Miracle Rally In Ninth Falls Short As Blue Wahoos Drop 13-9 Game To M-Braves 

Trailing by 11 runs and down to their final three outs, the Blue Wahoos ending Thursday seemed a glum formality.

Suddenly, they made it intriguing.

With the first five batters in the ninth inning reaching base, the Blue Wahoos produced seven runs, before an emergency reliever was summoned to record the last two outs in the Mississippi Braves 13-9 win.

By then, most of the crowd of 4,000-plus had left Blue Wahoos Stadium. A contingent of Booker T. Washington High seniors were waiting outside to begin their Project Graduation Night outing.

The Blue Wahoos weren’t ready to cede the stage.

After getting their first run on a wild pitch, J.D. Osborne and Troy Johnston both delivered RBI singles against M-Braves reliever Tyler Ferguson. Another wild pitch scored the next run.

With one out and the M-Braves racing to get one of their closers, Justin Yeager ready to come in, Blue Wahoos catcher Paul McIntosh blasted a 3-run homer off Ferguson that revved up Pensacola’s dugout and remaining fans in the ballpark.

Yeager entered and Griffin Conine worked a 3-2 count on him before striking out. Yeager then got Cobie Fletcher-Vance to ground out. Fletcher-Vance had led off the inning with a single and score the first run of the rally.

The Blue Wahoos wound up matching the M-Braves with 12 hits in the game. Luis Aviles Jr. and Osborne both went 3-for-4 to lead the Blue Wahoos offense. Avilies Jr. scored three runs.

Eight of the nine batters in the lineup reached base at least once.

But earlier in the game, the M-Braves had flipped the script from their 10-2 loss Wednesday that was Pensacola’s most lopsided win this season.

The M-Braves produced 10 runs against the Blue Wahoos bullpen, which now has three new faces.

Two of those, Brady Puckett and A.J. Ladwig had rough debuts. Puckett gave up three hits, six runs and got just one out in the sixth inning when entering in relief of starter Zach McCambley.

Ladwig was touched up for four runs in the four runs in the eighth to build up the M-Braves lead to 13-2.

McCambley gave up three runs, but none of those were earned runs in his five-inning start. The Blue Wahoos made four errors in the game,

With the win, the M-Braves 20-22 lead the series 2-1 against the division first place Blue Wahoos (20-17).

The teams will continue tomorrow, along with promise of better weather, when the Blue Wahoos’ Cody Mincey takes the mound.

GAME NOTABLES:

Despite all the rain Thursday morning and early afternoon, the field was completely dry less than 30 minutes after the tarp was removed. The synthetic field and how it was installed allow for rapid absorption.

The field can drain 16 inches of water in a hour.

--- The Project Graduation event for Washington High seniors followed their commencement Wednesday. More than 120 seniors attended, along with parental chaperones, staying up all night to dance at the Hancock-Whitney Club level, watched four different movies, and have use of the field.

--- The Tate High baseball team had its group outing Thursday at the game with players, coaches, parents, friends with a total contingent of 250.

--- The Freeport Grey Wolves and the Leslie Barr youth team were recognized on the field and ran out to positions with Blue Wahoos players.

--- Naval Aviation Schools Command had a 100-member group outing.

--- The National Anthem was performed by Joey Fishbein, brother of the owner of Fishbein Orthodontics – a Blue Wahoos partner. The company had a group outing as well with 100 in a group party deck area.

BLUE WAHOOS WEEKEND

WHO: Mississippi Braves vs. Blue Wahoos

WHEN: Friday through Sunday

WHERE: Blue Wahoos Stadium.

GAMETIMES: Friday at 6:35 p.m., Saturday at 6:05 p.m., Sunday at 4:05 p.m.

TICKETS: Online at www.bluewahoos.com/tickets, or at the stadium box office beginning at 10 a.m. Friday; 12 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Or by calling 850-934-8444.

RADIO: ESPN-Pensacola (99.1 FM and 1330 AM and WYCT 98.7 HD4).

TV: YurView (check provider) and MILB.tv (streaming) through www.milb.com/live-stream-games with subscription discount using BLUE WAHOOS.

PROMOTIONS:

Friday is Giveaway Friday: The first 2,000 fans through the gates will get a Blue Wahoos commemorative plastic tote bag sponsored by CPC Office Technologies.

Saturday is the traditional post-game fireworks show and Navy Baseball Night with members of NAS Pensacola attending and team wearing commemorative jerseys that will be auctioned for a U.S. Navy charity.

Sunday is Family Sunday with kids able to run the bases following the game and family toss in the outfield for 30 minutes after the game. The will also be celebrating the Navy history in Pensacola with the commemorative jerseys.