Wahoos Take Series Lead Over The Generals

August 24, 2017

Pensacola catcher Joe Hudson admittedly has struggled at the plate this season but drilled a two-out, two-run double to left field to help the Blue Wahoos rally for a 4-3 lead in the fourth inning.

Hudson’s clutch hit and the Pensacola bullpen led the Blue Wahoos to a 9-3 victory Wednesday over the Jackson Generals at Blue Wahoos Stadium. Pensacola leads the series, 2-1.

Hudson knows hitting .177 is not what he wanted to do this season. But the 26-year-old catcher is 5-for-11, or .455, against the Generals pitching this year.

“Getting a hit is a blessing for a guy like me,” Hudson said. “Taking care of the pitchers is the main take away for me.”

Pensacola manager Pat Kelly said Hudson’s average is deceiving.

“Joe has had some big hits for us,” he said. “He’s hit very well against Jackson.”

Jackson starter Frank Duncan was three outs shy of a nine-inning no-hitter in his last game against the Biloxi Shuckers. The big right hander then had a perfect game for 3.1 innings Wednesday against Pensacola.

“I was just hoping we didn’t get no-hit,” Kelly said.

That’s when the Blue Wahoos, trailing Jackson, 3-0, rallied for four runs in the fourth inning.

Pensacola center fielder broke up Duncan’s perfect game with a hard-hit line drive to center field. With the bases loaded and one out, first baseman Gavin LaValley smoked a grounder that bounced off the third base umpire, scoring Guerrero with Pensacola’s first run.

Blue Wahoos right fielder Aristides Aquino hit a bouncer to Jackson shortstop Galli Cribbs who tagged left fielder Josh VanMeter for the second out of the inning and fired to first but Aquino beat the throw. Senzel scored on the play and Pensacola trailed Jackson, 3-2.

With runners on first and second, Hudson doubled in both LaValley and Aquino to complete the comeback, giving Pensacola a 4-3 lead.

Jackson had jumped on Pensacola starter Austin Ross in the second inning, scoring three runs to go ahead, 3-0. It seemed like an insurmountable lead with Pensacola averaging 1.75 runs in its previous four games.

Ross is slowly returning to form after spending a month on the disabled list for shoulder tightness. In four starts the right hander has pitched 14.2 innings, allowed six earned runs, walked two for a 3.68 ERA and earned the win Wednesday. On the season, the 28-year-old improved to 8-0 with a 1.81 ERA, which leads the Southern League.

The franchise record is Tony Cingrani’s 2.12 ERA in Pensacola’s first season in 2012.

Kelly said he is still treating Ross as a rehab pitcher.

“We were concerned in that second inning about overextending him,” Kelly said. “His experience really helped out. He was one out away from finishing the fifth and getting the win.”

The first three Jackson batters reached base in the second inning when right fielder Kelly Dugan lined a single to center field. Jackson second baseman Vladimir Frias doubled off the wall in right center. And then, Generals shortstop Galli Cribbs, hitting 8th in the batting order and batting .197 on the season, doubled into the left field corner to score both Dugan and Frias. Cribbs then scored the third run for Jackson on a sacrifice fly by center fielder Emilio Bonifacio.

But relievers Robert Stock, Nefi Ogando and Andrew McKirahan combined to toss 4.1 scoreless innings on threeX hits, no walks and oneX strikeout.

Also leading Pensacola’s nine-run parade was Gavin LaValley, who had his first four-RBI game in Double-A, going 3-4 with a double and scoring a run. LaValley has three other four-RBI games in and a career high five RBIs on Sept. 4, 2016.

Additionally, Blue Wahoos center fielder Gabriel Guerrero increased his franchise record for hits to 131, going 2-5 with a double, run scored and RBI. Ryan LaMarre owned the record with 127 in 2012.

Hudson, who played for Pensacola last season, really wants another crack at playing in the playoffs.

“We’ve established a precedent of winning here in Pensacola,” Hudson said. “It’s hard playing regular season games when we know already we’re in the playoffs. Last year was a sour ending. I thought we were better than that Mississippi (Braves) team.”

Pensacola tied the Tennessee Smokies for the Southern League record of winning four straight halves. Tennessee did it from 2009 to 2011. The Blue Wahoos are in the hunt this season to win the Southern Division a fifth straight time at 28-30 and just 3.5 games behind the front-runner Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp.

Kelly is already resting up his everyday players and arranging his rotation so Deck McGuire, Jose Lopez and Ross can pitch the first three games of the Southern Division playoffs.

“We’ve had a big turnover player wise, but we’ve had good pitching and play good defense. We haven’t been an offensive juggernaut any of the past three years.”

Comments

Comments are closed.

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