Pensacola Back on Track with 7-4 Win

PENSACOLA, Fla. - The Blue Wahoos made McKenzie Mill's (L, 0-1) Double-A debut he'll soon want to forget. The Wahoos ambushed the southpaw with five runs in the first inning and never looked back in a 7-4 win Tuesday night at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
Mills, who was acquired by the Marlins on Friday, was chased out of the game after two-thirds of an inning. After Jose Siri popped out to open the game the next five Wahoos would all come home to score. With two on, Aristides Aquino blooped his first of three hits into right field to load the bases. Shed Long followed with a bases-clearing triple to make it 3-0. The next batter was Taylor Featherston and he crushed his first home run since joining the Wahoos to make it 5-0. After hitting Chris Okey with a pitch, manager Randy Ready went to his bullpen and Scott Squier retired Wahoos starter Seth Varner to end the first inning.
Varner (W, 8-2) turned in another winning effort with seven innings of eight hit, three-run ball against Jacksonville. There were moments where Varner ran into trouble. He allowed a home run to Brian Schales in the second inning, which brought the score to 5-1. In the third, he hit Joe Dunand on an 0-2 pitch, and Dunand would come to score after Jacksonville rattled off a pair of hits in the fourth. In the fifth, Monte Harrison barreled his 17^th homer of the year to make it a 5-3 game.
However, the offense picked up Varner and came right back with two runs in the bottom of the fifth to extend the lead to 7-3. Taylor Featherston smacked a one-out triple to center field and scored on Gavin LaValley's RBI-single. After a base hit from Okey, Varner picked up his first career RBI with a single to left to bring home LaValley.
Alex Powers (S, 16) closed out the ninth inning for the Wahoos for his third save in as many appearances. Powers struck out one and with a man on forced Brian Miller to pop out to short to end the game.
The Wahoos continue their five-game series against the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp on Wednesday. RHP Vladimir Gutierrez (9-9, 4.16) will take the hill for Pensacola against RHP Nick Neidert (10-6, 3.23). Wednesday's game can be heard on the radio at 97.1 The Ticket/1490 AM Milton, and www.bluewahoos.com, with live television coverage presented by CST. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m.
- Pensacola Blue Wahoos -
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos are the Double-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. The 2018 season is underway at beautiful Blue Wahoos Stadium on Pensacola Bay. Group packages, season tickets, mini plans and single-game tickets are available for the 2018 season by calling (850) 934-8444 or online. Follow the Blue Wahoos at bluewahoos.com, facebook.com/PensacolaBlueWahoos, and twitter.com/BlueWahoosBBall