Johnston, Conine Lead Slugging Wahoos To 10-8 Win

July 10, 2023

Troy Johnston had just hit two home runs, helped tie the franchise team record with five in a game and provided the deciding runs Sunday in the Blue Wahoos 10-8 win against the Biloxi Shuckers.

So Troy, what are you going to do next?

“I’ve been always wanting to say this in an interview… I’m going to Disney World!”

Yes, he is.

Moments after the Blue Wahoos’ slugfest victory at Blue Wahoos Stadium, which sent the team into a four-day break with good vibes, Johnston, his wife, Haleigh, and his parents had their car packed for the all-night trip to Orlando and the Magic Kingdom.

“Me and wife had said we’re going to go…it didn’t matter what,” said Johnston, explaining the advance plans once they saw the season schedule. “My parents said they wanted to come visit us this week, then wanted to tag along. So we are all going and we’re going to have a great time.”

The good times rolled at the plate Sunday for Johnston and teammates. He went 2-for-3, drove in three runs, scored three runs, walked once and raised his batting average to .277. He also made several big defensive plays on throws and scorched grounders on another day when hitters ruled at the ballpark.

After Saturday’s 10-9 loss to the Shuckers, the Blue Wahoos fell behind 5-0 in the third inning, then 6-2 in the fifth inning. It had the crowd of 4,111 wondering when Pensacola’s fortunes would turn at home.

“I honestly believe, whether we are down 5-0 or 10-0, I feel like we always have a chance to win,” said Johnston, 26, a Tacoma, Washington native and the No. 27 rated prospect in the Miami Marlins minor league system. “That’s what makes this team special. We don’t give up. We have confidence we can do it at the plate and we’re capable of coming back.”

Sure enough, it happened in the bottom of the fifth when the Blue Wahoos batted around. After Dalvy Rosario led off by getting hit by a pitch, then stole second, Victor Mesa Jr. drove him home with a single. Johnston then walked. Will Banfield reached on an infield single to load the bases.

Up stepped Griffin Conine. He had singled earlier and had some other good at-bats Friday. But he had not homered all week.

Until now. Conine blasted a pitch that just had enough umph to carry over the leaping attempt by Shuckers centerfielder Lamar Sparks for a go-ahead grand slam and 7-6 lead.

It was the first grand slam for Conine in his three seasons with the Blue Wahoos – the fourth hit by a Pensacola player this season.

With the stadium still abuzz, Cody Morissette followed with a solo homer and 8-6 lead.

The Shuckers got a run back in the sixth. Johnston came up in the bottom half of the sixth inning with two outs and Cobie Fletcher-Vance on first base. He blasted a no-doubter over the right center berm for his second homer, which tied the franchise record for most in a single game.

As he rounded the bases he pointed in direction of his wife, then his parents visiting from the Pacific Coast, for another special moment in the game.

“My mom and my dad, you can actually hear them sometimes from the stands,” Johnston said, smiling. “They are the only people I can hear and I try to give them (acknowledgment). They have given me everything. And the only I can do to give back is give them a little support.”

The Shuckers got a run back in the seventh, but the Blue Wahoos bullpen held on, albeit with some drama. After a smooth eighth inning, closer Matt Pushard, who recently joined the team from the Beloit Sky Carp, the Marlins’ High-A affiliate, got the first two batters in the ninth to ground out.

But then he gave up a single, then hit the next batter and had a 3-0 count on Sparks. The next pitch Sparks jumped on, but hit a fly ball that Mesa Jr. caught for the final out.

The Shuckers had built the big, early lead against starter Evan Fitterer, who struggled again in his second start this week. He made it through five innings, allowing seven hits and six runs, including a three-run homer by catcher Nick Kahle, who helped power the Shuckers to Saturday’s win.

The teams combined for 22 hits – 11 apiece – and 16 of the 18 starters in the teams’ lineups reached base.

The Blue Wahoos’ other homer Sunday was the team’s first run, a solo shot by Fletcher-Vance.

With the win, the Blue Wahoos split the six-game series against Biloxi and evened their second-half record to 6-6, 47-33 overall.

It was a much-welcomed way to head into the Major League Baseball All-Star Game break, which now includes the minor leagues.

The Blue Wahoos will resume their schedule on July 14 on the road against the Birmingham Barons for a three-game series.

by Bill Vilona, photo Nino Mendez / Pensacola Blue Wahoos

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