Mobile Defeats Pensacola

May 22, 2017

The Mobile BayBears got a three-run homer by former Catholic High School catcher Wade Wass in the third inning and went on to defeat the Pensacola Blue Wahoos, 9-4, Sunday in front of 4,672 at Blue Wahoos Stadium.

Pensacola and Mobile are now tied, 2-2, with the final game of the series scheduled at 6:35 p.m. Monday. The Blue Wahoos fell out of first place in the South Division at 24-20 and trail the Biloxi Shuckers by one game.

Pensacola, which trailed 9-0 after four innings, avoided being shut out when first baseman Eric Jagielo crushed a two-out pitch to right field out of Blue Wahoos Stadium. His three-run homer pulled, Pensacola within, 9-3.

Blue Wahoos right fielder Aristides Aquino made the score, 9-4, in the eighth when he smacked a solo homer to left field into Pensacola Bay for his team-leading sixth homer of the season.

“We haven’t had too many of those,” Pensacola manager Pat Kelly said about being down nine runs. “We didn’t know how to act. But we didn’t give in.”

Mobile exploded for seven runs in the third and fourth inning. Three of those runs came in the third inning thanks to Wass, the designated hitter, to give the BayBears a 5-0 lead. The 25-year-old Pensacola product smacked a one-out, three-run home run into the right field berm. Wass now leads the BayBears with seven homers, with six of them coming this month.

But the BayBears weren’t finished. They piled on four more runs after two outs in the fourth inning to chase Pensacola starter Keury Mella from the game. Mobile right fielder Zach Gibbons walked with two outs and scored when the next batter, center fielder Michael Hermosillo, doubled into the left field corner to put Mobile up, 6-0. BayBears shortstop David Fletcher then drove in his third RBI of the game when he lined a single to center field to score Hermosillo, putting Mobile up 7-0.

The BayBears took a 9-0 lead when third baseman Zach Houchins drove in Fletcher and Wass when he smashed a double off the glove of Blue Wahoos center fielder Gabriel Guerrero, as he tried to chase down the ball.

Pensacola relievers gave up just one unearned run to Mobile over the final 5.1 innings. Alex Powers worked 3.1 innings out of the bullpen and gave up three hits, walked one and struck out three.

Kelly said Powers’ innings were critical with reliever Ismael Guillon advancing to Triple-A Louisville Bats, and Jake Ehret going to High-A Daytona Tortugas.

“We were a little shorthanded in the bullpen,” Kelly said.

Pensacola did load the bases with no outs in the second inning on Mobile starter Osmer Morales but came away with nothing. Morales struck out Blue Wahoos shortstop Blake Trahan and then catcher Joe Hudson hit a sharp line drive to Mobile shortstop David Fletcher, who threw to second for an inning ending double play.

The 6-foot-3 Morales threw five scoreless innings, giving up two hits, walking two and striking out three. He picked up the win in his seventh start to improve to 2-0 with a 2.23, ERA.

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