Wahoos Win 4-1 Over Biloxi

May 2, 2017

Pensacola Blue Wahoos right-hander Austin Ross threw seven scoreless innings and right fielder Aristides Aquino flashed why his nickname is “Punisher” when he crushed a solo homer out of Blue Wahoos Stadium.

The stars of Monday’s game helped Pensacola snap a four-game losing streak to the Biloxi Shuckers and pull out a, 3-1, victory in front of 3,459 at Blue Wahoos Stadium.

Pensacola manager Pat Kelly also monkeyed with his batting order for the second night in a row, putting left fielder Leon Landry in the leadoff spot.

Kelly said winning the final game of the five-game series was important. They improved to 15-10 on the year and lead the Southern League South Division by four games over the other four teams in their division.

“There was a time when being 14-10 in the month we would be really excited,” Kelly said. “Now we’re kind of disappointed. You hate to get swept in a five-game series.”

Pensacola got on the scoreboard first when Aquino sent the ball speeding out of the ballpark over the right center fence in the second inning. The 22-year-old’s second home run of the season put the Blue Wahoos ahead, 1-0.

Pensacola centerfielder Gabriel Guerrero hit a fly ball deep to center field in the sixth inning that allowed Blue Wahoos shortstop Blake Trahan to tag up from third, giving Pensacola a 2-0 lead.

The Blue Wahoos scored for the third time in the eighth inning when second baseman Josh VanMeter hit a towering fly ball to center that allowed right fielder Leon Landry, who had a leadoff double, to score from third.

Kelly said he watched some video on the Internet of Landry playing in 2015 for the Tacoma Rainiers, the Triple-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners.

“He has really come on,” Kelly said of Landry, who is hitting .318 in his last six games after starting the season 0-18. “I’ve tried to find a place for him. I saw this really skinny guy running the bases and hitting home runs and thought, ‘he can do that for us.’”

Meanwhile, Pensacola starter Austin Ross cruised through seven scoreless innings, tying his career-high with nine strikeouts. The 28-year-old allowed a leadoff double to Biloxi second baseman Mauricio Dubon to start the game but then retired 12 of the next 13 benefited from two double plays that came in the second and sixth innings.

Ross, who played his previous seven seasons in the Milwaukee Brewers organization, allowed just three hits and two walks to improve his record to 3-0 and lowered his ERA to 0.79. That is the second highest ERA on the Pensacola pitching staff that features five hurlers with sub-1.00 earned-run averages.

“I’m sure he liked to get a little revenge” against his former team, Kelly said.

Ross said the pitching staff is constantly trying to top each other.

“People say hitting is contagious. Throwing the ball well is contagious,” said Ross, who spent the past two seasons in the Milwaukee organization as a reliever. “You want to go out there and throw six or seven scoreless innings. There’s a little bit of I want to have a good outing, too.”

Biloxi pitcher Angel Ventura also turned in a good start, working six innings, allowing two runs on three hits, walking two and striking out three. He retired 11 in a row from the second through sixth innings.

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