Wahoos Beat The Biscuits

July 3, 2017

Pensacola Blue Wahoos right-hander Austin Ross continued to dominate the Southern League from the mound. The Montgomery Biscuits didn’t get its first hit off him until the fourth inning.

And the Blue Wahoos offense contributed just enough runs to keep his record a perfect 7-0 in a, 3-2, victory over the Biscuits Sunday in front of 4,333 at Blue Wahoos Stadium.

Cincinnati Reds No. 1 prospect Nick Senzel drew a bases loaded walk on a full count from Montgomery reliever Mike Broadway to score catcher Joe Hudson with the winning run in the seventh inning.

“That was an awesome at bat,” said Pensacola manager Pat Kelly. “He had no fear. He recognized the slider was out of the zone and took it for a walk.”

Pensacola has now beat the Montgomery Biscuits in 13 of the last 16 games at Blue Wahoos Stadium dating back to the 2014 season. It also clinched the six-game series, which it leads 4-1.

The Blue Wahoos evened their record at 5-5 in the second half of the Southern League season and the first half South Division champions are 45-35 overall.

Ross admitted he didn’t have his best stuff Sunday but heading into the sixth inning the 28-year-old hurler, who has spent seven years in the minors, had not allowed a run and given up just one hit. In the top of the sixth Montgomery third baseman Michael Russell leadoff the inning with a home run just inside the left field foul pole. Biscuits second baseman Riley Unroe scored when left fielder Joe McCarthy hit the third straight single off Ross in the inning to tie the game, 2-2.

Ross was making his second start for the Blue Wahoos since returning from the Triple-A Louisville Bats where he made five appearances, four of them starts. He was 2-2 with a 4.91 ERA.

“It was good but not every time you go out there are you going to feel great,” Ross said. “The rule is one third of the time you will feel awful, one-third of the time great and one-third in between. It’s what you make out of the bad ones that count.”

His final line was seven innings pitched, five hits allowed, two earned runs, three walks and 102 pitches in the suffocating 90-degree heat in Pensacola. His ERA on the year is 1.36, which is best in the Southern League.

This is his first year with the Cincinnati Reds organization after spending the previous six with the Milwaukee Brewers, Ross has reached the Triple-A level, one step below the big leagues, the past three seasons.

“The last two years, I’ve had really good years but things didn’t go my way,” said Ross, who reserved 19 tickets Sunday for his landlord and her family and his hunting buddy’s family. “All I can do is strive to get better and prepare for when I do get there.”

Kelly said he likes having Ross back on his rotation. He pointed out that Louisville has six starters on its staff.

“It helps our club,” Kelly said. “He made some good pitches when he had to. If you can compete in the Southern League, you can play at the big-league level.”

Pensacola clinched the win in the ninth inning after Zack Weiss made it “interesting,” Kelly said.

Weiss is returning from an injury to his throwing elbow that kept him from pitching last year. A top Reds pitching prospect after saving 25 games in Pensacola in 2015, he looked healthy Sunday.

Weiss earned his first save for Pensacola this season after loading the bases with two outs on a single and two walks. He struck out two, including the last batter who he caught looking at a wicked 76-mph breaking ball after throwing five straight fastballs. Weiss had also thrown one inning Saturday.

“We wanted to see him go back-to-back in a pressure-filled situation,” Kelly said. “You have to just keep plugging away and get three outs before they score.”

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