Navarreto’s Late Homer Fuels Unlikely Wahoo Win

September 2, 2021

Trailing 6-5 in the top of the seventh, Brian Navarreto hit a two-run home run off Adrian De Horta (L, 2-3) to dead center, which fueled the Wahoos to an unlikely 8-6 on Wednesday night at Montgomery Riverwalk Stadium.

After De Horta recorded two quick outs to start the seventh, Griffin Conine walked just before Navaretto belted a two-run home run to dead center, which gave Pensacola their first lead of the night. Prior to that, Pensacola practically spent the entire came playing catch-up.

After a tough showing from their starter last night, Pensacola ace Max Meyer did not fare much better in his outing against the Biscuits. He surrendered three runs in the bottom of the first, including back-to-back home runs to Jonathan Aranda and Ruben Cardenas.

Trailing 3-0, Pensacola had an immediate response in the top of the second. After Chris Chinea led off the inning with a single, Griffin Conine belted a two-run homer to right off Jayden Murray, cutting the lead down to 3-2. It was Conine’s 12th homer with Pensacola and his MiLB-leading 35th of the season. Later in the inning, Riley Mahan delivered an RBI single, which tied the game at 3-3.

That lead was short-lived, and the Wahoos committed a pair of errors in the second, ultimately leading to more runs for Montgomery. After an RBI double from Xavier Edwards, Aranda followed with an RBI single to make it 5-3. Meyer was lifted after three innings, and for the first time in his career allowed more than one home run in a start.

Trailing 6-3 in the fifth, the Wahoos drew back-to-back walks with one out before JJ Bleday roped a two-run double into the right-field corner, scoring Kameron Misner and Peyton Burdick. After five innings of play, the Wahoos once again found themselves down by just a run. Neither team scored in the sixth before the heroics from Navarreto in the seventh.

The Wahoos tallied one more insurance run in the eighth after Burdick walked, advanced to second on a wild pitch, and then scored on a throwing error from catcher Ford Proctor on a play at third.

Despite the shaky outing from Meyer, Pensacola’s bullpen did their part to keep the Wahoos in the game. Matt Pobereyko (W, 1-0) hurled two shutout innings in which he struck out three. Cody Carroll made his Blue Wahoos debut with two shutout innings on his own, which included him striking out the side in the bottom of the seventh. Finally, Colton Hock (S, 16) secured his Double-A South-leading 16th save of the year, with a scoreless bottom of the ninth.

With Pensacola’s win over Montgomery and Birmingham losing a pair of games to the Chattanooga Lookouts on Wednesday, the Wahoos find themselves two games out of the playoffs once again.

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