Gulf Coast Recreation Classic Is Next Week At John R. Jones Ballpark
June 21, 2025
Next week, Escambia County Parks and Recreation will host the 2025 Gulf Coast Recreation Classic at the John R. Jones Ballpark at 555 East. Nine Mile Road.
The games begin on Monday, June 23 and last until Saturday, June 28. Game times are 5:30 p.m., 7 p.m., and 7:15 p.m. Monday-Friday and Saturday games will begin at 9 a.m. Roger Scott Athletic Complex, located at 2130 Summit Boulevard., will host the 10U division games June 23-24, 26-27 at 5:30 and 7:15 p.m.
There will be 62 recreation-based all-star teams participating in the Gulf Coast Recreation Classic, including teams from Escambia County, City of Pensacola, City of Gulf Breeze, Santa Rosa County, and Okaloosa County. Teams consist of youth baseball players ages 7-15. The tournament is open to the public at no charge. All spectators are welcome to support the recreation all-stars.
Escambia County teams include players from Northwest Escambia Baseball (NWE), Perdido Baseball, NEP Baseball, Molino Recreation Association, and West Pensacola Baseball.
“We’re thrilled to welcome these all-star teams back to Escambia County for another great year of youth sports,” Escambia Parks and Recreation Director Michael Rhodes said. “It’s an honor to be selected to host these teams, and I’d like to give a special shoutout to our staff who works hard to make this event happen. The passion our players and their families have for youth sports is what makes events like this possible. We look forward to a great week of youth sports and invite everyone to come out and join us.”
Pictured: NWE 10U at the Gulf Coast Recreation Classic. File photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
White Debuts, Wahoos Fall In Wild 10-Inning Finish
June 21, 2025
written by Willie Phaler
Even with a 3-2 loss in extra innings on Friday night, there was a special buzz around Blue Wahoos Stadium. With specialty jerseys and a beanie giveaway for Snowmageddon night, a capacity crowd filed in.
Oh yeah, and for the Double-A debut of the Marlins’ No.1 and MLB Pipeline’s 30th overall prospect, Thomas White.
With all of the hype surrounding the young right-hander’s Blue Wahoos debut, it was overshadowed by pure chaos in extra innings.
Heading into extras with the score at 1-1, there had already been nine unpredictable innings played. White and his counterpart, Brody Hopkins, both made early exits, and each team’s bullpen was lights out. To pair with on-the-fly bullpen pairings from each side, Pensacola manager Nelson Prada was ejected in the third inning, arguing a ball-in-play call with home plate umpire Jared Duerson.
In the top of the tenth, Montgomery took a two-run lead after a double from Matthew Etzel off of Will Kempner (L, 0-1), with Tatem Levins getting just under Ryan Ignoffo’s tag at the plate, infuriating the Blue Wahoos on the field and in the dugout. Following the play, multiple ejections ensued, including reliever Ricky DeVito in the bullpen and second baseman Cody Morissette.
The Blue Wahoos, fielding a makeshift defense that included Nathan Martorella moving from first to left field and Dalvy Rosario coming in to second from center field, escaped the top of the tenth. Martorella singled in Grant Richardson on the first pitch of the bottom half of the inning to cut the lead to 3-2.
The Blue Wahoos were able to load the bases with two outs, as Johnny Olmstead reached on a dropped third strike and Ignoffo reached on an infield single. The Biscuits let nothing more come from it, as Jackson Lancaster (S, 1) induced a ground ball to short from Dalvy Rosario to end the night.
White’s night began with an up-and-down first inning. After notching his first career Double-A strikeout against Homer Bush Jr. to lead off the night, he walked the next two hitters, along with a single to Matthew Etzel. White picked up two more punchouts, sitting down Colton Ledbetter and Tres Barrera to wiggle out of the self-induced jam, but not without racking up his pitch count to 37 in the first frame.
Montgomery continued to force White into elevating the pitch count, forcing an early exit. As the Massachusetts native was taken out at 2.2 IP, he allowed three hits, one earned run, four walks and four strikeouts in his first start at Double-A.
“It’s good to see that my stuff definitely does play,” White said. “I felt pretty comfortable, actually. I think there’s sometimes you just go out there and maybe you just don’t have it, whether something’s not clicking mechanically or just release point-wise.”
After the Biscuits pushed a run across against White in the third thanks to an infield single by Etzel, the Blue Wahoos tied things up at one with a bases-loaded walk. Montgomery starter Brody Hopkins walked four in the fourth, allowing Shane Sasaki to score to bring it to 1-1.
Alex Williams was a standout for the Pensacola bullpen as he shouldered the load for the staff. After White lasted only 2.2 IP while pushing his pitch count to 70, Williams provided 4.2 IP of shutout baseball. While allowing only two hits, the right-hander pushed his scoreless streak to 19.1 IP, tying Tim Adelman for the tenth-longest streak in franchise history.
The Biscuits found success in the bullpen, piecing together 5.0 shutout innings prior to Martorella’s RBI in the tenth against Lancaster. Dan Hammer, Keyshawn Askew and Trevor Martin (W, 3-1) put together this stretch that helped push the Biscuits to their third win of the week.
The Blue Wahoos and Biscuits will meet for the fifth game of a six-game series Saturday night, with Dax Fulton (3-4, 3.60 ERA) taking the mound for Pensacola while Ty Cummings (2-2, 3.07 ERA) will make his fifth start of the year for Montgomery.
WANT TO GO?
WHO: Montgomery Biscuits vs. Blue Wahoos
WHEN: Saturday and Sunday.
GAMETIMES: Saturday’s game starts at 6:05 p.m. The game on Sunday starts at 4:05 p.m.
WHERE: Blue Wahoos Stadium
Furious Wahoos Comeback Falls Short in 7-6 Loss To Montgomery Biscuits
June 20, 2025
written by Bill Vilona
Jake Buxton waited nearly two years for his pitching return with the Blue Wahoos.
Unfortunately for him, fate wasn’t kind.
Buxton, a righthander, had a scorching line drive ricochet off his side in the second inning, forcing him out of the game and igniting a big inning for the Montgomery Biscuits they carried into an eventual 7-6 victory Thursday against the Blue Wahoos.
But on this night when an impactful part of Pensacola’s pro baseball legacy was honored, the home team nearly pulled off the biggest comeback this season.
Taking on identity of the Pensacola Seagulls, the most renowned of the city’s former teams during the segregation era, a 7-0 deficit after two innings was whittled into a one-swing game after the seventh inning.
The game at Blue Wahoos Stadium, which honored Pensacola’s heritage on Juneteenth, started nearly an hour late, following a massive thunderstorm.
That was the first patch of rough luck to start Buxton’s night.
He yielded a pair of walks, then a two-run homer in the first inning. With two on, none out in second inning, Biscuits third baseman Willy Vasquez blasted a fastball that exited his bat at 112 mph, striking Buxton above his waist with no time to react.
He tried two warmup pitches, but it was quickly determined he could not continue. Buxton, 24, started just once before with the Blue Wahoos, back on Sept. 13, 2023 during the team’s final homestand. He was elevated Tuesday from the Beloit (Wisconsin) Sky Carp, where he pitched the entire 2024 season.
He was 3-2 with a 2.10 earned run average in eight appearances this season in Beloit.
When he exited Thursday, reliever Ricky DeVito was summoned from the dugout. He tried in about five minutes to rapidly get loose on the mound during an extended play stoppage, but he didn’t have his normal command.
His first pitch to shortstop Gregory Barrios was laced over first base inside the foul line for a run-scoring double. A sacrifice fly scored another run. DeVito then walked the bases loaded, gave up a two run single and uncorked a wild pitch for a 5-run inning and 7-0 Biscuits lead.
Nathan Martorella started the comeback with a solo homer in the fourth inning. The Blue Wahoos then took advantage of some sloppy defense by the Biscuits to score three runs in the sixth and two more in the seventh.
In the seventh, Shane Sasaki led off with a double, advanced on an infield single and scored on Kemp Alderman’s RBI ground out. A dropped pop up at third base enabled Martorella to reach base. Cody Morissette drove in the sixth run with an RBI.
But the Biscuits bullpen held on in the final two innings. Alderman hit a line out to right field to start the ninth. Martorella drew a walk, before a double play ended the game.
A good portion of Thursday’s crowd of 3,334 remained for post-game fireworks to honor the Juneteenth holiday.
The Blue Wahoos wore the replica white uniforms with blue piping, numbers and logo of Pensacola Seagulls, as part of The Nine Initiative in Minor League Baseball, which launched in 2022 by Major League Baseball to honor and celebrate the historic impact numerous African-American baseball pioneers made on the sport.
Nine is a reference to the No. 9 worn by legend Jackie Robinson while he played in the minor leagues, before breaking the game’s color barrier in 1947 in a historic way with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Robinson wore No. 42 through his decorated MLB career.
Though Robinson never played in Pensacola, he and his wife stayed overnight in Pensacola in 1946 on their way to spring training with the Dodgers organization.
The Seagulls were once a feeder team for the Negro Southern League, which had its final official season 74 years ago in 1951. In the Pensacola region, the Seagulls were the most prominent team of black players during the segregation era. They had a four-decade existence that ended as a local semi-pro team.
GAME NOTABLES
— Blue Wahoos outfielder Mark Coley II joined members of the Blue Wahoos front office staff, along with Kazoo, to participate in Pensacola’s Martin Luther King Parade downtown. The event on Juneteenth was originally scheduled on Martin Luther King Day in January, but that was the exact date of the historic 2025 snowfall in Pensacola.
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— This was the fourth consecutive year the Blue Wahoos wore the Seagulls’ uniforms for a game. Part of Seagulls history included outfielder Johnny Joe Lewis, who became Pensacola’s first African-American player to play in Major League Baseball when he made his debut on April 14, 1964 with the St. Louis Cardinals.
Part of the team’s history occurred during an era where Pensacola had other black baseball teams called the Arthur Giants, the Pensacola Clowns, the Olive Braves and Pepsi-Cola Stars.
— On Friday, 20-year-old lefthander Thomas White, the Miami Marlins’ No. 1 prospect, makes his Double-A level debut on the mound with the Blue Wahoos in a game being offered for free on the MiLB TV network.
WANT TO GO?
WHO: Montgomery Biscuits vs. Blue Wahoos
WHEN: Friday Thru Sunday.
GAMETIMES: The games on Friday and Saturday all start at 6:05 p.m. The game on Sunday starts at 4:05 p.m.
Sasaki’s Bunt Ends Wild Walk-Off Wahoos Win Over Montgomery
June 19, 2025
by Willie Phaler
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos clinched a dramatic 6-5 walk-off victory over the Montgomery Biscuits in 11 innings on Wednesday night, thanks to a bunt from centerfielder Shane Sasaki. This win comes a day after the Blue Wahoos experienced their first extra-innings loss at home this season.
The decisive play unfolded in the bottom of the 11th. After reliever Nigel Belgrave (W, 2-0) masterfully stranded the bases loaded for Montgomery in the top half, Sasaki laid down a hard bunt. The bunt forced Biscuits pitcher Jack Hartman (L, 0-3) towards third, and a slight bobble combined with Sasaki’s speed led to an errant throw. This allowed Grant Richardson to score from second, securing the win for Pensacola.
“Honestly, I just put one down for the team,” Sasaki said. “I bunted it a little too hard but sometimes good things happen when you don’t execute.” The walk-off, officially ruled a sacrifice with an error charged to Hartman, marked the Blue Wahoos’ fourth walk-off win of the year.
The Wednesday night victory was also highlighted by a solid start from Robby Snelling, who tossed his fifth quality start of the season. He allowed just one run over six innings, striking out seven Biscuits and issuing only two walks.
Beyond Sasaki’s heroics, the bats of Nathan Martorella and Jonny Olmstead were crucial. Martorella had a stellar 3-for-4 night, including a home run and two RBI, while Olmstead also drove in two runs, showcasing the consistent production throughout the Wahoos’ lineup.
“We just stick together all the time,” Sasaki stated. “We always trust each other, and we’re just trying to pass the torch. Nobody’s trying to do too much. We’re just trying to play as a team as much as possible.”
Pensacola initially held a 3-0 lead heading into the sixth inning. Martorella hit his fifth home run of the year in the second, and Olmstead’s lone hit of the night in the fourth brought in two runs.
The Biscuits’ offense finally broke through against Snelling in the sixth. After a leadoff hit-by-pitch to Colton Ledbetter, Snelling surrendered a two-out, RBI double to Will Simpson, cutting Pensacola’s lead to two.
Gregory Barrios proved to be clutch for the Biscuits in the eighth, hitting a bases-loaded double down the left field line that drove in three runs for Montgomery, tying the game at four. All three runs were charged to Evan Fitterer, who was making his first bullpen appearance since April after ten starts for Pensacola.
Berrios came up big for Montgomery again, blooping a single over the head of shortstop Jared Serna with the infield playing in to give the Biscuits a 5-4 lead.
The Blue Wahoos quickly retaliated in the bottom half to tie it up when Dalvy Rosario’s single in front of centerfielder Homer Bush Jr. scored Mark Coley II (running for Martorella). With runners on first and second and two outs, Hartman caught a line drive from Bramwell on the mound, sending the game to the bottom of the 11th and setting the stage for the walk-off victory in front of a sellout crowd of 5,038.
“Oh, it’s great,” Sasaki said about the first Wednesday sellout of the year. “The fans are awesome. We always love to have a packed stadium like this. The fans give us a lot of support so it’s awesome to play for them.”
The Blue Wahoos will face the Biscuits for game three of their six-game series tomorrow, donning their Pensacola Seagulls alternate identity. Ike Buxton is scheduled to make his first appearance for Pensacola as the starter, while Owen Wild (3-5, 5.08 ERA) will pitch for Montgomery.
WANT TO GO?
- WHO: Montgomery Biscuits vs. Blue Wahoos
- WHEN: Thursday through Sunday.
- GAME TIMES: Games on Thursday through Saturday all start at 6:05 p.m. CDT. The game on Sunday starts at 4:05 p.m. CDT.
Late Comeback Falls Short, Wahoos Begin Homestand With Extra-Inning Defeat
June 18, 2025
written by Bill Vilona
Pensacola, Fla. – Extra-inning drama had always gone the Blue Wahoos’ way at home this season.
That good fortune ended Tuesday in a near-miss way.
The Blue Wahoos had Grant Richardson thrown out at the plate in a close play Richardson thought he made for the tying run, but it proved decisive in the Montgomery Biscuits’ 4-3 win Tuesday to begin their week-long series at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
It was the first loss in five extra-inning home games for the Blue Wahoos. They were 5-2 in all extended games so far this year.
After Montgomery took the lead in the 10th on a two-out, first pitch single by Matthew Etzel, the Blue Wahoos had their crack.
Richardson started as the placement runner on second. He moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by Johnny Olmstead. On a two-strike pitch, catcher Ryan Ignaffo hit a chopper to shortstop Gregory Barrios. With Richardson running on contact, his elusive slide missed the tag from catcher Tatem Levins.
But after a couple seconds of indecision, Levins then tagged Richardson as he tried to touch home and was called out. Blue Wahoos manager Nelson Prada briefly argued, but the decision was made.
Cody Morissette then hit a hard ground out to end the game.
The loss dropped the Blue Wahoos (32-32) back to .500 in a quest to finish the first half schedule Sunday with a winning record. The Biscuits (35-29) kept faint hopes alive in their chase against the Biloxi Shuckers, who entered Tuesday with a four-game lead.
The Blue Wahoos got a third consecutive quality start from right-hander Jacob Miller, who worked six innings, allowed four hits and two runs. The bullpen trio who followed him kept the game close.
Dale Stanavich, in particular, pitched out of a jam in the eighth and followed with a clean ninth.
Montgomery starter Ty Johnson, one of eight players on the Biscuits team ranked among the Top 30 prospects in the Tampa Bay Rays organization, took a no-hitter into the sixth inning before Morissette laced a single to centerfield.
It led to a run when Mark Coley II hit a fielder’s choice grounder to score Ignoffo. He had reached on a hit batter, one of the few errant pitches Johnson threw.
The Blue Wahoos tied the game with two runs in the eighth inning on consecutive RBI singles from Coley and Jared Serna.
Nathan Martorella led off the ninth swinging at the first pitch and launching deep to right field, but the ball held up for the first out. The next two batters were retired to force extra innings.
WANT TO GO?
WANT TO GO?
WHO: Montgomery Biscuits vs. Blue Wahoos
WHEN: Wednesday Thru Sunday.
GAMETIMES: The games on Wednesday through Saturday all start at 6:05 p.m. The game on Sunday starts at 4:05 p.m.
Register Now For Tate Aggies Youth Football Camp Under The Lights In July
June 17, 2025
The Tate High School Aggies will host their Youth Football Camp in July. This year, the camp will be held July 7-8 at night under the lights of Pete Gindl Stadium from 7-9 p.m.
Players will run through fundamental drills. The camp is open to players in grades kindergarten through eighth grade.
Click here to register. Registration includes a camp t-shirt.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Alderman, Ortiz-Mayr Power Wahoos To Father’s Day Win
June 16, 2025
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos (32-31) capped their road trip with a 5-2 series-finale victory over the Rocket City Trash Pandas (24-37) on Sunday.
After a scoreless first two frames, Pensacola struck first in the top of the third inning. Following a one-out hit by pitch and a walk, designated hitter Kemp Alderman hit a towering three-run home run to left field off lefthander Sam Aldegheri (L, 2-4) to put the Wahoos ahead 3-0. The blast traveled an estimated 471 feet and is the longest Pensacola home run of the season to date, beating out catcher Spencer Bramwell’s 469-foot homer hit just three days prior.
The early offense allowed righthander Orlando Ortiz-Mayr (W, 4-2) to cruise through five effective innings. Ortiz-Mayr did not allow a hit over his outing and struck out six Trash Pandas on the afternoon.
Rocket City’s offense awoke in the bottom of the sixth inning against the Blue Wahoos bullpen. Following a leadoff single by center fielder Nelson Rada against lefthander Justin King, Trash Panda shortstop Denzer Guzman hit a two-run home run to cut the Pensacola lead to 3-2.
Pensacola grabbed back momentum in the top of the seventh inning. The Wahoos brought seven men to the plate and tacked on two runs on RBI singles from right fielder Grant Richardson and first baseman Josh Zamora. After seven innings, Pensacola led 5-2.
In the bottom of the ninth, Rocket City rallied against righthander Alex Williams (S, 1). Back-to-back one-out singles brought the tying run to the plate, but Williams induced a pair of outs to finish off a 10-out save and a 5-2 Pensacola victory.
With the win, Pensacola split its road trip at Rocket City at three games apiece and concluded its regular-season series with the Trash Pandas. The Wahoos went 7-5 in two series against Rocket City.
The Blue Wahoos return home on Tuesday, June 17 when they begin a six-game series against the Montgomery Biscuits to close out the Southern League season’s first half. First pitch from Blue Wahoos Stadium is scheduled for 6:05 p.m.
Fulton Leads Wahoos To 4-2 Win In Rainy Rocket City
June 15, 2025
written by Erik Bremer
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos got back in the win column and returned to the .500 mark on Saturday night, beating the Rocket City Trash Pandas 4-2.
After a 56-minute pregame rain delay, Blue Wahoos starter Dax Fulton (W, 3-4) kept the Trash Pandas off balance with 5.1 innings of two-run ball.
The Trash Pandas strung together three hits in the first inning, taking a 1-0 lead on an Oscar Colas RBI single. The Blue Wahoos answered back right away in the second against Rocket City starter Joel Hurtado (L, 5-5), building a threat with a Johnny Olmstead single and Cody Morissette double before Mark Coley II’s two-out RBI infield single extended his hitting streak to 10 games and scored Olmstead to tie the game 1-1.
One batter later, Jared Serna laced the second of his three hits on the night to bring home Morissette and put Pensacola ahead 2-1. Rocket City second baseman Mitch Daly then misplayed a sharp Kemp Alderman grounder, allowing Coley to score for a 3-1 Blue Wahoos lead.
Fulton settled into a groove, pitching into the sixth inning before running into trouble and exhausting his pitch limit. The lefty departed with two runners on and one out leading 3-1, and though Nigel Belgrave allowed an inherited runner to score on a Joe Redfield RBI single the Trash Pandas were unable to do anything else against the Pensacola bullpen for the remainder of the night.
Shane Sasaki added insurance for the Blue Wahoos in the sixth, singling before stealing two bases and coming in to score on a throwing error. Armed with a 4-2 lead, Belgrave, Josh White and Josh Ekness (S, 7) shut the door on the Trash Pandas with 3.1 innings of scoreless relief.
The series against the Trash Pandas wraps up on Sunday, with a first pitch from Toyota Field scheduled for 2:35 p.m
Tate Softball Alum Izzy Werdann Tapped As Mississippi Gulf Coast Head Softball Coach
June 14, 2025
Tate High School softball alum Izzy Werdann has been named head softball coach at Mississippi Gulf Coast community College.
As a catcher, Werdann helped lead the Tate Lady Aggie to the 2015 7A state championship when she was a senior.
Mississippi Gulf Coast softball fans remember a pair of home runs by Izzy Werdann. She hit remarkably similar homers to win postseason games, and now she’s coming back home to create more opportunities like that for the next generation.
The former All-American, who led the Bulldogs to an 85-21 record, returns to her stomping ground as the fifth head coach in program history, bringing a wealth of playing experience in the SEC and NCAA Division I coaching savvy to Perk.
“I’ve been here, and I’ve done it. I’ve lived it,” Werdann said. “I know what it took to be successful playing here as a player, and so I know what it’s going to take to be successful here as a coach. The landscape has changed, and there are some really good teams out there, but we’re going to be really good.”
“While we had some other very qualified candidates, Izzy’s experience as a successful player at MGCCC and coach in the state of Mississippi were two things that really stood out,” Gulf Coast Dean of Athletics Steven Campbell said. “We are excited for her to share her experience with current and future Bulldogs and look forward to her making an impact in the community she began her collegiate playing career.”
As a sophomore at Gulf Coast, Werdann led the team with 13 home runs, 47 RBI and a .513 on-base percentage while batting .384 in 2017. She was named MACJC Co-Player of the Year and earned her second All-MACJC selection on the way to All-Region 23 and NJCAA All-American honors.
The Bulldogs were conference regular-season and tournament runners-up, missing the national tournament by one game at the regional tourney. They were ranked seventh in the final NJCAA poll.
In her freshman season, she batted .323 with five homers and 41 RBI. Gulf Coast finished ranked third in the country after finishing as regular-season and tourney runners-up.
She’s remembered for hitting three-run homers with two outs in the sixth inning of conference tournament-opening games both years. She beat Itawamba both years, lifting the Bulldogs to a 3-2 win as a freshman and a 7-6 win the next season.
“It means everything to come back here,” Werdann said. “I cannot wait to come back to the school where I started my career and win here as a coach. I can’t wait.”
Werdann became the second Gulf Coast player to play in the SEC when she went to Ole Miss, batting .281 in 33 games over two seasons in Oxford, earning scholar-athlete awards along the way.
The Rebels made it to the championship round of the Tempe Regional in her junior year before winning the Oxford Regional the next year, losing to sixth-ranked Arizona in the Tucson Super Regional.
Werdann has an associate’s degree from Gulf Coast and a bachelor’s in general studies with minors in education, sports and recreation management and psychology from Ole Miss, graduating summa cum laude. She graduated with a master’s in sports management from USM while she started her coaching career.
“I thank God. He opened this door for me to get to walk through,” Werdann said. “And the door was opened through Dr. (Mary) Graham, Dean (Steven) Campbell. Dr. (Ladd) Taylor and Dr. (Brad) Bailey. I would like to thank them for this opportunity. It means everything to me, and I can’t wait to prove them right for hiring me.”
Coley’s Double Not Enough In 4-1 Wahoos Loss To Trash Pandas
June 14, 2025
written by Erik Bremer
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos dropped their third game in a row on Friday night, falling 4-1 to the Rocket City Trash Pandas.
Mark Coley II spared the Blue Wahoos from a shutout, lacing an RBI double in the eighth inning to bring home Cody Morissette and extending his hitting streak to a team-high nine games.
The Trash Pandas jumped ahead in the bottom of the second inning against Pensacola starter Adam Laskey (L, 2-5), capitalizing on a Morissette error at third base to score two unearned runs. David Calabrese brought home Travis Blankenhorn with a successful safety squeeze bunt, and Mac McCroskey followed with an RBI single for a 2-0 Rocket City lead.
Blankenhorn, a former Blue Wahoo as a Twins prospect in 2019, came up with the biggest hit of the night against his old club. With runners at the corners in the third inning, the Trash Pandas left fielder cracked a two-run double to right field to extend the Rocket City lead to 4-0.
Laskey completed 5.0 innings, allowing two earned runs, but was outdueled by Trash Pandas righty George Klassen (W, 2-5). The top-ranked prospect on the Rocket City roster twirled 6.0 scoreless innings, allowing only a pair of harmless Jared Serna singles.
Coley’s double in the eighth inning was the best rally the Blue Wahoos could muster, as Jared Southard (S, 5) locked down the 4-1 final with a scoreless ninth.
With the loss, the Blue Wahoos lost ground to the first-place Biloxi Shuckers in the first half division race. They are 6.5 games back with 8 to play before the standings reset in the second half of the season.
The series against the Trash Pandas continues on Saturday, with a first pitch from Toyota Field scheduled for 6:35 p.m.