HAMILTON BREAKS SINGLE SEASON STEALS RECORD
With two outs in the bottom of the third and one steal away from tying the top mark, the 21-year-old lined a single into right field to reach for the second time in the contest. Hamilton then took off for second and swiped the base just under a strong and accurate throw from Montgomery catcher Mark Thomas. Three pitches later, the Mississippi native ran on the 0-2 pitch and dove head-first into third base ahead of Thomas' throw to claim the record.
Both the record tying and breaking bases that Hamilton stole were immediately taken off the field by Blue Wahoos personnel, in addition to Hamilton's helmet. Earlier in the game, he began Pensacola's first inning with a walk, before taking second on an error and notching his 144th steal by swiping third. He also added another theft in the eighth frame to extend his mark to 147.
The historic moment came in the speedster's 120th game of the season and his 38th contest with Pensacola. Before being promoted to Pensacola on July 11, Hamilton stole 104 bases in 82 games with High-A Bakersfield. Hamilton through his 38 games with the Blue Wahoos has tallied 42 thefts. The record falls 20 years to the day after Vince Coleman and Donnell Nixon broke Rickey Henderson's single-season stolen base record with their 131st stolen base of the 1983 season.
BISCUITS SWEEP FISH IN TWIN BILL
Pensacola SS Billy Hamilton stole four bases to set a new professional baseball record for stolen bases in a single season, while Montgomery swept the Blue Wahoos in Tuesday night's double header. The Biscuits took the first game 4-2 before they topped the Fish 3-1 in the second contest at Pensacola Bayfront Stadium.
With the defeats, the Blue Wahoos fell to an even 29-29 record in the second half, while Montgomery improved to 34-25 since the league's All-Star Game. The Wahoos are now four games out of first place in the Southern League South.
With two outs in the bottom of the third of game one and one steal away from tying the top mark, Hamilton lined a single into right field to reach for the second time in the contest. Hamilton then took off for second and swiped the base just under a strong and accurate throw from Montgomery catcher Mark Thomas. Three pitches later, the Mississippi native ran on the 0-2 pitch and dove head-first into third base ahead of Thomas' throw to claim the record.
The record falls 20 years to the day after Vince Coleman and Donnell Nixon broke Rickey Henderson's single-season stolen base record with their 131st stolen base of the 1983 season.
After both teams went scoreless through the first five innings of game one, Montgomery got the scoring started with a run in the sixth. 1B Greg Sexton walked and then advanced to third on C Mark Thomas' double, before an RBI groundout sent home Sexton. One inning later, LF Brad Coon increased the advantage to 2-0 with an RBI single to center.
The Blue Wahoos however, came back to tie it with a clutch two-out two-run game-tying homer. LF Donald Lutz drew a one-out walk, before C Tucker Barnhart left the yard for his second longball of the year.
However, Montgomery plated two tallies in the extra eighth inning to pull ahead for good. 1B Michael Sheridan led off with a solo shot to right, his ninth roundtripper of the year, prior to RF Mikie Mahtook's RBI single. Pensacola again fought hard in bottom of the frame and loaded the bases, but their hopes were shut down by the Biscuits.
Fish starter Tony Cingrani (7.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 7 SO) did not factor in the decision despite giving up just two earned runs on three hits while fanning seven in seven innings, while RHP Justin Freeman (1.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 SO) suffered the loss. Cingrani started off the contest by retiring the first 16 batters he faced. Montgomery starter Kyle Lobstein (6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 7 SO) also did not receive a decision in the first game despite yielding just two hits in six shutout frames, while RHP Kirby Yates (2.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 4 SO) earned the victory.
Pensacola struck first in game two, beginning with 1B Beau Mills' leadoff single in the second. The infielder eventually moved to second on a passed ball and third on a bunt, before being sent in on LF Donald Lutz's run-scoring single to right. The Biscuits however, scored the next three runs to push ahead with single tallies in the third, fifth and seventh innings.
Montgomery C Mayo Acosta launched his fourth big fly of the year in the third to tie it, while the club took advantage of a Blue Wahoos passed ball to take the 2-1 advantage in the fifth. In the final frame, 3B Omar Luna drew a free pass and then moved to third on a single before coming across on Acosta's sacrifice fly to center.
Biscuits starter Matt Buschmann (7.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 3 SO) fired a seven-inning complete game to earn the win after giving up the lone earned run on just four hits in seven frames, while Blue Wahoos reliever Josh Ravin (1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB) suffered the loss.
The two teams will now meet on Wednesday evening, with first pitch scheduled for 7:00 p.m. at the bayfront stadium. Pensacola is scheduled to send RHP Mark Serrano to the mound, while Montgomery is expected to counter with RHP Nick Barnese. As part of What's Happening Wednesday, fans are encouraged to dress up in their favorite high school, college or pro colors. Tickets are still available and can be purchased online at BlueWahoos.com or at the Hill Kelly Dodge Pickup window at the bayfront stadium.