Blue Wahoos Rally Late for 5-4 Win over Lookouts
August 31, 2022 – Southern League (SL) – Pensacola Blue Wahoos News Release
Pensacola Blue Wahoos’ Paul McIntosh at bat
(Pensacola Blue Wahoos)
Chattanooga, Tenn. – The Pensacola Blue Wahoos clinched a winning August with a comeback 5-4 win over the Chattanooga Lookouts on Wednesday night.
Trailing 3-2 in the eighth, the Blue Wahoos strung together three hits and a pivotal error to claim a two-run lead. With the win, the Blue Wahoos ended August with a 13-12 record, their fourth winning month in a row.
For the second straight night, the Blue Wahoos jumped ahead in the first inning. Paul McIntosh doubled to the left field corner and Norel González singled him home to put Pensacola up 1-0.
Starter Cody Mincey worked effectively through three innings, but allowed a game-tying RBI single to Christian Encarnacion-Strand in the fourth and solo homers to Garrett Wolforth and Michael Siani in the fifth to put the Lookouts in front 3-1.
Griffin Conine hit his team-leading 21st home run off the left field foul pole in the sixth, trimming the deficit to 3-2 and putting him just two homers away from tying Pensacola’s single-season franchise record of 23 set by Peyton Burdick in 2021.
Tyler Eckberg (W, 1-0) twirled 2.0 scoreless innings of relief in his Double-A debut to take the game to the eighth, where McIntosh doubled and González singled once again to tie the game 3-3. Cobie Fletcher-Vance hit a sharp grounder that was misplayed by Wolforth at first to score the go-ahead run, and Davis Bradshaw capped the rally with an RBI single to bring the score to 5-3.
An opportunity for a sixth Pensacola run was foiled on a rare “fourth out” play, as Fletcher-Vance was ruled to have left early from third on a tag play that resulted in the end of the inning. Though the third out had already been recorded as Bradshaw was thrown out attempting to advance to second, the Lookouts successfully appealed and Fletcher-Vance’s run was negated.
The Lookouts got a run back in the eighth on a Tyler Mitzel wild pitch, and looked poised to tie the game in the ninth when Allan Cerda hit a leadoff double against Robinson Martínez (S, 1). The reliever coaxed a strikeout and deep flyout before fanning pinch hitter James Free to end the game with the tying run on third base.
The Blue Wahoos continue their series against the Lookouts on Thursday. First pitch from AT&T Field is scheduled for 6:15 p.m. CT, with a live broadcast beginning at 6:10 on ESPN Pensacola 1330 AM/99.1 FM and WYCT 98.7-HD4 (radio) and MiLB.tv (streaming). For more information, visit bluewahoos.com or call the box office at (850) 934-8444.
Images from this story
• Discuss this story on the Southern League message board…
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
