Blue Wahoos Blast Rocket City in 11-4 Victory

Madison, Ala.– The Pensacola Blue Wahoos launched four home runs, including a pair of milestone shots, in an 11-4 victory over the Rocket City Trash Pandas on Thursday night.

Josh Zamora's three-run blast in the second inning was his first Double-A homer, and Jake Thompson followed suit with a game-breaking grand slam in the eighth for his first home run in a Blue Wahoos uniform.

All 11 runs were scored on long balls, as Victor Mesa Jr. and Bennett Hostetler also went deep in Pensacola's fourth straight win. They made a winner of Patrick Monteverde (W, 10-4), who allowed four runs in 5.0 innings to become just the fifth pitcher in team history to win ten games in a single season.

Mesa's two-run homer in the first inning and Zamora's three-run blast in the second were a rude greeting for Sammy Natera Jr. (L, 0-1), who took the loss for the Trash Pandas in his debut performance. While Rocket City climbed back in the game with homers from Sonny DiChiara and Tyler Payne, Monteverde stranded a pair of runners to end the fifth with a 5-4 lead.

After an effective 2.1 innings of relief from Zach McCambley, Thompson gave the Blue Wahoos breathing room in the eighth with a grand slam, his first homer since arriving in Pensacola last week. Hostetler added an opposite-field blast in the ninth for good measure before Jefry Yan shut the door on an 11-4 victory.

The Blue Wahoos continue their series against the Trash Pandas on Friday night. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m., with a broadcast beginning at 6:30 on BlueWahoos.com, the MiLB First Pitch app (radio), Bally Live, and MiLB.tv (video).

For more information, visit BlueWahoos.com or contact the box office at (850) 934-8444.