Alex Blandino's Walk-Off Home Run Sinks Barons

PENSACOLA, Fla. - The Pensacola Blue Wahoos sent 34 batters to plate against the Birmingham Barons and only two made an impact, the first batter of the game and the last one.
Left fielder Tyler Goeddel led off the bottom of the first in style, blasting a solo shot to give the Blue Wahoos a 1-0 lead. Tied 1-1 in the ninth, Alex Blandino proved to be the final batter of the game, hitting a walk-off home run to down the Barons 2-1.

Goeddel took Birmingham starter Jordan Guerrero deep to left field on just his third pitch of the night to give Pensacola the early lead. Guerrero, however, would settle down from there, navigating his way through a five inning outing only giving up five hits, the lone Goeddel home run and struck out seven Blue Wahoos to keep the Barons in the game.
Birmingham would finally get to Pensacola starter Luis Castillo in the sixth inning, as they manufactured a run to knot the game at one. Catcher Chris O'Dowd led off the inning with a double and was bunted over to third base by Eddy Alvarez. With the infield drawn in, Jake Peter blooped a single in front of Goeddel in left to score O'Dowd and tie the game.
But that would be all the Barons bats could produce on Wednesday night. Castillo pitched seven innings, surrendering five hits, one run and striking out 10 before yielding to the bullpen. Geoff Broussard pitched a scoreless eighth and ninth for the Blue Wahoos to lower his ERA to 0.75.
After Robinson Leyer and Aaron Bummer combined to pitch three scoreless innings in relief of Guerrero, Blandino stepped to the plate against Bummer in the ninth and provided the heroics Pensacola needed.
Bummer suffered his first loss of the season, dropping to 0-1, while Broussard picked up his second win in as many decisions in 2017.
The Barons and the Blue Wahoos will be back at it tomorrow night in Pensacola with first pitch set for 6:35 p.m. RHP Spencer Adams (1-5, 3.65) is scheduled to take the ball for the Barons while fellow right-hander Keury Mella (0-3, 4.76) will be on the mound for the Blue Wahoos. Curt Bloom will bring you all the action on WERC 105.5 FM and the iHeart Radio app, beginning with the Coca-Cola Pregame Show beginning at 6:25 p.m. CT.
For ticket information, game schedule, promotions calendar or for additional information about Regions Field, call (205) 988-3200, or visit www.barons.com, www.facebook.com/birminghambarons or on Twitter: @bhambarons.