Ray Homers Twice In Shuckers' Loss

Corey Ray and Aristides Aquino each homered twice as the Biloxi Shuckers (25-14) fell to the Pensacola Blue Wahoos (17-22) 10-8 on Tuesday night. Ray collected four hits and fell a triple shy of the cycle in the loss.Adrian Houser (L, 0-1). Ray responded on the first pitch of the bottom of the first with a blast to right. The Blue Wahoos added another tally on Aquino's first home run, a solo shot to lead off the second.
Both teams plated runs in the third. Pensacola strung together four straight hits to put three more runs on the board. Ray kept his team in the game in the bottom of the frame with a two-run tater, his second on the night to make it a 5-3 game.
After the Shuckers grabbed a fourth run in the fifth inning when Jake Gatewood singled in Ray, the Blue Wahoos tacked on four important runs in the top of the sixth to nearly put the game out of reach. RHP Angel Ventura allowed a single before Aquino sent his second home run into orbit. Three additional hits including RBI-knocks from Shed Long and Luis Gonzalez turned it into a 9-4 Pensacola lead.
The Shuckers chipped away with runs in the sixth, eighth and ninth, but the deficit proved too large. Dustin Houle's two-run double in the eighth brought Biloxi within three. In the ninth, Blake Allemand's double allowed Jake Hager to step to the plate as the tying run in a 10-8 game. RHP Carlos Navas induced a pop out of Hager to end the comeback threat.
RHP Jose Rafael De Paula (W, 1-3) earned the win in relief by tossing two innings of one-run ball. Houser and Ventura were each tagged for five runs over four innings, and RHP Josh Uhen tossed a clean ninth for Biloxi.
The rubber match of a five-game series is at 10:35 AM on Wednesday at MGM Park. The Shuckers send LHP Kodi Medeiros (3-1, 3.34) to the mound against Blue Wahoos RHP Wyatt Strahan (4-2, 6.75). On Education Day, enjoy a 'Lunch Break Special,' with a $10 ticket that includes a hot dog, chips and a soda.
The Biloxi Shuckers are the Double-A Affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. The Shuckers play at MGM Park in Biloxi, Mississippi. For more information please visit biloxishuckers.com and follow us on Twitter @biloxishuckers and at facebook.com/biloxishuckers.com. Single game tickets for the Biloxi Shuckers 2018 season are on sale now and can be purchased at the MGM Park box office or over the phone through Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Season tickets, flex plans and group outings are also available and can be reserved by calling 228-233-3465 or visiting www.biloxishuckers.com.