Series Dropped in Pensacola as Shuckers Held to Lone Run

PENSACOLA, FL - The Biloxi Shuckers (45-35, 4-6 2nd Half) scored a lone in the third inning on Saturday night and fell to the Pensacola Blue Wahoos (43-37, 5-5 2nd Half) by a 5-1 final at Blue Wahoos Stadium. The loss was the second straight rubber-match defeat in the second half for the Shuckers as Pensacola secured the final regular-season series of 2019.
The Blue Wahoos opened a lead on Bowden Francis (L, 4-6) in the second inning following a pair of defensive miscues. Jimmy Kerrigan and Aaron Whitefield reached on singles and advanced into scoring position with two outs. Kerrigan scored from third following a passed ball by Alexander Alvarez and Whitefield then crossed after a return throw from Alvarez sailed past Francis on the mound. 
Trailing 2-0, the Shuckers scored their only run in the third inning off Griffin Jax (W, 3-2) when Dillon Thomas bounced out with the bases loaded to score Luis Aviles Jr. Jax continued through six innings, walking two and striking out three while Anthony Vizcaya (S,2) closed with three scoreless innings for the save. 
Francis surrendered a pair of earned runs in the fourth inning as Pensacola jumped to their largest lead of the game. Kerrigan doubled with one out and scored on a sacrifice fly from Whitefield to make it 3-1. Joe Cronin followed in the next at bat with a double to score Brian Navarreto and jump the Biloxi deficit to 4-1. Travis Blankenhorn added a final run to the line of Francis in the fifth with an RBI single and capped the score at 5-1. The Shuckers right-hander allowed all five Pensacola runs, three earned, over 4.0 plus innings in his sixth loss of the season. 
Biloxi's bullpen provided a bright spot on the night with four scoreless innings between Nattino Diplan, Cody Ponce and Tyler Spurlin to hold the Blue Wahoos in check from the fifth inning on.  
The Shuckers open their series with the Mobile Bay Bears at MGM Park on Sunday at 4:35 PM. The Shuckers will send LHP Cameron Roegner (1-2, 4.91) to the mound and the BayBears will throw RHP Andrew Wantz (0-1, 4.40). The game can be heard locally in Biloxi on Cruisin' WGCM AM 1240/100.9 FM, TuneIn Radio or the MiLB First Pitch App and can be seen on MiLB.TV. Fans can save $10 off their subscription when they use the promo code 'Shuckers' at checkout. It's Salute Sunday presented by Keelser Federal Credit Union, with $8 Reserved Level tickets and $10 Dugout Box tickets available for active and retired military personnel. Arrive early for pregame player autographs from 3:45 to 4:15 pm presented by Allegiant Air, and stick around after the game for postgame catch on the field.
Half-Season Shuck Nation Memberships, Flex Plans and Group Outings for the 2019 Biloxi Shuckers season are on sale now and are available for purchase by calling 228-233-3465, online at biloxishuckers.com or by visiting the MGM Park front office.
ABOUT THE BILOXI SHUCKERS:
The Biloxi Shuckers are the Double-A Affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. The Shuckers play at MGM Park in Biloxi, Mississippi. For more information please visitbiloxishuckers.com and follow us on Twitter @biloxishuckers and at facebook.com/biloxishuckers.