Laskey Delivers Career-Long Outing, But Rocket City Evens Series with Wahoos

Pensacola, Fla. - Lefthander Adam Laskey completed six innings Friday night for the first time in his five-year pro career.

If only he could take back one of the 94 pitches he threw.

Laskey hung a curveball with the bases loaded in the fifth inning that Rocket City’s Denzer Guzman drove into the gap for a 3-run double, and it proved decisive in the Trash Pandas' 4-2 victory against Pensacola before a capacity crowd (5,038) at Blue Wahoos Stadium.

This became another game where the Blue Wahoos could lament multiple missed chances at the plate. They were 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position, including four with less than two out.

But there were several memorable moments for the large crowd. It started with a Giveaway Friday with the first 1,000 fans receiving a Blue Wahoos beach towel, courtesy of sponsor Florida Blue.

The pregame activities were headlined by two amazing, centenarian age and World War II veteran brothers, Earl Drinkwater, 100, and younger brother Arthur, who turned 99 in February. They threw out ceremonial first pitches as the crowd greeted with loud applause.

In addition to this, the Blue Wahoos took on one-time identity as the “Malmo Oat Milkers,” a tie-in to an oat milk company based on Malmo, Sweden and part of a promotion initiative through all levels of Minor League Baseball.

They wore black-white jerseys worn by the Blue Wahoos players Friday were part of the sponsorship agreement.

And then after the fifth inning was complete, Renee Fries, a nurse at Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital, was honored at home plate with both teams standing and clapping in front of their dugouts for her service. She was the first ‘Hoos Hero,” in a sponsorship by Hanto Clarke to honor area health care workers.

It’s was a full night for the Blue Wahoos (21-16), aside from the game outcome.

Things started well on the field. Newcomer Fenwick Trimble, one of the stars of Thursday night’s win against Rocket City, led off with a single, stolen second and later scored on Kemp Alderman’s sacrifice fly.

The Trash Pandas (12-23) tied the game in the second with a double, a wild pitch from Laskey to move the runner to third and sacrifice fly by catcher Jaxx Groshans.

The scored stayed that way until the fifth when Rocket City’s first two batters single, then Laskey walked Sam

Brown with two out to load the bases. A 2-2 curve ball from him was blasted into the right center gap to empty the bases.

Trimble homered to start the bottom of the fifth, then Jared Serna triple. But reliever Jose Quijada struck out Jake Thompson and Alderman and Brady Choban, the third of six pitchers Rocket City used in this game, got Nathan Martorella to ground out in a defining moment of the game.

The Blue Wahoos were retired in order in the eighth and ninth. It wound up a win for former Blue Wahoos pitcher Sean Poppen, who made his MLB debut with the Minnesota Twins in 2019 after starting the season in Pensacola. He’s now trying for a comeback to the big leagues.

The series is now evened at 2-2 heading into Saturday’s fifth game of the series with the Blue Wahoos Dax Fulton set to be the game starter.

GAME NOTABLES

--- What’s in a name? The Malmo Oat Milkers is a sponsorship Minor League Baseball has with the Oatly Milk Company, based in Malmo, Sweden. The company manufactures the largest amount of oat milk in the world.

The agreement with MiLB is that all 120 teams will become the “Oat Milkers” for one designated game in 2025.

Friday night, Pensacola and the Somerset (NJ) Patriots, who play in the Double-A Eastern League, were the two designated venues to become the Oat Milkers on this day. The jersey were white with black sleeves, lettering and numbers and pink outline around the numbers. Each jersey had “Baseball Player” rather than player’s name on the back.

--- The game-worn Oat Milkers jerseys were auctioned during the game and will be presented to fans with the top bid on each number.

--- Blue Wahoos players helped distribute the Blue Wahoos-Florida Blue beach towels, which went to the first 1,000 fans. The popular promotion items were completely handed out in 10 minutes.

--- There were eight ceremonial first pitches the game, including a gentleman hosting a bachelor party with friends Friday.

--- Zach Brockman, president of the Beloit (Wisconsin) Sky Carp, the High-A affiliate of the Marlins and co-owned by Blue Wahoos owners Quit and Rishy Studer, put on the costume and ran the “Roach Race” as hundreds of kids trailed behind.

--- There were 14 groups in attendance Friday including the Freeport Little League with 80 members, the Navarre 8-Under Youth League with 180 and Leonardo DRS, a contractor company for the U.S. Armed Forces, with 146 members. On the left field deck were the Royal Rangers at Lifepoint Church, located in Crestview.

WANT TO GO?

WHO: Rocket City Trash Pandas vs. Blue Wahoos.

WHEN: Saturday and Sunday.

WHERE: Blue Wahoos Stadium.

GAMETIMES: Saturday games starts at 6:05 p.m. Sunday’s game starts at 1:05 p.m. (Reminder, this will be the last 1:05 p.m. start on Sunday until the final game of the regular season. All future Sunday games are moving to a 4:05 p.m. start).

PROMOTIONS: Saturday’s game is Fireworks Saturday, sponsored this time by Pen Air Credit Union and featuring a post-game display over the water.

Sunday is Military-Family Sunday: The first 100 active or retired military member can receive a free standing room ticket by visiting the stadium box office and showing proof of military ID. Following the game, kids can run the bases and families can toss soft rubber baseballs in the outfield in a promotion combined twin promotion sponsored by Great Clips and WKRG-News5.

TV: BLAB-TV on Saturday, YurView (Cox Communications subscribers) on Sunday.

LIVESTREAM AUDIO: You can listen to the Blue Wahoos broadcast with Erik Bremer and Carter Bainbridge call of the game through www.bluewahoos.com/radio or the MILB App.

LIVESTREAM VIDEO: Available on MiLB.TV (subscription required). TICKETS: Available at www.bluewahoos.com or at the stadium box office. On Saturday, the box office will open at 3 p.m.