The Pensacola Blue Wahoos won their fourth straight game Friday night, rallying from an early deficit to beat the Biloxi Shuckers 9-4.
Adrian Santana, who joined the Blue Wahoos at the trade deadline, had his biggest game yet with Pensacola, hitting a two-run double in the second inning and a go-ahead, three-run double in the eighth that proved decisive.
Brandon Compton gave Pensacola an early 1-0 lead in the first inning with an RBI double, but Biloxi answered in the bottom half against Blue Wahoos starter Orlando Ortiz-Mayr. After loading the bases on a walk, an error and a single, Matthew Wood hit a grand slam to put the Shuckers ahead 4-1. Santana’s double in the second cut the deficit to 4-3, and neither team scored again until the seventh. Biloxi’s bid for a double steal of home in the fifth inning was foiled when catcher Ryan Ignoffo, working with Santana at second base, threw out Dylan O’Rae at the plate.
Three innings of effective relief from Jaydenn Estanista (1-0) kept the Blue Wahoos within reach. Pensacola tied it 4-4 in the seventh on a two-out RBI single from Juan Matheus, then loaded the bases against reliever Jesús Broca (3-5) in the eighth before Santana’s three-run double put the Blue Wahoos ahead. Cristian Hernández followed with a double of his own — his fifth in the past three games — to extend the lead to 8-4. Colby Shade added an insurance run in the ninth after being hit by a pitch, stealing third and scoring on a wild pitch.
Holt Jones recorded the final six outs in relief to seal the win. With the victory, the Blue Wahoos remain 3.0 games ahead of the Montgomery Biscuits with 26 games left in the race for the second-half South Division title. Pensacola continues its series against Biloxi on Saturday.