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Missed Chances Doom Pensacola In Loss To Rocket City
April 19, 2024
by Bill Vilona
The Blue Wahoos failed multiple times earlier in the game to cash in scoring opportunities.
They paid for it at the end.
The Rocket City Trash Pandas took advantage of two walks and a throwing error on a sacrifice bunt to score a pair of ninth inning runs and beat Pensacola 5-3 on Mullet Thursday at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
Taking on their alternate identity as the Pensacola Mullets and wearing specialty jerseys, the crowd was energized by Tanner Allen’s big night, headlined by his game-tying homer in the seventh inning off renown flamethrower Ben Joyce.
After watching a pair of fastballs at 103 mph from the former Tennessee Vols star, Allen jumped on the next one at 99 mph and sent a laser into the right field berm for a two-run homer to knot the score at 3-3.
It was part of a 4-for-4 night at the plate for Allen, a Mobile-area native and Mississippi State star of the Bulldogs’ College World Series championship team in 2021. By far, he’s been Pensacola’s top player so far this season, batting .333.
Allen drove in the Mullets other run with his second inning single.
But Pensacola stranded seven runners in scoring position, including twice with runners on third base.
Rocket City took a 3-1 lead in the sixth inning on right fielder Tucker Flint’s no-doubter homer into right center off Mullets reliever Jeff Lindgren.
Starter Valente Bellozo had a much better second outing Thursday. He battled through five innings, allowing four hits and only one run with nine strikeouts.
In the seventh, Rocket City summoned Joyce in his first appearance this week. He made his major league debut last season, appearing in 12 games for the Los Angeles Angels.
On this night, while his fastball regularly exceeded 100-plus mph, the Blue Wahoos hitters were jumping on it. Bennett Hostetler led off the seventh with a double into the gap. Joyce had a 1-1 count on Allen when his fastball was perfectly timed and driven out of the ballpark.
He then walked the next batter Dalvy Rosario, who stole second base with one out. Joyce got out of the inning with a strikeout and groundout.
In the top of the night, Blue Wahoos reliever Matt Pushard walked the first two batters he faced. Caleb Hamilton, who played in Pensacola for the Blue Wahoos in 2019 as a Minnesota Twins prospect, dropped down a perfect bunt that Pushard fielded, but his throw sailed over first baseman Jacob Berry’s glove leading to two runs and deciding the game.
It gave the Trash Pandas (7-5) their first back-to-back wins in Pensacola in their four-year history. Rocket City had won just twice in the ballpark before this week.
The Blue Wahoos (5-7) will try to even the series tomorrow with righthander Evan Fitterer on the mound.
WANT TO GO?
WHO: Rocket City Trash Pandas vs. Blue Wahoos.
WHEN: Friday, 6:05 p.m.
WHERE: Blue Wahoos Stadium.
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