Mississippi Beats Pensacola

July 16, 2017

Pensacola Blue Wahoos starter Deck McGuire turned in what is becoming a normal start for him this season.

Mississippi scored one unearned run off McGuire in his seven innings of work and went onto win, 2-0, in front of a sellout crowd of 5,038 at Blue Wahoos Stadium. It was Pensacola’s 13th sellout this season.

So far this series, Pensacola has won once, 2-1, and lost twice to Mississippi, 2-0.

“I was joking with Derrick Lewis, their pitching coach, that the first one to two (runs) wins,” said Blue Wahoos manager Pat Kelly. “It’s worked out that way all three games.”

McGuire threw 23.1 scoreless innings this month and has allowed just four earned runs in his last 45 innings for a 0.80 ERA.

The 6-foot-6 McGuire, a former first round pick in 2010, earned the hard-luck loss and is 8-7 with a 2.61 ERA. He entered the game 2-0 against Mississippi this season, pitching 13 innings, allowing two earned runs and striking out 18.

Good news for Pensacola was Nick Senzel extending his hitting streak to 15 games when the Cincinnati Reds top prospect hustled for a double on a blooper to left center to start the seventh inning.

The 22-year-old, who had one of Pensacola’s three hits in Saturday’s game, is one game shy of tying Jackson General second baseman Kevin Medrano for the longest hitting streak in the Southern League this season.

“He keeps swinging it,” Kelly said. “I wish I had a couple more of him. We might score some more runs.”

The M-Braves scored in the fifth inning to go up, 1-0, when Braves first baseman Jonathan Morales reached first on an error by Pensacola shortstop Blake Trahan. He then scored from first when center fielder Stephen Gaylor ripped a sharp line drive that landed just inside the left field foul line for a double.

The Braves got another run in the eighth on Blue Wahoos reliever Carlos Gonzalez to take a 2-0 lead when center fielder Stephen Gaylor singled to start the inning. He then raced to third just ahead of Pensacola right fielder Aristides Aquino’s throw after Aquino fielded a Tyler Neslony ground ball single. It was his first hit in Double-A after going 0-8 in his first two games in the Southern League. Gaylor finally scored when Mississippi right fielder Keith Curcio grounded out into a double play.

Mississippi looked like it would score in the first inning, too, after back-to-back singles by right fielder Keith Curcio and shortstop Dylan Moore. But McGuire then struck out the next three batters and proceeded to have seven Ks for the game.

Meanwhile, Braves starter Wes Parsons shut down the Pensacola lineup. Normally a reliever, Parsons had a no-hitter for 4.1 innings before Blue Wahoos second baseman Shed Long hit a grounder past the first baseman into right field for a base hit.

In his sixth spot start this season, the 24-year-old Parsons pitched seven scoreless innings, allowed two hits, walked one and struck out a season-high eight batters.

Pensacola dropped to 11-12 in the second half. The South Division first half champions are 51-42 overall. Mississippi improved to 6-16 in the second half and 40-52 overall.

Photo by Barrett McClean Photography/Pensacola Blue Wahoos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.

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