Blue Wahoos Rally Fizzles Before Holiday Fireworks Delight Overflow Crowd In Homestand Finale 

With a fireworks show waiting, the Blue Wahoos had a chance Sunday night to produce their own grand finale.

Unlike some previous dramatic wins at home, however, this one didn’t materialize.

Montgomery Biscuits closer Jose Lopez, pitched out of a bases-loaded, no outs situation in the bottom of the ninth inning, preserving a 4-1 Biscuits win in front of an overflow, sellout crowd at Blue Wahoos Stadium.

The win enabled the Biscuits (32-36 overall) to take four of the six games this week in Pensacola, as both teams became the second half of the Southern League schedule.

The Blue Wahoos (37-33) got an outstanding performance by starter Cody Mincey, who worked into the seventh inning, after not allowing a hit through the first five innings. In the sixth inning, the Biscuits broke a scoreless game on right fielder Kameron Misner’s two-out, two run single, scoring Tyler Frank, who led off the inning with a double, along with Greg Jones, who was hit by a pitch.

Minser, who played briefly last season for the Blue Wahoos before being involved in a trade where the Miami Marlins attained Tampa Bay Rays infielder Joey Wendle, it was not the only time he made an impact Sunday. In the seventh inning, Misner leaped to rob Jose Devers of a home run by catching the ball with an outstretched glove over the wall.

Mincey was lifted after with two outs in the seventh for reliever Dylan Bice. The Biscuits then made it 4-0 in the eighth inning against Bice with another two-out single, this one by Alexander Ovalles.

The Blue Wahoos had just three hits in the game, two of those from Ray-Patrick Didder, against four different Biscuits pitchers. Lopez became the fifth pitcher used, after Nathan Witt walked the first two batters, Cobie Fletcher-Vance and J.D. Osborne. Lopez then hit J.D. Orr to load the bases.

For the crowd, which began to raise its noise level, hoping for a repeat scenario when the Blue Wahoos had six walkoff home wins in a nine-game stretch, they were hoping for an improbable comeback.

But Lopez thwarted the Blue Wahoos rally by striking out Jose Devers, then getting Victor Victor Mesa out on a sacrifice fly to score Fletcher-Vance. He followed by striking out Troy Johnston to end the game, just one pitch after Johnston narrowly missed on a liner that hit outside of the foul line in right field.

Lopez earned his sixth save. Josh Roberson (1-3), who pitched last year with the Blue Wahoos, got his first win for the Biscuits with two scoreless innings and stranding three Blue Wahoos baserunners. Mincey (3-4) absorbed a hard-luck loss. Josh Simpson worked a scoreless ninth in relief for the Blue Wahoos, who had 13 base runners in the game on eight walks and three hit batters.

When the game ended, the Blue Wahoos staged their fourth fireworks show of the week with an expanded display for the Fourth of July. A massive amount of children then were able to run the bases and families went out into the outfield area to toss baseballs. The Blue Wahoos wore stars-and-stripes uniforms for the game.

GAME NOTABLES

--- The post-game fireworks show was sponsored by Hancock-Whitney Bank. Bruce Vredenburg, the president of Hancock Whitney Bank of Pensacola and Emerald Coast Markets, was recognized on the field before the game and during an in-game radio interview. Vredenburg is also actively involved in Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwest Florida and had members throw out ceremonial first pitches.

--- The game was broadcast regionally by YurView, formerly Cox Sports Television, with Blue Wahoos play-by-play announcer Erik Bremer handling lead duties and former major league reliever, Kevin Saucier, a Pensacola native and resident, as the game analyst. The radio portion of the Blue Wahoos broadcast was handled by WEAR-3 TV sports director Dan Shugart, who handled a lead role at a Blue Wahoos game for the first time in seven years.

-- Following the National Anthem, a flyover of two U.S. Air Force jets was performed by the 455th Flying Training Squadron, which is based at Naval Air Station-Pensacola. The squadron trains Combat Systems Officers with the Raytheon T-6A Texan II aircraft.

--- The game was briefly halted when a drone appeared near Blue Wahoos Stadium. Under Major League Baseball rules all drones are prohibited anywhere near stadiums and the game must be stopped with players off the field while the drone leaves the area.

--- The Blue Wahoos wore colorful stars and stripes uniforms with decorative hats that are on sale at the team merchandise store.

--- The Pensacola Jewish Community had a sizeable group contingent at the game.

--- Blue Wahoos partner Winn-Dixie sponsored a pie eating contest between innings featuring four children. A young girl won the contest against three boys.

WHAT’S NEXT?

WHO: Blue Wahoos vs. Mississippi Braves

WHEN: Monday, then Wednesday Thru Sunday. (Tuesday will be off day).

WHERE: Trustmark Park, Pearl, Miss.

GAMETIMES: Monday at 6:05 p.m., Tuesday through Friday at 6:35 p.m., Saturday at 6:05 p.m. Sunday at 2:05 p.m.

RADIO: ESPN-Pensacola (99.1 FM and 1330 AM and WYCT 98.7 HD4).

TV: YurView (check provider) and MILB.tv (streaming) through www.milb.com/live-stream-games with subscription discount using BLUE WAHOOS.

NEXT HOMESTAND: Begins on July 12 vs. Chattanooga Lookouts (Cincinnati Reds affiliate).