McIntosh Blast, Wild Pitch Run Lift Blue Wahoos To Series-Opening Win over Biscuits

Pensacola, Fla. - Six innings into the night, the Blue Wahoos were heading down a familiar path of frustration against the Montgomery Biscuits.

Paul McIntosh changed that fate with one big swing.

His two-run, game-tying homer in the seventh inning became a much-needed emotional lift, followed by another break that led to a 3-2 win against the Biscuits in the only Monday game of the season for the Blue Wahoos. It made for a desired start to the Fourth of July week for the Blue Wahoos against their league divisional rivals.

“Yeah, it was awesome,” McIntosh said. “We hung around and we capitalized on it.”

McIntosh pounced on a first-pitch fastball from Biscuits reliever Patrick Wicklander and sent the ball over the left-center wall to ignite a crowd of 3,535, as well as the home team dugout.

Joe Mack led off the seventh inning by working a walk from Wicklander. Up stepped McIntosh with a clear mindset.

“I was just waiting for a fastball over the plate and I made sure not to miss it.” McIntosh said. “Going into that [at-bat], I had seen [Wicklander] a bunch, and he’s had success against me and I just wanted to make sure I got up there and saw a good pitch and made a good swing on it.”

He did. And it connected.

The Biscuits had won nine of these previous 12 meetings, all in Montgomery. It was the difference in the Biscuits edging out the Blue Wahoos for the South Division first half win and post-season playoff berth.

But in their stadium Monday, the Blue Wahoos received the usual array of strong pitching to stay within striking distance.

After McIntosh tied the game, the Blue Wahoos got the go-ahead run in the eighth without putting the ball in play.

Jakob Marsee reached on a one-out walk against reliever Keyshawn Askew. He then scored on three wild pitches with the Blue Wahoos’ Jacob Berry at the plate.

The third wild pitch came on a three-ball count, causing Marsee to race home while Berry went to first.

Blue Wahoos reliever Raffi Vizcaíno then closed out the game by retiring the Biscuits in order to get his eighth save. He was preceded by Dale Stanavich, who entered in the seven when Zach McCambley suffered an injury.

With rapid warmup and a 3-2 count, Stanavich struck out the Biscuits' Matthew Dyer, who drove in the game’s first run in the third inning. Stanavich (2-0) then retired four of the next five batters he faced to earn his second win.

Blue Wahoos starter Adam Laskey worked five innings, allowing just four hits and striking out five.

The Blue Wahoos had just two hits until McIntosh’s blast, but the game stayed close.

“This is a special pitching staff,” McIntosh said. “I’ve had the liberty of having really special pitching staff last couple years in Pensacola, but man these guys keep us in games.”

The three-game home series will continue Tuesday and Wednesday before the Blue Wahoos then head to Montgomery for games Thursday through Saturday.

GAME NOTABLES

This was the first “Purr In The Park” night in team history with fans allowed to bring their cats. But heat and humidity limited the number of pets.

The Blue Anchor Belles, a group of women with husbands stationed at NAS Pensacola, performed the National Anthem.

WANT TO GO?

WHO: Montgomery Biscuits vs. Blue Wahoos

WHEN: Tuesday, 6:05 p.m.

WHERE: Blue Wahoos Stadium

PROMOTION: Doggone Tuesday. Fans are allowed to bring their dogs to the game, plus it’s a one-price ticket that includes a hot dog, soft drink and chips.

BROADCAST: An audio broadcast of the game will be available on www.bluewahoos.com with broadcasters Erik Bremer and Carter Bainbridge, also available on Bally Live and with a subscription to MLB.tv.