With two outs and two strikes in the bottom of the ninth, José Devers hit a two-run single to send the Pensacola Blue Wahoos to a 5-4 walk-off win over the Birmingham Barons on Tuesday night.

After the Barons jumped ahead 4-2 in the top of the ninth with a two-run Ian Dawkins homer against Sean Reynolds (W, 1-0), the Blue Wahoos rallied back with a fielding error and three walks against Edgar Navarro (L, 2-1) before Devers ended the game with his walk-off single. The win marked Pensacola’s eighth walk-off victory of the season, and their first since June 16.

Trevor Rogers, a 2021 NL All-Star with the Marlins, made a rehab start for Pensacola in his return from a back injury. The lefty went 3.1 innings, allowing a pair of runs, one earned, and striking out five. Barons catcher Raudy Read touched him for a solo homer in the first and an RBI double in the third to put Birmingham ahead 2-0.

After being stymied for five innings against Barons starter Matt Thompson, the Blue Wahoos tied things up in the sixth on a Nasim Nuñez RBI double and Griffin Conine RBI single. Effective relief from Justin Evans, Zack Leban and Eli Villalobos kept the game tied 2-2 until the ninth, when Dawkins put the Barons ahead with his home run.

With one out in the ninth, Will Banfield reached on an error before the next three batters coaxed walks against Navarro. Marcus Chiu’s bases-loaded walk drew the deficit to 4-3, but Taylor Broadway entered to strike out J.D. Orr and get ahead 0-2 on Devers. The second baseman coaxed the count full before delivering a walk-off, two-run single to right field.

The Blue Wahoos continue their series against the Barons on Wednesday.

by Eric Bremer, Pensacola Blue Wahoos