Wahoos Gain Ground with 5-1, 10-Inning Win over Barons
Birmingham, Ala. - The Pensacola Blue Wahoos continued to chip away at their wild card deficit with a 5-1, 10-inning win over the Birmingham Barons on Wednesday night. With the game deadlocked from the fourth inning on, the Blue Wahoos finally pulled ahead in the top of the 10th when
Birmingham, Ala. - The Pensacola Blue Wahoos continued to chip away at their wild card deficit with a 5-1, 10-inning win over the Birmingham Barons on Wednesday night.
With the game deadlocked from the fourth inning on, the Blue Wahoos finally pulled ahead in the top of the 10th when a wild pitch from Eric Adler (L, 2-2) scored Johnny Olmstead from third base. Nathan Martorella followed with a booming three-run homer, adding insurance and continuing the Pensacola first baseman's hot streak at the plate.
With the win, the Blue Wahoos gained ground on both the Biloxi Shuckers and Mississippi Braves in the hunt for a wild card playoff spot. The Blue Wahoos trail the Shuckers by 2.5 games and the Braves by 1.5 games with 10 to play in the regular season.
The game began with command issues for Blue Wahoos starter Evan Fitterer, who walked in a run in the second inning before wriggling out of a bases-loaded jam. Fitterer settled into a groove, ultimately working 5.0 innings of one-run ball.
The Blue Wahoos tied things up in the fourth on an Olmstead two-out RBI infield single, and kept the game tied with effective relief from Tyler Eckberg and Justin King.
After Woo-Suk Go (W, 2-1) sent the game to extras with a scoreless ninth, the Blue Wahoos quickly mounted a threat against Adler. The placed runner, Olmstead, advanced to third on a wild pitch before Shane Sasaki walked and stole second. Andrew Pintar drew a walk to load the bases before another wild pitch brought home the go-ahead run. Martorella then unloaded with a three-run homer, his 13th of the year and ninth since August 4.
Go worked around Birmingham's placed runner to work a scoreless bottom of the 10th and seal the win.
The series continues Thursday in Birmingham, with a 7:00 CT first pitch from Regions Field. Fans can watch a Barons-produced video broadcast on Bally Live or MLB.tv, or listed to a free audio broadcast on BlueWahoos.com/radio or the MiLB app.