The Pensacola Blue Wahoos fell 3-2 to the Mississippi Braves Friday night in a game that saw 19 hits, all of them singles.

It was a seventh-inning RBI single from Justyn-Henry Malloy that proved to be the difference, giving the Braves their third and final run of the evening. Darius Vines (W, 6-4) outdueled Zach McCambley (L, 5-6) in a battle of two dominant starters.

Pensacola struck first in the third inning, loading the bases with three singles and bringing home a run on a Victor Victor Mesa sacrifice fly. They couldn’t take advantage of the opportunity any further, and the Braves countered in the fifth with a bases-loaded walk and Vaughn Grissom RBI single to take a 2-1 lead. Grissom finished 4-for-5 on the night, raising his batting average to .418 in his first month at Double-A.

Malloy’s RBI single in the seventh against rehabbing major leaguer Anthony Bender extended the Mississippi lead to 3-1. Bender faced four men without recording an out, but Eli Villalobos picked up the slack with 3.0 scoreless innings of relief to keep the game within reach.

A José Devers RBI single in the seventh drew the Blue Wahoos within a run at 3-2, but Justin Yeager (S, 2) worked a perfect ninth to help Mississippi even the series at two games apiece.

The Blue Wahoos continue their series against the M-Braves on Saturday.

by Erik Bremer, Pensacola Blue Wahoos