Tag Archives: Josh Fellhauer

July 15, 2012 · 4:45 pm

Suns Beat Blue Wahoos; Win I-10 Panhandle Challenge

 

Catcher Kyle Skipworth drove in a pair of runs to lead the Suns past the Blue Wahoos 6-1. Jacksonville improved to 14-10 this season against Pensacola to clinch the season series. Photo Courtesy: Jacksonville Suns

 By Steve Kolbe

The Jacksonville Suns scored three times in the first inning and cruised to a 6-1 win over the Blue Wahoos on Saturday night at Bayfront Stadium.  The Suns improved to 14-10 overall (8-3 on the road) against the Blue Wahoos, and clinched the season series.
 
The Suns jumped out to the lead in the first inning against Wahoos starter Kyle Lotzkar.  Jake Smolinski was hit by a pitch and Chris Gutierrez walked.  With one out, Curt Smith hit a ground ball to shortstop Billy Hamilton who committed an error, with Smolinski scoring from second to put the Suns up 1-0.  Kyle Skipworth then drove in two runs with a double to left-center field to increase the lead to 3-0. 
 
The Blue Wahoos scored their lone run in the third inning.  Billy Hamilton walked, stole second base, and went to third on a throwing error.  Josh Fellhauer then drove in Hamilton with a RBI single to cut the Suns lead to 3-1.
 
Jacksonville loaded the bases in the fifth inning with no outs, when Chris Gutierrez and Curt Smith were each hit by a pitch and Paul Gran singled.  Kyle Jensen singled to center with Gran scoring on the play for a 4-1 Suns advantage.  Jensen leads the Suns with 44 runs batted in this season.  Shawn Bowman then drove in his 43rd run of the season with a ground out to make the score 5-1. 
 
Jake Smolinski walked to lead of the sixth inning and went to third when Gutierrez singled.  Paul Gran drove in the final run of the game when he grounded into a double play, with Smolinski scoring and the Suns led 6-1.  Four of the Suns six runs in the game were scored by base runners that had walked, were hit by a pitch, or reached on an error.
 
Kyle Skipworth went 1-for-2 with two RBI’s and had the only extra base hit for the Suns.  Miguel Rojas and Bryson Smith each had two hits for the Blue Wahoos.
 
Bryan Evans (3-6) allowed one run on six hits in five and a-third innings to earn his first win against Pensacola this season.  Jordan Conley and Josh Schmidt combined to pitch three and two-thirds scoreless innings.  Kyle Lotzkar (4-4) surrendered five runs on just two hits in the loss.  He hit three batters and walked four.
 
The Suns have won the season series against the Blue Wahoos to claim the first I-10 Panhandle Series, and will bring the “Golden Skillet” back to the Baseball Grounds. Game two of the series is Sunday afternoon with the first pitch scheduled for 5:00 p.m. EST. 
 

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June 7, 2012 · 9:15 pm

Suns Hang On For Win Over Blue Wahoos

The Suns took three of five games in the series from the Blue Wahoos with a 2-1 win Wednesday June 6, 2012 at Bayfront Stadium. Photo Courtesy: Pensacola Blue Wahoos

By Steve Kolbe

Suns center fielder Donnie Webb drove in both runs for Jacksovnille in a 2-1 win over the Pensacola Blue Wahoos on Wednesday night at Bayfront stadium.  The Suns improved to 8-4 in series finales this season. 

The Suns started the scoring in the third inning against Pensacola starter Daniel Corcino.  Webb led off with a triple, and scored when Chris Gutierrez lifted a sacrifice fly to center field to put the Suns up 1-0.  Webb has hit four of his five triples this season against the Blue Wahoos.  The Suns are 22-6 when scoring the first run of the game, while the Blue Wahoos dropped to 4-20 when they allow the first strike. 

In the fifth inning, Webb connected for his second home run of the season to increase the lead to 2-0.   The Suns have hit 13 home runs in the last 22 games.  Both of Webb’s round trippers this season have come against Blue Wahoos pitcher Daniel Corcino.  Webb finished the series 6-19 and drove in four runs in the five games.

Pensacola scored a run in the eighth inning when Ryan LaMarre came home on a sacrifice fly by Josh Fellhauer to cut the lead to 2-1, but that would be the last run of the night.  The Suns improved to 12-8 against the Blue Wahoos this season, and close calls have been the norm between the in-state rivals, with 11 of the 20 meetings decided by only one run.

Jacksonville improved to 17-13 on the road this season, with nine of the wins by just a single run.  The Suns moved into sole possession of third place in the South Division, one game ahead of Pensacola.   The Suns denied the Blue Whoos their first three-game win streak since they won three in a row against Montgomery in the first series of the season. 

The Suns won for just the second time this season when scoring two runs or less (2-23).  Their previous win was 2-0 on Opening Night against Huntsville April 5th at the Baseball Grounds. 

The center fielders stole the show at the plate.  For the Suns, Donnie Webb finished 3-for-4 and scored both runs.  For the Blue Wahoos, Ryan LaMarre went 3-for-4 with three singles and scored Pensacola’s lone run.  All six of the Blue Wahoos hits in the game were singles. 

Suns starter Matthew Neil made his Double-A debut against the Blue Wahoos May 20th, and on Wednesday he earned his first career Double-A win against Pensacola.  Neil allowed five singles and struck out a season-high six batters over six innings.  Evan Reed closed out the game for his 12th save of the year, and is now tied for the league lead.  In his fourth start against Jacksonville this season, Daniel Corcino suffered his third straight loss and fell to 2-4 on the season.  He allowed two runs on five hits in five innings of work.

The Suns return home on Thursday to face the top team in the Southern League, with the 37-23 Jackson Generals making their lone visit of the season to the Baseball Grounds. 

 

 

 

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June 5, 2012 · 4:26 pm

Blue Wahoos Edge Suns In Extra Innings

    

 

The Blue Wahoos scored the game-winning run with two outs in the 11th inning for a 3-2 victory over the Jacksonville Suns June 4, 2012 at Bayfront Stadium. Photo Courtesy: Pensacola Blue Wahoos

By Steve Kolbe

 
Blue Wahoos first baseman Joel Guzman’s only hit of the night propelled Pensacola to a 3-2 walk-off win over the Jacksonville Suns in eleven innings on Monday at Bayfront Stadium.
 
The Blue Wahoos took an early lead in the first inning with two unearned runs against Suns starter Bryan Evans.  Ryan LaMarre led off the inning with a double down the left field line, and Didi Gregorius singled with LaMarre taking third on the play.  Brodie Green then sent a fly ball to Donnie Webb, but the throw to the plate from the Suns center fielder bounced into the Jacksonville dugout with both LaMarre and Gregorius scoring on the error to put Pensacola in front 2-0.  The Suns are now 6-26 when allowing the first run of the game.
 
The Suns tied the game in the fourth inning against Pensacola starting pitcher Kyle Lotzkar.  Paul Gran was hit between the numbers by Lotzkar to begin the inning.  It was the eleventh time this season that Gran has been hit by a pitch.  Suns first baseman German Duran continued his hot streak on the first pitch that he saw in the inning, hitting his third home run of the season over the left field fence to even the score 2-2.  Duran is 5-for-11 with two home runs, five runs batted in, and five runs scored in the first three games of the series.  The Suns have hit a home run in 12 of the their last 20 games, with the last two coming off the bat of Duran.
 
The game remained tied until the home half of the eleventh.  Suns reliever Corey Madden struck out Ryan LaMarre to start the inning, but then allowed a single to Didi Gregorius.  Brodie Green popped out to right field for the second out of the inning, and then the drama began.  Joel Guzman promptly ended the game by smashing a two-out single up the middle, with Gregorius scoring the game winning run.  The jubilation began as the Blue Wahoos exploded from their dugout and chased Guzman all over the field.  Before his extra inning walk-off hit, Guzman was 1-for-14 in the series.
 
The Suns are 2-2 in extra-inning games this season, with all four of the games played on the road.  The Blue Wahoos are 4-3 when working overtime.  Six of the eight games played between the Suns and Blue Wahoos at Pensacola’s Bayfront Stadium have been decided by a single run.
 
Jeff Dominguez finished 2-for-5 and was the only Suns player with more than one hit.  For the Blue Wahoos, Josh Fellhauer went 4-for-5 with four singles.  Didi Gregorius was 3-for-5 and scored two runs on the night. 
 
Both starting pitchers didn’t figure in the decision.  Bryan Evans allowed two unearned runs on six hits over six innings for the Suns.  Evans struck out five and did not walk a batter.  Kyle Lotzkar allowed two runs on seven hits in his seven innings of work, and struck out a season-high 10 batters.  Corey Madden (1-1) allowed four hits in his two and two-thirds innings, and surrendered the game-winning run.  Blue Wahoos relievers Curtis Partch and Justin Freeman combined to pitch four innings of one-hit ball.  Freeman (3-5) pitched the eleventh inning to earn the win.  Suns batters struck out 16 times, one shy of their season-high.
 
The Suns had won four straight games on the road before Monday’s loss.  Jacksonville is 27-31 on the season and five games behind Mobile in the South Division.  The Suns haven’t won more than two games in a row since a four-game win streak April 28 to May 2. 

Game four of the series is Tuesday with the first pitch scheduled for 8:00 p.m. EST.  For the Suns, LHP Graham Taylor (3-4, 4.41) will take the mound.  In his last start, Taylor allowed two runs on six hits in a win over Mobile.  The Blue Wahoos will look to even the series with RHP Daniel Corcino (2-3, 3.79) on the hill.

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May 21, 2012 · 4:08 am

Suns Even Series With Wahoos

Shawn Bowman drove in the game tying run in the eighth inning against the Blue Wahoos with a pinch hit double in the Suns 4-3 win at the Baseball Grounds. Photo Courtesy: Jacksonville Suns

By Steve Kolbe

The Jacksonville Suns spotted the Pensacola Blue Wahoos a 3-0 lead on Sunday afternoon, but rallied for a 4-3 win at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville.  The last three games in the series have all been decided by one run. 

Matthew Neil had impressive numbers in his eight starts with Jupiter, going 6-0 with a 2.06 ERA.  On Sunday,  the Suns sent the 25-year-old right-hander to the mound  looking to even the series against the Wahoos at two wins apiece.  Neil responded by retiring the first three batters he faced in his double-A debut. 
 
In the top of the second, Josh Fellhauer singled to lead off the inning against Neil, and Joel Guzman drove him in with a double into the gap in right-center field to put the Blue Wahoos in front 1-0.  Guzman is 7-for-17 in the series, including three doubles and a three-run home run.  He has hit safely in all four games.
 
The Wahoos increased the lead in the fifth inning, when Mark Fleury singled with one out and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Pensacola pitcher Daniel Corcino.  Moving the runner into scoring position paid off, when Ryan LaMarre drove in Fleury with a single to right field for a 2-0 Wahoos lead.
 
In the sixth, the Blue Wahoos added a run against Suns reliever  Bobby Bramhall.  Brodie Greene and Josh Fellhauer both singled, and after a force out put runners on first and third, the rarely used suicide squeeze came into play.  Stephen Hunt bunted back to the pitcher Bramhall, with Greene breaking from third base on the pitch, and scoring the Blue Wahoos third run of the day.  
 
Pensacola starter Daniel Corcino was cruising along into the sixth inning.  He allowed just two singles, and at one point retired 11 straight Suns batters, seven by strikeout.  In the sixth, Suns shortstop Danny Black singled to lead off the inning and Donnie Webb followed by hitting a two-run home run into the right field stands to cut the Blue Wahoos lead to 3-2.  It was Webb’s first home run of the season, and the Suns have now hit the long ball in six of their last eight games.
 
The Suns pulled even in the bottom of the seventh against relief pitcher Drew Hayes.  Curt Smith hit his ninth double of the season, and pinch-hitter Shawn Bowman doubled to drive home Smith with the tying run and the Blue Wahoos 3-0 lead had vanished.
 
Late inning heroics have been the norm for the Suns this week with two ninth inning wins, and Sunday afternoon was no exception when it came to late inning thrills.
 
In the bottom of the eight, Kyle Skipworth snapped an 0-for-21 stretch with a one out single off of Clayton Tanner.  After Tanner struck out Russell Mitchell, the stage was set for Kyle Jensen.  Celebrating his 24th birthday, Jensen completed the comeback by gift wrapping the go-ahead run with a double off the left field wall, with Skipworth hustling all the way from first to score putting the Suns in front 4-3.
 
Pensacola threatened in the top of the ninth against Evan Reed, when David Vidal and Mark Fleury hit back-to-back singles to put runners on the corners with one out.  The Blue Wahoos turned to Yordanys Perez, who entered the game as a pinch hitter.  He hit the ball sharply to Suns shortstop Danny Black, who handled it cleanly and started the game-ending double play.  Not to be overlooked was the effort by second baseman Paul Gran, who absorbed a hard slide by Vidal and still made the throw to first to finish the play.
 
It was memorable double-A debut for infielder Danny Black.  He finished 3-for-4 with three singles and scored a run.  Curt Smith went 2-for-4 for his third multi-hit game of the season.  Brodie Greene, Mark Fleury, and Josh Fellhauer each finished the day 2-for-4 for the Blue Wahoos.
 
Matthew Neil’s double-A debut has to be considered a success.  He allowed two runs on five hits over five innings against a Blue Wahoos team that ranks second in the Southern League in batting with a .260 average.  Neil is now 11-3 in his 24 minor league starts.  Evan Reed pitched the final two innings to improve to 3-1, and now has earned both wins for the Suns in this series. 
 
Coming off his worst outing of the season after he allowed six runs over five innings, Daniel Corcino found his touch against the Suns tossing six innings allowing just two runs on four hits.  He struck out a season-high nine batters, fanning at least one in every inning except the sixth.  Corcino, who has the best fastball in the Reds system, threw 105 pitches on the afternoon.  He’s given up more than three earned runs in a game only once in his nine starts this season.  Clayton Tanner pitched one and a-third innings and gave up the winning run to fall to 0-3 on the season.
 
The series finale is 11:05a.m. Monday morning at the Baseball Grounds.  In a match up of right handers, the Suns will send Omar Poveda (3-1, 5.05) to the mound for his sixth start of the season.  The Blue Wahoos counter with Tim Crabbe (1-2, 4.24).

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