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SL1 Biloxi Shuckers

Sellout Crowd of 6,098 See Shuckers Win Third-Straight over Pensacola

April 20, 2016 - Southern League (SL1)
Biloxi Shuckers News Release


BILOXI, MS. - A sellout crowd of 6,098 at MGM Park witnessed the Biloxi Shuckers secure their third-consecutive series victory with a 5-2 win over the Pensacola Blue Wahoos on Wednesday morning. The Shuckers became the first team in the Southern League to reach the 10-win mark and lead the Blue Wahoos by 1 1/2 games in the standings.

The sellout crowd of 6,098 on Wednesday for Education Day is the second-largest in MGM Park's short history. The largest came on July 3, 2015 as 6,231 watched the Shuckers and Mississippi Braves.

Biloxi scored early on Wednesday with a two-spot to take a 2-0 lead at the end of two frames.

Brandon Macias (2x4, 2 R, 2B, RBI) hit a grounder up the middle with one out for the first hit of the game for either team and moved to third when Victor Roache (3x4, R, 2 2B) smashed a double down the left-field line.

Chris McFarland (1x2, RBI) followed with a hard hit ball that could not be handled by first baseman Donald Lutz, allowing Macias to score for the 1-0 advantage. Rene Garcia (0x4, RBI) bounced to first for a potential double play, but a high throw by Lutz to Zach Vincej at second pulled the defender off the bag, resulting in McFarland advancing to second safely and scoring Roache on the fielder's choice.

Drew Gagnon (4.1 IP, H, 3 BB, 5 SO) continued the trend his two predecessors set against Pensacola by no-hitting the Blue Wahoos through 4.1 innings. The righty did walk two batters in third to break up the perfect game, but escaped the frame with no damage.

The 25-year-old allowed his first hit in the fifth with a one-out single to center off the bat of Sebastian Elizalde. A free pass to Chad Wallach followed and ended the day for Gagnon, as the spot starter gave way to Steve Peterson (3-0) out of the bullpen. The southpaw retired Jackson Stephens on a sacrifice attempt and induced a popup from Pin-Chieh Chen to strand the inherited runners.

Nick Shaw (1x4, 2B, RBI) added insurance for the Shuckers in the fifth with an RBI double down the right-field line, scoring Nathan Orf (1x1, R) from second.

Roache continued his hot streak in the eighth, slamming a double to left to score Macias from first and give Biloxi a four-run cushion. The right-handed slugger has gone 6-for-8 over the last two games in the series. Garcia singled home Roache to give the Shuckers their fifth run of the game.

Things got interesting in the ninth with Pensacola scoring twice off of Martin Viramontes (IP, 2 R, 2 H, 2 BB) and Hobbs Johnson (0.2 IP, H, BB, SO), forcing manager Mike Guerrero's hand to bring in Jaye Chapman (SV, 6) for a third-straight night.

The reliable closer struck out Alex Blandino to secure the win and convert his sixth save in six opportunities. The 11-year-veteran has retired all 19 batters he has faced to start the 2016 campaign.

The Shuckers will look for their first four-win series of the season on Thursday night at MGM Park. LHP Wei-Chung Wang (1-0, 2.45) makes his first start since earning his first win of the season on April 16 against the Mobile BayBears for Biloxi. RHP Rookie Davis (2-0, 0.82) takes the mound for Pensacola, five days after shutting out the Jacksonville Suns over six innings. First pitch is scheduled for 6:40 p.m., with coverage starting at 6:20 p.m. on the Biloxi Shuckers' Radio Network's flagship station, WGCM 1240-AM, 100.9-FM, WPMO 1580-AM, and the TuneIn Radio app. The contest can also be seen on milb.tv.

Thursday will be Donate Life Night with the first 1,000 fans receiving a Biloxi Shuckers cap, courtesy of the Mississippi Organ Recovery Agency. It's also the first Double Play Thursday, featuring $2 hot dogs and regular soft drinks and $2 off select draft beer and reserved tickets.

Tickets for individual regular season games are currently on-sale and may be purchased by visiting the MGM Park box office or any Ticketmaster outlet. Season Tickets, Shmini Plans, Group Tickets, Party Deck Tickets and Mercedes-Benz Mini Suite Tickets are available by calling the Shuckers at 228-233-3465. For more details, visit biloxishuckers.com.

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Southern League Stories from April 20, 2016


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