minor leaguer Ray Chang, who played at first base.

And it did.

Chang tied the game on a single to left field that scored left fielder Phillip Ervin to tie the game, 5-5. Chang’s double in the fourth inning that drove in Dixon also knotted the game, 1-1.

Then Hudson walked with two outs to allow Pensacola right fielder Sebastian Elizalde to score the game winning run, 6-5.

“He deserves a lot of credit,” said the 32-year-old Chang about Hudson. “That’s a big time situation. He forced him to throw strikes. That’s a big at bat.”

The Blue Wahoos and the Braves have now played in a one-run game 11 times in the clubs’ 21 meetings this season.”

“Anytime you win game one it’s huge,” Kelly said. “When we squandered an opportunity, you kind of wonder if you’re going to get a chance to get it back.”

Both clubs had their aces starting the playoff opener. Mississippi had southpaw Sean Newcomb on the mound who is the Atlanta Braves No. 3 prospect and led the Southern League with 152 strikeouts this season. He faced Pensacola right hander Rookie Davis, the Reds No. 7 prospect, who leads the team with 10 wins this year.

Davis was pumped up to start his first playoff game of his professional career against Mississippi, striking out the side in the first inning. Davis struck out five of the first nine Braves hitters and eight for the game. He tossed six innings allowing one run on three hits and a walk.

“I just wanted to set the tone for the playoffs,” Davis said. “Striking out the side was great put I was just trying to get three outs so we could get our bats going. That’s what I was going for.”

It was the 23-year-old Davis’ first start at home since being sent down from Triple-A Louisville where he was 0-2 with a 7.50 ERA in five games.

“It was a learning experience,” Davis said. “It’s something I needed. After 15 years in the big leagues, I’ll be happy I went through it.”

Newcomb has been plagued this season by control issues, ranking second among Southern League pitchers in the regular season with 71 walks. In his five innings of work, he gave up only two hits and one earned run but he walked six. He also struck out six batters on 96 pitches.

Pensacola had taken the lead in the see-saw battle, 4-3, in the seventh inning when Ervin belted a line drive past the third baseman that Mississippi left fielder Dustin Peterson over ran. The ball rolled past Peterson for an error allowing both pinch hitter Ronald Bueno and Blandino to score and help the Blue Wahoos regain the lead, 4-3.

In the North Division playoff game, the Jackson Generals won just as dramatically to take a 1-0 lead against the Montgomery Biscuits. The Generals won, 3-0, over the Biscuits when Tyler O’Neill hit a walk-off three-run homer in the 10th inning at The Ballpark at Jackson. Generals pitcher Andrew Moore threw nine scoreless innings and allowed just one hit.

Comments

Comments are closed.

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