Mesa, Banfield Help Blue Wahoos Complete Birmingham Sweep

May 15, 2023

The Blue Wahoos again return from a road trip as one of the hottest teams in Minor League Baseball.

Outfielder Victor Mesa Jr. and catcher Will Banfield combined for seven RBI – each hitting home runs – as the Blue Wahoos rallied from an early deficit for a 9-7 victory to complete a six-game sweep against the Birmingham Barons at Regions Field.

It was Pensacola’s eighth consecutive win, matching a franchise record the Blue Wahoos also tied two weeks ago, and the team’s 16th win in their last 17 games. It also matches the longest streak of any team in MILB.

The win extended the Blue Wahoos’ (22-11) lead in the Southern League South Division to three games ahead of the Biloxi Shuckers.

Mesa Jr. had one of the game’s biggest hits with his 3-run, go-ahead homer in the fifth inning. He finished an outstanding week at the plate with two homers and 11 RBI in the series.

Closer Sean Reynolds recorded his sixth save in seven attempts with a scoreless ninth inning. He gave up a two-out walk, then got Chris Shaw, who had homered earlier, to fly out to end the game.

The Blue Wahoos Joe Rizzo provided a two-run cushion when he smashed a two-out, solo homer in the ninth.

Every Blue Wahoos hitter in the starting lineup reached base. Seven different batters scored runs.

The Barons (11-22), the Chicago White Sox affiliate, sustained their ninth consecutive defeat. They had not been swept at home since 2015 in any series longer than four games. They are now 4-18 at Regions Field this season.

The game started in Birmingham’s favor.

Making his second start of the week, the Blue Wahoos’ Evan Fitterer had his first rough inning in four outings.

The righthander gave up leadoff walk in the second inning that was followed by Adam Hackenberg’s 2-run homer. He then hit a batter with one out and Moises Castillo came around to score on a wild pitch to make it 3-0.

Fitterer, who joined the Blue Wahoos in late April, won his first three starts, allowing just two runs on eight hits. But Sunday he had thrown 64 pitches with one out into the fourth inning and finished with 72 pitches, 40 for strikes.

He allowed just two hits, but one was the big homer. He walked three, struck out four and had two wild pitches.

But the Blue Wahoos answered with five runs in the fifth inning, highlighted by Mesa Jr. hitting a 3-run bomb over the right center wall that chased Barons starter Garrett Davila. On the first pitch from reliever Yoelvin Silven, Blue Wahoos catcher Will Banfield hit a fastball over the left wall.

Dane Myers drove in the first run with a single.

The Barons came back to tie the game in the sixth on a solo homer by Chris Shaw off Christen Charle, followed by Moises Castillo to score Ben Norman, who singled, moved to third on a stolen base and wild pitch.

In the seventh, Nasim Nuñez led off with a single, Troy Johnston was hit by a pitch and Myers walked to load the bases. Mesa followed with an RBI sacrifice fly to score Nunez. Banfield then hit a two-run double off the right-center wall.

Blue Wahoos reliever Dylan Bice pitched out of jams to keep a one-run lead.

The Blue Wahoos return home Sunday night following the game in Birmingham and will have Monday off before beginning a six-game homestand on Tuesday against the Tennessee Smokies, the Chicago Cubs’ Double-A affiliate. It will be the teams’ first meeting since the 2022 Southern League Championship Series.

The Blue Wahoos captured their first outright league title on Sept. 28 against the Smokies in Kodak, Tennessee with consecutive road playoff wins.

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