Blue Wahoos Top Barons Ending Five Game Losing Streak

May 9, 2017

The Pensacola Blue Wahoos have struggled since Tyler Mahle threw a perfect game against the Mobile BayBears April 22.

The Blue Wahoos have won just two games and lost 12 since then, including its last five games to the Chattanooga Lookouts.

The antidote? Playing a home series against the Birmingham Barons with the worst record (11-20), worst ERA (4.52) and tied for the worst in hitting (.210) in the Southern League.

But it didn’t get easy Monday until the fifth inning when Pensacola batted around to score five runs on its way to a 6-2 victory in front of 3,647 at Blue Wahoos Stadium. Both catcher Joe Hudson and left fielder Tyler Goeddel came up with clutch two-out singles that drove in pairs of runs.

Pensacola manager Pat Kelly joked that the team scored more than five runs for the first time since April 20 because they left their bat bags in Chattanooga.

“The last 15 games we’ve had to scramble to score two runs,” Kelly said. “I talked to them in Chattanooga. I said, ‘I’m not going to chew you out but we have to take advantage of the opportunities we get.’ To me it wasn’t a lack of effort. We were trying to get them to relax.”

Hudson ripped a single into the left center gap that drove in both first baseman Angelo Gumbs and DH Eric Jagielo for a, 3-1, Blue Wahoos lead. Goeddel, who spent 2016 with the Philadelphia Phillies, hit a chopper that made it into center field and scored Hudson and center fielder Brian O’Grady to put Pensacola up, 6-1.

Goeddel got on base four out of his five times at the plate, with a double and two RBIs. The 24-year-old has provided a spark to Pensacola’s lineup in his six games with the club going 8-21, or .381 with four RBIs.

Hudson hit a two-out double in the fourth inning to drive in second baseman Alex Blandino to tie the game, 1-1. Hudson was 2-4 with a double, run scored and three RBIs.

For Hudson, the difference at the plate was changing his walk up song to “Believer” by Imagine Dragons released earlier this year. He heard it on the radio on his way to Monday’s game.

“I was listening to that song on my way to the field today,” Hudson said. “I thought, ‘What do I have to lose?’ Baseball is a really odd game. Changing your walk-up song can get you thinking a different way.”

The star of the game, though, had time to sign a baseball and take a photo with wheel-chair bound Bernice Crain, who turned 85 today, after attending her first Blue Wahoos baseball game.

Although, Hudson is batting .212 this season, Hudson’s on-base percentage is .333.

“Those are two huge situations,” Kelly said. “That’s how you win ball games.”

Birmingham scored first to go up, 1-0, in the first inning when DH Cameron Seltzer hit a weak fly ball off the handle into short left field to drive in second baseman Jake Peter, who doubled into the right field corner.

“They got that cheap run in the first inning,” Kelly said. “But (Mahle) kept pitching.”

Meanwhile, Mahle enjoyed getting the most run support in his seven starts from the Blue Wahoos offense.

The 22-year-old right-hander worked six innings, allowed five hits, two runs, a walk and struck out seven. He now leads the Southern League in wins at 5-0 and strikeouts with 48 in 43.2 innings pitched.

Mahle’s only blemish was giving up his second home run of the season to Birmingham first baseman Keon Barnum. He pulled a solo homer – his seventh of the year that ties for first in the Southern League – over the right field fence just above the glove of a leaping Gabriel Guerrero.

Pensacola relievers Ariel Hernandez and Geoff Broussard who pitched a final three scoreless innings combining for four Ks and one hit.

Pensacola remains tied with the Mississippi Braves for first place in the South Division with a 16-15 record.

Kelly is thankful the team won a franchise record eight games to start the season.

“One of the advantages of winning eight straight is you can absorb a streak like the games we’ve been through,” he said.

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