Wahoos Walk Off With 5-4 Win

Blue Wahoos left fielder Cody Puckett drove in three runs, including the tying run on a solo home run in the sixth and a walk off single in the tenth, to give Pensacola a 5-4 extra-inning victory over the Jackson Generals on Tuesday night at Pensacola's bay-front stadium.

The win gives Pensacola a 1-0 advantage in the five-game series with the Generals, who entered tonight's contest with the Southern League's best record at 17-8.

With two outs in the extra frame, C Koyie Hill reached base on an infield single and went to second on an error by Jackson reliever Brian Moran to set the stage for Puckett. The left fielder drove the 1-2 pitch over the head of Generals left fielder Chris Pettit to end the game and cue the celebration.

Puckett (3-4, 2 R, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 BB) also led off the sixth inning with a solo blast to left to tie the game at 4-4 and drove in another run on a run-scoring single in the fourth as part of his three-hit day. Hill (2-5, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI) along with 3B Henry Rodriguez (2-4, 1 BB) also recorded multi-hit efforts for the Blue Wahoos in the contest.

Jackson got off to an early 4-0 lead after three innings courtesy in part to RBI doubles from SS Nick Franklin and 1B Rich Poythress in the opening inning. After an RBI groundout in the third, Pettit increased the margin to 4-0 with an RBI double in the fourth.

Pensacola reliever Donnie Joseph (2.0 IP, 2 H, 1 SO) earned his third victory of the season as part of a Blue Wahoos relief corps that yielded just three hits and no walks in the final six frames. Moran (0.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER) suffered the loss to fall to 0-1 after pitching the tenth frame.

The Blue Wahoos and Generals will meet again Wednesday night for the second game of the series, with first pitch set for 7:00 pm from Pensacola's multi-use stadium. RHP Pedro Villarreal is expected to get the nod for Pensacola, while LHP James Paxton, the third-best prospect in the Seattle Mariners organization according to Baseball America is slated to start for Jackson.

Tomorrow night is Super Hero Day at the stadium, with several super heroes scheduled to be on hand roaming the concourse throughout the contest. Fans are encouraged to dress as their favorite super hero and participate in our pre-game costume contest at 6:10 pm. The winner will receive two tickets to Rave Motion Pictures.