BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Pensacola Blue Wahoos edged out the Birmingham Barons by a final score of 3-2 to even the series on Friday night.
Birmingham scored first when a leadoff double from Samuel Zavala would come around to score on a sacrifice fly from reigning Southern League Player of the Week Alec Makarewicz, making it a 1-0 lead in the first inning. That lead would grow in the 3rd without the benefit of a hit. Zavala would draw a leadoff walk which would be followed by a 2-out hit by pitch to Anthony DePino and walk to Calvin Harris to load the bases. Pensacola starter Orlando Ortiz-Mayr would surrender his fourth free pass of the inning to Jeral Perez, walking in a run and making the score 2-0.
Ortiz-Mayr would work himself out of the jam, however, and give his offense a chance to get back in the game. And the offense would do just that. Ian Lewis Jr. and Garret Forrester would lead off the 5th inning with back-to-back walks before Jay Beshears would send a ball into the right field corner, scoring both runners with a game tying 2-run double. Ortiz-Mayr would work around a leadoff double in the bottom half of the inning, finishing his day off with 5.0 complete innings for his second straight start.
Jacob Heatherly (L, 0-1) would be the first out of the bullpen for the Barons to start the 6th inning. And, though he would pitch a clean 6th, he would get pulled after Forester and Beshears would both reach with one out in the 7th. Jackson Kelly would enter to face Emaarion Boyd, who would drop a bunt down the third baseline. Kelly would field it and fire the ball past the first baseman and into right field, scoring Forrester from second and giving the Wahoos a 3-2 lead.
Mason Vinyard (W, 3-1) would earn the win for Pensacola pitching a near flawless 2.2 innings, allowing just one hit and one walk. He would hand the ball to veteran Luis Palacios (S, 2), who would get the final 4 outs to earn his second save of the season and secure the victory.
The Blue Wahoos continue their series against the Barons on Saturday evening. First pitch from Regions Field is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT, with a live broadcast beginning at 6:25 on Bally Sports Live, MLB.tv, BlueWahoos.com/radio or the MiLB app.