Fulton Fantastic, But Bats Kept Quiet In Wahoos’ Fifth Straight Loss

May 25, 2025

The showcase pitching matchup between touted prospects exceeded expectations.

But game itself continued the Blue Wahoos struggling week-long narrative.

Unable to seize a first-inning opportunity, then held to just two hits, the Blue Wahoos fell 2-0 against the Birmingham Barons for a fifth consecutive loss, before a customary sellout crowd of 5,038 Saturday night at Blue Wahoos Stadium.

It was the first Saturday night home loss this season on Fireworks Saturday.

But the night contained a wide variety of crowd-buzzing entertainment elements, beginning with Star Wars Night featuring 17 authentic costumed Star Wars characters who posed for pictures and visited with fans along the second-level concourse. The Blue Wahoos wore Star Wars jerseys auctioned during the game.

The other activities included a pregame parade of youth scouts from the Northwest Florida Chapter of Scouting America, a mid-game salute to an area nurse, then a post-game marriage proposal from a U.S. Marine Corps member moments before the two launched the post-game fireworks show.

The massive crowd witnessed two of baseball’s former acclaimed high school pitchers, lefthanders Dax Fulton for the Blue Wahoos and 6-foot-10 Noah Schultz for the Barons – now a few years into pro careers – produce a duel of zeroes.

The Barons (24-18), leaders in the Southern League North Division, manufactured an unearned, first-inning run, which proved all they would need.

Schultz, the Chicago White Sox No. 1 prospect, rated the No. 15 overall prospect in Minor League Baseball by MLB Pipeline, had his best start this season. He was Chicago’s top draft pick in 2022 out of high school in Oswego, Illinois.

On this night, he went five innings, allowed just one hit, struck out four and walked three batters.

Two of those walks were back-to-back to begin the Blue Wahoos’ first inning. But Schultz then got Nathan Martorella to hit into a double play and got cleanup hitter Kemp Alderman out on a grounder to first.

Fulton, meanwhile, followed his last quality start with another. After giving up consecutive singles to start the game, he never faced another threat, and went six innings for the first time this season.

He finished allowing eight hits, all singles, no walks, struck out seven and left trailing 1-0. It further supported his strong comeback after missing all of last season from elbow surgery and most of the 2023 season when arm issues developed.

The Blue Wahoos (23-21), who have lost 12 of their past 16 games, had another chance against Schultz in the fourth inning when Alderman singled with one out and Zamora walked. That hit was the only one Schultz allowed.
But Schultz struck out Mark Coley II and got Johnny Olmstead to ground out to end the inning.

The Barons used three relievers behind Schultz. They combined to give up just one hit, no walks and struck out eight batters. The Blue Wahoos had only one baserunner in the last four innings.
In the ninth inning, Birmingham reliever Peyton Pallette ended the game on nine pitches, including striking out the final two batters he faced.

The Barons got the second run on a homer by Jacob Gonzalez in the eighth inning off Dale Stanavich, who worked the final two innings.

The Blue Wahoos will try to avoid being swept in a six-game homestand for the first time since this format started in 2021 in Sunday’s series finale against Birmingham.

WANT TO GO?
WHAT: Homestand Finale
WHO: Birmingham Barons vs. Blue Wahoos
WHEN: Sunday, 4:05 p.m.
WHERE: Blue Wahoos Stadium.
GAMETIME: 4:05 p.m. start.

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