Déjà Vu - M-Braves fall to Blue Wahoos 5-3 in ten innings on Wednesday morning

PEARL, MS (May 1, 2024) — The Mississippi Braves and Pensacola Blue Wahoos met for a Wednesday morning matinee in front of 4,221 young fans for Education Day. In what was a near carbon copy of Tuesday night's game, the M-Braves jumped out to a lead but fell 5-3 in ten innings to the Blue Wahoos.

The long ball helped Mississippi (7-16) erase an early 1-0 deficit in the fourth inning with a pair of solo home runs. Yolbert Sanchez launched a 393-foot blast into the Braves bullpen in left field to tie the game. Two batters later, Brandon Parker, the Saucier, MS native Brandon Parker blasted his first Double-A home run to give the Braves a 2-1 lead.

Drew Parrish made his fifth start on Wednesday and logged his second-straight quality start of 6.0 innings of two-run baseball. The 26-year-old from Merritt Island, FL, struck out six and walked none. Over his five starts, Parrish has a 2.66 ERA with 24 strikeouts to four walks in 23.2 innings.

In a repeat of Tuesday night, the M-Braves had chances to extend their lead, but they stranded the bases loaded in the fifth and two on in the sixth.

The Blue Wahoos tied the game in the fifth inning by using a two-out rally. Bennett Hostetler had a double and then scored on a single from Harrison Spahn that rolled through the vacated right side of the infield.

Jake McSteen relieved Parrish and turned in his best relief outing of the year. The Nebraska product pitched 3.0 shutout innings on one hit and four strikeouts, including striking out the side in the seventh.

Domingo Gonzalez (L, 0-1) came into the game to start the tenth, and Pensacola placed pinch-runner Tanner Allen at second base. Sean Roby hit a single to score Allen and put Pensacola on top 3-2. The Wahoos would take on two more runs in the frame to take a 5-2 lead.

Yolbert Sanchez continued his hot streak at the plate with his third hit of the game in the bottom of the inning with two outs, bringing home Nacho Alvarez Jr. from second base. Austin Roberts (W, 2-0) avoided allowing the tying run to reach base and closed the game out for the win.

Alvarez was 1-for-4 with a walk on Wednesday, extending his on-base streak to 13 games, the longest by a Mississippi player this season, and second-longest actively in the Southern League. Sanchez has hit in nine of his first ten games and is on a five-game hit streak. Justin Dean notched another multi-hit game by going 2-for-4 with a stolen base. Dean ranks fourth in the league with a .322 batting average.

The M-Braves and Wahoos are back to night baseball for game three of the six-game set on Thursday night. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 pm with RHP Hurston Waldrep (0-3, 5.68) facing off against Pensacola RHP Valente Bellozo (1-1, 6.08). Coverage begins at 5:50 pm on 102.1 The Box, Bally Live, and MiLB.tv.

On Thursday, Mississippi Delta Blues will be featured throughout the game. The night will include the Trustmark Park staple Thirsty Thursday™ drink specials and Trivia in the Farm Bureau Outfield Grill. The M-Braves will salute the rich Blues Music history during the final season by wearing Mississippi Blues jerseys each Thursday home game at Trustmark Park. For tickets and information on the latest promotions, visit mississippibraves.com.