Blue Wahoos Run Wild, Begin Road Trip with 7-1 Win

Pearl, Miss. – The Pensacola Blue Wahoos stole a season-high five bases, including their first steal of home since 2018, as they started their 12-game road trip with a 7-1 win over the Mississippi Braves on Tuesday night.

Forced into a bullpen game after a late scratch of scheduled starter Patrick Monteverde, the Blue Wahoos patched things together with Zack Leban, Dylan Bice (W, 1-0), Zach Willeman and Josan Méndez to win their second game in a row.

In the third, Cody Morissette swiped home on the back end of a double steal with Nasim Nuñez for only the fifth steal of home in Blue Wahoos history, and the first since Aristedes Aquino achieved the feat on July 19, 2018.

That would be the only run allowed by Braves starter Luis De Avila (L, 1-4), but the Blue Wahoos tacked on three in the sixth and three more in the ninth. All six subsequent runs were unearned, as the Blue Wahoos took advantage of a pair of crucial Mississippi errors.

In the sixth, Victor Mesa Jr. reached on a strikeout when the throw from catcher Tyler Tolve hit him in the baseline. Will Banfield brought home a run with a sacrifice fly before Bennett Hostetler drove in two more with a two-out RBI single. Hostetler finished the night 3-for-4.

In the ninth, an error from second baseman Luke Waddell opened the door for RBI singles from Troy Johnston and Banfield to put the game out of reach.

Mississippi's lone run came on a solo homer from Drew Lugbauer against Willeman in the seventh.

The Blue Wahoos remain 5.0 games clear of second place Biloxi in the South Division with 29 games to play in the first half.

The Blue Wahoos continue their series against the Braves on Wednesday. First pitch from Trustmark Park is scheduled for 6:35, with a live broadcast beginning at 6:30 on BlueWahoos.com, the MiLB First Pitch app (radio), Bally Live and MiLB.tv (video).

For more information, visit BlueWahoos.com or contact the box office at (850) 934-8444.