Wahoos Split Doubleheader With Mobile
June 17, 2016
In an all-important doubleheader against the Mobile BayBears, the Pensacola Blue Wahoos split the games to take a half game lead in the Southern League South Division over the Biloxi Shuckers.
In a must-win game, Pensacola pinch hitter Jeff Gelalich hit a soft line drive to the opposite field in left to give the Blue Wahoos a walk-off win, 3-2, with two outs in the seventh inning.
It was Pensacola’s fourth walk-off hit in its last seven games.
Then in the second game, Mobile returned the favor when Mobile right fielder Gabriel Guerrero led off with a single to center and then first baseman Kevin Cron singled to right field, allowing Guerrero to reach third base. Mobile third baseman Cody Regis delivered a deep sacrifice fly ball to right center to score Guerrero for a 3-2 lead.
The split puts Pensacola at 38-29 a half game up on the Biloxi Shuckers, who dropped to 37-29 with a 3-1, loss to the last place Jacksonville Suns.
In the first game, Pensacola catcher Kyle Skipworth launched an opposite field homer to left field, his third in 35 at bats this season, to start the sixth inning and tie the game, 2-2, in the sixth inning.
Pensacola starting pitcher Amir Garrett reached 5.2 innings before being yanked after throwing 98 pitches. The southpaw reached his pitch limit after throwing 10 pitches to third baseman Travis Denker before walking him.
Garrett allowed three hits and three walks and gave up two earned runs to Mobile, while striking out eight.
Pensacola manager Pat Kelly said the victory was critical.
“To be up a half game in the win column in this division is huge,” Kelly said. “It is very important.”
Pensacola left fielder Tony Renda said he’s confident in his Blue Wahoos teammates to win the first half and make the playoffs for the second time in the team’s five-year history.
“In my eyes we are clearly the best,” said Renda, who was 3-7 with a run scored and his 24th double of the year. “I have all the faith in the world that we will finish strong.”
In the second game, Pensacola shortstop Calten Daal smashed a standup triple to the right center gap that drove in Renda, who hit a hard liner to left field, and pulled the Blue Wahoos within, 2-1. Elizalde then lifted a deep fly ball to left field to score Daal and tie the game, 2-2. Mobile then pulled out the victory in the eighth.
Mobile scored first when left fielder Steward Ijames hit a solo blast into the Hill-Kelly Dodge hill in right field.
Mobile went ahead, 2-0, in the top of the fourth inning when Pensacola starting pitcher Barrett Astin intentionally walked BayBears shortstop Ildemaro Vargas to pitch to right-hander Billy Buckner, who was hitless this year. But Astin walked him on five pitches to score Mobile’s Cron.
Mobile’s Buckner retired the last 12 batters in a row before coming out at the end of the fourth inning for reliever Luis Ramirez, who retired two more, before hitting Pensacola third baseman Eric Jagielo.
Pensacola Storm Wins Open State Championship
June 16, 2016
The Pensacola Storm 13-year old Majors team recently competed in the Florida Panhandle 13 Open State Championship in Destin.
On Saturday they beat Team Phenom Navy by a score of 4-3 and the Pace Mudcats by a score of 13-0. On Sunday, they outscored the Niceville Traveling Eagles 6-2 to go to the championship game. The Pensacola Storm’s bats stayed hot and they played outstanding defense and defeated Machine Baseball by a score of 10-1.
This is the fourth state tournament championship out of the five years that the Pensacola Storm has competed. This victory finished up the regular season for the Pensacola Storm with a 36-9 record. The Pensacola Storm will compete in the Wilson DeMarini Elite World Series in Orlando next month.
Pictured: (Bottom, L-R) Bailey Mott, Tanner Rouchon, Josh Turner, Ian Ladieu, Aaron Noack, (top, L-R) Wilson Perkins, Blake Holman, Jordan McCants, Hunter Pierson, Damarius McGhee and Jordan Jarman. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Wahoos Remain In First Place Despite Loss
June 16, 2016
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos lost for the second straight game but remained tied with the Biloxi Shuckers for first place in the Southern League South Division.
Pensacola managed just two hits off of Mobile starting pitcher Anthony Banda, who threw eight scoreless innings to lead the BayBears to a 2-0 win Wednesday in front of a crowd of 4,340 at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
Blue Wahoos manager Pat Kelly knew that Mobile had some strong arms coming in to the six-game series boasting a 3.40 ERA, which is good for third in the Southern League.
“(Banda) was outstanding,” Kelly said. “We didn’t have many good swings on him. His fastball is very deceptive and he has a very good changeup.”
Pensacola center fielder Phillip Ervin got the first hit by either team in the bottom of the fourth inning on a ground ball past the second baseman into right field. Blue Wahoos shortstop Calten Daal in his first game back from the disabled list got the other hit when he hit a bloop single to right field.
Pensacola first baseman Kyle Parker got a third hit for Pensacola off of Mobile reliever Joey Krehbiel.
In its last six games, the Blue Wahoos are hitting .187 as a team. They’re hitting .244 on the year.
“I think we’ve seen some good pitching,” Kelly said. “We knew it would be tough.”
Banda, the Arizona Diamondbacks No. 14 prospect according to MLB.com, threw a season-high eight innings, gave up a season-low two hits and tied his season-high with nine strikeouts.
Despite Pensacola’s loss it is still deadlocked at 37-28 for the Southern League South Division lead with Biloxi, who fell to Jacksonville, 8-4.
With just five games to play in the first half, including a seven-inning doubleheader that begins at 5 p.m. Thursday, Kelly said he likes how his team is playing.
“I mean it’s fun,” Kelly said about battling Biloxi for the first half crown. “I’d rather be in that position than where we were last year—out of contention.”
Raisel Iglesias threw a total of 23 pitches and 18 strikes in two scoreless innings and didn’t allow a hit, while striking out two. Like his first two-inning rehab assignment with Pensacola, he showed a mix of pitches and motions. In his first rehab assignment June 11, Iglesias allowed two hits and struck out two throwing 30 pitches with 22 for strikes.
After five starts with the Cincinnati Reds, including the opening day start, Iglesias went on the disabled list with an impingement in his right shoulder.
Kelly, who played catcher, said Iglesias is scheduled to pitch one more time in Pensacola.
“I saw a little better velocity,” Kelly said. “He was impressive to me tonight.”
In the top of the fifth inning, Mobile catcher Michael Perez earned the BayBears first hit of the game. Perez hit it up the middle and Pensacola second baseman Brandon Dixon dived and knocked it down behind second base. Blue Wahoos shortstop Calten Daal picked it up and threw it away, allowing Mobile third baseman Travis Denker, who led off the inning by getting hit by a pitch, to advance to third base and Perez to reach second.
Pensacola pitcher Jackson Stephens got the next two batters to fly out to bring up Mobile pitcher Anthony Banda to the plate. Banda hit a line drive single to left field to get his first RBI of his professional career, scoring Denker for a Mobile lead, 1-0.
Stephens then allowed the first two Mobile hitters to single in the sixth inning but worked out of the jam.
Mobile centerfielder Evan Marzilli tripled to lead off the eighth inning and then scored on right fielder Gabriel Guerrero’s double over Pensacola center fielder Phillip Ervin’s head in dead center for a 2-0 BayBears lead.
In the ninth inning, Pensacola had runners at first and second with the winning run at the plate but couldn’t get a hit.
“We thought Iglesias and Stephens would keep us in the ball game and they did,” Kelly said. “They could have easily blown us out.”
Blue Wahoos Tied For First After Loss To Montgomery
June 15, 2016
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos are in the race for the first half Southern League South Division crown headed into its last series that starts Wednesday against the rival Mobile BayBears.
It’s only the second time the ball club has been in first place headed into the last series of the half since its inception five years ago. The other was the second half of last year.
Pensacola, which is six-for-six in series wins at home, is now 37-27 and tied for first with the Biloxi Shuckers. They beat the Birmingham Barons and end their season with a five-game series on the road against the Jacksonville Suns.
“I like our position,” said Pensacola manager Pat Kelly in his second year heading the club. “It’s a lot better than seven other teams in the league right now. It’s much more exciting to be playing for something in the last series.”
The Montgomery Biscuits escaped with a win in the final game of the series, 7-1, Tuesday in front of 3,532 fans at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
Pensacola and Biloxi have shared first place all season this year. In 2015, the second half was decided in the next to last game of the season when Pensacola beat Mobile to win the division and play Biloxi in the South Division playoffs, which the Shuckers ended up winning.
“Mobile will be a tough series,” Kelly said. “They have good pitching and a very good bullpen. We have to win as many as we can in those six games.”
Pensacola and Mobile are playing six games to make up a rain out in the last game of the series at Hank Aaron Stadium.
On Tuesday night, Montgomery put the game away in the seventh inning by sending 10 hitters to the plate and scoring five runs on five hits. Biscuits Tommy Coyle scored the first run when he doubled, reached third on a sacrifice bunt by catcher Jake DePew and then scored on a squeeze play by Biscuits shortstop Juniel Querecuto to make the score 3-0.
The big hit came from Montgomery third baseman Patrick Leonard who smacked a one-out line drive to right center with the bases loaded, scoring all three runners on to put the Biscuits ahead, 6-0. Leonard scored the final run of the inning when second baseman Kean Wong singled to center to extend Montgomery’s lead, 7-0.
The big inning in the seventh might have been prevented, if reliever El’Hajj Muhammad cleanly fielded a bunt down the third base line by Montgomery catcher Jake DePew and then thrown Querecuto out at first, instead of throwing home late trying to get Coyle.
Pensacola right-hander Nick Travieso and pitching coach Danny Darwin have been working on his delivery. It seemed to pay off as he threw six innings and allowed two runs on four hits and two walks, while striking out five. In his past three starts, Travieso had given up 12 runs, 10 earned in 12.2 innings.
“It was nice to see him get back on track,” Kelly said.
Travieso did labor in the fourth inning giving up two runs to Montgomery on one hit, one hit batter, two walks and two wild pitches. He hit the Biscuits’ Leonard with a 90 mph fastball to lead off the fourth. Leonard then took second on a wild pitch. Travieso then walked Montgomery DH Mike Marjama and both he and Leonard advanced on another wild pitch. Montgomery center fielder Tommy Coyle, batting .126, reached his bat out and sent the ball into right field that scored Leonard and Marjama to put the Biscuits on top, 2-0.
Meanwhile, Biscuits right-hander Taylor Guerrieri, the Tampa Bay No. 6 prospect, threw five scoreless innings to improve to 5-4 with a 3.88 ERA. He allowed just three hits, one walk and struck out four Pensacola batters.
Kelly said Guerrieri threw a cutter that broke six-to-eight inches, keeping the Pensacola batters off balance.
“He was very effective,” Kelly said.
Wahoos Double Up On The Montgomery Biscuits
June 14, 2016
Pensacola catcher Kyle Skipworth wanted to make up for his throwing error that allowed Montgomery to get the first run of the game and, boy, did he.
Skipworth blasted the ball over the center field wall for a two-run, walk-off homer that gave the Blue Wahoos a, 4-2, victory over the Biscuits in front of 3,932 fans Monday at Blue Wahoos Stadium. Pensacola’s four wins in its last five games have all come in the team’s last at bat.
It not only helped Pensacola clinch the five-game series, 3-1, over Montgomery with one game to go Tuesday but also helped them regain a one-game lead over Biloxi. The Shuckers lost, 9-2, Monday to the Birmingham Barons.
Pensacola, which is six-for-six in series wins at home, improved to 37-26. Meanwhile, Biloxi fell to 36-27.
Skipworth, who is coming off of surgery on his right ankle in December, has played seven games behind the plate for Pensacola and now has two homers and four RBIs.
“I don’t think there is any better feeling really,” said Skipworth of his walk-off bomb. “I hope by now you know how invested I am in what I do for the pitchers. I hate when (I give up a run) because it’s my fault. I needed to come through in a spot like that.”
Pensacola manager Pat Kelly said he admires the strength of the 6-foot-4, 230-pound Skipworth.
“He hit a ball over the scoreboard last year,” Kelly said. “He’s so strong when he hits those balls they go so long. You don’t see too many go out like that.”
Montgomery right fielder Cade Gotta put the Biscuits in front, 1-0, when he walked, moved to second on center fielder Braxton Lee’s single to left, stole third base on a double steal and scored on Skipworth’s misfire to second base.
Pensacola starting pitcher Rookie Davis made his third start since a groin injury sidelined him for three starts and worked five innings — his most since returning to the Blue Wahoos starting rotation.
Davis retired the last seven Montgomery batters he faced. Davis allowed two hits, walked four and struck out three, giving up one unearned run.
“He battled,” Kelly said. “We asked him if he was in discomfort or pain? He said, ‘I’m just in discomfort.’ He didn’t have his best stuff but he battled.”
Montgomery went ahead, 2-0, in the sixth inning when third baseman Patrick Leonard smashed a hit to center field, stole second and scored when catcher Mike Marjama followed with a single up the middle.
Pensacola shortstop Zach Vincej extended his hitting streak to nine games when he led off the bottom of the sixth inning with a double that bounced of the left field wall on one hop. However, he was stranded there. During his hitting streak, Vincej is batting 13-30 (.433), raising his average from .207 to .248.
Montgomery starter Jacob Faria had Pensacola batters under his spell for 6.2 innings, allowing no runs and just three hits, while striking out seven.
“There starter was really, really good today,” Skipworth said.
However, with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning Pensacola’s Skipworth singled to right center and then Blue Wahoos third baseman Alex Blandino launched a bomb over the left field wall to tie the game, 2-2.
Faria completed seven innings, giving up six hits, allowing two runs and striking out seven.
The Biscuits came right back to take a 3-2 lead when shortstop Willy Adames drew a leadoff walk in the top of the eighth and scored on a two-out single by Marjama. Marjama stole second and then tried to score on a slow chopper to third that Gotta beat out to first. But an alert Pensacola first baseman Kyle Parker threw home to get Marjama out at the plate by a mile.
In the ninth with one out, Brandon Dixon reached first when Montgomery’s Leonard couldn’t handle his sharp grounder and then Skipworth launched his game-winning dinger
Tate’s Branden Fryman Drafted By The New York Mets
June 13, 2016
Tate High School graduate Branden Fryman was chosen by the New York Mets in the 37th round of the Major League Baseball Draft. He was selection 1,120 overall.
Fryman has signed to play baseball for Samford University in Birmingham. Fryman hit .400 last year as a junior. The Aggies shortstop is the son of Travis Fryman who spent 12 years in the majors with the Detroit Tigers and the Cleveland Indians, and he was named an all-star five times.
Pictured: Tate’s Branden Fryman signs with Samford University. Filed photos.
Biscuits Beat The Wahoos, Snapping Three Game Streak
June 13, 2016
The Montgomery Biscuits snapped the Pensacola Blue Wahoos three-game winning streak on Sunday with a 5-2 victory.
The Biscuits relied on strong pitching from starter Hunter Wood, who limited Pensacola to two hits through five innings in his third start in Double-A, in front of the 15th sellout crowd of 5,038 at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
Pensacola snapped Wood’s scoreless inning streak at 14.1 innings when Pensacola DH Donald Lutz hit a deep sacrifice fly to center to score Sebastian Elizalde from third in the fourth inning. In his first two starts at the Double-A level, Wood had thrown 11 scoreless innings and won both games.
The Blue Wahoos finally chased Wood, the Rays’ No. 30 prospect, from the game in the sixth inning when Pensacola’s left fielder Tony Renda doubled to the left field corner and then scored when Kyle Parker smacked a double to left to pull the Blue Wahoos within, 4-2.
Pensacola manager Pat Kelly said he was impressed with Wood, now 3-0, and his mix of pitches.
“He was terrific,” Kelly said. “He has a nice mix of pitches and throws two different kinds of changeups. We had our chance in the sixth.”
However, Ryne Stanek, a former Biscuits starter and the Rays No. 17 prospect, came in and got the next two hitters out with runners on second and third. Pensacola second baseman Brandon Dixon did hit a 398-foot fly out to dead center that measures 400-feet from home plate.
Over the final 3.2 innings, Stanek, whose fast ball reaches the upper 90-mph range, allowed just two hits, walked one and struck out four to shut down the Pensacola offense.
Pensacola will remain in first place, despite the loss, in the Southern League South Division with a record of 36-26. The Biloxi Shuckers were one game behind and could tie the Blue Wahoos with a win over the Birmingham Barons.
Pensacola manager Pat Kelly played down the hunt for the first half title that gives the winner an automatic pass to the Southern League playoffs.
“You have two good teams and playing five games is tough,” Kelly said. “You’re not going to win all five games.”
Pensacola first baseman Kyle Parker, who was released from the Colorado Rockies after spring training and missed most of April before the Cincinnati Reds picked him up, got his fourth multi-hit game in his last five contests. He went 2-4 with a double and drove in one of Pensacola’s two runs Sunday.
Parker isn’t focused on the first half crown either. He said the best thing to do is relax
“We’re all competitors and we want to win,” he said. “Obviously, it’s nice to be winning. We’re playing our best every single day. Things like that will take care of themselves.”
Pensacola starter Sal Romano cruised through the first two innings, striking out four including Montgomery second baseman Tommy Coyle on a 3-2 count with runners on first and second to end the second inning.
But Romano has had tough luck this season, compiling a 1-6 record losing his last four starts in a row. He has given up 34 hits in 22.2 innings pitched during that span, posting a 5.96 ERA.
In the third inning, Montgomery finally got to Romano scoring three runs on three hits and two walks. Biscuits left fielder Pat Blair earned a leadoff walk and scored from third to give Montgomery the lead, 1-0, when right fielder Cade Gotta hit a slow roller to Pensacola first baseman Kyle Parker, who tagged him out.
The Biscuits made it, 2-0, when shortstop Willy Adames, Tampa Bay Rays’ No. 3 prospect, tripled over the Pensacola outfielders’ heads into the right center gap to drive in third baseman Kean Wong, who had singled to left field, to go ahead, 2-0.
The final run of the third inning came when DH Patrick Leonard singled on a ground ball to left field to score Adames, putting Montgomery up, 3-0.
Montgomery added another run to go up, 4-1, when first baseman Jake Bauer hit a hard liner to center in the fifth inning to score Adames from third base, which he reached when Pensacola third baseman Eric Jagielo fielded a routine ground ball and threw it past first base.
Romano finished the game throwing five innings, giving up eight hits and three walks and allowing four runs, three earned, while striking out five. He lost his fifth consecutive start and is 1-7 with a 4.93 ERA on the season.
Kelly said Romano seemed to lose faith in his 95-mph fastball when he struck out a couple batters on his breaking ball.
“I thought he lost trust in his fastball,” Kelly said. “He hurt himself with a couple of walks and the triple (by Adames) hurt him.”
Montgomery stretched its lead back to three runs in the eighth when Bauer earned a leadoff walk and reached third on a routine single to left field by Leonard. Bauer increased the Biscuits’ lead to 5-2 on a sacrifice fly by catcher Jake DePew.
Wahoos Beat Biscuits
June 12, 2016
For the second night in a row, Pensacola second baseman Alex Blandino played a big role in the Blue Wahoos victory Saturday, earning a two-out bases loaded walk that scored Pensacola first baseman Kyle Parker with the winning run in the 11th inning.
Pensacola won its third straight game in its last at bat beating the Montgomery Biscuits, 3-2, in front of its 14th sellout crowd of 5,038 this season at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
On Friday night, Blandino scored the winning run in a 2-1 game when Pensacola catcher Joe Hudson hit a chopper deep in the hole at shortstop that Montgomery shortstop Willy Adames threw away for an error.
Blandino may be 3-31 in his last 11 games since May 26 but he has walked nine times, including twice Friday as well as getting a single to center field, as his family watched the game from the stands.
Pensacola manager Pat Kelly said Blandino, the Cincinnati Reds No. 8 prospect according to MLB.com, praised Blandino’s patience in the pressure-filled at bat. The Blue Wahoos have played two extra-inning games in its last three victories.
“He went through a little rough spot but he’s a much better player than he has shown the last couple of weeks,” Kelly said. “It was a 3-1 count and most players want to get a base hit but he was very patient. Blandino did a great job.”
Blue Wahoos catcher Kyle Skipworth and third baseman Eric Jagielo both hit solo home runs to left field in the fifth inning to give Pensacola a 2-0 lead, but Montgomery fought back.
For Skipworth, who’s recovering from breaking his left ankle in December, it was his first home run for Pensacola in his sixth game and 20th at bat. One out later, Jagielo jacked his fourth homer of the season.
But Montgomery came back in the sixth to score one, 2-1, when Biscuits third baseman Patrick Leonard hit a sacrifice fly ball to centerfield that scored first baseman Casey Gillaspie. Gillaspie upped his on-base streak to 27 games and has failed to get on base in only three of Montgomery’s 62 games this season.
The Biscuits tied the game, 2-2, in the top of the ninth when second baseman Tommy Coyle singled to right field past Blandino. Coyle then stole second base and Skipworth’s throw to second sailed to centerfield, allowing Coyle to reach third. Montgomery’s No. 9 hitter Pat Blair then doubled to left center to score Coyle.
Raisel Iglesias pitched two scoreless innings, allowing two hits and striking two out in his first rehab start in Pensacola. Iglesias, the Cincinnati Reds opening day starter went on the disabled list with an impingement in his right throwing shoulder earlier this season.
Iglesias was efficient throwing up to 95 mph and fooling two Montgomery Biscuit batters in a row on breaking balls in the low 80s in the second inning. Iglesias even showed his sidearm pitch. He threw 30 pitches, including 22 for strikes.
The first hit by Biscuits leadoff hitter was a check swing single to third base. The other was a rip by right fielder Cade Gotta on a groundball under the glove of a diving Pensacola third baseman Eric Jagielo into left field.
Cincinnati Reds opening day starter had five starts and was 1-1 with a 3.49 ERA with 29 strikeouts in 28.1 innings.
“I thought he was crisp,” Kelly said of Iglesias, who is the third Reds starter to make a rehab appearance this season in Pensacola. Kelly said he joked with Iglesias, “He came into the dugout and I told him this is the Double-A, this isn’t the big leagues, you have to understand these guys can hit. But he was very effective and showed different looks.”
Amir Garrett, the normal starter, then pitched the next five innings, allowing one run on three hits, two walks and struck out three.
Kelly praised Garrett for coming in after Iglesias and pitching well. He did allow three runners to reach third base in his last three innings on the mound.
“Garrett did well but he had three high stress innings in a row and we were concerned about his arm speed,” Kelly said. “I have to credit Garrett. It’s not a situation a starter is used to. He pitched out of some big jams and did a nice job.”
Pensacola remained in sole possession of first place in the Southern League South Division with a record of 36-25. The Biloxi Shuckers also won and improved to 35-26 to remain one game behind the Blue Wahoos.
Wahoos Beat Biscuits
June 11, 2016
After a 14 inning game the night before that led to the Pensacola Blue Wahoos boarding their bus at 1:15 a.m. and arriving home seven hours later at 8:15 a.m., it’s safe to say many of the players did not get their recommended eight hours of beauty sleep.
Pensacola third baseman Alex Blandino, with bags under his eyes, sliced a double in the ninth inning to drive in the tying run and then scored the winning run to give the Blue Wahoos a victory, 2-1, Friday over the Montgomery Biscuits in front of the 13th sellout crowd of 5,038 this season at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
Did Blandino get any sleep? “I’ll be catching up tonight,” he said jokingly.
Blandino stepped to the plate in a 1-28 slump before whipping a line drive to right center that scored Pensacola first baseman Kyle Parker to tie the game, 1-1. Parker started the rally when he led off the ninth inning with a double after hitting a high fly ball to the warning track in left field that the Montgomery outfielder misjudged.
Blandino then scored when Pensacola catcher Joe Hudson hit a chopper deep in the hole at shortstop that Montgomery’s Willy Adames threw high to first for an error.
“Initially, I thought it was a single through the six hole,” said Blandino. “(Third base coach) Alex (Pelaez) waved me all the way through. We’re neck and neck with Biloxi, so you have to put your personal struggles aside and help your team win.”
Pensacola remained in sole possession of first place in the Southern League South Division with a record of 35-25. The Biloxi Shuckers also won and improved to 34-26.
Pensacola manager Pat Kelly said winning back-to-back games in less than 24 hours near the end of the first half is huge for the team.
“These guys are fun to watch,” Kelly said. “I take it as a great sign when (Blandino) is hitting it to right center. What a clutch time to do it.”
The Blue Wahoos also got 6.2 clutch innings from starting pitcher Jackson Stephens. He allowed one run on six hits and struck out six.
Pensacola closer Carlos Gonzalez came in and pitched 2.1 hitless innings to blank Montgomery and struck out four. He improved to 3-1 on the season.
“Our bats were struggling early,” he said. “But our bats woke up and something good happened at the end. This is a very big win, especially late like this near the end of the half.”
The Pensacola bullpen, who has been dubbed the “Prospect Protectors” lived up to their name in the previous five-game series against the Jackson Generals. The Blue Wahoos highly touted starting rotation features four of its five pitchers as top 15 prospects in the Cincinnati Reds organization this season, according to MLB.com.
However, they posted an uncharacteristic 5.87 earned-run average in 23 innings pitched. Only two of the five starters — No. 4 prospect Amir Garrett and No. 15 prospect Sal Romano — pitched five innings or more in Jackson.
Meanwhile, the unheralded Pensacola bullpen posted a 2.19 ERA in 24.2 innings pitched, striking out 19. The relief work was crowned by 11 scoreless innings in which they allowed 11 hits, walked three and struck out eight to help beat Jackson, 10-5, in 14 innings Thursday.
Stephens laughed at the name. “We don’t have a problem with it,” he said. “They have the goal to go in and throw zeroes. We have confidence in them that that’s going to happen.”
Wahoos Beat Jackson In 14 Innings
June 10, 2016
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos won a critical game against the Jackson Generals scoring five runs with two outs to pull out a, 10-5, victory in 14 innings Thursday at The Ballpark at Jackson.
The win in the 4-hour, 56-minute game moved Pensacola into sole possession of first place in the Southern League South Division with a record of 34-25. The Biloxi Shuckers lost, 17-2, to the Montgomery Biscuits earlier Thursday night to fall one game back of Pensacola at 33-26.
Pensacola returns home Friday to play its final 10 games at home to close out the first half of the Southern League season.
Jackson, which won the series, 3-2, had struck out seven in a row until inning 14 when Pensacola left fielder Tony Renda clobbered a one-out standup double high off the left field wall. The Generals’ six pitchers struck out 18 Blue Wahoos in the game.
Blue Wahoos right fielder Sebastian Elizalde followed by stroking a double to left field that appeared to score Renda, who beat the throw and seemed to slide over home plate. But Jackson catcher Steve Baron, who dropped the ball picked it up and tagged Renda, who was called out. Elizalde went to third on the throw home from the General’s Ian Miller.
However, with two outs Pensacola scored five runs. The first run came in when second baseman Brandon Dixon, who had struck out four times Thursday came up next and slapped a sharp grounder to third that was bobbled by Jackson’s Patrick Brady, allowing Elizalde to score the go-ahead run, 6-5. Dixon beat the throw to first for an infield single.
Pensacola first baseman Donald Lutz then hit a sharp ground ball to right field that second baseman Tim Lopes fielded a few steps on the grass in right field and threw it away, allowing both Dixon and pinch hitter Amir Garrett to score, making it an 8-5 Pensacola lead.
Pensacola center fielder Phillip Ervin, who had walked, moved to second and he scored on a passed ball by Baron to put the Blue Wahoos up 9-5.
Blue Wahoos third baseman Eric Jagielo then singled for the third time Thursday to right field to score Lutz, who reached second on the passed ball and went to third on a throwing error by Baron, for a 10-5 Pensacola lead.
Pensacola, which sent 10 batters to the plate, scored the five runs in the 14th inning on five hits, two walks and two Jackson errors.
Pensacola’s Renda hit two doubles in the game to lead the Southern League with 22 this season. He went 3-7 with an RBI and is batting .324.
After Pensacola first baseman Kyle Parker hit a two-out, two-run double in the seventh inning to tie Jackson, 5-5, the Blue Wahoos bullpen took over and threw 11 scoreless innings.
Blue Wahoos starting pitcher Nick Travieso lasted just three innings giving up five runs, four earned on seven hits and three walks and struck out one.
But the Pensacola bullpen stopped the bleeding after that beginning with reliever El’Hajj Muhammad, who worked 2.2 scoreless innings and gave up two hits and two walks and struck out three. Kyle McMyne followed and threw 2.1 scoreless innings and gave up three hits.
Pensacola reliever Kevin Shackelford entered the game in the ninth and threw 10 pitches and struck out Jackson right fielder Tyler O’Neill, second baseman Tim Lopes and retired DH Leon Landry on a fly out. Shackelford pitched 3.0 innings allowing three hits, one walk and striking out three. He got O’Neill out a second time with a runner on second base on a shallow fly ball to Ervin in center in the 11th inning.
Pensacola’s Alejandro Chacin entered in inning 12 and threw two scoreless innings, allowing one hit and striking out two. He got the win, improving to 3-0, this season. Barrett Astin pitched the last inning and gave up two hits but no runs.
Dixon, who had singled in the seventh inning to end an 0-12 slump and drive in a run, went 2-7 and scored twice.
Jackson did have chances to win the game in extra innings. Generals shortstop Benji Gonzalez doubled off the right field wall with one out in the 13th inning. He had also doubled to lead off the 11th inning and has 17 doubles for Jackson this year. Both times Gonzalez was stranded on base.
Jackson scored first getting three runs in the first inning to take a 3-0 lead. First, center fielder Guillermo Heredia singled to center scoring Miller to put the Generals ahead, 1-0. Then, O’Neill hit a one-out, two-run homer to put Jackson on top, 3-0.