Pensacola Crushes Five Home Runs To Win Series 3-2 Over BayBears

May 23, 2017

The Pensacola Blue Wahoos lineup erupted Monday with five home runs by five different hitters to tie the franchise record.

Pensacola’s a five-homer game, it’s fourth since its inaugural season in 2012, gave the club a, 9-1, victory over the Mobile BayBears and a bit of revenge for Sunday’s embarrassing loss.

Blue Wahoos shortstop Blake Trahan blasted the first homer in the fifth inning when he hit a solo shot to left field that put the Blue Wahoos on top, 2-1, for good.

The 4,333 fans at Blue Wahoos Stadium were then treated to four more blasts.

Pensacola achieved the feat three times before in games that were all on the road. The club did it twice last season on May 10 against the Chattanooga Lookouts and July 14 against the Jacksonville Suns. It hit five homers in a game for the first time in team history on Aug. 19, 2014 against Jacksonville.

The victory helped Pensacola clinch the series, 3-2, and its record improved to 25-20, and are tied again with Biloxi atop the Southern League South Division.

Trahan, ranked the 24th best prospect in the Cincinnati Reds organization by MLB Pipeline.com, crushed his first homer in Double-A. In his third season in professional baseball, he has six homers.

Pat Kelly jokingly said he worries Trahan will begin swinging for the fences.

“I have to remind him offensively he’s 5-9, not 6-4,” Kelly said. “Now, he thinks he’s a home run hitter again.”

Trahan said he knows that he is not a power hitter. But the Cincinnati Reds 24th best prospect, according to MLB Pipeline.com, admitted it felt good after getting dropped from the top of the batting order to seventh after hitting .231 this season.

“It’s not my game,” Trahan said. “I’m a line drive hitter. Baseball is a game of consistency. I have to continue to try and improve my game.”

Trahan liked right fielder Aristides Aquino’s two-run home run to left field in the eighth inning that put Pensacola ahead, 8-1. Aquino pulled a low, outside slider over the fence and now has seven homers and 24 RBIs this season.

Kelly’s favorite was left fielder Tyler Goeddel’s solo bomb to left center in the sixth inning. It was Goeddel’s second homer in 13 games with the Blue Wahoos and put them ahead, 3-1.

“In this ballpark that’s a long way,” Kelly said. “It had the right spin and just kept on going.”

After Goeddel’s homer, center fielder Brian O’Grady hit a two-run homer to right field for his sixth homer of the season. It gave the Blue Wahoos a 6-1 lead. First baseman Eric Jagielo followed Aquino’s home by scorching his second homer in two games and third of the season to cap the scoring, 9-1.

Kelly said the conditions were just right for an exhibition of home run hitting. There was no wind blowing in toward home plate.

“Going into the season we thought we had a lot of power,” he said. “Up until today, we really haven’t.”

Pensacola starter Deck McGuire’s scoreless inning streak was snapped at 14.2 innings by Mobile, when McGuire gave up the only run to the BayBears with two outs in the third inning.

BayBears third baseman Andrew Daniel, who tripled to the right center gap to lead off the third inning, crossed the plate to put Mobile ahead, 1-0. Daniel came in when Pensacola catcher Joe Hudson threw to second base trying to catch Mobile shortstop David Fletcher stealing second.

McGuire has won three straight starts after Chattanooga Lookouts beat him with two outs in the sixth inning. McGuire is now 4-2 with a 2.73 ERA.

“He got ticked,” Kelly said. “His last three outings have been really good.”

Mobile starter Jake Jewell lost his perfect game and shutout in the bottom of the fourth inning. The 29th best prospect in the Los Angeles organization retired the first 10 batters of the game before second baseman Alex Blandino ripped a doubled to the left center gap. Blandino scored to knot the game, 1-1, when the next batter third baseman Josh VanMeter laced a single to right field.

The Mobile righty ended up giving up six runs in 6.2 innings, including three homers. He dropped to 2-3 with a 5.12 ERA.

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