Blandino Homers and Knocks in Four Runs

MOBILE, Ala., -  - For the second game in a row, the Pensacola Blue Wahoos relied on its bullpen to finish a close game with the Mobile BayBears.
This time it was righty Ariel Hernández who pitched three scoreless innings to help Pensacola maintain a one-run lead before the Blue Wahoos scored twice in the ninth inning for a, 7-4, victory Monday over Mobile at Hank Aaron Stadium.

Pensacola was in danger of allowing Mobile to rally from a, 5-0, deficit. Mobile third baseman Zach Houchins doubled to left field to drive in Josè Briceño, who had singled to center, to pull the BayBears within, 5-4, in the sixth inning.
In came Hernandez to replace José López, who was making his second start for the Blue Wahoos since being called up from the High-A Daytona Tortugas on May 30.
Hernandez, whose fastball touches 100 mph, promptly struck out the first to Mobile hitters he faced and got a groundout for a 1-2-3 inning. In fact, he faced the minimum nine batters over the final three innings and struck out five in his relief appearance that earned him his first save of the season for the Blue Wahoos.
Hernandez is now 1-0 with a save and 2.48 ERA.
The Blue Wahoos have won three straight games and improved to 33-24. It owns first place in the race for the Southern League South Division. The Biloxi Shuckers lost its second straight game to the Mississippi Braves, giving Pensacola a three-game lead in the division.
Lopez looked much better on the mound in his second Southern League start with Pensacola. He pitched six innings, allowed four hits, gave up four runs, one earned, walked two and struck out eight. In his first game, he gave up four runs and walked six in 4.2 innings. Lopez is now 1-0 with a 4.22 ERA.
The Blue Wahoos offense has now scored five runs or more in five of its last seven games and is on a three-game winning streak. It has captured the first two games of the five-game series with Mobile.
Leading the way on offense Monday for Pensacola was second baseman Alex Blandino, who homered and knocked in four of the seven runs Pensacola scored. Blandino was 2-3 with a walk and scored twice.
In his last 10 games, the first-round pick in 2014 is hitting .310 (9-29) with four doubles, three homers and 10 RBIs.
He crushed his fourth home of the year, a three-run dinger to left field, in the second inning that put Pensacola up, 3-0.
In the fourth inning, Blandino knocked in the first run with a single to shortstop that allowed Pensacola right fielder Aristides Aquino to score. The second run, which gave the Blue Wahoos a 5-0 lead, came when catcher Adrian Nieto singled to center to score first baseman Angelo Gumbs, who had singled.
Mobile's Houchins, though, came to the plate with the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the fourth inning and delivered a bases-clearing triple to left field to pull the BayBears within, 5-3.
Pensacola gave itself some breathing room in the top of the ninth inning when shortstop Blake Trahan doubled in Blandino and then center fielder Gabriel Guerrero singled in Trahan for a 7-4 lead.
Aquino was 1-4 Monday with a single to lead-off the fourth inning and now has reached base in 21 straight games, dating back to May 14.
Tickets to the 2017 Southern League All-Star Game are on sale now! Purchase tickets online at bluewahoos.com or visiting the Box Office. Orders can also be placed over the phone by calling 850-934-8444. The Pensacola Blue Wahoos are the Double-A Affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds and a member of the Southern League. Follow the Pensacola Blue Wahoos at BlueWahoos.com, facebook.com/PensacolaBlueWahoos and twitter.com/BlueWahoosBBall.
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