Damon Keith sent Biloxi’s first hit of the night soaring over the wall in left-center, the swing that released four hitless innings of tension and opened the way to something the Shuckers had waited seven years to hold: a playoff-series lead.
Keith added an RBI double in the ninth, bookending Biloxi’s scoring in a 6-3 victory over the Pensacola Blue Wahoos on Tuesday at Blue Wahoos Stadium. He finished 2-for-4 with a home run, a double and a walk as the Shuckers took their first postseason series lead since 2019.
For Keith, the moment was as much about the group around him as the two swings that defined the game.
“Thankful and blessed to be here with an amazing group of guys, to be able to come up with a big swing in that, it feels surreal, man.”
— Damon Keith, Shuckers Right Fielder
Biloxi needed its defense before its offense arrived. Pensacola put two runners aboard against Bishop Letson in the first inning, and Ryan Ignoffo’s ground-ball single into center threatened to produce the opening run. Braylon Payne charged it and threw home, where Matthew Wood applied the tag on Cristian Hernández to end the inning.
Letson kept navigating traffic from there. The Blue Wahoos collected six hits and three walks against him, but he held them to one earned run over five innings, struck out four and earned the win.
Keith finally broke through against Jacob Kisting to open the fifth. On a 1-1 pitch, he drove a towering shot to left-center for a 1-0 lead. Kisting departed after the homer, and Biloxi kept working against Nigel Belgrave. Mike Boeve doubled with two outs and scored when Dylan O’Rae’s grounder deflected off second baseman Payton Green and carried into short right field.
Pensacola answered with a run in the bottom half, but Biloxi again cut down a runner to limit the damage. Max Williams singled home Adrian Santana, then was thrown out trying for second on a relay from Josh Adamczewski through Wood to O’Rae.
The Shuckers separated themselves in the sixth. Jesús Made and Andrew Fischer opened the inning with singles before Adamczewski pulled a ground-ball double down the third-base side, scoring Made. After Keith struck out, Wood rolled another double past first and into right field. Fischer scored, Adamczewski followed him home and a close game had become a 5-1 Biloxi advantage.
The three-run inning completed a sudden offensive reversal after Biloxi went without a hit through four. Belgrave was charged with four earned runs in 1 2/3 innings.
The formula closely resembled the one manager Mike Guerrero had outlined before the game.
“Well, good pitching, pretty much good pitching, then good timely hitting, great defense, play baseball, you know, the way we’re supposed to play on a daily basis.”
— Mike Guerrero, Shuckers Manager
Pensacola applied its final pressure in the seventh. Dylan Jasso and Colby Shade singled against Wande Torres, and Hernández’s two-out ground-ball single through the middle brought both home to cut Biloxi’s lead to 5-3. Hernández finished 3-for-5 and drove in two of the Blue Wahoos’ three runs.
Travis Smith entered with two runners aboard and retired Dillon Lewis to stop the rally. He worked 1 1/3 scoreless innings for the hold, striking out two without issuing a walk.
Keith restored the three-run cushion in the ninth. With two outs, Fischer singled and Adamczewski walked before Keith ripped a sharp liner toward left. Shade came in and dived, but the ball skipped past him, allowing Fischer to score as Keith pulled into second with an RBI double.
Ryan Birchard made the insurance stand. He struck out two in a scoreless ninth, retiring Hernández to finish the save and put Biloxi one victory from advancing.
Keith was willing to savor the opener without mistaking it for the finish.
“But, you know, as corny as it can be, job’s not done, but we can’t win the series without winning one, so we got one down today.”
— Damon Keith, Shuckers Right Fielder