Lookouts Edge The Wahoos In A Pitching Showdown
June 12, 2021
Lookouts win 1-0 on Robinson’s solo home run
In a highly anticipated pitching showdown between two of baseball’s top prospects, the Lookouts edged past the Wahoos 1-0 on Friday night at AT&T Field.
Hunter Greene (W, 5-0), the league leader in wins and strikeouts (60) took the mound for the hosts against Wahoos ace Max Meyer. It was matchup that featured a second overall pick in 2017 (Greene) and a third overall pick (Meyer) in 2020.
The pitching matchup lived up the hype, as evidenced by the final score.
Meyer lasted only five innings on a night where his command at times tried to betray him. During his outing, Meyer yielded four walks and only struck out three, but escaped peril numerous times throughout his start.
In the bottom of the first, the Lookouts loaded the bases with only out. Meyer fell behind Brian Rey 3-0; however, Rey hit into an inning ending double play on a 3-0 fastball to end the threat. In the second inning the Lookouts had runners on first and second with two outs before Meyer induced a groundout to end the inning. Meyer ran into the same issue in the fourth, but stranded two more base runners when Leonardo Rivas ended the inning with a groundout Lazaro Alonso.
Despite the nine strikeouts from Greene, the Wahoos had chances to score against the Reds top pitching prospect.
In the top of the first inning, Jerar Encarnacion doubled to right and Nick Fortes walked to set up first and second with two outs. The inning came to an end when Greene struck out Alonso with a 101 mph fastball. In the fourth, the Wahoos opened the inning with back-to-back walks against Greene. Unfortunately for the Wahoos, the rally would go no further as the right-hander retired the next three Wahoos in a row to end the inning.
The only offense in the game came after Meyer departed the contest. Zach Wolf (L, 0-2) surrendered a solo home run to Chuck Robinson to put the Lookouts 1-0. That was the only hit the Wahoos bullpen allowed on Friday.
In the top of the ninth inning against another former first round pick, Pensacola got the tying run in scoring position against Nick Howard S, 3). After a walk to Riley Mahan, the Wahoos used Jhon Nunez as a pinch runner, who advanced to second on a wild pitch. The game came to end after Howard struck out Peyton Burdick to end the game.
Saturday night will feature another star-studded pitching matchup at AT&T Field. LHP Jake Eder (1-1, 0.61) will face LHP Nick Lodolo (2-0, 1.01). Eder has the second-lowest ERA in all of MiLB, and Lodolo was the seventh overall pick in 2019 out of TCU.
by Chris Garagiola, Pensacola Blue Wahoos
File photo.
Wahoos Take Down Lookouts In Rain-Shortened Opener
June 9, 2021
The Blue Wahoos offense exploded in the first inning scoring seven times against Lookouts starter Matt Pidich (L, 0-3) en route to a 9-3 win on Tuesday.
The onslaught began right from the get-go, as each of the first four batters for the Wahoos reached base safely. Peyton Burdick and Jerar Encarnacion both had base hits before JJ Bleday walked to load the bases with nobody out. Nick Fortes then came to the plate and laced a two-run double to center to put the Wahoos ahead 2-0. That was just the beginning, as Pidich was removed with two outs in the first after Burdick recorded his second base hit of the inning.
By the time the top of the first came to a close, the Wahoos had seven runs on six hits.
Brandon Leibrandt (W, 1-3) was never under any serious pressure from the Lookouts despite the hosts scoring one run in the first and second inning. Leibrandt finished the night pitched a season-best 5.1 innings and striking out four as the left-hander earned his first win of the season.
After an RBI base hit from Mariel Bautista off Wahoos reliever Zach Wolf, the Lookouts would score no more runs for the rest of the night.
In the top of the eighth inning, Burdick came to the plate as the rain came pouring down. JC Keys clipped with a fastball that appeared to slip out of his hands, which prompted the umpires to suspend play due to rain. After the mandatory thirty-minute delay, the game was called for the Wahoos.
Tomorrow the series continues as RHP Jeff Lindgren (2-2, 3.38) takes the mound for Pensacola against LHP Connor Curlis (1-2, 6.14)
Catch High School All-Star Baseball and Softball Games Wednesday, And Here Are The Rosters
June 8, 2021
Pensacola Sports’ high school all-star baseball and softball games are Wednesday.
The game will feature seniors from Escambia County on the west softball and baseball teams, and seniors from Santa Rosa and Okaloosa counties on the east teams.
Tickets are $10 or $5 for students and can be purchased online at pensacolasports.org/hsasbaseball. The softball game will begin at 6 p.m. while the baseball game will begin at 6:30 p.m. Both are at Pensacola State College.
NorthEscambia.com photo.
Wahoos Fall In Series Finale With Mississippi
June 7, 2021
Jake Eder was dialed in Sunday during a masterful second outing this week for the Blue Wahoos.
“Honestly, I was locked in and it was kind of a blur,” he said after the game.
The former Vanderbilt star reliever tossed five perfect innings in his sixth professional start, facing the minimum 15 batters while recording eight strikeouts. Unfortunately for him, the Blue Wahoos bullpen followed with a rare lapse and it resulted in a 4-3 loss against the Mississippi Braves.
The teams split their six-game series at Blue Wahoos Stadium that was highlighted by quality pitching. Eder helped provide the Blue Wahoos a 4-3 win five days earlier in the series-opener when he worked 4.2 innings, allowing one run with eight strikeouts.
“The only thing we changed is that we didn’t throw a bullpen in between, but other than that everything was the same,” said Eder, a fourth round pick by the Miami Marlins in 2020, after making two starts in the same series.
When Eder left after five innings Sunday, he looked like a pitcher seeking to rapidly wrap up a game before rain clouds opened.
The Wahoos had a 1-0 lead. Eder had not allowed a ball out of the infield in his 63-pitch day. It was as great of performance as one might imagine.
“Guys were asking me some specific things after I came out and I was like, ‘I don’t know man, I don’t really remember.’ I was just locked in, and in a good rhythm,” said Eder, who has an 0.73 earned run average in 30 innings pitched – the second best ERA in all levels of Minor League Baseball.
“I evaluate right after I come out of the game every time, then take what I learn from it and put it backyard and move on to the next one pretty swiftly,” said Eder.
“The only thing I am thinking about is inning 31 (his next start).”
The weekend ended with Miami Marlins general manager Kim Ng watching two of Miami’s most touted prospects shine on the mound in Pensacola.
Saturday night, the Marlins’ No. 1 draft pick in 2020, Max Meyer, dazzled his way to a third win as the Blue Wahoos won 4-1 in front of sellout crowd with Ng watching from the press box.
“I think I saw her (Saturday) but it didn’t change anything as far as going into (Sunday),” Eder said. “For me, it is like stretching a rubber band and piece them to get one right after the other.
“Once one is over it’s on to the next one.”
The next one will happen later this upcoming week when the Blue Wahoos travel to face the Chattanooga Lookouts — the Cincinnati Reds affiliate – who boast two top pitching prospects of their own.
Sunday’s game and the crowd energy changed when the M-Braves touched up the Blue Wahoos first reliever, Jose Mesa Jr. for three runs in the sixth inning, then got an unearned run off Andrew Bellatti in the eighth. That one proved decisive.
Mesa began the inning by walking leadoff batter Drew Lugbauer, then giving up the first hit when Jalen Miller singled. After Mesa tossed a wild pitch to move both runners, Riley Unroe’s ground out tied the game. Mesa then gave up a triple and a double, followed by a hit batter, before being pulled.
The Blue Wahoos tied the game in the seventh on a RBI single from Bubba Hollins and slow rolling groundout by Devin Hairston.
In the ninth, the Blue Wahoos had two on, none out, after a pair of walks. They had runners on second and third after a wild pitch. But M-Braves closer Brandon White struck out Hairston and got Peyton Burdick to ground out to end the game.
Burdick hit a solo home run into the wind in the first inning.
by Bill Vilona, Blue Wahoos senior writer
Meyer, Bleday Lead Blue Wahoos Past Mississippi
June 6, 2021
Max Meyer dazzled as usual. JJ Bleday wowed again.
Peyton Burdick returned to recent form.
And the Blue Wahoos won again.
Three of the team’s most acclaimed players were part of an impressive display in a 4-1 victory Saturday night against the Mississippi Braves, delighting an overflow crowd at Blue Wahoos Stadium before post-game fireworks lit the bayfront sky.
“It’s a fun team,” said Meyer, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2020 Major League Baseball draft by the Miami Marlins, after allowing just three hits in six innings for his longest start in pro ball.
“Even if you are up or down, we’re still going to play how we play,” said Meyer, who improved his record to 3-1 and lowered his earned run average to 1.86. “All these guys are rooting for each other.”
Amid a game played in just two hours, 15 minutes — this may have been the Blue Wahoos best overall home game experience this season.
And that’s saying a lot.
The spectators including Miami Marlins general manager Kim Ng, the first woman in history to serve as general manager of a team in any of the big four North American sports – MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL.
She watched the Blue Wahoos up-close for the first time and saw a team that has combined stellar pitching, sound defense and timely hits into an 18-11 record.
“The leadership on this team has been great,” said Bleday, whose two-out, two-run homer in the sixth inning broke a tie game. “If one guy doesn’t get the job done he hands it off the next dude and he is able to get it done and get it started.
“Our pitchers and relievers have just done a tremendous job of keeping us in the game.”
That played out again Saturday with Meyer dueling with Mississippi Braves’ righthander Jose Rodriguez, signed as a free agent by the Atlanta Braves on April 21.
Meyer matched his pro career high Saturday with nine strikeouts, yielded just one walk and threw 60 strikes in his 82 pitches.
The only dent in a stellar pitching line was a home run off a 93-mph fastball by Greyson Jenista to lead off the third inning.
After that, Meyer retired the next six batters he faced. He finished his outing by striking out the side in the sixth inning.
“That one home run, I went down and in, and I was trying to go down and up a little bit,” Meyer said. “He put a good swing on it and stuff like that happens.
“I went around the whole order. I mixed up how I threw to guys every at bat, so I feel like I was keeping them off balance a little bit.”
Meyer, the former University of Minnesota star, kept the capacity crowd (5,038) enthralled by how fast he works and how often he records outs. It was the first time he started on a Saturday night home game.
“Honestly, when I’m pitching I don’t really notice how big the crowd is. I am just dialed in,” Meyer said. “It’s just me and the catcher, but a little more adrenalin and it’s always fun pitching to a packed crowd.”
With the game tied 1-1, Bleday bombed a changeup from Rodriguez into the crowd of kids sitting on the grass berm beyond the right field wall. Total distance was 393 feet.
His two-run homer was his third home run this season, second in three days. All three have been in this ballpark. He scored Burdick, who led off the inning with a triple.
“It felt great, because I missed the changeups in the previous two at-bats,” said Bleday, the Marlins’ No. 1 pick in 2019 out of Vanderbilt and former Panama City Mosley High star.
“I was right on ‘em, but I was just a tick early pulling off a bit and getting a little antsy with it,” Bleday said. “But he came back and he hung one middle away and I put a good swing on it.”
The Blue Wahoos got their first run on Demetrius Sims’ RBI single to score catcher Nick Fortes. In their first four hits, the Blue Wahoos went double, single, triple, home run, for a team cycle.
Burdick, who went 2-for-4 after a hitless start in the series, added insurance with his RBI single in the eighth inning.
“The leadership on this team has been great,” Bleday said. “If one guy doesn’t get the job done he hands it off the next dude and he is able to get it done and get it started. Our pitchers and relievers have just done a tremendous job of keeping us in the game.”
The series and homestand will conclude Sunday with a 4:05 game. Following the game, the Blue Wahoos will have Monday off before taking a road trip to Chattanooga, Tenn. to face the Chattanooga Lookouts – the Cincinnati Reds Double-A affiliate.
by Bill Vilona, Blue Wahoos senior writer
Stewart And Steady Hitting Lead Blue Wahoos To 4-1 Friday Win
June 5, 2021
The Blue Wahoos completed the first month of their season Friday night in the same way it started.
Strong starting pitching. Flawless performance by the bullpen. Mixed together with a couple big swings and defensive plays.
The summation was another win, this one a 4-1 victory against the Mississippi Braves that evened the series (2-2) and gave a capacity crowd (5,038) at Blue Wahoos Stadium a familiar look.
“It has been apparent all year that our pitching has been dominant — from the starters to the bullpen — and I think that’s been the main thing that has kept us in every single game,” said Blue Wahoos catcher Nick Fortes, who went 2-for-4 with a triple and made the game’s biggest defensive play with a perfect throw to catch the M-Braves’ Riley Unroe stealing third in the third inning.
“We kinda started out a little slow at the beginning of the year with the bats,” Fortes said. “But I feel that everybody is starting to hit their stride a little bit and making things move a little bit more crisply out there.”
The Blue Wahoos (17-11) began their season — and new affiliation with the Miami Marlins — on May 4 with a win against the M-Braves.
Since then, it’s been a consistent element with the pitching staff in each win. Friday was lefthander Will Stewart’s turn to shine.
The 23-year-old, Huntsville, Alabama native worked six innings and threw a season-high 92 pitches with six strikeouts, one walk and one run allowed.
“Honestly, it all started with my mindset,” said Stewart, who earned his first win as a Blue Wahoos starting pitcher. “I think earlier in the month, I came out and there was a lot of doubt in my mind.
“I didn’t have as much confidence as I do now. It took me really finding a routine and getting into what works for me instead of trying to emulate things here and things there.”
Reliever Tyler Stevens followed by striking out four of the six batters he faced. Colton Hock followed in the ninth by earning his seventh save to become the Double-A South leader.
The Blue Wahoos lead the Double-A South in team pitching (3.39 ERA) and in team relief.
After dropping back-to-back mid-week games to the M-Braves, the Blue Wahoos flipped the script Friday. They got a first-inning lead when Peyton Burdick worked a walk, Jerar Encarnacion followed with a single and JJ Bleday continued his hot bat with an RBI single.
In the fifth inning, Encarnacion blasted a two-run homer into the right field berm off a fastball from M-Braves’ reliever Chris Nunn. This one exited at 101 mph off his bat and the ball seemed to further accelerate as it was leaving the ballpark.
The Blue Wahoos added another run in the sixth inning after Fortes led off with a single and scored on Tristan Pompey’s single.
The game’s key moment occurred after Stewart yielded three singles to start the third inning. With a run in, Unroe got a jump to steal third. But Fortes’ throw was perfect to have Blue Wahoos’ third baseman Demetrius Sims apply the tag a split-second before Unroe’s headfirst slide reached base.
“Oh my gosh, if we don’t throw that guy out there, they’ve got runners on first and third with one out and I am notoriously getting in that situation,” Stewart said. “For (Fortes) to take that away and me not have to deal with that, you can’t ask for anything more.
“It was big. I think if we don’t have that throwout there, I probably don’t go six innings.”
Instead it worked out well for him.
The first 2,000 fans entering the ballpark Friday night received a power-blue beach mat, courtesy of game sponsor, Wind Creek Casino and Hotel in Atmore, Ala.
The final two games of this series are Saturday and Sunday with the Blue Wahoos throwing their top two pitchers, Max Meyer and Jake Eder, for the first time on a weekend.
by Bill Vilona, Blue Wahoos senior writer
Bleday Homers, But Wahoos Fall 5-2 To Mississippi
June 4, 2021
The Blue Wahoos were two outs from being shut out for the first time this season.
JJ Bleday ensured it didn’t happen.
The touted outfielder blasted a 98-mph fastball off the right-field scoreboard – a 387-foot, 2-run bomb – that provided a measure of ninth inning solace in the Blue Wahoos 5-2 loss Thursday against the Mississippi Braves at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
A crowd of 4,555 on the season’s third Pensacola Mullets Night, complete with the uniforms and logo change, had watched four M-Braves pitchers silence Pensacola’s offense unlike any prior game until the final inning.
Up stepped Bleday. Out went the two-strike pitch from Daysbel Hernandez, much to the crowd’s delight. They had seen just two previous Mullets hits.
It was Bleday’s second home run with Pensacola, both in this ballpark.
Bleday, the fourth overall draft pick in 2019 by the Miami Marlins, has collected three hits and reached base four times in the past two games. It’s been the positive aspect from back-to-back losses, after the Blue Wahoos had a five-game home win streak.
Opportunities Thursday were missed earlier in the game when Pensacola (16-11) had five base runners through five innings.
The M-Braves (14-13) got their first three runs on two-out hits. In the first inning, starter Jeff Lindgren retired the first two batters, but M-Braves touted catcher Shea Langeliers, who went 4-for-5 Wednesday with three homers, singled to start the production.
CJ Alexander then followed with a RBI double in the left-center gap.
In the third inning, the M-Braves Justin Dean led off with a walk, stole second and scored on CJ Alexander’s two-out single.
The M-Braves manufactured another run in the fourth inning after Wendell Rijo reached on a fielder’s choice, then scored on Dean’s two-out double.
Their other two runs were emphatic.
Rijo left no doubt in the sixth when blasting Pensacola reliever Dylan Bice’s fastball 442 feet over the left center wall into the water for a two-run homer.
In the stands, however, the night had plenty of activities with the first “Wahoo Waddle” as part of Thirsty Thursday. Adults of legal age were able to sample a variety of beverage specials at kiosk stands throughout the concourse area.
The crowd batted giant beach balls in the stands to start the game.
For the first time at the stadium, it became a venue for the annual Pensacola stop with the Troy University athletic department.
Troy head football coach Chip Lindsey and women’s basketball coach Chanda Rigby, along with men’s basketball coach Scott Cross visited as part of Troy’s Trojan Tour. They had food and visited with a group of Troy supporters on the Dignity Memorial Deck above the left-field corner during the game.
In addition, the Navarre High baseball team had a 250-member group sitting in Sections 115 and 117 along the third-base line.
The Blue Wahoos, who lead their division in the Double-A South, will try to even the six-game series on Friday night with left-hander Will Stewart starting against the M-Braves AJ Puckett.
Riley Mahan and Jerar Encarnacion had the other Pensacola hits Thursday, both singles.
by Bill Vilona, Blue Wahoos senior writer
Cantonment Cowboys Football And Cheerleading Registration Underway
June 3, 2021
Registration is open for the Cantonment Cowboys football and cheerleading seasons.
In-person registration for ages 5-14 is available every Tuesday and Thursday from 6:00 until 7:30 p.m. at the ballpark, 681 Well Line Road.
Online registration is also available by clicking or tapping here.
Blue Wahoos Fall 9-4 To Mississippi Braves
June 3, 2021
A few days earlier, Mississippi Braves acclaimed catcher Shea Langeliers was named the Double-A South player of the week for past performance.
He followed Wednesday with a one-night show at the Blue Wahoos expense.
Langeliers, the No. 9 overall pick in the 2019 draft, flashed his Major League potential in a powerful way by going 4-for-5 and blasting three home runs in the M-Braves 9-4 win against Pensacola at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
Langeliers, who is considered among the top catchers in all levels of Minor League Baseball, helped the M-Braves race to a 4-0 lead after three innings. He then played a role as Mississippi answered a Blue Wahoos rally in the fourth with a combined five runs in the middle innings.
Most of the crowd of 4,109, however, stayed to enjoy the first Wednesday night fireworks show of the season.
That was part of the School’s Out Summer Bash, which included a lemonade and watermelon stand as fans entered the ballpark, then an inflatable obstacle challenge for kids in the right field party deck. It was part of a family style party night with other activities at the ballpark.
Before the game, the Blue Wahoos paid tribute to baseball icon Lou Gehrig with a video presentation on the first MLB Lou Gehrig Day.
The team also honored the memory of Jimmy Calhoun, a Cantonment native who passed away in 2018 with the same disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), commonly know as Lou Gehrig’s disease, which claimed the life of the New York Yankees Hall of Famer in 1941 when he was 37-years-old.
Once the game began, Langeliers took charge, clubbing a two-out solo homer in the first inning. His next time up, the Keller, Texas native sent a rocket over the left-center wall to lead off the third inning. He is ranked the Braves’ No. 3 prospect by MLB Pipeline.com, following a star collegiate career at Baylor.
It was part of a tough night for Blue Wahoos starter Brandon Leibrandt, who gave up seven runs on 11 hits in four innings. After having two previous solid outings, this one became his roughest this season.
The Blue Wahoos (16-10) cut the M-Braves (13-13) lead in half on second baseman Riley Mahan’s two out, two run single in the fourth inning.
But in the fifth, the M-Braves chased Leibrandt with three consecutive hits to start the inning, including back-to-back doubles, as part of a three-run inning.
Trailing 9-2 in the ninth, the Blue Wahoos kept battling in the final at-bat, highlighted by Mahan’s 13-pitch at-bat when he fouled off eight pitches around a 3-2 count, then singled.
Tristan Pompey followed with a two-run triple before the M-Braves summoned Chris Nunn to end the game on two strikeouts.
The teams combined for 27 hits, but only three walks and neither team made an error.
The Blue Wahoos were led by Pompey, who went 3-for-4. Mahan, and JJ Bleday each had two hits. The series is tied at 1-1 heading into the final four games beginning Thursday.
by Bill Vilona, Blue Wahoos senior writer
Strong Pitching, Timely Hitting Lead Blue Wahoos To 4-3 Win Over Mississippi
June 2, 2021
Devin Hairston joined the Blue Wahoos less than two weeks ago with a focused mission.
It has shown every game since.
Hairston again delivered in a clutch situation with a tie-breaking single in the eighth inning Tuesday night to lead the Blue Wahoos into a 4-3 victory against the Mississippi Braves in the series-opening game at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
The win was the Blue Wahoos (16-9) ninth in their past 11 games.
It included another sensational outing from starting pitcher Jake Eder, who has been one of the best in all levels of minor league baseball the first month of the season.
“It is just the process,” said Hairston, a sixth-round pick out of Louisville in 2017 by the Milwaukee Brewers and signed in January by the Miami Marlins as a free agent. “I have lot of intent behind the work I am doing and it seems to be working.
“So me and (Wahoos hitting coach) Scott Seabol formulate a game plan and try to execute it.”
That became the case when Hairston, who went 2-for-4 Tuesday, stepped to the plate with runners on first and second. He smashed a one-strike changeup into the right field gap, scoring Demetrius Sims with the eventual-game winning run.
In the ninth, Blue Wahoos closer Colton Hock earned his sixth save and the team’s sixth win in the last seven home games.
“My approach usually stays the same in those situations. It’s a big situation so I tried to calm down a little bit and I was really trying to put the ball in the outfield,” said Hairston, whose .341 batting average since joining the Blue Wahoos leads Double-A in that period.
“First pitch breaking ball, I took it pretty well. I thought they might come back with it, so I was able to put in the outfield and Sims did the rest.”
It was another late-inning rally for the Blue Wahoos, who have made this habit-forming.
“It doesn’t matter who is at the plate, I feel like top the bottom, anybody can get the job done at every given moment,” Hairston said. “We have lot of belief, not only in ourselves but in each other. Nobody has too much stress in the batter’s box can get the job done.
“Good hitting is contagious and I feel we have a lot of guys that are hitting the ball well.”
On the mound, Eder continued the kind of performance he’s shown this month. His only run allowed was an opposite-field homer by the M-Braves’ CJ Alexander in the third inning. It was only the second run Eder – a former Vanderbilt star reliever – has allowed as starter.
He finished with eight strikeouts and just one walk. He began the game with an 0.46 ERA that was second-best in all levels of the minor leagues.
Jose Mesa Jr. relieved Eder after he struck out the first two batters in the fifth inning. Mesa Jr. worked through the seventh and was followed by Dylan Bice, who earned his second win with a clean eighth inning.
“It takes a lot of stress off the hitters to know we might only need two or three runs over the course of a game to get a win,” said Hairston. “It is awesome to know when we get that run in the bottom of the eighth that we have someone who is going to come in top of the ninth to close the door.”
The Blue Wahoos’ got their first run on a second-inning single from Riley Mahan. They retook the lead in the fourth on Lorenzo Hampton’s blast into the water beyond left field. Hampton is the son of former Florida Gators and Miami Dolphins running back Lorenzo Hampton Sr.
After the M-Braves took the lead with a pair of unearned runs in the seventh, the Blue Wahoos tied the game in the bottom of the eighth on JJ Bleday’s RBI double. Bleday, the Marlins’ top pick in 2019, had two hits and a walk in his night at the plate with his former high school coach at Panama City Mosley in attendance.
The teams will continue their six-game series Wednesday with the first mid-week, school’s out fireworks show following the game.
by Bill Vilona, Blue Washoo senior writer.