Laskey’s Quality Start Not Enough In 3-1 Wahoos Loss
May 31, 2025
written by Erik Bremer
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos got another solid performance from their pitcher on Friday night, but couldn’t generate enough offense in a 3-1 loss to the Montgomery Biscuits.
Adam Laskey (L, 2-4) allowed just two runs over 6.0 innings, delivering his first professional quality start, but the Pensacola offense went just 1-for-9 with men in scoring position.
The Biscuits jumped ahead right away in the first inning, as Matthew Etzel and Brayden Taylor hit back-to-back RBI doubles with two outs for a 2-0 lead.
Montgomery starter Jackson Baumeister departed in the third inning with an apparent injury, and Jonny Cuevas (W, 1-0) entered in unexpected relief and contributed 3.0 scoreless frames. The Blue Wahoos left runners in scoring position in the first, fourth, fifth and sixth innings in an unsuccessful effort to back up Laskey’s strong start.
Pensacola reliever Justin King walked the bases loaded in the seventh inning and hit Cooper Kinney to force in a run, extending the Montgomery lead to 3-0. Josh Zamora delivered a long-awaited RBI single in the eighth to bring home Cody Morissette and get the Blue Wahoos on the board, but Derrick Edington (S, 1) entered to get the final out of the eighth inning and work a spotless ninth for the save in a 3-1 final.
With the defeat, the Blue Wahoos have lost 10 games in a row for the first time in team history.
The Blue Wahoos continue their series against the Biscuits on Saturday. First pitch from Riverwalk Stadium is scheduled for 6:05 p.m.
Fitterer Sharp, But Clutch Hitting Eludes Wahoos In 6-1 Loss To Biscuits
May 30, 2025
written by Erik Bremer
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos had ample opportunity to convert on offensive opportunities on Thursday night, but couldn’t make the most of their chances in a 6-1 loss to the Montgomery Biscuits.
A night after going 0-for-11 with men in scoring position in a 3-1 defeat, the Blue Wahoos left a runner in scoring position in seven of their nine innings and brought in their lone run on an RBI groundout.
Evan Fitterer (L, 2-4) pitched well, allowing only two runs in 5.1 solid innings, but solo home runs from Xavier Isaac in the first inning and Ricardo Genoves in the fifth inning provided the Biscuits with an early boost.
The Blue Wahoos evened the score 1-1 in the second inning, loading the bases with no outs against starter Ty Johnson (W, 4-0) thanks to a hit batsman and two walks. Johnny Olmstead tied the game with an RBI groundout, but Johnson coaxed a popout and strikeout to escape further trouble.
The Genoves homer in the fifth gave the Biscuits a 2-1 edge, and the Blue Wahoos failed to capitalize on their many late-game opportunities to tie the game or take the lead. Their only hit among 15 at-bats with a man in scoring position was a Dalvy Rosario single in the seventh that moved Spencer Bramwell from second base to third. Both runners would be stranded, among the 10 total men left on base throughout the night.
In a rare off night for Pensacola reliever Josh Ekness, the Biscuits added four insurance runs in the eighth on a Will Simpson sacrifice fly and two-out RBI singles from Ryan Spikes and Hunter Stovall. Dan Hammer closed out the ninth for the Biscuits to secure a 6-1 final.
With the defeat, the Blue Wahoos have lost nine games in a row to tie a team record.
The Blue Wahoos continue their series against the Biscuits on Friday. First pitch from Riverwalk Stadium is scheduled for 6:35 p.m.
Snelling Goes Seven, But Bats Kept Quiet In 3-1 Blue Wahoos Loss
May 29, 2025
written by Erik Bremer
Robby Snelling pitched a career-high 7.0 innings for the Pensacola Blue Wahoos on Wednesday night, but didn’t receive enough run support in a 3-1 loss to the Montgomery Biscuits.
Snelling (L, 2-4) was perfect through 4.0 innings in his first start since being named Southern League Pitcher of the Week, and finished his night retiring four in a row to complete 7.0 innings for the first time in his professional career. But a brief hiccup in a five-hit, three-run fifth inning proved to be too much to overcome for the Blue Wahoos, who fell below .500 for the first time this season with their eighth consecutive loss.
Brody Hopkins (W, 3-2) danced around trouble for the Biscuits, working 5.0 scoreless innings and stranding five runners in scoring position. The Blue Wahoos had ample opportunities to take advantage, but went 0-for-11 with men in scoring position throughout the evening.
The Biscuits came to life in the fifth inning, getting their first baserunner of the night on a first-pitch Colton Ledbetter single before Matthew Etzel broke the scoreless tie with a long two-run homer to right field. It continued a run of dominance for Etzel, who homered in Tuesday’s game and has hit 6 of his 10 career Biscuits homers against Pensacola since joining the Rays organization late last season.
Tatem Levins doubled and Willy Vasquez singled with two outs in the fifth to add another run, giving the Biscuits a 3-0 lead.
The Blue Wahoos scored an unearned run in the sixth as Kemp Alderman reached on an error and scored on a Nathan Martorella RBI groundout, but Biscuits relievers Ty Cummings, Derrick Edington and JJ Goss (S, 6) protected the Montgomery lead to seal a 3-1 final.
The Blue Wahoos continue their series against the Biscuits on Thursday. First pitch from Riverwalk Stadium is scheduled for 6:35 p.m.
Wahoos’ Woes Continue In 8-1 Loss To Montgomery Biscuits
May 28, 2025
written by Erik Bremer
In need of a reset, the Pensacola Blue Wahoos hoped the start of a weeklong road trip to Montgomery would help snap their team out of a six-game skid. Instead, their series opener offered more of the same in an 8-1 loss to the Biscuits on Tuesday night.
The Pensacola offense managed only three hits, highlighted by a solo home run from Cody Morissette in his first game since returning from six weeks on the injured list. With the loss, the Blue Wahoos have lost seven games in a row for just the fifth time in team history and have slipped back to .500 (23-23) for the first time since Opening Day.
The Biscuits jumped ahead early on Blue Wahoos starter Jacob Miller (L, 1-4), turning an infield single and a walk into a first-inning rally before Matthew Etzel hit an opposite-field, three-run homer for a 3-0 Montgomery lead.
Montgomery blew the game open with a five-run fourth inning despite collecting only two hits in the frame. Tatem Levins led off the rally with a grounder up the middle that turned into a single due to infield miscommunication, and Hunter Stovall followed with a bunt single. A one-out walk to Xavier Isaac loaded the bases for Cooper Kinney, who lifted a fly ball to left-center field that scored two runs when Shane Sasaki collided with Mark Coley II for an error. A Morissette error at second base scored another run, and two more came in on a pair of bases-loaded walks before reliever Alex Williams entered to end the threat.
That would be more than enough run support for Owen Wild (W, 2-3), who worked hitless ball until Morissette’s fifth-inning homer and pitched 5.1 innings before handing the game to the bullpen.
Williams and Josh White combined for 4.1 hitless innings of relief for the Blue Wahoos, but Jonny Cuevas and Trevor Martin were equally effective, keeping the Blue Wahoos from chipping away at the early deficit for an 8-1 final.
The Blue Wahoos continue their series against the Biscuits on Wednesday. First pitch from Riverwalk Stadium is scheduled for 6:35 p.m.
She Said Yes! — Blue Wahoos Proposal A Home Run
May 27, 2025
It was an out of the park home run Saturday night at the Wahoos game.
U.S. Marine Zach proposed to his girlfriend Natalie moments before the two launched the post-game fireworks show The marriage proposal was a choreographed effort between the Blue Wahoos and Zach.
Zach ricked his fiancé into believing they were chosen to start the fireworks launched. Before the countdown began, he then dropped to one knee and proposed. She said yes, as the two hugged and she was stunned with emotion as the crowd cheered. Then the fireworks began.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
One Seriously Injured When Dirt Bike, Pickup Collide In Cantonment
May 26, 2025
The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating a crash involving a dirt bike and a pickup truck Sunday night in Cantonment.
It happened about 7:30 p.m. at Booker Street and Booker Avenue.
FHP said the pickup truck, driven by a 26-year-old Pensacola woman, had begun to make a left turn onto Booker Avenue when the dirt bike began to pass the truck. The front of the bike collided with the left side of the pickup truck.
The 20-year-old male driver of the dirt bike was airlifted to a local trauma center with serious injuries. The occupants of the truck were not injured.
File photo.
Blue Wahoos Fall To Barons, Suffer Rare Home Sweep
May 26, 2025
Sunday’s 6-2 loss marked the first six-game sweep of the Blue Wahoos at Blue Wahoos Stadium in franchise history.
After taking four of six from the Rocket City Trash Pandas in the first half of their 12-game homestand, the Blue Wahoos dropped six in a row to the Birmingham Barons.
Trailing 4-2 in the seventh with one out, the bases were loaded for the heart of the Blue Wahoos lineup. After enduring a week of offensive struggles, the Blue Wahoos were staring at one of their best opportunities all week. A foul out and popout later, Barons reliever Tyler Davis escaped without giving up a run after walking two and allowing one hit in the frame.
The squandered opportunity was one of many this week for the Blue Wahoos as they dropped six straight at home, and have now fallen to 23-22 with the race to the end of the first half heating up.
Birmingham’s bats jumped ahead in the top of the third against starter Orlando Ortiz-Mayr, as centerfielder Jacob Burke sent a fly ball out to left for a solo home run, his second round-tripper of the year.
The offense came alive for the Blue Wahoos in the fourth inning as they got their second look at Birmingham starter Riley Gowens (5-0) this week.
Designated Hitter Nathan Martorella led off with a double to left-center and scored on a sacrifice fly to left by Mark Coley II. Dalvy Rosario picked up an RBI of his own with a single up the middle, his second hit of the day, to put the Wahoos ahead 2-1.
The runs for the Blue Wahoos broke a 15-inning streak of being shut out by the Barons’ pitching staff, dating back to the seventh inning of Friday night’s game.
After the Blue Wahoos took the lead in the fourth, the Barons rattled off one run in each of the next three innings to take a 4-2 lead. Rikuu Nishida tied it in the fifth with an RBI single, Jacob Gonzalez took the lead in the sixth with a solo home run to right and Adam Hackenberg hit a solo home run of his own in the seventh.
All three runs were charged to left-hander Luis Palacios (1-2), who was saddled with the loss on Sunday.
The Barons added some insurance in the eighth, as they added two unearned runs against right-hander Jesse Bergin to push their lead to 6-2.
After Gonzalez reached on a throwing error by Jared Serna, Caden Connor picked up an RBI after sneaking a ball just past the reach of Serna, while Mario Camiletti knocked in Gonzalez on a single to right.
After going 4-8 over their 12-game homestand, the Blue Wahoos will turn their attention to a six-game set in Montgomery, Alabama, against the Montgomery Biscuits, the Double-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays.
WHAT’S NEXT?
WHO: Blue Wahoos vs. Montgomery Biscuits
WHEN: Tuesday through Sunday (June 1).
WHERE: Riverwalk Stadium, Montgomery, Alabama.
GAMETIMES: The games on Tuesday through Friday will start at 6:35 p.m., Saturday’s game starts at 6:05 p.m. and Sunday’s game starts at 3:33 p.m.
Fulton Fantastic, But Bats Kept Quiet In Wahoos’ Fifth Straight Loss
May 25, 2025
The showcase pitching matchup between touted prospects exceeded expectations.
But game itself continued the Blue Wahoos struggling week-long narrative.
Unable to seize a first-inning opportunity, then held to just two hits, the Blue Wahoos fell 2-0 against the Birmingham Barons for a fifth consecutive loss, before a customary sellout crowd of 5,038 Saturday night at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
It was the first Saturday night home loss this season on Fireworks Saturday.
But the night contained a wide variety of crowd-buzzing entertainment elements, beginning with Star Wars Night featuring 17 authentic costumed Star Wars characters who posed for pictures and visited with fans along the second-level concourse. The Blue Wahoos wore Star Wars jerseys auctioned during the game.
The other activities included a pregame parade of youth scouts from the Northwest Florida Chapter of Scouting America, a mid-game salute to an area nurse, then a post-game marriage proposal from a U.S. Marine Corps member moments before the two launched the post-game fireworks show.
The massive crowd witnessed two of baseball’s former acclaimed high school pitchers, lefthanders Dax Fulton for the Blue Wahoos and 6-foot-10 Noah Schultz for the Barons – now a few years into pro careers – produce a duel of zeroes.
The Barons (24-18), leaders in the Southern League North Division, manufactured an unearned, first-inning run, which proved all they would need.
Schultz, the Chicago White Sox No. 1 prospect, rated the No. 15 overall prospect in Minor League Baseball by MLB Pipeline, had his best start this season. He was Chicago’s top draft pick in 2022 out of high school in Oswego, Illinois.
On this night, he went five innings, allowed just one hit, struck out four and walked three batters.
Two of those walks were back-to-back to begin the Blue Wahoos’ first inning. But Schultz then got Nathan Martorella to hit into a double play and got cleanup hitter Kemp Alderman out on a grounder to first.
Fulton, meanwhile, followed his last quality start with another. After giving up consecutive singles to start the game, he never faced another threat, and went six innings for the first time this season.
He finished allowing eight hits, all singles, no walks, struck out seven and left trailing 1-0. It further supported his strong comeback after missing all of last season from elbow surgery and most of the 2023 season when arm issues developed.
The Blue Wahoos (23-21), who have lost 12 of their past 16 games, had another chance against Schultz in the fourth inning when Alderman singled with one out and Zamora walked. That hit was the only one Schultz allowed.
But Schultz struck out Mark Coley II and got Johnny Olmstead to ground out to end the inning.
The Barons used three relievers behind Schultz. They combined to give up just one hit, no walks and struck out eight batters. The Blue Wahoos had only one baserunner in the last four innings.
In the ninth inning, Birmingham reliever Peyton Pallette ended the game on nine pitches, including striking out the final two batters he faced.
The Barons got the second run on a homer by Jacob Gonzalez in the eighth inning off Dale Stanavich, who worked the final two innings.
The Blue Wahoos will try to avoid being swept in a six-game homestand for the first time since this format started in 2021 in Sunday’s series finale against Birmingham.
WANT TO GO?
WHAT: Homestand Finale
WHO: Birmingham Barons vs. Blue Wahoos
WHEN: Sunday, 4:05 p.m.
WHERE: Blue Wahoos Stadium.
GAMETIME: 4:05 p.m. start.
Northview High’s Colby Pugh Signs To Play Baseball At Baptist University Of Florida
May 24, 2025
Northview High School senior Colby Pugh signed Friday evening to play baseball with the Baptist University of Florida during a ceremony at the First Baptist Church of Bratt. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Barons Come Through in Clutch As Blue Wahoos Drop Fourth Straight
May 24, 2025
written by Willie Phaler
With a 1-2-3 inning in the first from left-hander Adam Laskey, and the offense forcing runners to second and third with one out in the bottom of the frame against Birmingham’s Dalton Roach, it felt like the Blue Wahoos had found momentum for the first time this week.
In short, they did not. With a 6-3 loss, Pensacola has now lost four straight for the second time this season.
After a one-out walk from Jared Serna and a double from Jake Thompson, both runners were stranded on base to end the inning.
After squandering the opportunity with runners in scoring position, the Barons’ offense began to click. Catcher Adam Hackenberg drove in a run with an opposite-field single to take advantage of a two-out error by Johnny Olmstead at second base in the second, while Caden Connor picked up an RBI to score Rikuu Nishida in the third.
Birmingham’s offensive production exploded in the fourth, as they drove in four runs with two outs against the Blue Wahoos’ southpaw. D.J. Gladney, Mario Camiletti, Nishida and Connor all came around to touch home to put Birmingham up 6-1, totaling four hits and two walks in the frame.
Laskey totaled 5.0 innings while absorbing the loss, allowing six runs (five earned), walking three and giving up eight hits.
While the Barons’ offense was opportunistic against the lefty, the Wahoos found their most success in the batter’s box so far this series. Catcher Sam Praytor had two RBI singles in the second and sixth, while centerfielder Shane Sasaki drove in a run in the fourth.
The Wahoos’ bullpen was excellent Friday night. Right-handers Josh White and Nigel Belgrave combined to provide four innings of no-hit relief, allowing only two baserunners via walks.
With a 6:05 first pitch for Star Wars Night tomorrow, both clubs will send out big left-handers to make the start. Dax Fulton is slated to take the mound for Pensacola, while Noah Schultz will take the ball for Birmingham.
WANT TO GO?
WHO: Birmingham Barons vs. Blue Wahoos
WHEN: Saturday and Sunday.
WHERE: Blue Wahoos Stadium.
GAMETIMES: Saturday night will start at 6:05 p.m., while Sunday’s game will be a 4:05 p.m. start – the first late afternoon start time of the season.