Blue Angels Thrill, Rocket City Blasts Past Wahoos In Series Finale

April 22, 2024

by Bill Vilona

The Blue Wahoos will have Monday to rest and reset following their first home series loss against the Rocket City Trash Pandas in the matchup’s four-season history.

They seek a change in batting fortune.

A pair of Trash Pandas pitchers, led by top pitching prospect Caden Dana, checked the Blue Wahoos on just three hits in a 3-0 loss Sunday at Blue Wahoos Stadium to close out the first half of an extended homestand. The win enabled Rocket City (9-6) to win the series 4-2, after entering the week with a 2-16 record in Pensacola.

A crowd of 3,851 had its biggest excitement when the famed Blue Angels buzzed over the stadium under a clear-blue sky during the seventh inning while returning from a weekend air show. That was the loudest roar of the day.

In the ninth inning, however, there was some suspense on the field.

The first two Blue Wahoos batters, newcomer Joe Mack and catcher Paul McIntosh, drew walks to put multiple runners on base for the only time in the game.

Jacob Berry then missed on a game-tying home run when lining a shot foul down the right field line. He then fouled off a couple pitches before reliever Hayden Seig struck him out with a changeup. Shane Sasaki then hit a slow grounder that became a force out. Cody Morissette, who had laced two hard lineouts earlier in the game, grounded out to end the game.

After Javier Sanoja led off the Blue Wahoos first inning with a single, Rocket City’s Dana retired the next 15 batters in order. Dana, a 20-year-old righthander from Warwick, New York, entered this season ranked No. 2 overall among the Los Angeles Angels top 30 prospects.

The Trash Pandas team has all four of the Angels’ top quartet of prospects on the team to start the season.

Rocket City got two first inning runs off Blue Wahoos starter Paul Campbell, but then Campbell settled into a groove, retiring 12 of the next 16 batters he faced in a what became a rapidly played game that was complete in two hours, 22 minutes.

Campbell was solid again in his second start this week, working into the seventh with just three hits allowed and seven strikeouts and just one walk. It continued his comeback attempt after making his MLB debut with the Miami Marlins in 2021.

The Blue Wahoos (6-9) will now turn attention to the series against the Shuckers (10-4), who entered Sunday’s game with eight consecutive wins and the best start in the Southern League.

Lefthander Jonathan Bermúdez (1-1, 1.64 ERA) will start for the Blue Wahoos. He held Rocket City hitless into the sixth inning of the series-opening 1-0 win Tuesday.

GAME NOTABLES

—- Joe Mack walked into the Blue Wahoos front office at 12:30 p.m. Sunday, after flying into Pensacola from Beloit, Wisconsin, where he was the top hitter (.343, 12 RBI) and biggest force behind the Beloit Sky Carp’s fast start in the Midwest League as the Marlins High-affiliate. He’s the Marlins’ top catcher prospect and will likely see plenty of opportunity in that role in Pensacola.

The Blue Anchor Belles, a trio of military wives, whose husbands are stationed at NAS-Pensacola, performed the National Anthem.

—- It was West Florida High’s baseball team group outing Sunday. The 6-year-old son of Jaguars’ coach Joe Rieland threw out ta ceremonial first pitch and got a roar when he threw a pitch from the mound to home plate.

—- There were two outs in the top of the seventh at 5:43 p.m. when the unmistakable roar of the Blue Angels jets were heard a split- before the jets buzzed over the stadium.

WHAT’S NEXT?

WHO: Biloxi Shuckers vs. Blue Wahoos

WHEN: Tuesday through Sunday (April 23-28). Gametimes are 6:05 p.m. for all games except Wednesday at 11:05 and Sunday at 4:05.

WHERE: Blue Wahoos Stadium.

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