Smokies Series Recap: Pensacola Blue Wahoos vs Knoxville Smokies

Teddy Clark

KNOXVILLE, TN — The Smokies opened their first homestand after the All-Star break by hosting the Pensacola Blue Wahoos at Covenant Health Park, and the six-game set delivered close finishes and plenty of long balls. It was an exciting week, but ultimately a disappointing one for Knoxville, who managed to take just two of the six games.

Pensacola came out swinging all series long, launching eight home runs over the six games, and three of them off the bat of outfielder Brandon Compton. For the Smokies, the story was a familiar and frustrating one: an inability to come through in timely spots, as the team hit a measly 10-for-51 with runners in scoring position across the series.

Game 1: Smokies Drop Heart-Breaker in Series Opener

Game one was the lowest-scoring affair of the week, and it was the Wahoos who struck first. Colby Shade opened the scoring with a sacrifice fly to deep center, bringing home Ryan Ignoffo, and Dylan Jasso followed with an RBI single to make it 2-0 in the second. Pensacola tacked on another run in the third when Cristian Hernández turned on a pitch for a solo shot to left-center, pushing the lead to 3-0 — which would stand as the Wahoos' final tally.

The Smokies tried to answer late. Karson Simas delivered a bases-loaded RBI single, and Miguel Useche added a sacrifice fly in the seventh to cut the deficit to 3-2. But Knoxville could only manage a 1-for-7 mark with runners in scoring position and left four men on base, and the comeback fell just short.

Both staffs used a similar approach on the mound. Wahoos starter Luis Palacios worked four and a third innings, allowing two hits and one earned run while striking out six. Reliever Gabe Bierman followed with two and two-thirds innings of one-hit ball to pick up the win, and Jack Sellinger closed things out with two innings and two strikeouts.

For Knoxville, Connor Schultz started and went three and two-thirds innings, allowing all three Pensacola runs while striking out four. Tyler Santana, Evan Taylor, and Tyler Ras combined for five and a third scoreless innings of relief, surrendering just one hit and racking up six strikeouts between them. Final: Blue Wahoos 3, Smokies 2.

Game 2: Smokies Strike Back

The Wahoos trimmed their pitching plan to just two arms in game two. Starter Luis Moreno cruised after a rough four-run first, ultimately going five innings with seven hits and four runs allowed to go with two strikeouts. Holt Jones took over and shut the door, tossing three scoreless innings with four strikeouts.

Knoxville stuck with its four-pitcher approach. Dawson Netz got the start and turned in a solid four innings, allowing just two hits and two runs while striking out five. Frankie Scalzo Jr. followed with two scoreless innings and two strikeouts to earn the win, and Tyler Schlaffer and Marino Santy closed out the game with three combined innings, allowing one run on three hits with two strikeouts.

This time it was the Smokies jumping on top early, plating all four of their runs in the first inning. Miguel Useche got things started with an RBI single to score Jefferson Rojas, then came around to score himself, along with Andy Garriola, when Carter Trice ripped an RBI double to make it 3-0. Alex Madera capped the outburst with an RBI single to bring in Trice, and Knoxville led 4-0 after one.

Pensacola chipped away the rest of the way, scoring twice in the fourth on a walk and a balked-in run, then getting an RBI single from Brendan Jones in the seventh. But the rally came up short, and the Smokies held on for a 4-3 win.

Game 3: Smokies' Struggles Continue

Both clubs leaned on their starters in game three. Eliazar Dishmey went five innings for Pensacola, allowing just one hit and no runs while striking out eight, and Brody McCullough matched him with five innings of his own for Knoxville, giving up two hits and one run with five strikeouts.

From there, each team turned to three relievers to close things out. Nigel Belgrave, Jaydenn Estanista, and Colby Martin combined for four innings for the Wahoos, allowing five hits and one run with six strikeouts. Knoxville's trio of Luke Little, Erian Rodriguez, and Grayson Moore also threw four combined innings but were charged with three runs on five hits, striking out four.

Offensively, it was all Pensacola. Brandon Compton's solo home run in the fourth put the Wahoos on the board, and they kept adding on — two more runs in the sixth on a fielding error that scored Dylan Jasso and a Juan Matheus RBI double that brought in Cristian Hernández, then another in the seventh when Payton Green grounded out to score Colby Shade, making it 4-0. The Smokies finally got on the board in the eighth when a passed ball allowed Jefferson Rojas to score from second, but Pensacola answered right back with a Connor Caskenette home run to seal it, 5-1.

Game 4: Runners Left Stranded

Pensacola spread the work around in game four, using four pitchers with three of them throwing more than two innings. Christian MacLeod started and allowed one run over three innings, Livian Reinoso followed with three innings and two runs allowed while striking out four to pick up the win, and Jack Sellinger and Holt Jones combined to close out the final three innings, with Jones shutting the door on Knoxville's offense late.

The Smokies went back to a three-pitcher plan. Luis Martínez-Gómez started and worked six innings, allowing three runs on five hits with five strikeouts. Kenyi Pérez followed with one inning, giving up two runs on two hits and striking out two, before closer Tyler Ras slammed the door with two shutout innings and two strikeouts.

The story of the game, though, was opportunity lost — Knoxville hit just 2-for-12 with runners in scoring position and left 12 men on base. Even so, the Smokies hung around. Pensacola struck first in the second on a Brandon Compton homer, and Knoxville answered in the third when Carter Trice's RBI single scored Karson Simas to tie it at 1-1. Both teams traded two-run home runs in the fifth, Jay Beshears for the Wahoos, Alex Ramírez for the Smokies, to keep it knotted at 3-3. Pensacola finally pulled away in the seventh on a Brendan Jones sacrifice fly and a Cristian Hernández RBI single, making it 5-3. Knoxville clawed one back in the bottom half on an Ariel Armas RBI double and loaded the bases with two outs in the ninth in a bid to complete the comeback, but couldn't finish it off. Final: Blue Wahoos 5, Smokies 4.

Game 5: Wahoos Take the Series

True to the week's pattern, Pensacola struck first again, this time on a Brendan Jones two-run homer in the third. Knoxville answered with a two-run blast of its own from Ariel Armas in the fourth to tie it at 2-2, and the game stayed deadlocked until the 10th, when Brandon Compton grounded into a double play that plated the go-ahead run for the Wahoos. Knoxville got the automatic runner to third in the bottom of the 10th but couldn't bring him home, falling 3-2 and dropping the series.

Pitching was the story on both sides. Pensacola's Orlando Ortiz-Mayr opened with three scoreless innings, allowing one hit and striking out four. Josh Hejka followed with three innings, allowing two runs on two hits with three strikeouts, and Nigel Belgrave threw two scoreless frames before Colby Martin closed it out with two scoreless innings, one hit allowed, three strikeouts, and the win.

Knoxville rode Brooks Caple for five innings, allowing two runs while striking out four. Evan Taylor followed with two hitless, scoreless innings, and Tyler Schlaffer held the line for two more scoreless frames before allowing the deciding run in the 10th.

Game 6: Bowser Bomb Wins It

Looking to leave the homestand on a high note ahead of an in-state rivalry series with Chattanooga, the Smokies delivered in the finale. Both starters worked five innings — Joey Volini went scoreless for Pensacola with three strikeouts, while Knoxville's Kevin Valdez allowed three runs and struck out five. The Wahoos' bullpen of Gabe Bierman and Michael Perez struggled late, combining for three innings and allowing five runs on five hits with three strikeouts. Knoxville's relief corps was the opposite story: Frankie Scalzo Jr., Luke Little, and Marino Santy combined for four shutout innings, allowing just three hits while striking out five.

Pensacola struck first yet again, scoring all of its runs in the third — a Ethan O'Donnell solo homer followed shortly by a Brandon Compton two-run shot made it 3-0. But Knoxville answered in the sixth, and answered emphatically. Karson Simas got it started with an RBI single to score Miguel Useche, and Drew Bowser stepped up right behind him and launched a go-ahead grand slam, the first Bowser Bomb of his Double-A career, to put the Smokies up 5-3. That would hold up as the final, giving Knoxville a much-needed win to carry into its next series.

Wrap Up

The Blue Wahoos took four of six games from the Smokies in their first post-All-Star-break series at Covenant Health Park, powered by eight home runs and three from Brandon Compton. Knoxville's downfall was the tale of missed opportunity: the Smokies hit just 10-for-51 with runners in scoring position across the week, including a brutal 2-for-12 showing and 12 men left on base in the Game 4 loss. Still, the Smokies salvaged some momentum in the finale, as Drew Bowser's go-ahead grand slam, his first career "Bowser Bomb" at Double-A, turned a 3-0 deficit into a 5-3 lead and sent Knoxville into its next series, a rivalry set with Chattanooga, on a high note.

Listen to all Smokies games LIVE on the Smokies website: https://www.milb.com/knoxville/fans/audio-listen-live

Get tickets to your next Smokies game here: https://www.milb.com/knoxville/tickets/single-game-tickets