Jacob Kisting left with an injury in the fifth inning, and the Pensacola Blue Wahoos fell 6-3 to the Biloxi Shuckers on Tuesday at Blue Wahoos Stadium in Game 1 of the Southern League South Division Playoffs. The best-of-three series shifts to Biloxi for Game 2 on Thursday and a deciding Game 3 on Friday, if necessary.
Kisting did not allow a hit and struck out six batters through the first four innings. He departed after facing the first batter of the fifth, when Biloxi right fielder Damon Keith hit a home run against him. Nigel Belgrave entered and struck out the next two batters, but the Shuckers scored five runs after Kisting left.
Biloxi took a 2-0 lead when Dylan O’Rae’s grounder caromed off the glove of Pensacola second baseman Payton Green. The Shuckers extended the advantage to 5-1 in the sixth inning, when Josh Adamczewski doubled home a run and Matthew Wood followed with a two-out double. Biloxi struck out 15 times but finished with 10 hits, matching Pensacola’s total.
The Blue Wahoos missed scoring opportunities in each of the first three innings after putting two runners on base each time. Cristian Hernández was thrown out at the plate by Biloxi center fielder Braylon Payne while trying to score on Ryan Ignoffo’s two-out single in the first inning. Ignoffo later hit into an inning-ending double play in the third.
Max Williams drove in Pensacola’s first run with a fifth-inning single, and Hernández added a two-run single in the seventh. Kisting finished the season 10-0 across two levels, including four wins in five starts with Pensacola. The Blue Wahoos entered the playoffs with a 79-58 regular-season record, the best mark in the league, and went 43-25 in the second half.
Pensacola also entered the playoffs without several players who contributed to that regular-season success. Brandon Compton and outfielder Cam Cannarella were elevated to Triple-A Jacksonville during the final two months, while infielder Aiva Arquette was injured during the final week and unable to play. Biloxi was 9-17 against Pensacola during the regular season and improved to 10-3 in four playoff series meetings, including victories in the three previous divisional series matchups.
Pensacola Blue Wahoos-Biloxi Shuckers Playoff Schedule
Game 2 is scheduled for Thursday at 6:35 p.m. at Keesler Federal Park in Biloxi, Mississippi. A deciding Game 3, if necessary, will be played Friday at 6:35 p.m. in Biloxi. Tickets begin at $19.
Information is available at biloxishuckers.com, with live audio at bluewahoos.com and livestream video at milb.com.
Source: Original report