Jumbo Shrimp Tie Up Series With The Wahoos

June 3, 2017

The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp have gotten some revenge for getting swept by the Pensacola Blue Wahoos in the teams’ first meeting this season and going 4-15 in Blue Wahoos Stadium the last two years.

Jacksonville received home runs from catcher Austin Nola and third baseman Brian Anderson to beat Pensacola, 7-2, Friday in front of 4,778 Pensacola fans. Jacksonville evened the series, 2-2, heading into Saturday’s final game between the teams.

Pensacola manager Pat Kelly watched helplessly as his team, which scored 19 runs in the first three games, was blanked for the first six innings by Jacksonville starter Mike Kickham and managed just two runs Friday.

“It’s one of those days,” Kelly said. “We hit into three double plays and fell behind. It was very tough to make up the deficit.”

Pensacola Blue Wahoos right-hander Deck McGuire entered the game having won four straight starts. But the Jacksonville Shrimp knocked him around, earning five runs on six hits to jump out to a, 5-0, lead after the first five innings. McGuire also allowed two walks and struck out seven in his five innings of work Friday.

McGuire, a former first-round draft pick, got off to a stellar start striking out the first three Jumbo Shrimp batters he faced in the first inning. The loss dropped his record to 5-3 on the season and increase his ERA to 3.25.

“He was just a little off,” Kelly said. “I thought they truly hit some good pitches.”

Jacksonville right fielder John Norwood, who doubled to start the inning, scored on a sacrifice fly to center field by first baseman Taylor Ard to put the Jumbo Shrimp up, 1-0. With two outs, Jacksonville center fielder Yefri Perez smacked a triple into the right center gap to score left fielder Cal Towey for a 2-0 lead.

In the fourth inning, Nola clobbered a solo home run, his second of the season, to left field, putting the Jumbo Shrimp up, 3-0.

Anderson also clubbed a two-run home run in the seventh inning off of Pensacola reliever Brennan Bernardino to left field for a 7-0 Jacksonville lead. Anderson, who MLB Pipeline.com ranks as the Miami Marlins third best prospect, was 3-5 and added a triple and single for four RBIs in Friday’s game.

Pensacola second baseman Angelo Gumbs reached base seven straight at-bats over the last two games, before grounding out into a double play in the ninth inning.  He was 2-4 with a triple but reached on a fielder’s choice and scored one of the Blue Wahoos’ two runs.

Pensacola is 30-24 but remain in first place in the Southern League South Division where they’ve been in all but six days this season.

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