Johnston Has Special Night For Blue Wahoos, But M-Braves Slug Way To Big Win

A near-capacity crowd watched quite a power display Friday night.

Unfortunately for the Pensacola Blue Wahoos, the bulk of it was generated from the opposite dugout.

The Mississippi Braves tied a club record for most single-game runs and blasted six home runs, most of which approached Pensacola Bay, in a 19-6 rout against the Blue Wahoos.

It was part of a 17-hit attack. Amid all of this, however, the Blue Wahoos had 13 hits, led by a sensational night from first baseman Troy Johnston, who extended his hitting streak to 11 games with a 4-for-5 performance that included 3 RBI and 2 runs scored.

Victor Victor Mesa and Cobie Fletcher-Vance both had multiple hit nights.

But it got obscured by how the M-Braves battered Blue Wahoos pitchers.

In two nights, the Atlanta Braves’ Double-A affiliate has scored 32 runs and smashed 30 hits against a Blue Wahoos pitching staff that entered the week as a collective statistic leader in the Southern League.

The result pushed the M-Braves (21-22) to a 3-1 lead in the week-long series and trimmed the Blue Wahoos (20-18) first place division lead to 1.5 games.

The contingent of Braves fans among the 4,537 at Blue Wahoos Stadium watched a slugging showcase Friday. The six home runs hit by the M-Braves were not their most in this ballpark, however.

They hit seven in one game in 2019 at Blue Wahoos Stadium from a team that included players who helped the Atlanta Braves win the World Series in 2021.

M-Braves third baseman CJ Alexander and first baseman Drew Lugbauer each hit moon shots so far out of the ballpark that Blue Wahoos outfielders barely moved. The two from Alexander traveled 460 and 456 feet.

His first bomb was off Blue Wahoos starter Cody Mincey, who struggled through his toughest outing of the season. He was rocked for eight runs and 10 hits in five innings.

That broke a steak of 17 innings of no earned runs allowed this week by Blue Wahoos starters.

The Blue Wahoos were forced into using four relievers. Once again, the most effective was Jefry Yan, who threw two innings and gave up an unearned run with three strikeouts.

The fifth game of the series is Saturday with the Blue Wahoos hoping the return of George Soriano, who earned a Triple-A win Sunday with the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, can bolster the pitching staff.

GAME NOTABLES:

--- The first 2,000 fans received a Blue Wahoos plastic tote bag with the commemorative 10-year anniversary logo, courtesy of game sponsor CPC Office Technologies.

--- Three area youth teams were recognized: Olive Baptist Rangers, Flomaton (Ala.) Hurricanes and the Navarre Youth Sports Association Padres.

--- Covenant Care had a group outing of 200 people, leading the way among a contingent of groups in attendance.

--- Blue Wahoos catcher Santiago Chavez joined the Miami Marlins’ taxi squad players for the second time this season. He is with the big-league club in case of injuries or unforeseen circumstances with the Marlins catchers.

--- Troy Johnston reached base in three of his first four at-bats as part of extending his hitting streak to 11 games.

BLUE WAHOOS WEEKEND

WHO: Mississippi Braves vs. Blue Wahoos

WHERE: Blue Wahoos Stadium.

GAMETIMES: Saturday at 6:05 p.m., Sunday at 4:05 p.m.

TICKETS: Online at www.bluewahoos.com/tickets, or at the stadium box office beginning at 10 a.m. Friday; 12 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Or by calling 850-934-8444.

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.

PROMOTIONS:

Saturday: Fireworks Saturday with the post-game show and Navy Baseball Night. Members of NAS-Pensacola, including the base commanding officer will attend and the Blue Wahoos will wear commemorative jerseys that will be auctioned for a U.S. Navy charity.

Sunday is Family Sunday with kids able to run the bases following the game and family toss in the outfield for 30 minutes after the game. The will also be celebrating the Navy history in Pensacola with the team wearing Navy uniforms.