PENSACOLA, Fla. - Another big game from Brandon Compton powered the Pensacola Blue Wahoos to a 4-2 win over the Columbus Clingstones on Sunday evening.
The Blue Wahoos (51-44, 15-11) finished the series with a 5-1 mark over the visiting Clingstones (43-48, 14-13) and closed out the regular season against Columbus with a dominant 13-5 record.
Compton continues to make a splash in Pensacola. He was responsible for driving in all four runs of the evening and managed his second home run in as many days.
Compton has hit 11 home runs since joining the Blue Wahoos on June 30, the third-most on the team behind Fenwick Trimble (13) and Dillon Lewis (17).
Both sides traded blows to open the series finale. Columbus put a run up first with a Jordan Groshans sacrifice fly in the first inning, yet Pensacola responded in the bottom of the frame with a Compton RBI double. The line drive was buried into the corner of right field at an eye-popping rate of 116.6 miles per hour to knot the game at 1-1.
The Clingstones wrestled a one-run edge back in the fifth. A high-flying hit by the Clingstones’ Colby Jones disappeared in the sun, allowing him to reach third and score on a subsequent groundout.
The lead would be short-lived as the Pensacola offense surged in the sixth. Brendan Jones and Cristian Hernández got on base with back-to-back singles into right field, and Compton handled clean-up duty with a scorcher over left field off of Columbus’ Owen Hackman (L, 2-3). The three-run homer put the Blue Wahoos ahead 4-2, which they would not relent through the remainder of the game.
The Pensacola pitching staff put together a great performance from the mound. Newly-acquired Joey Volini made his second start of his Double-A career and pitched 5.2 innings that saw two runs on six hits, earning four strikeouts. Nigel Belgrave (W, 4-5) delivered 3.1 innings of strong relief to take the win, allowing no hits and picking up five K’s.
The Blue Wahoos scored their four runs on seven hits, drawing one walk. The team was led at the plate by Compton and Hernandez, who each went 2-for-4. Jones, Juan Matheus, and Emaarion Boyd collected a hit each.
The Blue Wahoos will take Monday off before hitting the road for a series with the Knoxville Smokies, the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs, beginning on Tuesday. First pitch from Covenant Health Park on Tuesday is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. CT, with a live broadcast beginning at 5:55 on YurView, Bally Sports Live, BlueWahoos.com/radio or the MiLB app.