Wahoos Walked Off by Vasquez, Biscuits
Montgomery, Ala. - The Pensacola Blue Wahoos suffered a dispiriting defeat on Thursday night, falling 6-5 in walk-off fashion to the Montgomery Biscuits. Pensacola held a 5-1 lead late into the game, but after a 48-minute rain delay in the seventh inning the Biscuits took advantage of erratic pitching to
Montgomery, Ala. - The Pensacola Blue Wahoos suffered a dispiriting defeat on Thursday night, falling 6-5 in walk-off fashion to the Montgomery Biscuits.
Pensacola held a 5-1 lead late into the game, but after a 48-minute rain delay in the seventh inning the Biscuits took advantage of erratic pitching to storm back. In a save opportunity, Blue Wahoos reliever Raffi Vizcaíno (L, 3-2) walked the bases loaded in the ninth to set the stage for a Willy Vasquez walk-off, two-run single.
The loss was Pensacola's first in walk-off fashion at the hands of an opponent, and just their second loss in 35 games when leading after eight innings.
In front of a sellout Fourth of July crowd of 6,548 fans, the Blue Wahoos jumped ahead early. Paul McIntosh led off the second with a triple against starting pitcher Ian Seymour, and scored on a safety squeeze bunt from Jakob Marsee. RBI singles from Joe Mack and McIntosh in the third extended Pensacola's lead to 3-0.
After Vasquez dropped a pop-up at second base that would have ended the top of the seventh, Pensacola got RBI singles from Diego Infante and Jacob Berry to take a 5-1 lead.
Luis Palacios turned in a quality start, working into the seventh inning and allowing only four hits. But a Tanner Murray triple and Nick Schnell RBI single were followed by a squall of rain, forcing the Pensacola starter's departure after 76 pitches.
On the other side of the delay, Patrick Murphy struggled with his command and issued three walks and a Gionti Turner RBI single to trim the Pensacola lead to 5-4. Vizcaíno worked a 1-2-3 eighth, but after Austin Vernon (W, 1-3) pitched a scoreless top of the ninth the Blue Wahoos reliever struggled with his command. Trying for his ninth save in nine tries, he issued three walks in the bottom of the ninth without retiring a batter before Vasquez chopped a walk-off single up the middle past a drawn-in infield.
The Blue Wahoos continue their series against the Biscuits on Friday night. First pitch from Riverwalk Stadium is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. CT, with a live audio broadcast beginning at 6:30 on BlueWahoos.com/radio and the MiLB app.