PENSACOLA, Fla -- The Pensacola Blue Wahoos defeated the Birmingham Barons 9-2 before 4,623 at Blue Wahoos Stadium on Friday night. After coming off a 16-run contest last night, the Barons could only get seven hits and two runs tonight.
Starting pitcher Connor McCullough (0-4, 4.30) gets the loss, going five innings, giving up six hits, four earned runs, and two walks with three strikeouts. Jarold Rosado went 1.2 innings, giving up two hits, three runs, one earned run, and a walk with three strikeouts. Mark McLaughlin pitched 1.1 innings, giving up six hits, two earned runs, and no walks with a strikeout.
Pensacola (34-33) scored first in the game in the bottom of the second inning on a Ryan Ignoffo RBI single. The Blue Wahoos took an early 1-0 lead. In the bottom of the fourth inning, Pensacola scored three more runs. An RBI double by Connor Caskenette, and a Payton Green two RBI single gave the Blue Wahoos a 4-0 lead.
In the bottom of the sixth inning, a Cam Cannarella single scored Cristian Hernandez and Payton Green, and the Blue Wahoos led 6-0. A single by Hernandez scored Brendan Jones, and Pensacola led 7-0.
In the top of the eighth inning for Birmingham (26-41), T.J. McCants walked. Alec Briley singled. A Caleb Bonemer single loaded the bases. Anthony DePino ground out, scored McCants, and the Barons trailed 7-1.
In the bottom of the eighth, the Blue Wahoos scored two more runs to lead 9-1. In the top of the ninth inning, Colby Shelton hit a home run, his fifth of the season, to cut the Blue Wahoos lead to 9-2.
For the Barons, Briley and Bonemer had two hits apiece. Shelton had the home run. The series is tied at 2-2 going into Saturday.
Up next is Game 5 with Pensacola. The Barons will send RHP Dylan Cumming (1-3, 5.91) to the mound, as the Blue Wahoos will counter with LHP Luis Palacios (4-0, 2.18). First pitch is at 6:05 pm.