Lindgren’s Strong Outing Sets Tone for Wahoos Win in Sunday Series Finale

Pensacola, Fla. - Smiles returned. A game was sealed. The congratulatory, high-five line of players had some added energy.

The Blue Wahoos got a win they needed Sunday, a 4-1 victory against the Montgomery Biscuits to end a tough homestand at Blue Wahoos Stadium in a good way.

Starting pitcher Jeff Lindgren, who was the Blue Wahoos' most reliable, durable starter in 2021 on his eventual rise to making a major league debut last season with the Miami Marlins, duplicated that kind of performance Sunday in five scoreless innings.

He allowed just two hits, two walks, six strikeouts and carried a 2-0 lead en route to his first win since July 10.

Behind him, a bullpen trio of Cade Gibson (2 innings), Tristan Stevens and Dale Stanavich, all delivered. They allowed just one hit combined, two walks and five strikeouts. It resembled the other win the Blue Wahoos got in this six-game series on Thursday in a 3-1 game.

Sunday’s win, before a crowd of 3,615, completed back-to-back, weekend days of special, first-time promotional events which delivered large crowds and first-time visitors. The “Low E.R.A.s” Night Saturday with the caveat of two tickets to a Taylor Swift concert and other elements in reference to the pop music sensation, packed the ballpark.

A sizeable number of families with young children came to the ballpark Sunday to see the game and meet “Bluey,” the ultra-popular character of an animated children’s show.

It was tied together with Family and Military Sunday where children 12-under are able to circle the bases following the game and families can toss soft-made baseballs in the outfield in a joint promotion with WKRG-News 5 and Great Clips.

As it turned out, the Blue Wahoos got the runs they needed in the third inning. Shane Sasaki led off with a double, the scored on Johnny Olmstead’s RBI single. Olmstead then advanced on a stolen base and wild pitch and scored on Jakob Marsee’s sacrifice fly.

Marsee then laid down a sacrifice bunt in the sixth inning, moving Harrison Spohn into scoring position. Jacob Berry’s two out single scored Spohn and completed a big week for Berry. He went 9-for-21 in six games this week, with two homers and six RBI.

Joe Mack’s double in the eighth inning scored Graham Pauley with the Blue Wahoos' fourth run.

It’s been a tough season series for the Blue Wahoos against Montgomery (8-16) and they will lament two games this week with ninth inning leads that didn’t end with wins.

But they remain in the thick of a three-team race with Biloxi and the Mississippi Braves for the second playoff spot. The second half winner in the Southern League’s South Division qualifies, or the second-place finisher if Montgomery wins both halves.

The Blue Wahoos will now turn attention to their farthest road trip this season. They will leave on Monday for east Tennessee where they will face the Tennessee Smokies in a road series beginning Tuesday at Smokies Stadium.

This series will be the second-to-last week for the Smokies playing in this ballpark, which is located 22 miles east of Knoxville in Kodak. Next season, the Smokies will move into a 7,000-seat stadium located in downtown Knoxville, not far from the University of Tennessee campus.

GAME NOTABLES

--- Prior to the game, there were two VIP “meet and greet” events with Bluey, the beloved character featured on the popular Australian animated television series, which made its premiere on ABC Kids Network on Oct. 1, 2018. The cartoon series features a female Australian Cattle Dog character named Bluey.

The Blue Wahoos held two 30-minute VIP photo sessions at the next-door Community Maritime Office Building lobby. Fans purchased an upgraded ticket package from the Blue Wahoos which included the VIP session for their children to meet Bluey, then entrance to see the game on the Winn-Dixie Party Deck above right field.

The character Bluey then came inside Blue Wahoos Stadium to meet fans at the Cox Clubhouse area on the second-level concourse behind home plate once the game began.

--- Sunday was the first game televised on the Cox Communications-YurView channel as part of a new agreement between the Blue Wahoos and Cox. All remaining Blue Wahoos home games will now be televised on Sunday-Thursday on YurView, then Friday and Saturday games on Blab TV.

--- There were eight ceremonial first pitches prior to the game, including an on-air member of WKRG News-5, one of the season-long Sunday sponsors.

--- After four of the previous five home games this week were affected by weather that required to the field tarp to be put on the playing surface, two that delayed the game, Sunday was clear and sunny. The Blue Wahoos have now played 57 home games without a postponement.

WHAT’S NEXT?

WHO: Blue Wahoos vs. Tennessee Smokies

WHEN: Tuesday Thru Sunday (Aug. 25).

WHERE: Smokies Stadium, Kodak, Tennessee.

TV: Tennessee's live stream video broadcast for six games will be available on Bally Live and MLB.TV (subscription required).

RADIO: Available on www.bluewahoos.com/radio with Blue Wahoos lead broadcaster Erik Bremer doing a play-by-play broadcast, which is also available on the MiLB App.

NEXT HOMESTAND: Will begin on Tuesday, August 27 vs. the Mississippi Braves through Sept. 1 at Blue Wahoos Stadium.

TICKETS: Tickets are available through www.bluewahoos.com/tickets and at the stadium box office on Tuesday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.