PENSACOLA (Interstat) — Bishop Letson pitched five effective innings, Damon Keith homered and drove in two runs, and the Biloxi Shuckers opened the Southern League playoff series with a 6-3 victory over the Pensacola Blue Wahoos on Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026, at Blue Wahoos Stadium. Biloxi scored six runs on 10 hits, and Pensacola scored three runs on 10 hits.

The Shuckers, the visiting team in Game 1 of the Double-A Southern League playoffs, took a 1-0 lead in the fifth when Keith homered to left-center field. Biloxi added another run in the inning when Mike Boeve doubled and scored on Dylan O’Rae’s single. The Shuckers then broke the game open with three runs in the sixth. Josh Adamczewski doubled home Jesús Made, and Matthew Wood followed with a two-run double that scored Andrew Fischer and Adamczewski. That gave Biloxi a 5-1 advantage.

Pensacola had chances early but could not capitalize. In the first, Cristian Hernández singled and Max Williams walked before Ryan Ignoffo singled to center, but Hernández was thrown out at home by Braylon Payne, with Matthew Wood applying the tag. In the second, Dylan Jasso singled and Colby Shade walked, but Payton Green grounded out and Adrian Santana struck out. In the third, Hernández and Dillon Lewis singled, but Ignoffo grounded into a double play.

Pensacola answered in the fifth when Max Williams singled to left field and Adrian Santana scored, but Williams was thrown out at second on the play. The Blue Wahoos pulled closer in the seventh. Dylan Jasso singled and Colby Shade singled to open the inning. After a popout and a groundout, Cristian Hernández singled to center field with two outs, driving in Jasso and Shade to make it 5-3. Hernández finished 3 for 5 with two RBIs.

Biloxi added an insurance run in the ninth. Andrew Fischer singled, Josh Adamczewski walked, and Keith lined a double to left field that scored Fischer. Keith went 2 for 4 with a home run, a double and two RBIs. Wood also went 2 for 4 with two RBIs, while Adamczewski drove in one run.

Letson earned the win, improving to 8-6. He allowed one earned run on six hits while striking out four over five innings. Ryan Birchard recorded the save, his second of the season, with a scoreless ninth inning that included two strikeouts. Travis Smith added 1 1/3 scoreless innings of relief with two strikeouts and one hit allowed. Jacob Kisting took the loss for Pensacola, falling to 10-1 despite striking out six over four innings and allowing one earned run on one hit. Juan Reynoso struck out four over two scoreless innings out of the bullpen, and Jack Sellinger allowed one earned run over 1 1/3 innings. Travis Smith worked around a two-out single in the eighth, striking out Jasso and Shade to end the inning. In the ninth, Birchard struck out Fenwick Trimble, retired Santana on a groundout to second, and struck out Hernández to close it.

Pensacola’s Cristian Hernández had three hits and two RBIs. The Blue Wahoos finished with 10 hits, matching Biloxi’s total. Biloxi pitchers combined for 22 strikes, 66 balls and 22 balls in play, while Pensacola pitchers had 15 strikes, 54 balls and 15 balls in play. The game took 3 hours, 8 minutes and drew 2,260 fans. Biloxi improved to 65-67, and Pensacola moved to 78-57. Biloxi leads the playoff series 1-0.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected Pensacola to win 6-5 before the game, and its ELO system gave Pensacola a 58.5 percent chance to win. The series is scheduled to continue Thursday, Sept. 17. Biloxi will look to take a 2-0 series lead when play resumes.