Friday Night Football Finals
September 9, 2017
Here are final scores from Friday night football action in the North Escambia area:
South Walton 23, Northview 18 [Read more...]
Washington 21, Pensacola 14
West Florida 34 D’Iberville (MS) 26
FLORIDA CANCELED GAMES
Gulf Breeze at Tate
Rocky Bayou Christian at Jay
Pace at Pine Forest
Milton at Fort Walton Beach
Navarre at Crestview
Catholic at Choctaw
Snook at Baker
Rummel (LA) at Escambia
ALABAMA SCORES
Escambia Academy 49, Pickens Academy 14
Hillcrest Evergreen 29, Flomaton 12
Thomasville 36, WS Neal 19
TR Miller 40, Cottage Hill 34 OT
UMS-Wright 41, Escambia County (Atmore) 8
Pictured: Northview at South Walton. NorthEscambia.com photo by Kimberly Harigel, click to enlarge.
Wahoos Win First Championship In Franchise History
September 9, 2017
Pensacola right fielder Aristides Aquino delivered a 400-foot homer and then a single to right field that both put the Blue Wahoos ahead in Friday’s Southern League playoffs.
It was his line drive single in the top of the 12th inning that gave the Pensacola Blue Wahoos its first Southern League championship in its history with a, 5-4, victory over the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp in front of 3,689 Friday at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
The players sprinted out to the mound and then all took a knee. After a moment of calm, pandemonium broke out. Pensacola manager Pat Kelly got a bucket of ice cold water dumped over his head. Players rubbed hitting coach Gookie Dawkins bald head with alcohol and poured champagne and beer down pitching coach Danny Darwin’s back. No one escaped without getting drenched with champagne and beer.
Aquino got two chances to win the game and delivered both times. His single drove in left fielder Gabriel Guerrero, his teammate who does a little jig with him after every home run at the top of the dugout steps.
“I don’t have words to explain it,” said a dripping wet Aquino through catcher Chad Tromp who translated for him. “It was an amazing and wonderful year.”
Pensacola first baseman Gavin LaValley and Aquino hit back-to-back home runs to left field in the top of the eighth inning to take the lead for the first time in Friday’s Southern Division playoff game, 4-3.
For LaValley it was his second homer in two games after not hitting one since July 7. The 22-year-old was 4-for-14 in the series with two homers and three RBIs. He finished the season with 20 homers, including his first half with the High-A Daytona Tortugas.
“It feels good to win the playoffs,” LaValley said. “That’s all that matters. It’s the ultimate goal.”
Meanwhile, Aquino set the Pensacola franchise record with 18 homers in a season, surpassing outfielder Juan Duran who blasted 17 in 2014.
Down, 4-3, in the bottom of the ninth inning, Jacksonville rallied when left fielder Austin Dean hit a two out, ground ball single up the middle to drive in catcher Rodrigo Vigil to tie the game, 4-4, and send it into extra innings.
It didn’t seem to matter to Jacksonville that Hurricane Irma was bearing down on Florida’s east coast and requiring the Jumbo Shrimp to play as the home team in Game 3 of the playoffs on Pensacola’s home field. If needed Game 4 and 5 were scheduled to be played in the Biloxi Shuckers’ MGM Park. The Jacksonville team is waiting out the hurricane in Pensacola.
Pensacola won the last three games of the final series with Jacksonville and then swept them in the playoffs, 3-0.
“They had a lot of things they were thinking about,” Kelly said. “But they weren’t about to let us win this game.”
Kelly said he told his team to expect ups and downs in the best-of-five playoff series against Jacksonville.
It was the second championship for Pensacola Blue Wahoos manager Pat Kelly in his 25th season coaching minor league baseball. His other championship came in 1996 with the Washington Nationals Double-A affiliate Harrisburg Senators in the Eastern League. Kelly, who has managed in the Cincinnati Reds organization for 12 years, has taken nine different teams to the playoffs.
The Blue Wahoos, which have played in the Southern League playoffs for three straight years, finally won a Southern League title. It is the first Reds’ Double-A affiliate to win a championship since the Chattanooga Lookouts earned a Southern League championship in 1988.
Besides Aquino another hero of the game was the little used left-handed reliever Andrew McKirahan, who threw two innings for the first time for Pensacola in 10 appearances this season. The 27-year-old missed the 2016 season following his second Tommy John surgery.
The southpaw retired all six Jumbo Shrimp batters he faced, including getting Braxton Lee, who won the Southern League batting crown with a .309 average, to bounce out to second base in the bottom of the 12th inning. McKirahan picked up the win to finish 1-0 with Pensacola.
“That’s the first time I’ve gotten the last out of the season,” said McKirahan, who like many of his teammates experienced his first championship. “I’ve been a reliever all my life and that’s how you dream it up.”
Also instrumental in Pensacola’s first championship was Josh VanMeter, who Kelly played at all four infield positions and left field to keep his clutch hitting in the lineup. VanMeter was 7-11 in the first playoffs of his professional career for a .636 batting average with a homer and four RBIs.
“We had a roller coaster season,” VanMeter said. “It feels great to win it in front of our fans.”
Lee, who was 2-14 in the playoffs, singled to center field to drive in second baseman Alex Yarbrough in the seventh inning to go up, 3-2.
Jacksonville took the lead for the first time in 35 innings against Pensacola when Yarbrough singled in third baseman David Vidal for a 1-0 lead in the second inning. The Jumbo Shrimp tacked on another run to go up, 2-0, when catcher Rodrigo Vigil hit a sacrifice fly to left field to drive in shortstop KC Serna.
Pensacola starting pitcher Austin Ross helped himself out at the plate nailing a line drive to center field with the bases loaded and one out to drive in Aquino to trail Jacksonville, 2-1 in the fourth inning. Pensacola third baseman Arismendy Alcantara then hit a sacrifice fly to short center field that scored shortstop Blake Trahan to tie it, 2-2.
Ross couldn’t stop smiling after the Blue Wahoos won the Southern League championship, which was his first, too. He worked 6.2 innings and gave up three runs on seven hits and three walks. He finished the year 9-0 with a 2.00 ERA, and has now won his last 18 games in a row. The seven-year minor league veteran last loss on July 5, 2016 with the Triple-A Colorado Springs Sky Sox.
“(Manager) PK (Pat Kelly) is awesome,” Ross said. “He’s the best I’ve ever played for. You don’t get to the playoffs very often. It’s tough to win. I’m glad to finish it here.”
Wahoos One Win Away From Co-Championshp
September 8, 2017
Pensacola starting pitcher Jose Lopez delivered the second straight eight inning outing for the Blue Wahoos in the Southern League South Division Championship Series.
Behind Lopez’s three-hit, nine-strikeout performance, Pensacola defeated the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, 6-3, Thursday in front of 3,256 at Blue Wahoos Stadium. The Blue Wahoos have won the first two games of the playoff and are one game away from becoming the Southern League co-champions.
Lopez’s outing came after Pensacola starting pitcher Deck McGuire threw eight scoreless innings with a career-high 13 strikeouts.
Pensacola manager Pat Kelly called the game Lopez turned out “outstanding,” giving the Blue Wahoos a five game winning streak over Jacksonville.
“It was a really, really tremendous job,” Kelly said. “Deck (McGuire) did great yesterday and he did just as good.”
It was the second playoff appearance for Lopez, who pitched for the Billings Mustangs in 2015 in the Pioneer League playoffs. To add even more pressure, in his past two starts against Jacksonville, Lopez is 0-1 with a 6.59 ERA and lasted 4.2 and 4.0 innings. He allowed six earned runs on eight hits and 10 walks and struck out 11.
“It was just a mental thing,” Lopez said about his first two outings. “It’s fun to win. The playoffs make it a little more special.”
Austin Ross, who is 9-0 with a 1.87 ERA, takes the mound for Pensacola in the third game of the best-of-five series at 1:05 p.m. Friday that is free to fans, who are requested to donate for Hurricane Irma Relief. The Blue Wahoos have come to rely on their starting five this season with the second-best ERA in the Southern League at 3.14.
“I can’t think of a better guy to have on the mound to clinch it,” Kelly said.
Speaking of clutch players, Pensacola left fielder Josh VanMeter clubbed a two-run homer in the seventh inning with center fielder Gabriel Guerrero on base to give Pensacola a 6-1 lead. It was his first in the playoffs and sixth of the season. In the first two playoff games, Van Meter is 7-for-8 with a home run and four RBIs. The utility player also has a double and a stolen base.
“Definitely, this is the time to get hot,” said VanMeter, who hit .375 and drove in 27 runs with two outs and runners in scoring position this year. “I’ve been pretty good in clutch situations. These are the games you live for.”
Kelly said VanMeter’s home run came with all kinds of benefits, such as allowing Pensacola to save Zack Weiss and other relievers for Friday’s game. That’s because reliever Robert Stock gave up a two-run homer in the ninth inning that would have made the game a 4-3 nail biter, instead of a still comfortable 6-3 lead.
“It took the air out of (Jacksonville’s players),” Kelly said. “There are a lot of things involved right there.”
Pensacola first baseman Gavin LaValley launched a high flyball for a two-run home run to right field into Hill-Kelly hill with VanMeter on base to put the Blue Wahoos ahead, 2-0, in the second inning. His fourth homer for Pensacola was LaValley’s first since July 7 and 19th this season counting his first half with the High-A Daytona Tortugas.
“That was huge to get a lead on (Jacksonville pitcher Matt) Tomshaw right there,” Kelly said.
Blue Wahoos shortstop Blake Trahan added one more run in the inning when he lined a single to center to drive in Aquino to make the score, 3-0.
Jacksonville rallied with two outs in the third inning to get a run, when center fielder Braxton Lee doubled to left field and left fielder Austin Dean smacked a single to left to drive him in and trail Pensacola, 3-1.
Arismendy Alcantara hit his first home run for Pensacola when he belted a fly ball over the fence to right field to extend the Blue Wahoos lead to, 4-1.
Blue Wahoos co-owner and PGA Tour player Bubba Watson already proved he could motivate the Pensacola ball players when he gave a pep talk before Thursday’s playoff game. Then, the two-time Masters Champion donned the roach costume for the Lewis Critter Gitter Roach Race and looked like he could pinch run, if Pensacola needed him.
“It was pretty cool considering his status and who he is,” VanMeter said. “He is so down to earth. He came in and treated us like he knew us.”
Kelly said Watson’s talk to the players was great.
“I think it means a lot,” Kelly said. “You could see his passion. He loves not only his sport, but he loves our sport, too.”
Bonus Gallery: Northview, Escambia Academy Cheerleaders And Bands
September 5, 2017
Escambia Academy defeated the Northview Chiefs Friday night in Bratt.
For a bonus photo gallery of the cheerleaders and bands from both schools from Friday night, click here.
For a photo gallery of football action as Escambia Academy beat Northview, click here.
For a game recap story, click here.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Bonus Gallery: West Florida Jaguars At Tate Aggies
September 5, 2017
The West Florida Jaguars defeated the Tate Aggies Friday night.
For a bonus photo gallery, click here.
For an earlier photo gallery, click here.
For a game recap story, click here.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Jennifer Repine, click to enlarge.
Wahoos Overcome Jacksonville Shrimp
September 5, 2017
Pensacola Blue Wahoos right fielder Aristides Aquino crushed his team-leading 17th homer of the season to help his ballclub overcome the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, 5-1, at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville.
The victory helped Pensacola — the first half Southern Division title winners — win its third straight game to capture the five-game series, 3-2 over second half champion Jacksonville.
Pensacola went ahead, 3-0, in the first inning when first baseman Gavin LaValley singled to right field with two outs to drive in shortstop Blake Trahan to put the Blue Wahoos up, 1-0. That’s when Aquino launched a two-run homer to left field with LaValley on base to make it a 3-0 game. For the season, Aquino has a team-leading 17 homers and 56 RBIs.
In the fourth inning, Pensacola scored two more to go up, 5-0. LaValley scored the first run when center fielder Jonathan Reynoso hit a sacrifice fly to center field. Hudson then smacked his 15th double of the season to drive in Aquino.
Aquino went 2-for-4 with a homer, his 20th double, scored twice and knocked in two in Monday’s game. LaValley went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and his 34th RBI in the second half for Pensacola.
Jacksonville avoided being shutout when third baseman David Vidal scored in the bottom of the fourth inning when catcher Rodrigo Vigil grounded out into a double play to trail Pensacola, 5-1.
Pensacola starting pitcher Jesus Reyes worked five innings allowed one run on eight hits, walked one and struck out one.
The Blue Wahoos starting pitchers Austin Ross, Keury Mella and Reyes allowed three earned runs in 18 innings for a 1.50 ERA in the last three games. Pensacola owns the second-best ERA in the Southern League at 3.14 this season.
Pensacola and Jacksonville have the day off Tuesday and then start the best of five game playoff series for the Southern Division crown scheduled to start at 6:35 p.m. Wednesday at Blue Wahoos Stadium. Pensacola also hosts the second game before heading to Jacksonville.
The Blue Wahoos won a Southern League record four halves in a row this season to tie the Tennessee Smokies, which also won four straight halves between 2009 and 2011.
Pensacola improved to 34-36 in the second half and 74-66 this regular season. Meanwhile, Jacksonville fell to 39-31 and 69-71 to end the year.
Wahoos Beat The Jumbo Shrimp
September 4, 2017
Pensacola starting pitcher Keury Mella turned in his fourth strong start in a row for the Blue Wahoos.
This time, the 24-year-old Dominican allowed one run in seven innings, while Pensacola third baseman Josh VanMeter singled in the winning run to help the Blue Wahoos overcome the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, 2-1, Sunday at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville. The win tied the series, 2-2.
Mella gave up just four hits, no walks and struck out six. In the past four games, the right-hander has given up six runs, five earned in 25 innings for a 1.80 ERA, while striking out 23. He has turned his year around since the Mobile BayBears chased him from the game by scoring seven runs in 2.2 innings on Aug. 10
The victory improved his regular season record to 4-10 with a 4.30 ERA.
Blue Wahoos closer Tanner Rainey picked up his fourth save in his last four appearances since Aug. 28. Rainey, whose fastball touches 100 mph, has not allowed a run or hit in his last six games, recording 13 strikeouts in 6.2 innings.
Sunday, the big right-hander made it interesting, though. Rainey walked the first two batters he faced in the ninth inning. However, he got a strikeout and then Jacksonville right fielder John Norwood hit a line drive to second baseman Shed Long, who quickly threw to first to get Austin Dean out for a double play to end the game.
Pensacola rallied to beat Jacksonville with two out in the sixth inning by getting three singles in a row by right fielder Gabriel Guerrero, Long and third baseman Josh VanMeter. Guerrero’s single scored Mella, who had singled, to tie the Jumbo Shrimp, 1-1. Then VanMeter singled up the middle to drive in Long and put Pensacola up, 2-1.
Jacksonville’s only run of the game came on a solo home run by first baseman Justin Bour, who is on a rehab assignment from the Miami Marlins where he hit 21 homers this year.
Because Pensacola won the Southern Division in the first half, it will play Jacksonville, the second half champion, in the best of five game playoffs scheduled to start Sept. 6 at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
The Blue Wahoos won a Southern League record four halves in a row to tie the Tennessee Smokies, which also won four straight halves between 2009 and 2011.
Pensacola improved to 33-36 in the second half and 73-66 overall, while Jacksonville fell to 39-30 and 69-70.
UWF Gets Late Stops To Preserve 20-16 Season-Opening Road Win
September 3, 2017
On a night when the UWF offense wasn’t as prolific as it had been a year ago, the defense came up huge with multiple ‘bend but don’t break’ stops and two turnovers to secure the season-opening 20-16 road win over Missouri S&T at Allgood-Bailey Stadium Saturday.
The Argonauts got a huge break at the start of the fourth quarter when S&T kick returner Rod Chapman fumbled a punt that gave UWF the ball at the 19-yard line. Three plays later Mike Beaudry connected with sophomore Gage Krull inside the five before Krull carried a defender into the end zone that gave the Argos a 20-13 lead.
The Miners got four first downs on the ensuing drive but were stood up inside the 10 and had to settle for a 25-yard Ben Styron field goal – his third of the game.
Both teams traded 3-and-out possessions before the Miners made a push across midfield into UWF territory. Sitting at the 44, Tyler Swart went for a home run ball but graduate transfer Josh Marshall went up and intercepted it at the eight.
The Miners got the ball back again 59 seconds later and drove to the 8-yard line with less than a minute to play. Deshawn Jones found a seam up the middle and was hit at the three, where he launched towards the goal line but saw the ball slip out of his hands inside the one when sophomore Martes Wheeler hit him, allowing sophomore Trent Archie to recover it for the Argos and clinch the victory.
UWF (1-0) finished with 265 yards of total offense. Beaudry, a redshirt sophomore who missed last season while rehabbing a foot injury, was 20-of-31 for 192 yards and a pair of touchdown passes in his first college game. Sophomore Grey Jackson was 5-of-8 for 32 yards.
The Argonauts rushed for just 41 yards, with sophomore Chris Schwarz gaining 34 on 19 carries. He had 10 yards on five trips with a 1-yard score late in the first quarter that put the Argonauts ahead 6-0.
On defense, UWF sacked S&T’s Tyler Swart five times and limited the rushing attack to 65 yards. Wheeler led the defense with nine tackles and junior Marvin Conley added eight.
Missouri S&T (0-1) had 422 yards with 357 through the air, but committed three turnovers in its final five possessions.
The Miners held their only lead at 7-6 following a 65-yard Swart touchdown pass early in the second quarter. The Argos regained the lead with six seconds to play in the half when Beaudry found Rodney Coates in the end zone on a 25-yard pass that ended a drive that covered 75 yards on seven plays in 1:45.
UWF will return home for three-consecutive games at Blue Wahoos Stadium, beginning next Saturday, Sept. 9 against No. 24 Midwestern State (1-0).
Wahoos Win Over Jacksonville
September 3, 2017
In his sixth start since spending a month on the disabled list for shoulder tightness, Pensacola Blue Wahoos starting pitcher Austin Ross finally looks 100 percent healthy.
The 29-year-old Ross allowed one run in six innings to snap Pensacola’s two game losing streak with a, 3-1, victory Saturday over the second half Southern Division champion Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville.
Ross improved to 9-0 with a 1.87 ERA, allowing just five hits, no walks and striking out six.
Ross loaded the bases with one out in the second inning but struck out the final two batters of the inning to escape that scoring threat and blanked Jacksonville the first five innings.
However, with two outs in the sixth inning Jumbo Shrimp right fielder John Norwood his 16th double of the year. Jacksonville third baseman David Vidal followed with a single to center to drive in Norwood to trail Pensacola, 3-1. On the play, Blue Wahoos catcher Joe Hudson threw Vidal out trying to take second base on the throw home.
The Blue Wahoos scored all its runs in the third inning benefitting from two Jacksonville errors to go ahead, 3-0. Pensacola shortstop Blake Trahan reached second on a throwing error by Jacksonville’s Vidal. Trahan scored the first run when Jumbo Shrimp first baseman Justin Bour committed an error on a grounder by Pensacola third baseman Arismendy Alcantara. Pensacola went up, 2-0, when second baseman Shed Long doubled to drive in Ross. Guerrero then grounded out to third, allowing Alcantara to score for a 3-0 Pensacola lead.
Long was 3-for-3 in the game with the double, walk and RBI to lead the Blue Wahoos. He is 5-for-11 in the first three games of the five-game series against Jacksonville with two RBIs and a run scored.
Pensacola reliever Zack Weiss entered the game in the seventh inning and threw two scoreless innings, striking out four. Weiss has now thrown 6.2 shutout innings and has not allowed a hit, while striking out four over his last four appearances.
Blue Wahoos closer Tanner Rainey picked up his third save in his last three appearances. Like Weiss, the flame throwing Rainey has not allowed a run or hit in his last five appearances, getting 12 strikeouts in 5.2 innings.
Jacksonville starter Trevor Richards, picked up the loss to fall to 5-7 on the year, but also pitched a good game. The 24-year-old righty worked six innings, allowing three unearned runs, five hits, walked none and struck out seven.
Jacksonville leads the series, 2-1.
Because Pensacola won the first half, its Southern League record fourth in a row, the two teams meet again Sept. 6 at Blue Wahoos Stadium in a best of five series in the Southern Division playoffs.
Only the Tennessee Smokies have also won four straight halves between 2009 and 2011.
West Florida Topples Tate (With Photo Gallery)
September 2, 2017
The West Florida Jaguars came from behind to defeat the Tate Aggies Friday night 41-28.
For a photo gallery, click here.
Two touchdown passes by Tate junior quarterback Hunter Riggan on the Aggies’ first two drives made it 13-0 after just four minutes of play. The Aggies were back on top late in the second quarter on a short Shermari Jones touchdown run to make the score 22-14. The Aggies saw their lead cut to 22-20 by halftime.
Early in the third quarter, West Florida junior quarterback Trever Jordan and Ko Burrell linked up for another aerial touchdwon. West Florida converted the 2-point try for a 28-22 lead. The Jaguars held the lead the remainder of the game.
The Aggies (1-1) will host Gulf Breeze (2-0) next Friday night at 7:00 while West Florida (2-0) will hit the road to take on D’Iverville, MS.
Look for more photos to be posted by Tuesday on NorthEscambia.com.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Jennifer Repine, click to enlarge.
