Wahoos Shutout Shrimp 3-0 Behind Brilliant Santillan

PENSACOLA, Fla. - After scoring 17 runs through the first two games of the series, the Blue Wahoos only needed one to clip past the Jumbo Shrimp, 3-0, on Friday. Tony Santillan (W, 2-0) turned in six shutout innings and TJ Friedl paced the offense with three hits in the Wahoos victory in front of a capacity crowd to capture their fourth straight win.
Despite not scoring many, the Wahoos offense got off to a quick start behind Santillan. After a one-out single by Friedl, he advanced to second on a wild pitch, and after moving to third on a groundout, he scored on Rodrigo Vigil's eight passed ball of the season to make it 1-0.
On Friday, a one-run lead was plenty for Santillan. He retired eight of the first nine Jumbo Shrimp that came to the plate and only twice to did Jacksonville have runners in scoring position. For the first since joining the Wahoos, the 2015 second-round pick looked dominant as he struck out six without walking a batter on 80 pitches.
Pensacola doubled their lead thanks to a defensive miscue by the Shrimp. With Friedl on first, Mitch Nay hit into what looked like a double play ball to first. After Jagielo stepped on first base, his throw towards second sailed by the shortstop Joe Dunand and into left field. Shed Long followed with a single to right field, which brought home Friedl to give the Wahoos a 2-0 edge. Long would plate home a third run with a solo home run on the second pitch he saw from Miguel Del Pozo in the eighth inning.
Despite his starter having thrown only 80 pitches, Jody Davis turned the game over to his bullpen in the seventh inning. He wound up using three different relievers to secure the game's last nine outs. Jacksonville's best chance at a late comeback came in the ninth when Monte Harrison led off the inning and reached on Long's 10th error of the season. However, Alex Powers (S, 10) remained unphased and retired the next three batters in order for the save.
Robert Dugger (L, 2-4) was strong for Jacksonville despite taking the loss. He allowed two runs (one earned) on seven hits over his six innings of work. The right-hander walked two and tied his season-high with seven punchouts.
Having earned a series win, Pensacola will look to make it five wins in a row when they take on the Jumbo Shrimp Saturday night. RHP Daniel Wright (4-6, 4.20) will toe the rubber for Pensacola against RHP Merandy Gonzalez (1-4, 5.10). Saturday night's game begins at 6:05 p.m. and can be found on the radio at 97.1 The Ticket/1490 AM Milton, and www.bluewahoos.com. Live television coverage is provided by Cox Sports Television.
- 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