MADISON, Ala. - The Pensacola Blue Wahoos continued to punish Southern League pitching on Tuesday night, opening up their six-game road series with a 9-2 win over the Rocket City Trash Pandas.
After scoring 12 runs in each of their past three games last weekend in Chattanooga, the Blue Wahoos didn't quite live up to that pace. They did, however, add four more home runs and made a couple of stellar defensive plays to win their fourth game in a row.
Rocket City struck first in the bottom of the second, as Juan Flores lined an RBI double off the warning track in center field for a 1-0 Trash Pandas lead. The Blue Wahoos would counter in a big way in the top of the third, racking up four runs on six hits against Trash Pandas starter Eybersson Polanco (L, 3-4) to take the lead for good.
Payton Green led off with a double, and scored on a long two-run homer from Dylan Jasso. Cam Cannarella followed with a solo homer of his own, his sixth in the past week and a half, to give the Blue Wahoos a 3-1 lead. Consecutive singles from Juan Matheus, Fenwick Trimble and Brandon Compton added another for a 4-1 advantage.
Flores greeted Blue Wahoos reliever Holt Jones (W, 1-0) with a solo homer in the bottom of the fourth, but that would be the extent of the damage against the Pensacola bullpen. Cannarella made a leaping catch at the right field wall to rob Mac McCroskey and end the fourth, and catcher Ryan Ignoffo picked off Nick Rodriguez straying too far from third base to end the fifth. The Trash Pandas collectively went 0-for-12 with men in scoring position on the night, leaving nine men on base.
Green added a solo homer in the sixth inning, and Compton capped a three-hit night in his Double-A debut with a solo homer to lead off the bottom of the eighth. With two walks and a hit batsman to load the bases, Juan Matheus contributed a finishing kick later in the inning with a two-run single for a 9-2 lead.
Jones, Kade Bragg and Livan Reinoso all protected the lead with effective relief for the Blue Wahoos before Huntsville native Christian MacLeod ended the game with a scoreless ninth inning.
The Blue Wahoos continue their series against the Trash Pandas on Wednesday night. First pitch from Toyota Field is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. CT, with a live broadcast beginning at 6:30 on Bally Sports Live, BlueWahoos.com/radio or the MiLB app.