Blue Wahoos Bust Out With Five Home Runs In 8-5 Win At Mobile

Two games played and one run scored had the Blue Wahoos urgently seeking a turnaround.
Somewhere between commuter trips to Mobile, they rekindled hot bats in a big way.
Before the Mobile BayBears launched a post-game fireworks show, the Blue Wahoos lit up the sky with five home runs, matching a franchise high, then held on for an 8-5 win at Hank Aaron Stadium in the third game of their final series.
All eight of the Blue Wahoos runs were produced on long balls. Five different players homered, including all three of the first-round draft picks - Alex Kirilloff, Royce Lewis and Trevor Larnach.
After going 17 consecutive innings without a run, the Blue Wahoos scored four runs in the first inning Friday night on three homers. They had 11 hits in the game. But even with that, Mobile had the tying run at the plate when the game ended.
The teams combined on 20 hits and nine different pitchers in a game which lasted three hours, 46 minutes.
The BayBears (43-72 overall), who entered this series Wednesday on a nine-game losing streak and one win in the previous 19 games, took the first two games against the Blue Wahoos (62-55) with 5-1 and 6-0 wins. 
Kirilloff was moved up to leadoff batter in Friday's lineup. He delivered an opposite field homer over the left field fence on the fourth pitch of the game.
Two batters later, Travis Blankenhorn tripled and Trevor Larnach followed with a blast over the centerfield wall. With two out, Ryan Costello produced a solo shot against starter Andrew Wantz, who lasted only three innings.
The Blue Wahoos increased their lead to 5-0 when Mark Contreras led off the second inning with a home run.
But the BayBears pulled within a run, following a three-run rally in the fourth inning that chased Blue Wahoos starter Edwar Colina, who had his shortest outing since joining the team in mid-July.
The BayBears got a pair of bases-loaded singles and a fielder's choice RBI for the three runs. Colina exited with one out in the fourth
In the pivotal sixth inning, Jordan Gore singled with two outs, followed by Kirilloff's single. Lewis stepped up to blast a pitch over the left-center wall for a 3-run homer and what proved the decisive runs in the game.  
In the ninth inning, Blue Wahoos reliever Jonthan Cheshire, escaped a two-out, two-on jam by getting Brandon Marsh, one of the BayBears' best hitters, to ground out to end the game.
Cheshire, the fourth reliever used, picked up his third save in past three opportunities. Jorge Alcala provided two strong innings of middle relief, allowing just one hit with three strikeouts.
Kirilloff, Blankenhorn, Larnach and Gore all had two hits for the Blue Wahoos.
Saturday night, a caravan of six busses, 350 people will leave Blue Wahoos Stadium at 5 p.m. for the trip to see the second-to-last time the two teams will ever play. The contingent will consist of season-ticket holders, part-time and full-time staff members in a trip arranged since the beginning of the season.
The BayBears franchise is being transferred in 2020 to a new stadium in Madison, Ala., located near Huntsville, the team will become the Rocket City Trash Pandas.