Blue Wahoos Drop Slugfest to Biscuits, 10-8

PENSACOLA, Fla., - The Pensacola Blue Wahoos beat the Montgomery Biscuits in 12 of the last 14 games at Blue Wahoos Stadium dating back to the 2014 season.
However, Montgomery finally got a W on the Blue Wahoos home field Saturday, 10-8, in a seesaw slugfest in front of a sellout crowd of 5,038. Pensacola had won the first three games of the six-game series.

Has Pensacola manager Pat Kelly seen a game with that much offense in the Southern League?
"Not in this league," Kelly said. "That was a Pacific Coast League game right there."
Blue Wahoos right fielder Aristides Aquino doubled to start the fifth inning and scored when catcher Chad Tromp hit a sizzling grounder down the line into right field, putting Pensacola ahead, 7-6. Left fielder Tyler Goeddel then hit a line drive off the left field wall on one hop for the third double of the inning, which scored Tromp for an, 8-6, lead.
However, Montgomery came right back in the sixth inning with two runs to tie it, 8-8, when second baseman Riley Unroe hit a line drive single into right field to drive in catcher Nick Ciuffo. Biscuits third baseman Grant Kaye then clobbered a single to center field to drive in shortstop Andrew Valezquez.
Montgomery first baseman Dalton Kelly then scored what would be the game-winning run in the seventh inning when he reached first base on a perfect bunt down the third base line and scored on a sacrifice fly to right field by DH Mac James that put the Biscuits on top, 9-8.
Kelly is playing in his first Double-A series after being called up Tuesday from High-A Charlotte Stone Crabs where he was hitting .305. The 22-year-old was 5-5 Saturday with his first Double-A home run, a two-run shot that he crushed to left field. He also had two doubles and scored three times.
Kelly has torn up Pensacola pitching, so far, going 10-17 (.588) with four doubles, four runs scored, one home run and four RBIs.
The game had four lead changes, a combined 18 runs and 28 hits, including 11 extra-base hits and five home runs. The teams have identical 4-5 records in the second half of the Southern League season.
Pensacola center fielder Gabriel Guerrero led the hit parade for the Blue Wahoos, going 3-6 with a run scored. This season, the 23-year-old has had 25 multi-hit games, including five three-hit games.
Despite the loss, Guerrero said he has enjoyed seeing the Pensacola lineup produce 22 runs over the past three games. Defense and pitching were the keys to the Blue Wahoos first half crown in the South Division, as the team hit a paltry .228.
"It's fun with everybody hitting," Guerrero said. "That's good. Hopefully, we will win more games."
Aquino, the Cincinnati Reds No. 6 prospect according to MLBPipeline.com, was 2-4 with two runs scored, a double and hit his ninth homer of the season to lead the ball club. Second baseman Josh VanMeter blasted his second homer in two games and now has three on the season.
Blue Wahoos fans also got to see the return of reliever Zack Weiss, who saved 25 games for the club in 2015. However, one of the Reds top pitching prospects missed the entire 2016 season with a pitching elbow injury that he finally had surgery on earlier this year.
Weiss pitched one inning, allowed one run on two hits and struck out one. Previously, he made 10 appearances for the High-A Daytona Tortugas where he was 2-1 with a 2.08 ERA and allowed opponents a .178 batting average.
"It's nice to see him back," Kelly said. "He had a great season here two years ago."
GAME NOTES The Pensacola Blue Wahoos and Tampa Bay Rays Double-A affiliate Montgomery Biscuits will play the fifth game of a six-game series at 4:05 p.m. Sunday. The Biscuits are starting LHP Génesis Cabrera (1-0, 0.00) against the Blue Wahoos RHP Austin Ross (6-0, 1.23).
The games are broadcast live on the Blue Wahoos flagship station 97.1 The Ticket. Listen for free at bluewahoos.com and by using the TuneIn Radio app on your mobile, desktop or home devices.
You can watch the home games live or tape delayed on Cox Sports Television Monday through Thursday on Channel 319. Friday, Saturday and Sunday games are broadcast live on BLAB-TV.
BIG FISH Center fielder Gabriel Guerrero was 3-6 with his 25th multi-hit game...Right fielder Aristides Aquino was 2-4 with his ninth homer of the season and a double and scored twice...Second baseman Josh VanMeter was 1-5, hitting a two-run home run for his second homer in two games...Third baseman Nick Senzel was 2-4 with two walks, a run scored, a stolen base and two RBIs. He is 4-12 against Montgomery pitching.
STEPHENS DEBUT Four of the five pitchers in the Pensacola Blue Wahoos starting rotation at the beginning of the 2016 season have made their Major League debuts with the Cincinnati Reds this season.
The latest is 23-year-old Jackson Stephens, who earned a victory over the Chicago Cubs Saturday. Stephens worked five innings, allowed three runs on six hits and one walk, and struck out eight.
Stephens gave up three runs in the third inning, when Jon Jay hit a solo home run to right field to lead off the inning. Wilson Contreras then crushed a two-run homer to center field.
Stephens was the offensive hero, too. He had the game winning hit when he hit a two-out single to center with the bases loaded in the fourth inning to drive in two runs and give the Reds a 4-3 lead. He is the second Reds pitcher to have multiple RBIs in his first big league game since Paul Moskau in 1977.
Stephens, who is from Oxford, Ala., replaced Brandon Finnegan, who returned to the disabled list this week. Stephens is 4-4 with a 4.97 ERA in 15 appearances and 14 starts with the Triple-A Louisville Bats this season, but is 2-1 with a 3.04 ERA over his last eight starts. With the Blue Wahoos last season, Stephens was 8-11 in 26 starts with a 3.33 ERA.
Stephens is the eighth Reds pitcher to make a Major League debut in 2017 and the fifth to do so in a start. Already this season, Amir Garrett, Sal Romano, Rookie Davis have made their debuts.
Tickets to the second half of the season are on sale now! Purchase tickets online at bluewahoos.com, visiting the Box Office or calling 850-934-8444. The Pensacola Blue Wahoos are the Double-A Affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds and a member of the Southern League. Follow the Pensacola Blue Wahoos at BlueWahoos.com, facebook.com/PensacolaBlueWahoos and twitter.com/BlueWahoosBBall.
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