Wahoos Drop Seventh Straight Game

August 16, 2023

A return home, specialty uniforms and multiple leads Tuesday night failed to halt the Blue Wahoos being on the wrong side of an extended streak.

After tying the game in the seventh inning, the Montgomery Biscuits got a go-ahead home run from Heriberto Hernandez in the eighth and made it stand for a 6-5 victory that became Pensacola’s seventh consecutive loss.

The series opener at Blue Wahoos Stadium was especially frustrating for the home team with the number of wasted chances to get more runs. Seven base runners were stranded, and two others were thrown out trying to advance on hits.

It ended after Pensacola had runners on first and second on walks with one out in the ninth, but couldn’t get a big hit to follow.

Taking on their alternate identity as the Pensacola Pok-Ta-Pok, complete with Mayan-inspired uniforms, the team had everyone in the lineup get at least one hit and had 12 hits in the game.

In the midst of matching the longest losing streak in three seasons, missed opportunities Tuesday proved decisive. It was a different kind of loss after dropping all six road games against the Chattanooga Lookouts.

This game featured five lead changes.

It started well for Pensacola when Jacob Berry, the Miami Marlins’ top pick in 2022, continued his hot hitting at Blue Wahoos Stadium with a first-inning homer. Berry then doubled and scored on Will Banfield’s tying double in the third. Berry reached base three times in the game.

The Blue Wahoos took a 3-2 lead in the fourth inning on José Devers’ leadoff homer. He went 2-for-4 in the game with two runs scored.

After Montgomery led 4-3 in the sixth, the Blue Wahoos answered on Cobie Fletcher-Vance’s two-out, two-run double in the sixth. Fletcher-Vance later crossed the plate, but Tanner Allen was tagged out a split second earlier trying to take an extra base.

The Biscuits answered with a run-scoring triple from Tanner Murray in the seventh, then the go-ahead homer from Hernandez in the eighth.

Biscuits reliever Antonio Jimenez recorded his first save by retiring Pensacola in order in the eighth, then striking out Banfield and getting returning designated hitter Paul McIntosh to ground out to end the game.

The second game of the series is Wednesday. The Blue Wahoos will have lefthander Luis Palacios (7-5, 5.26 ERA) on the mound against Biscuits righthander Sean Hundley (3.13).

by Bill Vilona, photo Nino Mendez / Pensacola Blue Wahoos

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