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.
Jackson Gets 8-4 Win Over The Pensacola Blue Wahoos
June 9, 2016
All night Wednesday Jackson Generals DH Tyler O’Neill delivered and he did it again in the ninth inning when he hit a two-out, walk-off grand slam against Pensacola Blue Wahoos closer Carlos Gonzalez.
The Southern League Player of the Month for May drove in all eight of Jackson’s runs in its, 8-4, victory over Pensacola at The Ballpark in Jackson.
O’Neill entered the game going 1-9 with one run, a walk, one RBI and a strikeout in the series. But Wednesday, the 20-year-old was 3-4 with a run scored, a double and a home run. He’s now batting .332 with 11 homers and 51 RBIs on the season. He is second in homers and batting average and first in RBIs in the Southern League.
Both teams were tied, 4-4, after the first five innings. But both team’s relievers buckled down. Barrett Astin and Nick Routt held Jackson scoreless over 3.1 innings on two hits, a walk and three strikeouts.
But Pensacola’s Gonzalez took over in the ninth, loaded the bases and then gave up the grand slam with two outs to O’Neill.
Pensacola right-handed starter Rookie Davis worked 4.2 innings and allowed four runs on seven hits and a walk and struck out four.
Jackson relievers Forrest Snow and Dan Altavilla no-hit the Blue Wahoos over the last 3.2 innings with one walk and five strikeouts.
They came in for Generals starting pitcher Jordan Pries, who worked 5.1 innings and allowed four runs on eight hits, one walk and struck out seven.
It was a back and forth game up until the ninth inning. In the top of the second inning, Pensacola center fielder Phillip Ervin and first baseman Kyle Parker both hit solo home runs to left field to take a 2-1 lead. It was Ervin’s sixth and Parker’s fourth of the season. Pensacola left fielder Tony Renda singled to left field to drive in third baseman Eric Jagielo, who singled to center, to put the Blue Wahoos up, 3-1.
Jackson scored first in the first inning when O’Neill got his first run-batted in when he hit a sacrifice fly to center that scored center fielder Ian Miller to go ahead, 1-0.
O’Neill then knotted the score, 3-3, in the third inning when he smashed a single to left field that scored both shortstop Benji Gonzalez and right fielder Guillermo Heredia.
Pensacola’s Renda put the Blue Wahoos back on top in the fifth inning, 4-3, when he singled sharply to left field and scored when second baseman Brandon Dixon grounded out to second base.
O’Neill then smacked his 17th double of the season to drive in Heredia with two out and tie the game, 4-4, in the bottom of the fifth inning.
Pensacola is 15-18 on the road this season. They are now 33-25 on the season and are tied for first place with the Biloxi Shuckers.
Jackson, the Double-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners, owns the best record in the Southern League and sits atop the North Division at 39-20.
Dixon earned the Southern League Player of the Week honors but in the three games since is 0-9 with five strikeouts and two RBIs. During his six game hitting streak, he was 15-24 (.625) with eight homers and 19 RBIs.
Wahoos Remain In First Despite Loss
June 8, 2016
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos continue to struggle on the road going 15-17. Granted they are playing the Jackson Generals, who sit atop the Southern League North Division.
Jackson took a 2-1 lead in the five-game series matching first place teams by scoring four runs in the first two innings to win, 4-1, Tuesday at The Ballpark at Jackson.
Pensacola dropped to 33-24 but Biloxi lost, too, 6-3, to the Montgomery Biscuits to keep the Blue Wahoos a game ahead in the South Division. Jackson, the Double-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners, now owns the best record in the Southern League at 38-20.
The Generals jumped on Pensacola right-hander Sal Romano with two runs in the first and two more in the second to go ahead, 4-0.
Romano worked five innings giving up four earned runs on 11 hits and three walks and struck out two. He fell to 1-6 with a 4.90 ERA. Romano was in trouble in every inning except the fourth when he retired the side in order.
Pensacola relievers Evan Mitchell and Kyle McMyne pitched the three scoreless innings, allowing one hit, two walks and striking out three.
Jackson scored when center field Guillermo Heredia walked, went to second on a passed ball by Pensacola catcher Kyle Skipworth and then scored when shortstop Benji Gonzalez doubled in Heredia for a 1-0 lead. A second run came in when DH Leon Landry singled to left field to score Gonzalez to put the Generals up, 2-0, after the first inning.
The Generals’ Heredia drove a line drive to center that scored catcher Steve Baron in the second inning. Then Jackson right fielder Tyler O’Neill, the May Player of the Month who had a hit in 24 of 28 games, hit a sacrifice fly to right field that scored third baseman Brock Hebert.
Jackson’s O’Neill is 1-9 with one run, a walk, an RBI and a strikeout this series.
In the sixth inning, Pensacola finally broke through for a run when left fielder Phillip Ervin doubled in first baseman Brandon Dixon to pull the Blue Wahoos within, 4-1.
Ervin led Pensacola at the plate Tuesday going 3-4 with two doubles and RBI. He’s now hitting .246 on the season.
Dixon earned the Southern League Player of the Week honors but in the two games since is 0-6 with four strikeouts and one RBI. During his six game hitting streak he was 15-24 (.625) with eight homers and 19 RBIs. He got to 10 homers faster than any other Blue Wahoo players in history by reaching that mark in 45 games, 147 at-bats and 162 plate appearances.
Wahoos Beat Jackson 6-1
June 7, 2016
Pensacola Blue Wahoos right fielder Sebastian Elizalde singled and tripled to drive in four runs and help his team down the Jackson Generals, 6-1, Monday at The Ballpark at Jackson.
In his first year in Double-A, Elizalde is hitting .320 with two home runs and 13 RBIs for the Blue Wahoos.
Pensacola scored first when left fielder Tony Renda, who is hitting .320 on the season, hit his 20th double of the season on a fly ball to right field with two out to drive in catcher Joe Hudson, who doubled to start inning, to put Pensacola ahead, 1-0, over the Jackson Generals. Renda went 3-3 with two runs scored and an RBI Monday.
Elizalde singled on a liner to left field that scored both shortstop Zach Vincej and Renda to give Pensacola a 3-0 lead in the third. Blue Wahoos first baseman Kyle Parker then singled to center but Jackson center fielder Ian Miller threw a strike to home to get Elizalde out a home.
Pensacola starter Amir Garrett pitched out of two jams. He hit two batters with a pitch in the third inning. However, Hudson threw out Jackson right fielder Guillermo Heredia trying to steal second and Garret got out of the inning. In the fifth, Garrett had runners on second and third with two out but got DH Tyler O’Neill, who earned the Southern League Player of the Month for May, to pop out to short.
Garrett worked six innings and allowed one run, zero earned on three hits, two walks and struck out six. He improved to 5-3 on the year and has a 1.63 ERA.
Jackson scored in the fourth inning to get back a run, 3-1, when first baseman D.J. Peterson doubled to score left fielder Leon Landry, who reached second on a fielding error by Pensacola’s Renda.
Pensacola’s Elizalde then drove in two runs with a triple to right field in the eighth inning, scoring Vincej and Renda, putting the Blue Wahoos ahead, 5-1. Pensacola second baseman Brandon Dixon hit a deep sacrifice fly to centerfield that scored Elizalde and made the score, 6-3. Elizalde went 2-4, scored once and drove in four runs on his single and triple.
The top teams in the Southern League Northern Division and Southern Division are now tied, 1-1, in the five game series.
Pensacola improved to 33-23 to remain in first, while Jackson dropped to 37-20.
Besides getting run support and 11 hits from the Pensacola offense, Garrett received good relief, too. Nick Routt, Kevin Shackleford and Alejandro Chacin combined to throw three innings, allow two hits, walk one and strike out three.
The 24-year-old Brandon Dixon, who was named the Southern League Player of the Week, went 0-3 to end his six game hitting streak. He’s now 15-27 (.556) with eight homers and 19 RBIs the past seven games.
Florida Coach Jim McElwain To Host Football Skills Camp
June 6, 2016
The Booker T. Washington football program will host University of Florida Coach Jim McElwain in a high school skills camp on June 17.
Rising high school players should visit www.btwfootball.org for details, the registration form, and the parent consent form (which must be notarized).
The price is $35 now (payment must be received by Booker T. Washington High by June 16) or $50 for walk-up registration and includes a camp T-shirt. Coach McElwain will have members of his coaching staff with him.
The camp is open to any and all rising 9-12 graders and all junior college student athletes. For more information, follow the link above or call (850) 475-5237 ext. 236.
Generals Beat Pensacola 8-5
June 6, 2016
The top team in the Southern League Northern Division and Southern Division faced each other Sunday at The Ballpark at Jackson.
In the end, it was the Jackson Generals who defeated the Pensacola Blue Wahoos, 8-5, behind two homers by first baseman D.J. Peterson. After a nine game win streak, Jackson had lost to the Tennessee Smokies on Saturday.
Jackson won again and remains in first with a 37-19 record with its win, while Pensacola also stayed atop the South Division despite the loss with its 32-23 record to remain one game ahead of the Biloxi Shuckers.
Blue Wahoos second baseman Brandon Dixon kept his hot-hitting streak going with his third two homer game in the past six games and his third straight game with a homer.
Dixon has 11 homers on the season—eight in the past six games since May 29—helping him leap frog to second in the Southern League for the season.
The 24-year-old Dixon went 2-4 with two homers, two runs and three RBIs Sunday and is now 15-24 (.625) in his six-game hitting streak. He has eight home runs and 18 runs-batted in during his streak and 37 on the season. He now has a .617 slugging percentage, which is second in the Southern League. Dixon is batting .322 this year, which ranks fourth in the league.
Jackson Stephens took the mound for Pensacola and worked 4.1 innings, giving up six runs, three earned on seven hits and three walks. He dropped to 5-4 on the season with a 3.36 ERA.
Jackson’s starter Andrew Moore improved to 2-0 for the Generals with a 3.78 ERA. He pitched 6.2 innings and allowed three runs on eight hits and one walk, while striking out seven.
The Generals scored first when DH Leon Landry lined a two-out single to right field to score both left fielder Ian Miller and center fielder Guillermo Heredia to put the team up, 2-0, in the third inning over Pensacola.
Pensacola came back in the top of the fourth with Dixon smacking a solo homer to right field to pull the Blue Wahoos within, 2-1.
Miller singled to left field in the bottom of the fourth inning with one out to drive in Jackson catcher Steve Baron, who had singled to center, for a 3-1 Generals’ lead.
Pensacola leadoff hitter Tony Renda, who was playing left, then hit a two-out double to drive in center fielder Jeff Gellalich, who tripled with two out, to pull the Blue Wahoos within, 3-2, in the top of the fifth inning. Pensacola right fielder Sebastian Elizalde then hit a two-out, game-tying single to center to drive in Renda and knot the score, 3-3.
In the bottom of the fifth, Jackson’s first baseman Peterson hit a three-run, line drive home run to centerfield that also brought home right fielder Tyler O’Neill and Landry to put the Generals up, 6-3. O’Neill earned the Southern League Player of the Month for May for hitting in 24 of 28 games and posted a .348 average in the month.
The Generals’ Peterson hit his second home run of the game—eighth on the year—in the bottom of the seventh to increase Jackson’s lead to 7-3. Jackson third baseman Brock Hebert singled to center to drive in second baseman Tim Lopes to extend Jackson’s lead to 8-3.
Dixon hit his third two-homer in six games in the top of the eighth when he rocketed the ball to left center, which also brought home Elizalde, and pulled Pensacola within, 8-5.
Jackson closer Dan Altavilla finished the ninth by striking out the side for his fifth save of the year.
Also leading the Blue Wahoos at the plate were Renda, who went 2-4, with a double, run scored and RBI and Elizalde, who also was 2-4, with a double, run scored and RBI. Renda has a seven-game hitting streak and 15 multi-hit games and is now hitting .310 this season. Elizalde has hit in five of the last six games and is batting .313 on the year.
License Free Fishing Weekends
June 4, 2016
This weekend, June 4 and 5, is a license-free saltwater fishing weekend, and June 11 and 12 will be a license-free freshwater fishing weekend for Florida residents and visitors. On these weekends, a fishing license is not required.
Governor Scott said, “Florida is the fishing capital of the world, and I am excited to announce two license-free fishing weekends this month that include both saltwater and freshwater fishing opportunities. As children get out of school for 
the summer break and more tourists visit our state, I encourage every family to take advantage of these weekends to enjoy Florida’s great outdoors with their loved ones.”
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is hosting these four license-free fishing days near National Fishing and Boating Week, a national celebration of fishing and boating. The Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation’s www.TakeMeFishing.org website offers information on events sponsored by businesses and communities during National Fishing and Boating Week, as well as locating fishing sites, identifying recreational species and finding fishing tips.
This free fishing weekend is a part of the eight total license-free fishing days the FWC offers each year. All bag limits, closed areas and size restrictions apply on these dates. To learn more about license-free fishing days, visit MyFWC.com/License.