Wahoos Slip Past Jacksonville
July 18, 2016
Pensacola third baseman Taylor Sparks hit his third home run in his last four games to propel the Blue Wahoos to a 7-6 victory in the top of the 10th inning Sunday over the Jacksonville Suns in the second game of a doubleheader.
Sparks’ fifth homer of the season, this time off of Jacksonville reliever Tyler Higgins, helped Pensacola even its record at 12-12 and in second place in the Southern League South Division in the second half. Plus, the Blue Wahoos are now 8-3 in extra-inning games this season. Pensacola also clinched the five-game series, going up 3-1 on the road at The Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville.
A mid-season call up from the Daytona Tortugas, Sparks has gone 4-for-10 in this series against Jacksonville pitching with three homers and five RBIs. He hit two blasts in his first game with Pensacola and now has five homers and 13 RBIs in 22 games with the Blue Wahoos.
Jacob Ehret earned his first Double-A win (1-0) in nine appearances with Pensacola pitching two scoreless innings in relief on one hit, two walks and a strikeout.
Pensacola jumped on Jacksonville starting pitcher Matt Tomshaw by scoring four runs in the top of the first inning. Blue Wahoos second baseman Brandon Dixon singled on a ground ball to leftfield that drove in center fielder Jeff Gelalich, who had doubled to start the game, for the first run.
Pensacola went ahead, 2-0, when shortstop Zach Vincej singled on a line drive to left field that scored left fielder Phillip Ervin. Blue Wahoos first baseman Ray Chang doubled in Dixon and Vincej for the final two runs of the inning that made the score, 4-0.
Jacksonville came right back in the bottom the first. Suns center fielder Moises Sierra doubled on a ground ball to left field that scored right fielder Ronnie Mitchell to make the score, 4-1. Then Suns third baseman Brian Anderson hit a two-out, two-run homer that also drove in Sierra to pull Jacksonville within, 4-3.
However, Pensacola came back with a run in the fourth inning to go up, 5-3, when Gelalich hit a sacrifice fly deep to center field that scored Blue Wahoos catcher Joe Hudson, who lead off the inning with a double.
Pensacola tacked on another run to go ahead, 6-3, in the fifth inning when right fielder Juan Duran singled in Dixon.
Jacksonville pulled within one run again, 6-5, in the sixth inning when first baseman Chris Curley hit an infield single to shortstop that scored both Sierra and Anderson.
The Suns tied the score, 6-6, in the seventh inning when Sierra hit a bases loaded sacrifice fly to center field that scored left fielder Alex Glenn.
In the first game of the doubleheader, Jacksonville won 1-0 scoring its only run in the first inning. Pensacola starter Jackson Stephens hit Brian Anderson with the bases loaded to score Austin Dean.
Wahoos Beat Suns 5-2
July 17, 2016
With a pair of home runs by Brandon Dixon and a season-high nine strikeouts by Rookie Davis, the Pensacola Blue Wahoos were lights out against the Jacksonville Suns in a 5-2 win at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville.
The Blue Wahoos jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the first inning after a two-out home run by Taylor Sparks. After a single by Sebastian Elizalde, Brandon Dixon hit his first homer of the night.
Rookie Davis, the Reds No. 11 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, started off his night by striking out five of the first six Suns’ batters. In the top of the second, Davis also raked his fourth RBI of the year with a single to bring home Ray Chang.
Brandon Dixon hit his final home run of the night, and 13th of the year, in the third inning to give Pensacola a 5-0 lead, and the team’s final run of the night.
It wasn’t until the fifth inning that Jacksonville was able to put runs on the board. After a ground rule double by Francisco Arcia, former Pensacola catcher Cam Maron hit his first home run of the season.
Davis finished the night striking out by striking out four more batters for a total of nine, a Double-A high for him.
After leaving the game after the sixth inning, the Pensacola bullpen shut down Jacksonville including an inning of hitless baseball by MLB rehabber Caleb Cotham. Carlos Gonzalez came in the eighth inning and struck out one while giving up no hits in his third straight appearance (3.2 innings total).
Alejandro Chacin, who leads the Southern League in saves, picked up his 17th save after two strikeouts and allowing two hits.
Pensacola and Jacksonville play two seven-inning games Sunday after Friday night’s postponement due to rain. RHP Jackson Stephens and RHP Sal Romano are taking the mound for Pensacola while LHP Matt Tomshaw and RHP Patrick Johnson take the hill for Jacksonville.
Tate Football’s Raymond Freeman Named Top Long Snapper
July 15, 2016
Tate High School long snapper Raymond Freeman was declared Camp Champion at the Rubio Long Snapping Camp in Kennesaw, GA this week. The class of 2017 snapper was picked as the best overall at the camp.
Freeman beat out approximately 70 participants from 11 states as Snappers gathered to learn from the best and get the most exposure possible to college coaches.
“Freeman caught fire early in the day and never stopped. Came close in the accuracy contest, did well through the agility section and was outstanding in the speed competition. He left no doubt in the end that he was one of the top Long Snappers in the country!” said Chris Rubio, instructor.
Off the field, Freeman also shines academically at Tate, ranked high in his class with a 4.63 GPA on a 4.0 scale.
Wahoos Beat Jacksonville 9-0
July 15, 2016
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos tied a franchise record by knocking five home runs in a 9-0 victory over the Jacksonville Suns at The Baseball Ground of Jacksonville.
The last time the Blue Wahoos hit five homers in a game was May 10, 2016. Then, as well as Thursday, Pensacola center fielder Phillip Ervin hit two of the five blasts out of the ballpark.
The Pensacola outburst came one day after the Blue Wahoos lineup was shutout by Biloxi Shuckers pitching, 1-0, and managed only four hits.
Despite the loss, Jacksonville remained in first place in the second half of the Southern League South Division at 11-10, while Pensacola moved into second at 10-11 — one game back of the Suns. Pensacola is 51-40 overall, while Jacksonville fell to 41-50.
Blue Wahoos third baseman Alex Blandino led off the homer avalanche by putting the Blue Wahoos on top, 1-0, in the third inning with a two-out solo homer to left field.
Blandino was followed with home runs by Taylor Sparks in the seventh, Phillip Ervin in the seventh, Eric Jagielo in the eighth and Ervin again in the ninth.
To go along with his two solo blasts, Ervin also doubled — his 16th of the season — to lead off the sixth inning. Pensacola second baseman Brandon Dixon then followed Ervin with a walk. Both moved up on a wild pitch to third and second base. Pensacola right fielder Sebastian Elizalde smacked a deep sacrifice fly to right field to score Ervin to put Pensacola ahead, 2-0.
Pensacola went up, 3-0, when left fielder Juan Duran grounded out to shortstop driving in Dixon.
The Blue Wahoos put the game out of reach when they scored four more runs in the seventh inning to take a 7-0 lead. Sparks hit a pinch-hit, three-run blast over the left field wall that also brought in both Jagielo and catcher Chad Wallach for a 6-0 lead.
It was Sparks first homer since he hit two dingers and drove in four runs in his Double-A debut June 23. He now has three home runs and 11 RBIs on the season.
Pensacola then scored its last three runs of the game on solo homers. Ervin smacked his solo blasts in the seventh inning and leading off the ninth inning. Ervin now has nine homers and 29 RBIs this season.
The other solo shot was smacked by Jagielo over the right field wall in the eighth inning — his third homer in eight games. The Blue Wahoos first baseman has seven homers and 22 RBIs.
Jagielo hit .160 in April, .192 in May, .269 in June and .306 in July, so far to increase his average to a season-high .219.
Not to be out done, Pensacola starting pitcher Tyler Mahle threw six scoreless innings, allowing four hits and two walks, while striking out two. He improved to 4-1 and lowered his ERA to 2.93. In his last start against Biloxi, he allowed one run in seven innings of work.
Tate Aggies Holding Youth Football Camp
July 14, 2016
Tate High School will hold a youth football camp next week.
The camp will be held at Pete Gindl Stadium from 5-8 p.m. on July 18-20 for students entered grades 3-8. The camp will be directed by Tate football coaching staff along with assistance from Tate football players.
The camp will present youth with the opportunity to work on fundamentals, practice agility, run through drills and learn about being part of a team.
The youth football camp at Tate High School will be a non-contact setting.
For a registration form and additional information, click here (pdf).
Guest speaker will be Fred Robbins, for Tate High School defensive tackle. He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the second round of the 2000 NFL Draft. He played college football at Wake Forest. He also played for the Super Bowl Champion New York Giants and St. Louis Rams. While at J. M. Tate High School, Robbins was a letterman in football and baseball.
Biloxi Tops Pensacola 1-0
July 14, 2016
Pensacola Blue Wahoos starting pitcher Nick Travieso and Biloxi Shuckers starting pitcher Brandon Woodruff dueled to a standoff for seven innings.
It was Travieso, who blinked first, when Biloxi catcher Jacob Nottingham hit a leadoff single in the eighth inning and came around to score to give the Shuckers a 1-0 victory Wednesday over Pensacola at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
Woodruff allowed three hits and tied his career-high by striking out 10 Blue Wahoos batters in seven innings. Meanwhile, Travieso also blanked Biloxi for seven innings and allowed two hits with six strikeouts.
But Travieso had only 75 pitches, the Cincinnati Reds No. 9 prospect according to MLB.com, and took the mound in the eighth. That’s when Nottingham hit a soft liner to get on base, moved to second on a bunt by Biloxi third baseman Gabriel Noriega, took third on a Romano wild pitch and then scored on Shuckers second baseman Javier Betancourt’s hard line drive into left field.
Pensacola had runners get on base to lead off the sixth and eighth innings. But both times Blue Wahoos center fielder Jeff Gelalich was unable to lay a good bunt down, forcing Romano and Ray Chang out at second, respectively.
“We had two opportunities to bunt and we didn’t get the man over,” said Pensacola manager Pat Kelly. “To me that’s the difference in the ball game.”
Despite allowing the run, Travieso felt positive about his performance, becoming the first Blue Wahoos starter to pitch into the eighth inning this season. He credited Pensacola pitching coach Danny Darwin for helping him with his pitching motion.
“Darwin’s been great for me,” said Travieso, who also gotten pitching advice from his dad since he was 8-years-old. “He’s a guy who pitched in the big leagues. I pick his brain and feed off him. Once I find my tempo, I can control the game.”
Kelly said the Blue Wahoo hitters struggled with Woodruff’s fastballs that reached 98 mph Wednesday.
“We haven’t see that kind of velocity from a starter,” Kelly said. “(The hitters) thought they saw the ball good but it was up and down, in and out, it wasn’t constantly in any one spot.”
Woodruff improved to 4-6 on the year with a 4.04 ERA. Travieso earned the loss falling to 4-5 with a 4.07 ERA.
Travieso has completed six innings in three of his last four starts, allowing four runs in 22 innings pitched for a 1.64 earned-run average. In his last start against Mobile, Travieso threw six scoreless innings against Mobile and gave up just two hits.
The Blue Wahoos prospect laden starting pitchers lived up to their billing against Biloxi throughout the series. Each of the five starters at least pitched into the seventh inning. Against Biloxi they totaled 35 innings pitched, 23 hits, five earned runs, two walks, 30 strikeouts and posted a 1.29 ERA, while holding Shuckers hitters to a .185 average.
“If you look at the stats we were dominating hitters,” Travieso said. “We piggy-back off of each other. The bullpen feeds off of it, too. You want to go out there and throw well.”
Pensacola won the series, 3-2, but Kelly is waiting for the team’s hitting to become more consistent. They struck out 18 times earlier in the series and 14 Wednesday.
“We’ve got the pitching. We’ve got the defense,” Kelly said. “We’re just inconsistent with our hitting right now.”
Wahoos Shut Out Biloxi
July 13, 2016
Pensacola Blue Wahoos starting pitcher Sal Romano walked into the clubhouse Tuesday with a different attitude.
Entering the game 1-9 this season and 1-14 over the past two seasons with the Blue Wahoos, he figured it was time for a change.
It worked. Romano threw seven scoreless innings, allowed three hits and struck out a season-high nine batters to help the Blue Wahoos blowout the Biloxi Shuckers, 9-0, Tuesday in front of 3,323 at Blue Wahoos Stadium. It’s the largest shutout victory in franchise history.
“I came to the ballpark not thinking about anything, or the fact that I was pitching,” said Romano, ranked the Cincinnati Reds No. 15 prospect by MLB.com. “The biggest thing I did tonight was having fun and relaxing. I’m not a heavy guy. That’s not who I am.”
He also changed his walkup song to Jason Aldean’s “Lights Come On” right before the game, instead of his usual rap music that pumps him up. And he changed lockers with Pensacola center fielder Jeff Gelalich storing his gloves in Gelalich’s locker, while Gelalich put his bats in Romano’s locker.
Blue Wahoos manager Pat Kelly said he has to remind himself every day that Romano is only 22. He improved his record to 2-10 and lowered his ERA to 4.45 this season.
“I have to remind myself he’s just 22-years-old,” Kelly said. “I have to keep reminding myself of that fact. As he matures, he will be able to refine his stuff.”
Speaking of refining, Romano, who has a mid-90s fastball, relies more and more on his changeup. It allowed him to cruise through the first three innings without allowing a hit and striking out the side in the first inning.
The first hit of the game came when Biloxi right fielder Tyrone Taylor’s double to leadoff the fourth inning. Taylor, the Milwaukee Brewers No. 12 prospect according to MLB.com, also clobbered a two-out triple to the right center gap in the sixth inning off of Romano.
“It has become a really good pitch for me,” Romano said. “I didn’t realize how good it was. I never trusted it in any games.”
Pensacola scored five runs on five hits in the first inning, sending all nine batters to the plate. Blue Wahoos center fielder Jeff Gelalich singled on a ground ball to right field and left fielder Phillip Ervin walked. Pensacola right fielder Sebastian Elizalde tripled deep into the left center gap to drive in both Gelalich and Ervin for a 2-0 lead. Blue Wahoos third baseman then hit a grounder to left field that allowed Elizalde to cross the plate, putting Pensacola up, 3-0.
Blue Wahoos shortstop Zach Vincej then smacked a line drive to center field moving Sparks to second base. Biloxi Jorge Ortega then threw a pitch past his catcher and Sparks and Vincej moved up a bag. With two outs, Pensacola catcher Joe Hudson then lined a single to center to drive in Sparks and Vincej to complete the first inning outburst, 5-0.
Pensacola is 14-1 at home when scoring first and 29-7 overall. The team has now won eight of its nine homestands.
“It’s always nice pitching with some cushion,” Romano said.
Biloxi pitcher Jorge Ortega settled down after Pensacola mugged him for five first inning runs, finishing up his start by allowing just two more hits and getting 10 outs in a row. Ortega allowed eight runs in one inning in his last start against the Jacksonville Suns, giving him an ERA of 19.50 in his last two starts. On the year, he has a 5.06 earned-run average and a 1-8 record.
But Pensacola hitters pounded left-handed submarine Biloxi reliever Brett Lee, who played at West Florida High School in Pensacola and was drafted in the 10th round in 2011. In his hometown, Pensacola hitters lit him up in the seventh inning for four runs and three hits in 0.1 innings.
Biloxi reliever Gage Smith didn’t do much better giving up three hits, including two doubles in 1.2 innings.
The heart of Pensacola’s lineup entered the game 0-26 against Biloxi pitching this series. But they more than made up for that Tuesday, driving in six of the Blue Wahoos’ nine runs and scoring four times. Phillip Ervin, the No. 3 hitter in the lineup, was 0-3 entering the game but went 2-4, scored two runs and drove in three with a double in the seventh inning. He also stole his 26th base of the season.
Sebastian Elizalde, batting in the cleanup spot was 0-9 before Tuesday’s game. He was 1-4 with a triple in the first inning that drove in two runs and he scored once.
Taylor Sparks, the No. 5 hitter had gone 0-11, but was 1-4 with an RBI single and a run scored.
“We’ve staggered the lineup a little bit,” Kelly said. “We’re going to swing and miss but we’re also going to get a lot of hits.”
Biloxi Snaps Pensacola’s Winning Streak
July 12, 2016
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos had runners on second and third with two outs and already has a franchise record eight walk-offs this season.
“You almost expect it,” Pensacola manager Pat Kelly said. “Now we’re going to get a hit here and at least tie it up.”
But the Biloxi Shuckers hung on for a 3-1 victory Monday over Pensacola in front of 3,848 at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
Shortstop Zach Vincej started the bottom of the ninth inning with a single on a ground ball to left field. Joe Hudson hit a ball back up the middle that the shortstop dove and knocked down and Pensacola had runners on first and second with one out. But center fielder Jeff Gelalich hit a dribbler to first base forcing out Hudson at second.
Biloxi turned to newly acquired relief pitcher Tayler Scott who came in and went 3-2 count on Alex Blandino and struck him out to end the game.
Biloxi scored two runs in the seventh inning when second baseman Javier Betancourt doubled off of Pensacola reliever Barrett Astin on a grounder down the third base line into the left field corner that scored both catcher Jacob Nottingham and third baseman Gabriel Noriega to put the Shuckers ahead, 3-1.
Biloxi scored first when shortstop Angel Ortega smacked his first Double-A home run and second of the season in the fourth inning to put the Shuckers up, 1-0.
Pensacola tied the score, 1-1, in the fifth inning when left fielder Phillip Ervin drew a bases loaded walk that forced in Joe Hudson, who had doubled.
Blue Wahoos Jackson Stephens became the third starter in a row to last into the seventh inning, retiring eight in a row twice.
Stephens gave way to Astin after working 6.2 innings. Stephens struck out two and left runners on first and second base that Betancourt drove in. It was a hard luck loss for Stephens, who gave up five hits, no walks, three earned runs and struck out five in his outing. He fell to 6-7 on the season with a 3.44 ERA.
“Stephens has a nice four-pitch mix,” Kelly said. “He’s got a good feeling for pitching.”
Meanwhile, Biloxi pitcher Wei-Chung Wang threw six innings, allowing four hits, walking three, walking in one run and striking out four. In his last six starts, Wang is 2-1 with a 1.71 ERA. On the season he is 3-4 with a 3.54 ERA.
The Blue Wahoos had chances to score more runs but were 0-6 with runners in scoring position and stranded seven runners on base.
Blandino doubled to start the game but then got caught trying to steal third. In the fifth inning, first baseman Ray Chang got thrown out at home. Again in the seventh, Pensacola had runners on second and third with two outs but Phillip Ervin was robbed of a hit by a Biloxi’s leaping catch by its shortstop Ortega.
Pensacola and Biloxi, who battled it out for the first half title before the Blue Wahoos won it, are evenly matched. In three series, Pensacola has a 7-6 edge and is up 2-1 this series.
The Blue Wahoos dropped to 8-10 in the second half and 49-39 on the season in the Southern League South Division. Meanwhile, the Shuckers improved to 6-12 and 45-42.
Wahoos Win Over The Shuckers
July 11, 2016
Pensacola Blue Wahoos first baseman Eric Jagielo has struggled at the plate all year but he never stopped working on his swing.
It paid off Sunday when Jagielo hit a rocket over the head of Biloxi center fielder Brett Phillips for a walk-off single that scored Blue Wahoos shortstop Zach Vincej for a 4-3 Pensacola victory over the Shuckers in front of 3,451 at Pensacola Blue Wahoos Stadium.
Jagielo said he has worked with hitting coach Alex Pelaez and has made his swing more compact. His average has steadily risen from .146 on May 9 to .208 Sunday, which is his highest average this year for the former first round pick in 2013.
The hot-hitting Jagielo, who has played 13 games at first base after playing the position just three times before coming to the Cincinnati Reds organization, also hit his second homer in three games on Saturday. Jagielo has six homers and 21 RBIs this season.
“I’m getting back to where I was last year,” said Jagielo, who was an All-Star in his last three minor league seasons in the New York Yankees organization. “I’m hitting pitches I was missing before.”
It was Pensacola’s third straight victory and the Blue Wahoos’ eighth walk-off hit this season — a franchise record. Jagielo also had Pensacola’s last walk-off, or “Wahoo Way” as the team has dubbed it, came on Father’s Day June 19 when he singled down the line to drive in Pensacola utility player Brandon Dixon for a 2-1 victory over the Mobile BayBears.
Pensacola manager Pat Kelly likes that his hitters made the most of their opportunities Sunday. The Blue Wahoos are now 8-9 in the second half and 49-38 on the season in the Southern League South Division.
“It’s not the way we planned it, but it’s nice getting a victory in the end,” Kelly said. “The only shame is that Rookie Davis doesn’t get a W out of it.”
The Blue Wahoos also tied another less desirable franchise record Sunday by striking out 18 times in a game. The last time Pensacola had that many was June 9 in a 14-inning game against the Jackson Generals.
Davis admitted he was looking to redeem himself. Davis lasted two innings, giving up seven runs, four earned on nine hits, walked one and had no strike outs in his last start against Mobile.
Sunday, he became the third Blue Wahoos starter to pitch into the seventh inning in the last 35 games. in June and July. The last two came back-to-back after righty Tyler Mahle went seven Saturday.
Davis pitched seven strong innings. He shutout Biloxi on six hits and struck out five, lowering his ERA to 2.84.
“It was a big difference from the last game,” Davis said. “I tried to come out and pitch aggressively.”
You can’t blame Biloxi right hander Taylor Jungmann, the 12th pick overall in the 2011 draft, if he didn’t want to face Pensacola on Sunday. He had faced Pensacola three times in his career and was 0-1 with a 7.71 ERA, giving up 12 earned runs in 14 innings.
Although, Biloxi’s Jungmann gave up three runs on six hits in 4.2 innings Sunday before being pulled with men on first and third, he did strike out a career-high 12 Blue Wahoos, including eight of the first nine outs.
Pensacola tagged Jungmann — who got blistered by Major League and Triple-A hitters for more than nine runs per game — for two runs in the third inning. Blue Wahoos center fielder Brandon Dixon doubled in the left center gap to score Davis and second baseman Alex Blandino for a 2-0 Pensacola lead.
Blue Wahoos Vincej hit a long fly ball off the wall for a triple to start the fourth inning. Pensacola left fielder Juan Duran then drove Vincej in to put the Blue Wahoos up, 3-0, with a deep sacrifice fly to right field that didn’t even draw a throw from the Biloxi outfielder.
Vincej went 3-4 with a triple and double, scored twice and stole his fifth base of the year. He is now 16-42 or .381 in his last 11 games and is hitting .276 on the season.
In the ninth inning, though, Biloxi pinch hitter Johnny Davis tied the game, 3-3, with a leadoff home run to right field. It was his first career home run in fourth professional season.
Biloxi had pulled within one run, 3-2, when third baseman Gabriel Noriega smacked a single up the middle that scored Phillips. Biloxi second baseman Chris McFarland then hit a chopper in front of the plate that Blue Wahoos catcher Joe Hudson decided to throw to first base and let Shuckers left fielder Garrett Cooper score.
That’s when Jagielo delivered his second Wahoo Way this season, driving in Vincej who had doubled in the ninth.
“He’s a big time player,” Davis said of his teammate. “Some guys want to step away in that situation but he’s not one of them. He’s been working hard since the first day of the first half.”
Wahoos Open Series With Win Over Biloxi
July 10, 2016
Pensacola center fielder Jeff Gelalich was called up to Double-A to be a backup player on the Blue Wahoos team.
But he created a problem for Pensacola manager Pat Kelly by hitting so well.
Now a starting outfielder for the Blue Wahoos, Gelalich smacked two doubles and drove in Pensacola’s first run of the game to propel them to a, 4-2, victory in the series opener Saturday against the Biloxi Shuckers in front of a sellout crowd of 5,038 at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
Kelly said Gelalich is a good “problem” to have, hitting .321 in 32 games with five doubles, three triples, one home run and 11 RBIs.
“If you hit it doesn’t create a problem for you,” he said. “I’ll find a spot for you. At this level, if you perform, you’re going to get an opportunity to play.”
Gelalich, who was a high draft choice by the Cincinnati Reds in 2012, came into his fifth year in the minor leagues with a career .245 average. He spent three years at the Low-A Dayton Dragons before moving up to High-A Daytona Tortugas this year.
Gelalich was promoted May 15 to the Double-A Blue Wahoos after hitting .235 in 24 games for Daytona. He’s happy to have worked himself into a starting role with Pensacola.
“It’s always a goal,” said Gelalich, who was 2-4 with one RBI Saturday. “You always want to play.”
The Pensacola victory was the first time the first half South Division champions have won back-to-back games in the second half. They moved out of the cellar and are 7-9 in the second half and 48-38 on the season.
The Blue Wahoos scored first in the third inning when catcher Jose Duarte scored on a double by Gelalich off the right field wall for a 1-0 lead. Then pitcher Tyler Mahle scored on a sacrifice fly to right field by second baseman Alex Blandino to go up, 2-0.
“I’m just trying to hit the ball hard and not do too much with it,” Gelalich said.
Pensacola first baseman Eric Jagielo hit a deep solo shot to right center field to lead off the fifth inning and put Pensacola ahead, 3-0. It was Jagielo’s second homer in three games and sixth on the season.
With two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning, Pensacola shortstop Zach Vincej smashed a line drive into right center field for a stand up double. Right fielder Juan Duran then hit a zinger past the third basemen into left field that scored Vincej, giving the Blue Wahoos a 4-0 lead.
Biloxi first baseman Nick Ramirez crushed the ball deep over the scoreboard in right field to end Mahle’s scoreless inning streak in the seventh inning and pull the Shuckers within, 4-1.
Shuckers left fielder Johnny Davis hit a grounder into right field to start the eighth and advanced to third base on Biloxi right fielder Tyrone Taylor’s single to center. Davis scored when Brett Phillips grounded out into a double play to pull Biloxi within, 4-2.
Pensacola righty Mahle rebounded from his worst outing in three starts with Pensacola when he gave up five earned runs to Mobile in 4.2 innings, the shortest of his three starts.
He gave up just one run on a solo dinger, five hits, one walk and struck out five. Mahle improved his Pensacola record to 3-1 with an earned run average of 3.74.
Kelly said he has liked what he has seen out of the 21-year-old pitcher.
“He had a good fastball and spotted it where he wanted to,” Kelly said. “That was a quality seven innings.”