Shuckers drop fifth straight in opener at Pensacola
PENSACOLA The Biloxi Shuckers set a new club record with its fifth consecutive loss after falling to the Pensacola Blue Wahoos, 4-2, on Saturday night at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
Biloxi finished the night 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position, and have combined to go 0-for-13 over the last two games. The bright spot offensively came from Nick Ramirez, who went 2-for-3 and smashed his 10th homer of the season in the seventh inning.
Pensacola (7-9, 48-38) pushed across the first two runs of the game with a two-run third. Eric Jagielo started the frame with a walk and Jose Duarte singled to put the first two on base in the inning. Taylor Mahle bunted into a fielder’s choice, as the sacrifice attempt was bunted back to the mound and Angel Ventura threw out Jagielo at third.
Wahoos’ leadoff hitter Jeff Gelalich ripped a double off the wall in right to bring across Duarte for the first run of the night, and advanced Mahle to third. The next batter, Alex Blandino lifted a sacrifice fly to right, plating Mahle for the insurance run.
Biloxi’s (5-11, 44-41) deficit grew to three after Eric Jagielo hit his sixth home run of the season over the wall in right to lead off the fifth. Pensacola had a chance to add another tally in the inning after Mahle singled up the middle in front of Gelalich’s double to left that skipped away from Johnny Davis.
The Wahoo hurler was waved around third, but a perfect relay throw from Gabriel Noriega caught the runner at home for the second out. Ventura induced a groundout off the bat of Blandino to end the inning.
The Blue Wahoos used a two-out rally in the sixth to stretch the lead to four for the home team. Zach Vincej doubled to the gap in right-center and came home on Juan Duran’s single to left to put the Shuckers in a 4-0 hole.
Ventura (0-1) lasted six innings in his Double-A debut, allowing four runs on seven hits, two walks and four strikeouts on 76 pitches (47 strikes). The 23-year-old struck out Duran in the first inning for his first strikeout of the night, and struck out the side during his final inning in the sixth.
Tyler Spurlin worked two perfect frames out of the bullpen, striking out two in his 28th appearance of the season, lowering his ERA to 1.78.
Nick Ramirez (2x3, HR, R, RBI, BB) broke up the shutout with his 10th homer of the season to lead off the seventh. Biloxi added its second run of the game an inning later when Brett Phillips (1x4, 2B) bounced into a double play with runners on the corners, scoring Davis from third.
Tyrone Taylor (2x4, 2B) extended his on-base streak to 10 games with a double down the right field line in the first. The 22-year-old becomes the fourth Shucker this season to have an on-base streak of at least 10 games.
Tyler Mahle (3-1) earned the victory for Pensacola with seven innings of one-run ball. The Cincinnati Reds’ 10th-ranked prospect struck out five, walked one and gave up five hits in his fourth start at the Double-A level.
Carlos Gonzalez (SV, 5) worked a perfect ninth for his fifth save of the season.
Biloxi will look to stop the losing streak in game two of the series at 4:10 p.m. Sunday afternoon at Blue Wahoos Stadium. RHP Taylor Jungmann (0-1, 5.00) makes his third start at the Double-A level in 2016 for the Shuckers. The former first-round draft pick will face off against RHP Rookie Davis (6-3, 3.14) for Pensacola.
This story was originally published July 9, 2016 at 9:38 PM with the headline "Shuckers drop fifth straight in opener at Pensacola."