Tate Aggies Beat The Crestview Bulldogs
August 20, 2025
The Tate Aggies varsity volleyball team defeated the Crestview Bulldogs in a conference match on Tuesday night, winning 3-1. The Aggies overcame an early deficit after dropping the first set in Crestview.
The Bulldogs started strong, winning the first set 25-21. However, the Aggies quickly recovered, battling back to win the second set by the same score, 25-21. This momentum carried through to the rest of the match.
The Aggies dominated the third set, taking a commanding 25-17 victory. In the final set, Crestview fought to stay in the game, but Tate’s consistent play secured the set 25-22, sealing their comeback victory.
Up next, the Aggies will travel to Navarre on Thursday.
Williams Leads Wahoos To Shutout Win Over Clingstones
August 20, 2025
written by Erik Bremer
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos began a pivotal road series against the Columbus Clingstones with a 3-0 shutout win on Tuesday night.
Alex Williams (W, 4-3) earned his first win of the season as a starting pitcher, scattering five hits over 5.0 innings while throwing a season-high 91 pitches. Luarbert Arias, Evan Fitterer and Josh Ekness (S, 10) worked the final four innings to give the Blue Wahoos their sixth shutout win of the season.
Ryan Ignoffo gave Pensacola a quick 1-0 lead in the first inning, doubling home Kemp Alderman from first base on a liner to right-center. It marked the fifth extra-base hit in five games for the hot-hitting catcher, who was removed from the game with an apparent injury in the third inning.
Mark Coley II stayed hot as well, lacing a two-run homer off the left field scoreboard for a 3-0 Blue Wahoos lead in the second inning. Coley, who hadn’t homered since early April before going deep last Friday and Saturday, later added a single in a 2-for-4 night.
The Blue Wahoos didn’t manufacture any offense after their early outburst, as Clingstones starter Landon Harper (L, 3-7) settled in to complete 5.0 innings of three-run ball. Three Columbus relievers worked 4.0 perfect innings of relief, but the Pensacola bullpen was just as effective to seal the 3-0 final.
Third baseman Gage Miller, added to the roster from High-A Beloit earlier in the day, went 1-for-4 with a run scored in his Double-A debut for the Blue Wahoos.
With the win, the Blue Wahoos maintained their 2.5-game lead over the second-place Montgomery Biscuits, who won their game 5-2 over Knoxville. There are 24 games remaining in the regular season as the Blue Wahoos aim to secure their eighth playoff berth in 10 seasons.
The Blue Wahoos continue their series against the Clingstones on Wednesday night.
NWE Football Needs More 6U Players; Registration Is Free
August 19, 2025
NWE Football in Walnut Hill needs three to five more players to join the Chiefs 6U football team. Registration is free.
“Let your kids be part of a great team, learn the game, make friends, and have fun,” Wesley Morris, NWE Football president, said.
For more information and to sign up today, contact Wesley at (850) 418-2767.
Wahoos Set Steals Record, But Fall 6-3 To Barons In Finale
August 18, 2025
written by Willie Phaler
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos fell to the Birmingham Barons 6-3 in Sunday afternoon’s series finale.
Despite the loss, franchise history was set in the first inning for the Blue Wahoos. With a steal of third, shortstop Jared Serna broke the franchise record for team steals in a season, swiping the Blue Wahoos’ 164th base of the year.
The Blue Wahoos got on the board first for the first time this series in the first inning, with Ryan Ignoffo muscling out a two-run home run for his third of the year against Birmingham starter Tanner McDougal. Serna scored on Ignoffo’s home run after the record-breaking steal.
Pensacola added another run two innings later to push their lead to 3-0 with a Fenwick Trimble RBI single to right-center, his second hit of the afternoon.
Birmingham scored two runs in the fourth on a two-base error after DJ Gladney lined a fly ball to left, hitting off the glove of Mark Coley II. Sam Antonacci and Caden Connor scored, but both runs were deemed unearned on the line of Blue Wahoos starter Jacob Miller (L, 3-5).
Birmingham took a 6-3 lead with a four-run top of the sixth after an RBI single from Gladney and a three-run home run by Calvin Harris. Two runs were charged to the starter Miller, and two were charged to reliever Jesse Bergin, who allowed both hits after entering with one out in the frame.
Miller turned in a steady outing for the Blue Wahoos. In 5.1 innings of work, the 2022 second-round pick struck out five and allowed three walks and three hits to Birmingham’s offense.
Tyler Schweitzer (W, 5-0) had a strong relief outing for Birmingham. After allowing singles to Coley and Connor Caskenette to begin his outing in the fourth, Schweitzer retired the next 12 hitters in a row to mark 4.0 scoreless innings. Mark McLaughlin threw a clean eighth, and Garrett Schoenle (S, 7) closed out the series in the ninth.
Gabe Bierman and Luis Palacios pitched scoreless innings in the eighth and ninth, keeping the game within reach for the Blue Wahoos.
With their loss and a win by the Montgomery Biscuits on Sunday, the Blue Wahoos’ division lead sits at 2.5 games.
After an off day on Monday, Pensacola will head to Columbus to take on the Clingstones for a series with massive playoff implications. After their loss on Sunday, the Blue Wahoos lead the third-place Clingstones by 3.0 games. Right-hander Alex Williams (3-3, 5.03 ERA) will start game one of the series on Tuesday.
WHAT’S NEXT?
WHO: Blue Wahoos vs. Columbus Clingstones
WHERE: Synovus Park, Columbus, Ga.
WHEN: Tuesday (Aug. 19) through Sunday (Aug. 24).
White Dominates Early, Rataczak Delivers Late In Walk-Off Wahoos Win
August 17, 2025
written by Willie Phaler
Eric Rataczak delivered a walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth, leading the Pensacola Blue Wahoos to a memorable 5-4 win over the Birmingham Barons Saturday night.
With a runner on third and one out, the Blue Wahoos left fielder poked a pop-up beyond the drawn-in infield against Tyler Davis (L, 0-7), allowing Mark Coley II to score the winning run.
“We were seeing him good, and I was just trying to go one pitch at a time,” Rataczak said. “I was just trying to pass the stick again, and sometimes you get a little bit of luck.”
Luck was indeed on the side of the Blue Wahoos in the 5-4 win, and it started with left-hander Thomas White on the mound.
White dazzled Saturday night in what turned out to be his best start at home with Pensacola, despite working with what he described as his “C-plus stuff.” Over 5.0 innings, MLB Pipeline’s top left-handed pitcher racked up nine strikeouts, while allowing only one run on four hits.
“I think [the Barons] are the best hitting team in Double-A, or at least in our league,” White said. “So to have my C-plus stuff and get a good outing from it is good for my ego and good for the brand.”
White’s ability to work through difficulty was a large part of Pensacola’s 58th victory.
“Honestly, not a lot was working for me tonight,” White said. “I didn’t really have my best stuff at any point. I made the big pitch when I needed to, and we took home the win, which is all that matters.”
The 20-year-old showed a strong ability to get out of tricky situations in the start, stranding runners on second and third in the fourth after striking out the side. White finished off his escape in the fourth inning with a backdoor sweeper to sit Michael Turner down looking to end a 10-pitch at-bat.
The Marlins’ No. 1 prospect topped the fourth inning by treating a sellout crowd of 5,038 to another Houdini act to end the top of the fifth. White stranded the bases loaded by punching out Braden Montgomery on a fastball and Caden Connor with a full count breaking ball.
“The breaking balls were what I was most confident with putting in the zone in that moment,” White said. “Sometimes you don’t have your best stuff, and that’s how it is. That’s what I trusted the most at that point, so I kept throwing it.”
Birmingham got the scoring started in the top of the second, as designated hitter Wilfred Veras hit a solo home run out to left-center against White. This was only the second homer given up by White this year between Beloit and Pensacola.
The Blue Wahoos took the lead in the bottom half of the second after a pair of RBI doubles down the left field line. Fenwick Trimble picked up his seventh double of the year to score Ryan Ignoffo, and later crossed the plate on a Coley double.
Coley extended the Pensacola lead in the bottom of the fifth, blasting a solo home run for his third of the season. The round-tripper was his second in two days after a seventh-inning home run that proved to be the game-winner Friday night.
Pensacola’s two-run lead didn’t last long, as Birmingham tied things up at 3 apiece against Evan Fitterer. Veras led off the inning with his second solo home run of the night, and Turner tied it with an RBI double to right field.
The Blue Wahoos found themselves in front again with a 4-3 lead in the bottom of the seventh after Michael Snyder singled to center against Dalton Roach to score Coley.
With two outs in the top of the ninth, Sam Antonacci tied it at 4-4 with an RBI double to right field against Wahoos closer Josh Ekness (W, 4-1).
Pensacola’s division lead has grown to 3.5 games, as the Montgomery Biscuits lost both games in a doubleheader against Chattanooga and the Columbus Clingstones fell 12-3 in Biloxi. The Blue Wahoos’ magic number to clinch a playoff spot now sits at 23 games.
The Blue Wahoos and Barons will square off in the final game of the series on Sunday with a 4:05 first pitch. Jacob Miller (3-4, 4.73 ERA) will make the start for Pensacola, while Birmingham sends out Tanner McDougal (3-1, 1.94 ERA) for the second time this series.
WANT TO GO?
WHO: Birmingham Barons vs. Blue Wahoos
WHERE: Blue Wahoos Stadium
WHEN: Sunday, 4:05 p.m
Friday Nights More Like Friday Night Lightning As Preseason Games Are Canceled
August 16, 2025
The first Friday night lights of the season were more like Friday night lightning as the weather canceled preseason games at both Northview and Tate.
The games were first put on hold and spectators sent to their cars, but persistent lightning, some of it just a few hundred feet from the stadiums, led to eventual cancellations for safety reasons.
The high schools in Escambia County have WeatherStem systems on campus that provide real-time weather data, including the distance of lightning strikes. If the lightning is within 10 miles of a school, outdoor activities must end and everyone is moved to a safe location, such as inside a building or their vehicles. Everyone must be completely within the designated safe locations by the time the lightning is a six miles away from the school. The all clear is given 30 minutes after the last nearby lightning strike.
Northview and Ernest Ward Middle School were set to host Baker in a Kickoff Classic on Friday night. Now, the Chiefs will move forward into the regular season with a road trip to Destin at 7 p.m. on August 22. Their first home game back in Bratt is on August 29 against Opp.
Tate had planned to take on Pine Forest Friday night. Next Friday night, August 22, the Aggies will begin a three-game homestand against Fort Walton Beach, followed by Gulf Breeze and Pensacola. Their first road trip will be September 12 at Milton.
Pictured top: The WeatherStem station on above Northview High School’s football stadium. Pictured below: The weather station at Tate High School. NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
Wahoos Wait Out Rain, Coley Comes Through In 2-1 Win
August 16, 2025
A clutch home run and a dominant appearance out of the bullpen gave the Pensacola Blue Wahoos a 2-1 win over the Birmingham Barons on a rainy Friday night in downtown Pensacola.
Mark Coley II came up big for the Blue Wahoos, launching a solo home run over the left field wall to give Pensacola the lead in the bottom of the seventh.
“I was just trying to get the head out, be more on time,” Coley said of his second home run of the year. “First at-bat, I was kind of late, so just adjustments again, catch everything out in front.”
Coley was certainly on time, pulling a breaking ball from Birmingham’s Jordan Mikel (L, 2-2) 111 mph down the left field line to give the Blue Wahoos their first lead of the series after three lopsided losses to start the week.
Birmingham struck first for the fourth time in four games, scratching across a run on an RBI single from Mario Camilletti to score Braden Montgomery in the second inning.
Orlando Ortiz-Mayr turned in a solid 4.2 innings for the Blue Wahoos, allowing one earned run while striking out three hitters. Ortiz-Mayr exited the game in the fifth with the bases loaded, but right-hander Jesse Bergin escaped the jam after inducing a groundball to second of the bat of DJ Gladney.
After the end of the fifth inning, the game entered a 34-minute rain delay with Birmingham leading 1-0.
Left-hander Justin King took the mound for the Blue Wahoos to begin the sixth inning coming out of the delay, striking out the side in order.
Birmingham’s Riley Gowens hurled 5.0 innings of shutout, one-hit baseball, including five strikeouts on 67 pitches. Though the Barons starter warmed up after the delay, the length of the break caused an early end to his night.
Ryan Ignoffo tied things up in the bottom of the sixth at one apiece for the Blue Wahoos, sending a ground ball by the glove of a diving Jason Matthews at third base, allowing Kemp Alderman to score from second.
After King was removed with an apparent injury, Nigel Belgrave (W, 5-1) entered on short notice and had a strong outing for the Blue Wahoos. With 3.0 innings of shutout relief, Belgrave earned the win after striking out four Barons on the way to the Blue Wahoos’ 57th win of the year.
Pensacola’s win keeps their division lead of 2.0 games intact, as second-place Montgomery defeated Chattanooga 2-0 Friday night.
The Blue Wahoos and Barons will square off Saturday night in what is projected to be a battle of highly touted left-handers. Thomas White (1-1, 2.05 ERA), the number one prospect in the Marlins organization, will make the start for Pensacola against Birmingham’s Shane Murphy (8-4, 1.32 ERA) with a 6:05 first pitch.
WANT TO GO?
WHO: Birmingham Barons vs. Blue Wahoos
WHERE: Blue Wahoos Stadium
WHEN: Saturday and Sunday. Saturday’s game starts at 6:05 p.m. Sunday’s game starts at 4:05 p.m.
Countdown To Friday Night Lights: Northview Holds ‘Meet The Chiefs’ (With Gallery)
August 15, 2025
As football season draws near, Northview High School held their annual Meet the Chiefs on Thursday evening.
During the event, moved indoors due to weather, fans had a chance to meet the Northview Chiefs, cheerleaders, and Tribal Beat band. They were also introduced to players and cheerleaders from Ernest Ward Middle School and area youth teams.
For a photo gallery, click here.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Blue Wahoos Bullied By Barons In 9-0 Defeat
August 15, 2025
written by Bill Vilona
The Blue Wahoos entered this week knowing their matchup against the Birmingham Barons, the Southern League’s best-record team, would be a tall order.
It’s proven so far to be mountainous.
The Barons (68-43 overall, 30-12 second half) continued their onslaught Thursday in a 9-0 victory at Blue Wahoos Stadium, extending their season win streak in this ballpark to nine consecutive games.
They pounded out 12 hits, giving them 48 in three games, along with scoring a combined 31 runs against Blue Wahoos pitchers in jumping to a 3-0 lead in the series. Back in May, the Barons became the first team to sweep a six-game series against the Blue Wahoos in this stadium since the format began in 2021.
Despite the loss, the Blue Wahoos actually expanded their first-place lead in the Southern League South Division. The Chattanooga Lookouts swept a double-header against the Montgomery Biscuits to give the Blue Wahoos a 2.0-game lead atop the division.
An American flag image brought more cheers at the end of the show. It’s the second year the Blue Wahoos arranged this event.
Hours earlier, the game began for the Blue Wahoos with some good vibes on the field.
After starter Dax Fulton pitched out of two-on, one-out jam in the first inning by striking out the next two Barons’ batters, the Blue Wahoos loaded the bases with two out in the bottom half of the inning.
Shortstop Payton Green hit a chopper to third, fielded cleanly by the Barons’ Jason Matthews for the third out.
From this point, the next Blue Wahoos batter to reach base didn’t happen until the eighth inning. It was a string of 18 consecutive hitters retired in order by the Barons’ pitching staff. The Blue Wahoos were held to just three hits.
Fulton ran into trouble in the second inning when he walked the first two batters. William Bergolla followed with a two-run single.
Braden Montgomery, the No. 1 rated prospect in the Chicago White Sox organization, continued with his hot bat in this series with a run-scoring hit for a 3-0 lead. Montgomery went 3-for-4 with two RBI.
The Barons expanded to a 5-0 lead in the fifth inning against Fulton when a two-out walk was followed by Caden Connor’s triple, then a double by D.J. Gladney.
Blue Wahoos newcomer Yiddi Cappe, who joined the team last week, ended the team’s baserunner drought by reaching on a walk in the eighth inning.
The series continues Friday, a Giveaway Friday with a blue floral Hawaiian shirt for the first 1,000 fans ages 21-older. The Blue Wahoos will have Orlando Oritz-Mayr on the mound against Birmingham Riley Gowens.
The Barons have now won 25 of their last 30 games in a streak that began on July 8 and included 12 consecutive wins.
GAME NOTABLES
— The loss dropped the Blue Wahoos to 3-12 this season against the Barons, who won the Southern League title last season and have a team stacked with players ranked among the organization’s top 30 prospects.
— Reliever Luarbert Arias, who began the season with the Miami Marlins, returned to Blue Wahoos Stadium and pitched a scoreless ninth inning as he begins a comeback to past form.
WANT TO GO?
WHO: Birmingham Barons vs. Blue Wahoos
WHERE: Blue Wahoos Stadium
WHEN: Friday and Saturday night games will start at 6:05 p.m. Sunday’s game starts at 4:05 p.m.
FWC Give Final Approval For Florida Black Bear Hunt (But Not In Escambia, Santa Rosa)
August 14, 2025
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has given final approval for black bear hunting in Florida.
The new rules establish Bear Hunting Zones (BHZ) within four of the seven existing Bear Management Units. FWC said 187 total permits will be issued through a random drawing across the east Panhandle, North, Central and South BMUs, and each permit will allow the harvest of one bear within the assigned BHZ.
The nearest county to North Escambia to be included in the bear hunt is Bay County. Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa and Walton counties are not included.
“I am proud that Florida is joining the majority of states that manage black bears with regulated hunting,” said Rodney Barreto, Chairman of the FWC. “The components of the hunt are conservative and prioritize conservation, with a limited number of permits only being issued in the areas of the state with the largest bear populations.”
Many groups have opposed the hunt, include the Sierra Club of Florida.
“Today’s vote is a disgrace to Florida’s wildlife legacy. Our black bears are a vital part of our natural heritage, and killing them is not science-based management – it’s a politically driven step backward,” said Susanna Rudolph, Sierra Club Florida director. “Let’s be clear: Governor DeSantis can stop this hunt. On behalf of Sierra Club’s members and supporters across Florida, we urge him to do so before it endangers an already threatened species and opens the door to further destruction of critical wilderness habitat. Thousands of Floridians have rallied, written, called, and emailed to protect our bears. It’s time for our leadership to step up and listen to their constituents.