Always Strong With Glove, Gore Encouraged By Progression at Plate

The past week has been Jordan Gore's best stretch at the plate since early May.
It's a trend the Blue Wahoos shortstop hopes can continue to elevate him through his most difficult professional season.
Gore went 2-for-3 Monday night, part of a 6-for-15 chart in five games, as the Blue Wahoos struggled into a 6-2 loss against the Montgomery Biscuits at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
While his defensive skills have shined, Gore hasn't been able to collect such hits in a sequence in two months.
"It's getting better," said Gore, 24, a Conway, S.C. native who played for the South Carolina Gamecocks and Coastal Carolina. "It has started off slow and it's basically been a work in progress.
"I appreciate all my hitting coaches for helping me through it and giving me a chance to work through it. I'm just trying to swing better and take advantage of what I get."
Gore has not received a lot of joyous nights from his bat. His average fell below .200 on May 13 and has not climbed past that point. But in the last few games, progression has occurred.
"You can't really look at numbers, because if you get caught up in numbers, you're just going to bury yourself," Gore said. "That's just baseball."
After being drafted in the 19th round by the Minnesota Twins, following Gore's junior season at Coastal Carolina where he batted .317, success followed into pro ball.
He hit .307 a year ago for the Cedar Rapids (Iowa) Kernels, earning promotion to then-Twins affiliate, the Chattanooga Lookouts, the second half of last season.
But this season has tested his faith.
"Baseball is a humbling game," Gore said. "You can have a good night. And then come back to the park the next night and have a terrible day. It's frustrating. It builds character."
The Blue Wahoos frustration with run-producing opportunities extended another game. They had runners in scoring position in five of the first six innings with six hits, but only produced one run.
Twice, second baseman Joe Cronin hit line drives on the button that became outs. One led into a double play.
The Biscuits meanwhile, strung together a pair of three-run innings to take control.
"That's a good team we're playing," said Gore, who transferred into Coastal Carolina and was in the dugout on a transfer year when the Chanticleers stunned college baseball by winning the College World Series in Omaha, Neb.
"(Biscuits) pitch, they defend and they hit. We need one or two hits to fall and we'll be good. We just have to bring it better tomorrow," Gore said.
"It's going to happen soon. We have a bunch of good hitters in our lineup. It will come around. We have a 140 game season. We are going to go through lulls like this. But we're going to break out and hopefully we're going to be better."
Blue Wahoos starter Griffin Jax (3-3) was sharp the first four innings with a 1-0 lead. But in the fifth, he gave up a double, single, triple in succession for two runs. Josh Lowe's two-out single made it 3-1 at the time.
In the sixth, the Biscuits' Brett Sullivan singled, the scored on Lucius Fox single. That ended Jax's night, after he was charged with five runs and nine hits.
Rene Pinto's two-run double against Anthony Vizcaya padded the lead.
Blue Wahoos popular first baseman Lewin Diaz produced a crowd reaction with his opposite-field home run in the eighth. But there were few other moments.
The loss was the Blue Wahoos (49-46) ninth in the past 11 games, dropping them to 11-14 in the second half. They will seek to salvage something positive in Tuesday's series finale.
The Biscuits (60-35) have won 10 of their last 12 games.
BALLPARK MEMORIES
Titus Culbreth, attired in suit and tie, sang the National Anthem. It was his second time performing the anthem and he's one of the local singers discovered in Pensacola's Got Talent.
William Huber, a loyal, long-time season ticket holder, who can be seen at most home games, was honored before the game by throwing out first pitch and recognized on scoreboard for his birthday. 
The Blue Wahoos will end the six-game homestand Tuesday on Mardi Gras Fat Tuesday in mid-July night. There will be parades, contests and other elements incorporated into a Mardi Gras theme.
There will also be post game fireworks.