The Pensacola Blue Wahoos lost 7-2 to the Montgomery Biscuits on Sunday afternoon in Montgomery, Alabama, after Joey Volini left in the third inning with apparent discomfort. Volini took the loss and moved to 2-3 as Montgomery pulled away after Pensacola tied the game in the third inning.
Pensacola still left Montgomery with four wins in six games and holds a 7.5-game lead over the Columbus Clingstones in the second-half race. The Blue Wahoos have 12 games remaining in the regular season, and their magic number to clinch a playoff spot remains six.
Montgomery Pulls Away After Volini Exits
Volini surrendered a two-run home run to Will Simpson in the first inning, giving the Montgomery Biscuits an early lead. Pensacola answered in the top of the third inning against Montgomery starter Chris Clark, with Adrian Santana and Brandon Compton delivering RBI singles to tie the game at 2-2.
Compton’s RBI single extended his on-base streak to 22 games. He finished August batting .333 with 13 doubles, one triple, eight home runs, 27 RBIs and a 1.153 OPS.
The game changed again in the bottom of the third inning when Volini left with the bases loaded and two outs. Mason Vinyard entered in relief, issued a bases-loaded walk to Justyn-Henry Malloy and allowed a two-run double to Connor Hujsak.
Those runs put Montgomery ahead 5-2. J.T. Arruda added a two-run home run in the fourth inning to extend the Biscuits’ lead to 7-2.
Hayden Snelsire, Tommy McCollum and Junior William each pitched two scoreless innings of relief for Montgomery. Snelsire earned the win and improved to 5-3, while Volini was charged with the loss.
Pensacola Begins Columbus Series Tuesday
Despite Sunday’s defeat, Pensacola finished August with an 18-7 record, the highest winning percentage in a calendar month in franchise history. The Blue Wahoos also maintained their 7.5-game lead over Columbus with six upcoming head-to-head matchups against the Clingstones.
Pensacola has an off day Monday before beginning its road series against the Columbus Clingstones on Tuesday. The series opener is scheduled for 6:06 p.m. Central time at Synovus Park, with a live broadcast beginning at 6 p.m. on Bally Sports Live, BlueWahoos.com/radio or the MiLB app.
FSB Take
The Blue Wahoos did not reduce their magic number in the loss, but they still took four wins from six games in Montgomery and preserved a substantial second-half lead. Volini’s early departure was the key development in Sunday’s game, while Compton’s 22-game on-base streak and standout August remain important storylines. Pensacola now moves into six head-to-head games against Columbus, beginning Tuesday.
Source: Original report