Diaz Big Hits Leave Big Impression In Blue Wahoos Home Win
June 27, 2019
Pensacola fans gained their first chance Tuesday night to see first baseman Lewin Diaz at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
It became quite an introduction.
The 22-year-old Diaz flashed his power, his fielding prowess and a megawatt smile, after driving in four runs with a homer and bases-clearing triple to lead the Blue Wahoos to an 8-3 victory against the Biloxi Shuckers. The win began a nine-game, two team homestand in a desired way.
Diaz had a 2-for-5 night at the plate Tuesday, which followed getting eight hits in the past weekend road trip at Jacksonville, during his Double-A level debut series.
“He can be really special,” said Blue Wahoos manager Ramon Borrego, who managed Diaz last season with the High-A Fort Myers Miracle, where Diaz also played the first half of this season. “He’s turned into a really different ballplayer.”
Diaz, signed by the Minnesota Twins as a 17-year-old in 2013 from Santiago, Dominican Republic, has been the Blue Wahoos’ best player since joining the team.
He’s had five extra-base hits with three doubles, the triple Tuesday and his first-inning home run that became his 14th this season.
He also elicited a crowd reaction with a long flyout to centerfield in nearly the same spot he blasted a pitch off the wall for three RBI.
“The biggest thing has been the teammates here,” said Diaz, speaking with help of Borrego, who is bilingual. “I feel really comfortable with my teammates and that has made me more relaxed, more focused in the game.”
Also helping, as Borrego pointed out, is how the 6-foot-4, 225-pound Diaz has reshaped his body after going through a weight-loss program that adversely affected him last season.
In 79 games with the Fort Myers Miracle, Diaz hit .224 with only three homes and 35 RBI.
This season? He’s batting .385 with the Blue Wahoos with a combined 14 homers and 44 RBI in 63 games.
“He just lost a lot of weight,” Borrego said. “I can’t say how much weight … but he had basically some baby fat. So we put him on a program on eating healthy, but last year, he lost too much weight .
“Mentally, he was just out. This year is totally different. He’s more confident, he feels really good, and you see the results now.”
The results Tuesday quickly wowed. Moved up by Borrego to No. 2 in the batting order, Diaz hit a one-out pitch in the first inning like a moon shot, soaring higher than top of the outfield video board, before the ball dropped straight down into the grass berm beyond the right field.
In the second inning, after Jimmy Kerrigan led off with a blast over the left field fence, the Shuckers chose to walk Travis Blankenhorn to load the bases with two out against Diaz.
He promptly hit a 1-0 pitch off the right-center fence padding, scoring all three baserunners and giving the Blue Wahoos a 5-0 lead. That was plenty for Blue Wahoos starter Bryan Sammons, who pitched five scoreless innings against the Shuckers.
“Basically, everything has changed for me,” Diaz said. “I’ve been working on my mental approach. I am getting more focused in the game and trying to get better quality at-bats.. I am happy now.
“At 17, I was immature, still trying to learn a lot of things. But now I feel more mature and I’m playing in a different level.”
The Blue Wahoos, meanwhile, looked like a different team Tuesday night than the one which lost the final three games of their last series at Jacksonville.
And different than the team swept by the Shuckers in a five-game series June 7-11 in Biloxi that ultimately decided the Southern League South Division first-half winner.
Borrego, who was coming off an extended family vacation, as permitted in season by the Twins, noticed an uplift when he walked into the team’s clubhouse at Blue Wahoos Stadium. He flew into Pensacola earlier Tuesday from Fort Myers.
“I recharged my body and that was great,” Borrego said. “I was able to spent time with my family, especially after how the first half ended, a long first half…. then getting to spend time with my daughter and my wife, it’s always great.
“As soon as I got here, the clubhouse was totally different. I can feel that. I am big on that. When I can see players laughing, I know it’s good.”
Sammons was good on the mound, allowing just two hits, one walk and striking out six batters in five innings. Anthony Vizcaya followed with two scoreless innings, then Zack Weiss overcame a shaky eighth inning when he allowed three runs, to slam the door on the win.
The Blue Wahoos added three runs in the eighth inning, after Biloxi closed the deficit to 5-3. Alex Kirilloff led off with a double Jimmy Kerrigan reached on a fielding error. With one out and the bases loaded, Aaron Whitefield grounded into a fielder’s choice play which scored Kirilloff. Jordan Gore followed with a two-run single.
The Blue Wahoos spread eight hits in the game among seven batters in the lineup.
The Blue Wahoos will continue the homestand Wednesday.
FHSAA Announces Reclassifications For Spring Sports Based On Enrollment
June 26, 2019
The Florida High School Athletic Association has announced new classifications for the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons for baseball, flag football, lacrosse, tennis, track & field, boys volleyball, water polo and boys weightlifting. As requested by membership, the classifications were determined solely based on each member school’s enrollment size.
Baseball
1-6A – Tate, Navarre, Pace, Crestview, Niceville
1-5A – Pine Forest, Washington, Escambia, Gulf Breeze
2-5A – Milton, Mosley, Fort Walton Beach, Choctaw
1-4A – West Florida, Arnold, Rickards, Wakulla, Pensacola, Godby
1-3A – Pensacola Catholic, Rutherford, North Bay Haven, South Walton, Bay, Walton
1-1A – Northview, Jay, Central, Baker, Laurel Hill
Softball
1-6A – Tate, Navarre, Crestview, Niceville
1-5A – Pine Forest, Washington, Escambia, Gulf Breeze
2-5A – Choctaw, Fort Walton Beach, Milton, Pace, Mosley
1-4A – West Florida, Pensacola, Wakulla, Arnold, Godby, Rickards
1-3A – Pensacola Catholic, Rutherford, North Bay Haven, South Walton, Bay, Walton
1-1A – Northview, Jay, Central, Baker, Laurel Hill, Paxton
Boys Track and Field
1-4A – Tate, Niceville, Crestview, West Port, Navarre, Buchholz, Forest, Chiles, Niceville
1-3A – Pine Forest, Washington, Escambia, Pace, Milton, Gulf Breeze, Fort Walton Beach, Choctaw
1-2A – Northview, West Florida, Pensacola, Pensacola Catholic, South Walton, Walton, Bay, North Bay Haven, Rutherford, Bozeman
1-1A – Jay, Central, Rocky Bayou, Pensacola Christian, Baker, Freeport, Cottondale, Central, Paxton, Rocky Bayou, Graceville, Vernon
Girls Track and Field
1-4A – Tate, Navarre, Niceville, Chiles, Crestview, Forest, Bucholz, West Port
1-3A – Pine Forest, Escambia, Washington, Gulf Breeze, Milton, Pace, Choctaw, Fort Walton Beach
1-2A – Northview, Pensacola Catholic, West Florida, Pensacola, Bozeman, Walton, Rutherford, North Bay Haven, South Walton, Bay,
1-1A – Jay, Central, Rocky Bayou, Pensacola Christian, Baker, Freeport, Paxton, Cottondale, Vernon, Graceville
Boys Weightlifting
1-2A – Tate, Pine Forest, Escambia, Washington, Gulf Breeze, Milton, Pace, Navarre
1-1A – Northview, Jay, Pensacola Catholic, West Florida, Pensacola, Rocky Bayou, Vernon, Baker, Holmes County
Girls Tennis
1-3A – Tate, Pace, Milton, Gulf Breeze, Washington, Escambia
1-2A – Pine Forest, Arnold, Pensacola, West Florida, Bay, South Walton, North Bay Haven, Rutherford
Boys Tennis
1-3A – Tate, Navarre, Pace, Milton, Gulf Breeze, Washington, Escambia
1-2A – Pine Forest, Arnold, Pensacola, West Florida, Bay, North Bay Haven, Rutherford, South Walton,
1-1A – Pensacola Catholic, Freeport, Vernon, Jay, Rocky Bayou, Maclay, North Florida, Community
Flag Football
1-2A – Tate, Navarre, Crestview, Chiles, Niceville, Leon, Lincoln, Pace
1-1A – Northview, Pine Forest, Pensacola, Gulf Breeze, Washington, Escambia, Fort Walton Beach, Choctaw
Tate JV, Freshmen Cheerleaders Place At FSU Camp
June 25, 2019
The Tate High School junior varsity and freshmen cheerleading squads won several awards at the Universal Cheerleaders Association Camp this past weekend at Florida State University.
The JV squad earned straight superiors on their evaluations. They were first place in Cheer and Rally Routine and second place in the open division for Overall Game Day Performance.
The freshmen squad finished the weekend with straight superiors, fourth place for Cheer and third place in Overall Game Day and Rally Routine. They were were the only freshmen team competing against all JV teams in their division.
McKenzie Alfred, Kaleigh Chism, Jada Floyd, Autumn Johnson and Kainey Patrick, were named “Pin It Forward” recipients.
Alfred, Chism, Floyd, Patrick, Paige Foxworth and Karigan Kowal were also selected as UCA All-American Cheerleaders.
The Tate cheer program also earned the Leadership Award, which is voted on by the athletes at the camp. This award recognizes teams who inspire leadership on and off the field. Teams voted for one team that they would want to be a part of as a cheerleader.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
NEP Blue 8U Wins All-Star Tournament
June 25, 2019
NEP Blue won the 8U Coach Pitch All-Star Tournament this past weekend in Gulf Breeze. During tournament play, NEP Blue went a perfect 5-0 outscoring opponents 55-30.
Team members are Sean Smith, Coleman Godfrey, Parker White, Trenton Godwin, Nate Rieland ,mason Williams, Bryson Barberi, Carson Ohman, Grayson Mclellan, Grayson Miller , Tysen Faulkner, Talan Williams and Austin Land. Coaches are Allen Miller, Tim Land, Joe Barberi, Jack Ohman, Bobby Godfrey and Greg Mclellan.
Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Griffin Jax Throws Seven Scoreless Innings In Hard-Luck Wahoos Loss
June 25, 2019
With his teammates facing a major league starter Monday night, Pensacola Blue Wahoos pitcher Griffin Jax knew he had to match on the mound.
The Air Force Academy grad performed even better.
Jax worked a season-best, seven shutout innings, but the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp rallied in the eighth inning against the Blue Wahoos’ bullpen for a 4-2 win in the deciding, series finale to start the second half schedule at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville.
Miami Marlins lefthander Caleb Smith, pitching for Jacksonville on an injury rehab assignment, tied an all-time Southern League record with eight consecutive strikeouts as part of the 11 he recorded in 4.1 innings.
Even with that, the Blue Wahoos led 2-0 against Smith, who has pitched in 37 major league games, including 12 starts this season with the Marlins.
Smith won his first four starts this season against Philadelphia (twice), Washington and Cleveland before developing a left hip inflammation, which placed him on the injured list since June 7.
Monday night, his second pitch was blasted by Travis Blankenhorn over the right field wall for a lead off homer. It was Blankenhorn’s 13th homer this season, tied for the Southern League best, as he continues being the Blue Wahoos’ bright spot in the offense.
From that point, however, Smith was virtually unhittable. He struck out the next eight batters until Blankenhorn grounded out to end the third inning and end the strikeout streak.
In the fifth inning, Mark Contreras led off with a homer against Smith for a 2-0 lead.
The lead held up well behind Jax and his stellar performance. Jax retired the first 10 batters he faced in order.
Riley Mahan broke up the perfection with a fourth-inning single, then Brian Miller singled with one out. Jax pitched out of the jam by getting two flyouts – the latter with runners on second and third.
Jax then retired the Jumbo Shrimp in order the next three innings. He has allowed only 11 earned runs this season on 12 starts with the Blue Wahoos.
Unfortunately for Jax and the Blue Wahoos, the Jumbo Shrimp pounced on relievers Jeff Ames and Sam Clay for four runs in the eighth inning that decided the game.
The unraveling began when Stone Garrett led off the eighth with a single, then stole second base against Ames. Adrian Nieto walked. Anfernee Seymour lined a double to left, scoring Garrett.
After a mound visit, Blue Wahoos fill-in manager Steve Singleton, the team’s hitting coach, who worked the series as manager while Ramon Borrego took an extended vacation break, brought in left hander Sam Clay.
The first batter he faced, Corey Bird, tied the game with a single. With one out, Brian Miller hit a hard grounder that deflected off Clay’s glove, scoring the go-ahead run. Justin Twine’s two-out single scored Miller with the fourth run.
The Blue Wahoos, who managed only three hits in the game while striking out 15 times for a second consecutive day, were held scoreless by three Jumbo Shrimp relievers. The trio combined to allow no walks, one hit, four strikeouts in 4.2 innings.
Alex Kirilloff had the Blue Wahoos only other hit with his sixth-inning single.
The Blue Wahoos (40-35, 2-3 in second half) returned to Pensacola across Interstate-10, arriving early Tuesday and will begin a five-game series against the Biloxi Shuckers on Tuesday night.
The Shuckers, winners of the first half South Division crown, swept the Blue Wahoos in a defining, five-game series three weeks ago, prior to the Southern League All-Star game in Biloxi.
The Jumbo Shrimp (32-43), who finished tied for last in the first half, had lost 10 of 12 games against the Blue Wahoos before winning the final three games of this series.
Tate Offensive, Defensive Lines Place Second In USA’s Lineman’s Challenge
June 24, 2019
The Tate High School offensive and defensive lines brought home the second place trophy from the University of South Alabama Lineman’s Challenge. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
NEP Gold 7U Finishes Second In League Championship Game
June 24, 2019
The NEP Gold 7U All-Star team placed second Sunday in the league championship game at Gulf Breeze. NEP fell 8-7 to Pace in nine innings. Pictured (L-R): Bottom row – Parker Jarman, Brogan Turley, Paul Lawrence, Frederick Woods, Brantley Rutledge; Middle row – Daniel Simpler, Braden Biggs, Maddox Pitts, Peyton Jarman, Braydon Noack, Camden Woodside; Top row: Coaches Will Rutledge, Ben Pitts, Robert Turley and Brian Noack. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Jacksonville Evens Series 7-1 Over Wahoos
June 24, 2019
The Blue Wahoos past games this season against Jacksonville have been some of their most upbeat performances.
They’re hoping Sunday was the anomaly.
After starter Jorge Alcala was rocked for five runs in two innings, the Blue Wahoos were unable to generate any offense until the ninth inning in a 7-1 loss against the Jumbo Shrimp, which evened the teams’ series at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville.
The Blue Wahoos (40-34, 2-2 in second half), who had won 10 of the previous 13 games against Jacksonville (31-43), will try and generate a different experience Monday night (6:05 p.m.) in the deciding, series finale to begin the second-half schedule.
The Blue Wahoos were outhit 12-3 Sunday and struck out 15 times.
Jacksonville righthander Cody Poteet (5-3) continued his own performance surge, allowing just one hit in seven complete innings Sunday, while striking out 11 Blue Wahoos batters.
Poteet, a fourth round pick in 2015 by the Miami Marlins, after a solid collegiate career at UCLA, picked up his third win in his last six starts. His only rough outing occurred June 3 against the Blue Wahoos in Pensacola, when he gave up four runs in a no-decision.
He left no doubt this time.
Poteet faced the minimum 12 batters in the first four innings. After the Blue Wahoos’ Aaron Whitefield, who joined the team Thursday in promotion from High-A Fort Myers, hit a two-out single in the third inning, Poteet picked him off first base to end the inning.
That became the only Blue Wahoos hit until the ninth inning. Their only baserunners in the next five innings occurred from two walks and a fielding error.
Meanwhile, Alcala (5-5) struggled from the outset and sustained his third consecutive loss. He entered the game in the second inning, after Minnesota Twins’ reliever Adalberto Mejia pitched a scoreless first inning in a rehab assignment start.
Alcala gave up a lead-off single to J.C. Milan, but seemed in good shape to get out of the second inning with a pair of strikeouts.
Following a passed ball that allowed Milan into scoring position, Alcala walked Anfernee Seymour then gave up an RBI single to Corey Bird. On a double-steal play that caught Alcala off-guard, Seymour beat the throw home for the second run.
In the third inning, Joe Dunand hit a one-out double. Milan followed with a two-run homer. Stone Garrett made it back-to-back bombs with his shot to right field and suddenly the Blue Wahoos trailed 5-0.
The Jumbo Shrimp added two more runs in the sixth inning off Alcala on Seymour’s double and Riley Mahan’s single. Hector Lujan, who joined the Blue Wahoos earlier this week from Fort Myers, pitched 2.1 scoreless innings in relief, giving up four hits.
In the ninth inning, Blue Wahoos newcomer Lewin Diaz, who had multiple hits in each of his first three Double-A games, broke an 0-for-3 day with an RBI single. He scored Travis Blankenhorn, who led off the ninth with a single.
Following Monday’s game, the Blue Wahoos will travel back to Pensacola and prepare for a nine-game homestand, beginning Tuesday with a five-game series against the Biloxi Shuckers at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
Northwest Escambia 12U All-Stars Place In State Championship Tourney
June 23, 2019
The Northwest Escambia All-Stars finished short of the title in the Alabama Cal Ripkin Baseball state championship tournament on Saturday in Sylacauga, AL. Earlier this month, the team won the Cal Ripkin Baseball District 7 championship (pictured). Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Lewin Diaz Continues To Sizzle As Blue Wahoos Newcomer
June 23, 2019
Six seasons and six teams within the Minnesota Twins organization have provided Lewin Diaz a chance to make a steady progression.
Three games into his level climb with the Pensacola Blue Wahoos, Diaz has accelerated the impact.
Diaz, 22, a first baseman, signed by the Twins as a teenager in 2013 out of the Dominican Republic, continued showcasing his potential. He went 3-for-4 Saturday night with an RBI, during the Blue Wahoos 3-2 loss against the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville.
Diaz, a 6-foot-4, 225-pound player, has been a mid-season all-star the past three years, including the past two with the Fort Myers Miracle in the High-A Florida State League. He has shined since being promoted to the Blue Wahoos.
He’s produced seven hits in 13 at-bats for a .533 average with two doubles and three RBI.
And the one at-bat Diaz had Saturday when he didn’t produce a hit was just as impressive.
In the ninth inning, after Ben Rortvedt led off with a walk, Diaz worked a 3-2 count and fouled off four pitches against reliever Brett Graves before slashing a line drive into second baseman Justin Twine’s glove.
That became a defining moment in the game, especially with Rortvedt on second base after a throwing error on a pickoff attempt.
Caleb Hamilton followed Diaz by also working a 3-2 count against Graves before a swinging strikeout. Mark Contreras grounded out to end the game.
The Blue Wahoos (40-33, 2-1 second half) will get their second attempt to clinch the series on Sunday with Jorge Alcala (5-4) going against Jacksonville’s Cody Poteet in a 2:05 p.m. game in Jacksonville.
The teams will close out the series on Monday night (6:05 p.m.) and the Blue Wahoos will travel back to Pensacola to begin a nine-game homestand on Tuesday.
Saturday night, a crowd of 8,261 in Jacksonville watched a crisply-played game with strong pitching on both sides. The Jumbo Shrimp (30-43) had ace pitcher Sixto Sanchez, 20, the top prospect in the Miami Marlins organization and No. 27 overall by MLB Pipeline, deliver another quality outing.
Sanchez worked seven complete innings, yielding seven hits and two runs in the fourth inning. He struck out nine and did not allow a walk.
The Blue Wahoos’ Charlie Barnes worked into the fifth inning, allowing seven hits, two runs, no walks and six strikeouts.
In the fourth inning, the Blue Wahoos had their best at-bats against Sanchez. Travis Blankenhorn led off the inning with a single. Alex Kirilloff followed with a double to put runners on second and third.
With one out, Diaz singled to right field to score Blankenhorn. Hamilton followed with a single to score Kirilloff. But Sanchez ended the damage by striking out Contreras and Joe Cronin.
The Jumbo Shrimp tied the game in the fifth on three consecutive singles. After a wild pitch by Barnes put runners on second and third, Riley Mahan’s one-out single tied the game.
The Jumbo Shrimp scored the go-ahead run in the sixth inning when J.C. Milan homered off reliever Anthony Vizcaya.
A pivotal sequence happened in the top of the seventh after Cronin hit a one out triple. Michael Davis hit a fly out to right fielder Stone Garrett, whose throw to the plate nabbed Cronin who was trying to score on a sacrifice fly.
In the eighth, Kirilloff hit into an inning-ending double play and Jacksonville sealed the game in the ninth.
It was the first loss for fill-in manager Steve Singleton, the Blue Wahoos hitting coach, who is handling the managing duties this weekend while Ramon Borrego takes an extended vacation with his family in Fort Myers.
Borrego will join the team in Pensacola when the Blue Wahoos open a five-game series against the Biloxi Shuckers, the first half Southern League South Division champs.