Conine Homers Twice, Sets Franchise RBI Record in Blue Wahoos Win

Pensacola, Fla. – Griffin Conine learned the night earlier that he was going to be moved up to second in the Blue Wahoos batting order.

“Pretty shocked. I was nervous to be honest,” he said. “I haven’t hit in the first inning all year. You have to be ready right away.”

He was ready, all right, producing in a big way to forever remember in Pensacola’s 9-6 slugfest win against the Montgomery Biscuits on Mullet Thursday at Blue Wahoos Stadium.

Conine, the franchise home run leader, blasted a pair of two-run homers, including the first pitch he saw in the first inning, then another one in the third inning, which made him the all-time, career RBI leader in Blue Wahoos franchise history. He collect five RBI on the night and reached base four times.

He passed Travis Mattair in that category, who had 126 RBI in 263 career games played during the Blue Wahoos' 2013 and 2014 seasons. Mattair, a former Cincinnati Reds prospect when playing for the Blue Wahoos, is now a realtor in Navarre.

Conine, who played his 204th game across three seasons for Pensacola on Thursday, now has 128 RBI, after his bases-loaded walk in the seventh inning.

“I think you want to be a clutch player and drive in runs,” said Conine, who reached base four times and scored three runs. “That’s what it’s all about. There are a lot of different things to measure a good hitter and RBI isn’t really one of them, but that’s what it’s all about, so definitely a good one to have.”

Amid a crowd of 4,321, the team took on its Thursday alternate identity as the Pensacola Mullets and used a big start to take a second win in the series. Pensacola (33-21) maintained a five-game lead over Biloxi, 6 games ahead of the Biscuits with 15 games left in the first half of the Southern League schedule.

Conine’s two-run homer in the first inning came on a first-pitch fastball, which exited at 114 mph off his bat and traveled 447 feet over the right-center berm.

"I was looking to pull something. I wanted to get in the (batters) box and be ready to go right away,” Conine said. “Can’t let one go by.”

Conine, the son of Miami Marlins all-time great Jeff Conine, nicknamed "Mr, Marlin" for helping the Marlins to both of their World Series triumphs, and honored last weekend as part of the Marlins' 30th anniversary celebration, has seven hits in his last five games.

Earlier this season, Griffin Conine became the Blue Wahoos all-time career home run leader, passing former Reds' outfielder Aristides Aquino, who hit 37 during the 2017 and 2018 seasons. Conine now has 45 HR for the Blue Wahoos, after hitting four in his last five games.

"A lot of the work behind the scenes is coming to fruition," said Conine, 25, who played college baseball at Duke and was a second-round pick by the Toronto Blue Jays in 2018. "It's been tough. I think I had a lot more hiccups to start the year than I thought I would. And I just had to work through it a lot.

"But we have a really good staff and everyone is working with us on the same thing, which is helping us win and put better swings on balls."

After the Biscuits (27-27) tied the game in the top of the third, the Blue Wahoos answered with three runs in the bottom of the inning on a RBI double from Norel González, run-scoring single by José Devers and Cody Morissette’s sacrifice fly.

Conine followed in the fourth inning with an opposite-field homer to left to provide a 7-3 lead. The Biscuits chipped back to a 7-5 deficit with solo runs in the seventh and eighth.

In the bottom of the eighth, Conine drew a bases-loaded walk for his fifth RBI, further padding the Blue Wahoos' lead and Troy Johnston hit an RBI groundout.

The Biscuits hit three homers, all solo shots in the game, including one in the ninth as part of their 12 hits in the game.

The Blue Wahoos had their top reliever, Sean Reynolds, and top hitter, Dane Myers, elevated earlier Thursday to Triple-A Jacksonville.

Conine and teammates carried the night. It was his first multi-homer game of the season, fifth in his Blue Wahoos career, and gave him four homers in the past week.

“Our offense is really tough to face, top to bottom,” he said.

Blue Wahoos starter M.D. Johnson matched his longest start of the season. He worked six innings, allowing three runs on nine hits with two strikeouts and no walks.

He worked out of trouble in the second inning after a solo homer from Logan Driscoll, then a pair of two out singles with two outs. In the fifth inning, he stranded two runners with one out, then had a clean sixth inning.

The series now shifts to the weekend where the Blue Wahoos will have their top pitcher, Patrick Monteverde (6-1, 2.16 ERA), on Friday night against the Biscuits’ Victor Munoz (4-3, 6.68).

It will be a Giveaway Friday with the first 1,000 fans receiving a Blue Wahoos 2022 championship T-shirt courtesy of Total Fire Protection.

First pitch from Blue Wahoos Stadium 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), and WFGX MyTV 35 (local television). For more information, visit BlueWahoos.com or contact the box office at (850) 934-8444.

GAME NOTABLES

--- With Sean Reynolds and Dane Myers joining Jacksonville, the Blue Wahoos regained infielder Cobie Fletcher-Vance and reliever Jefry Yan from the Jumbo Shrimp.

-- The Shalimar United Methodist Church performed the National Anthem.

-- Among the groups in attendance was the All Sports Association from Fort Walton Beach-Destin, which each year presents the Wuerffel Trophy winner in honor of former Fort Walton High and Florida Gators star quarterback Danny Wuerffel.

--- The Tate High baseball team attended with a fundraiser event.

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