‘Team Imported’ Wins Softball Tournament
July 31, 2017
“Team Imported” took first place in the First Annual Northview Baseball Softball Tournament at Bradbery Park in Walnut Hill. All proceeds from the coed tournament will benefit the baseball program at Northview High School. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Wahoos Fall To Birmingham
July 31, 2017
Pensacola Blue Wahoos center fielder Gabriel Guerrero smacked a line drive over the center field wall to tie the Birmingham Barons in the seventh inning.
But the Barons scored two runs in the bottom of the inning to go ahead, 4-2, and overcame the Blue Wahoos in front of 5,399 at Regions Field.
Birmingham catcher Brett Austin scored on a line drive single by shortstop Danny Medrick for the go-ahead run in the bottom of the seventh inning. Then, DH Nick Basto singled to left field to drive in Medrick.
Pensacola fell to 18-18 and remain tied with the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp for first in the Southern League South Division in the second half. Pensacola is 58-48 overall and won the first half title. They are the first Southern League team since the Tennessee Smokies (2009-2011) to win a Southern League record four straight halves.
Birmingham got back-to-back solo homers in the bottom of the fourth to take the lead, 2-1, when center fielder Hunter Jones and left fielder Courtney Hawkins, who both clobbered the ball over the left field wall. It was Jones sixth homer of the season and the seventh for Hawkins.
Pensacola scored first in the fourth inning to go up, 1-0, when Josh VanMeter singled to center and stole second base — his 12th steal in 14 attempts. He advanced to third base on a wild pitch and scored when Blue Wahoos first baseman Brian O’Grady bounced into a force out.
Pensacola starter Keury Mella pitched six innings and allowed two runs on six hits and two walks, and he struck out five.
Pensacola reliever Tyler Rainey made his first Double-A appearance and got the loss, giving up two runs, one earned on three hits and struck out one in his one inning of work Sunday.
Birmingham starter Jordan Stephens rebounded from allowing five runs in 5.2 innings in his last start against Chattanooga, to pitch seven innings and give up two runs to Pensacola on six hits and four walks and struck out six. He is 2-3 with a 2.10 ERA this season.
Wahoos Fall 2-1 To Biloxi’s Shuckers In 10 Innings
July 30, 2017
Pensacola reliever Carlos Gonzalez entered the game in the 10th inning and struck out the first batter he faced. However, Gonzalez then walked the bases loaded, including throwing 10 straight balls.
Pensacola reliever Geoff Broussard replaced Gonzalez and catcher Jacob Nottingham hit a deep fly ball to center field that allowed Shuckers second baseman Blake Allemand to tag up and score the winning run, 2-1, in front of 5,038 at Blue Wahoos Stadium. It was the 14th sellout of the season.
Pensacola manager Pat Kelly said the game winning run was “very strange.”
“He’s been so good,” Kelly said of Gonzalez, who has three saves in 15 games for the Blue Wahoos. “He got into a rut, threw 10 straight balls. It’s something you don’t expect from him. Three walks and a sacrifice fly. You don’t envision it ending like that.”
However, former High-A Daytona Tortuga call ups, third baseman Nick Senzel and first baseman Gavin LaValley smacked back-to-back singles in the bottom of the ninth inning with one out.
In the first inning, Senzel smacked a double and LaValley followed with a single to drive him in to tie the score with the Biloxi Shuckers, 1-1.
The rally ended when Josh VanMeter, hitting .283 with 38 of his 41 RBIs with runners in scoring position, flew out to left field. Right fielder Aristides Aquino then bounced to third base into an inning-ending double play.
Kelly said he struggled with whether to have VanMeter bunt and give Aquino or second baseman Shed Long the chance to drive in the game-winning run in the ninth.
“The Tortugas are doing well,” Kelly said. “They get on in the ninth inning and you think you’re going to win it. We got Long, another Tortuga, maybe he could have won the game.”
Instead, Biloxi won in the 10th. The Shuckers scored in the opening inning of the game when speedy center fielder Johnny Davis got an infield single and stole his 30th base. He was driven in on a hard-hit single by shortstop Angel Ortega.
It looked like Biloxi would score more. However, with men on first and second and no outs, Pensacola spot starter Domingo Tapia struck out three Biloxi hitters in a row.
Biloxi had plenty of opportunities to score late in the game. Pensacola reliever Robert Stock replaced Tapia, the starter, to start the sixth inning and loaded the bases with one out, but worked out of the scoring threat with a strikeout and groundout. Again, in the seventh inning, Biloxi had a runner on second base with one out and failed to score. In the ninth inning, Biloxi blew another scoring opportunity with runners on first and second with two outs.
Tapia, making his seventh spot start this season, lasted five innings, gave up one run on six hits and a walk and struck out a season-high seven. He didn’t factor in the decision but is 1-3 with a 4.22 ERA in 32 innings. In 19 relief appearances, Tapia has a 3.77 ERA.
In the New York Mets organization, the hard throwing 6-foot-3, 250-pound Tapia made 87 starts in seven seasons before converting to a reliever after Tommy John surgery in May 2015.
“Those big guys you got to get them early before they settle in,” Kelly said.
Biloxi got another strong start from its right-handed ace Aaron Wilkerson, who was seeking his 10th win. He threw well enough to get it but left with a no decision. Wilkerson, chosen as a Southern League All-Star, worked six innings, gave up one run on three hits and a walk and struck out seven, including the side in his final inning.
In his last three starts, the 28-year-old is 2-0 with a 1.35 ERA, allowing three runs in 20 innings pitched, giving up seven hits and striking out 19.
The Blue Wahoos fell to 1-4 in extra-inning games this year. Two of those losses have come at the hands of Biloxi and Pensacola’s only extra inning win came against the Shuckers in 11 innings on April 15.
Photos courtesy Barrett McClean Photography/Blue Wahoos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Northview Names New Cross Country Coach, Sets Student Meeting For Monday
July 29, 2017
Friday, Northview High School name Ronnie Gill as the new girls and boys cross country coach.
Gill will hold a meeting for interested cross country runners on Monday afternoon at 3:00 in the Northview media center. Parents are welcome to attend.
Gill is a a retired school resource officer.
Wahoos Beat Biloxi
July 29, 2017
Pensacola Blue Wahoos third baseman Nick Senzel hit a triple, a solo homer, a single and missed hitting for the cycle by a few feet when his line drive landed just foul down the right field line in his last at bat.
The Cincinnati Reds top prospect’s 4-for-4 night and Pensacola starter Jose Lopez’s fifth straight quality start led Pensacola to a, 4-3, victory Friday over the Biloxi Shuckers in front of 4,567 at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
Pensacola clinched the series, 3-1, and has now won 10 of its 11 homestands this season. The only series loss from the first half Southern League South Division champions was to Biloxi at the end of April.
Senzel knew he had a chance to hit for the cycle, which was last done by former Blue Wahoos first baseman Donald Lutz on April 21, 2014. No Southern League hitter has hit for the cycle this season. It was Senzel’s fourth four-hit game of his two-year professional career.
“I saw it and knew it was going foul,” he said. “I was just a few feet short. I knew what the situation presented. I was glad my teammates were there to support me.”
Senzel put Pensacola on top, 2-0, with a triple to dead center that bounced off the wall and drove in center fielder Gabriel Guerrero and a solo homer he crushed to left field out of the ballpark. It was his fourth homer in 32 games since being called up from High-A Daytona Tortugas, where he had four homers in 62 games.
Pat Kelly said Senzel, who is hitting .331 in the Southern League, is still improving.
“I’m sure there are a few things. We can all get better,” Kelly said. “But he sure swings the bat extremely well.”
Senzel said he was just happy that Pensacola could jump out to a 4-0 lead and let Lopez concentrate on pitching. In 19 games head-to-head, Pensacola has won 11 and 12 games have been decided by two runs or less.
“He has been really good,” Senzel said of Lopez. “His hard work is paying off, which is great for us. It was nice to get out front and let Jose do his job.”
The 23-year-old Pensacola right-hander started off in Double-A by giving up four runs in his first three starts and six in his fourth start. But he has turned his season around, pitching his fifth straight solid start in his ninth game for the Blue Wahoos. Against Biloxi, he completed seven innings, allowed one run on four hits and two walks, and struck out five.
Over his last five starts, Lopez has been stingy, giving up only five earned runs in 34 innings for a 1.32 ERA. He’s only walked six in that stretch. Lopez improved to 5-1 with Pensacola and has a 2.95 ERA on the year.
In Pensacola’s rotation, he follows starter Deck McGuire, who has a 0.98 ERA in his last seven starts.
Kelly said he likes have McGuire and Lopez pitching back-to-back in the middle of the Blue Wahoos rotation.
“It allows us a little more leeway on the ends,” Kelly said. “When he first came up, he gave the hitters too much credit. Now, he’s more aggressive with his fastball in the zone and he’s getting ahead of hitters.”
In the fourth inning both left fielder Josh VanMeter and right fielder Aristides Aquino reached first base, stole second base and continued to third base on throwing errors by Biloxi catcher Rene Garcia, and scored on wild pitches by the Shuckers pitcher Freddy Peralta, putting Pensacola on top, 4-0.
Biloxi finally got on the scoreboard in the fifth inning to pull within, 4-1, when Peralta squared to bunt and then slapped the ball that glanced off Pensacola first baseman Gavin LaValley’s glove and rolled into right field to allow Shuckers third baseman Javier Betancourt to score. It was Peralta’s first professional hit and RBI in nine at bats this year.
Weiss made his 11th appearance and gave up a two-run homer to Biloxi first baseman Dustin DeMuth that bounced off the top of the left field wall to pull the Shuckers within, 4-3. It was DeMuth’s seventh homer this season. Despite giving up the two runs, Weiss earned his seventh save this season for Pensacola.
“It’s all about getting three outs before giving up three runs,” Kelly said.
Biloxi 21-year-old right-handed pitcher Freddy Peralta, the No. 11 ranked Milwaukee Brewers prospect by MLBPipeline.com, made his sixth Double-A start for Biloxi and gave up all four Pensacola runs to take the loss, falling to 1-3 with a 3.06 ERA.
Photos courtesy Barrett McClean Photography/Blue Wahoos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Wahoos Top Shuckers
July 28, 2017
Little did Biloxi know that the first inning solo homer by Blake Allemand would be the last hit and last run the Shuckers would earn off Pensacola Blue Wahoos starter Deck McGuire in his seven innings of work.
Behind McGuire’s right arm and right fielder Aristides Aquino’s two-run homer, Pensacola defeated Biloxi, 5-1, Thursday in front of 4,000 at Blue Wahoos Stadium. The Blue Wahoos, whose game was delayed by rain Thursday for one hour, 40 minutes, leads the series, 2-1,
McGuire has now allowed six runs, five earned in 46 innings for a 0.98 ERA over his last seven starts since his June 24 outing against Chattanooga.
The 6-foot-6 former 2010 first round pick worked seven innings, allowing one run on one hit, gave up four walks and struck out three to improve his record to 9-7 with a 2.58 ERA.
Pensacola manager Pat Kelly said the 28-year-old minor league journeyman stepped up to take on the mantle of the Blue Wahoos with the loss of Tyler Mahle and Austin Ross.
“He just stepped up and took on the number one role on our staff,” Kelly said. “There are a lot of scouts here and a lot of places you can pitch. The opportunity is there. He’s opening some eyes.”
McGuire credited his battery mate and defense for his performance Thursday.
For McGuire, who has bounced around with five organizations in his seven seasons, he just wants to keep playing somewhere and hopefully one day impress his toddler. With a 4.58 ERA for his minor league career, he is having one of his best seasons with Pensacola. At the end of this season, he will have pitched in all 30 Double-A ballparks.
“The most important thing for me is keeping a jersey, keeping a job,” McGuire said. “I want to make (my son) proud. Hopefully, I’ll play long enough that he’ll understand, ‘Hey, dad has a pretty great job’.”
The Blue Wahoos lineup, which had only scored 12 runs over McGuire’s last six starts, broke out for five runs for him Thursday.
Pensacola didn’t wait to score on Biloxi. Pensacola right fielder Aristides Aquino went 65 at bats between his ninth and 10th home run but just five at bats until he blasted his team-leading 11th over the wall in left center. The two-run homer, his second in three games, in the second inning gave the Blue Wahoos a, 2-1, lead.
Kelly credited Aquino for continually trying to improve his swing. He worked with Cincinnati Reds roving instructors — Hall of Famer Barry Larkin, former Red Eric Davis and Milt Thompson — this year to make adjustments at the plate.
“He may be (frustrated) inside but he never shows it on the outside,” said Kelly of the No. 6 prospect in the Reds organization who is batting .214 but leads the team with 11 homers and is tied for the lead with 41 RBIs. “He is one of the most confident kids I have ever seen.”
Pensacola scored two more runs in the inning when shortstop Blake Trahan smacked a deep fly ball to the left center gap that both the left fielder and center fielder dived for but missed, allowing Pensacola catcher Joe Hudson to make it a, 3-1, game. Blue Wahoos center fielder Gabriel Guerrero hit a sizzling grounder into left field that drove in Trahan to put Pensacola ahead, 4-1.
Aquino, who was 3-4 and scored twice Thursday, also showed off his ability to slap a single to the opposite field when the Biloxi infield shifted left, playing him to pull the ball.
The 22-year-old then stole second and took third on the Biloxi catcher Jacob Nottingham’s throwing error trying to nail him. Aquino scored on a wild pitch by Shuckers reliever Hiram Burgos to put Pensacola ahead, 5-1 in the third inning. Aquino did all that with two outs and Hudson at bat
Wahoos Rally For Win
July 27, 2017
Pensacola Blue Wahoos Josh VanMeter wasn’t expected to play every day in the Southern League when he turned out to be “the player to be named later” in a trade between the Cincinnati Reds and San Diego Padres at the end of 2016.
However, the 22-year-old has proven indispensable to the Blue Wahoos team. He has played second base, shortstop, third base and left field and with two outs and runners in scoring position he’s the hitter Pensacola wants a t the plate.
Against the Biloxi Shuckers Wednesday, VanMeter delivered the decisive two-out, two-run double in the four-run eighth inning that gave Pensacola a, 4-1, victory in front of 4,358 at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
VanMeter said he thrives in the clutch and his hitting statistics bear that out. The .259 hitter’s average balloons to .378 with the game on the line. The new Reds pick up has driven in 23 of his 39 RBIs in that position.
“When I think of good players, I think of clutch players,” VanMeter said. “It shows I’m able to control myself, even in pressure situations.”
Blue Wahoos third baseman Nick Senzel hit a high pop up to Biloxi second baseman Blake Allemand, who instead of making the catch to end the inning and preserve the Biloxi lead, 1-0, kept the rally going when it plopped to the ground. The unexplainable error allowed Pensacola shortstop Blake Trahan to knot the game, 1-1.
Blue Wahoos first baseman Gavin LaValley then hit a bullet to left field that drove in center fielder Gabriel Guerrero with the go-ahead run, 2-1.
That’s when VanMeter stepped to the plate and delivered his double to the left center gap that scored Senzel from second base and LaValley from first to increase Pensacola’s lead to 4-1 heading into the ninth.
Pensacola manager Pat Kelly is a big fan of VanMeter, who recalled hitting a buzzer beating jumper in the Indiana high school basketball 3A Regionals to upset the tournament favorite.
“His hit gives us a three-run lead and gives (closer Zack) Weiss a little wiggle room,” Kelly said.
Blue Wahoos reliever Carlos Gonzalez also played a pivotal role in the win that improved Pensacola’s record to 16-16 in the second half and back into a first-place tie with the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp in the Southern Division. The first half champions are 56-46 overall.
In the seventh inning, the Shuckers loaded the bases on a bunt single, sharp grounder to right field and a swinging bunt single with one out off Blue Wahoos starter Jesus Reyes.
Then rain poured down and delayed the game for 33 minutes, until it resumed at 9:18 p.m. It was the second rain delay of the game with the start pushed back 30 minutes.
When the game started again, Pensacola reliever Carlos Gonzalez entered and got a pop out and strikeout to end the Biloxi scoring threat. His 1.2 innings with one strikeout improved his record in 14 relief appearances to 1-1 with a 1.90 ERA.
“That was a fantastic job,” Kelly said. “Those were five big outs for us.”
Biloxi scored in the first inning, going on top, 1-0, when leadoff batter Johnny Davis hit a grounder up the middle into center field, stole second base and reached third on an infield single by left fielder Angel Ortega deep in the hole to shortstop. Davis finally scored on Allemand’s soft line drive single to the opposite field.
Biloxi starter Jon Perrin threw six scoreless innings, allowing four hits, no walks and striking out five.
“Every team we play is that way,” Kelly said. “They run those good arms at you every night.”
Wahoos Rally Falls A Run Short
July 26, 2017
Pensacola catcher Joe Hudson came to the plate with runners on first and third and two outs with the Blue Wahoos trailing by one run in the ninth inning.
But a five-run rally by Pensacola to tie the game fell one run short when Hudson smoked a line drive back at Biloxi Shuckers relief pitcher Jorge Lopez, who stuck his glove out and caught it.
The Shuckers escaped with a, 5-4, victory over the Blue Wahoos to win the opener of the five-game series and tie the head-to-head battle between the two teams this season at 8-8.
Pensacola manager Pat Kelly thought Hudson had smacked a game-tying hit.
“That ball caught him,” Kelly said. “Sometimes the game is not fair. It was nice to see us come back.”
For most of the game, the Milwaukee Brewers top pitching prospect cruised by keeping the Pensacola hitters off balance with his off-speed pitches. He shut out the Blue Wahoos lineup through seven innings of work on two hits and season-high seven Ks.
But Ortiz, who improved to 4-5 with a 3.57 ERA, had his 13-inning scoreless streak end in the eighth inning when Pensacola right fielder Aristides Aquino belted a homer to left center. It was Aquino’s team-leading 10th homer of the season and first since his solo shot July 1 against the Montgomery Biscuits. Ortiz was then chased from the game, when Pensacola second baseman Shed Long followed with a zinger up the middle.
Lopez, who pitched two innings for the Milwaukee Brewers earlier this season, entered the game in the ninth inning with a, 5-1, Biloxi lead and almost gave the game away.
Gabriel Guerrero smashed his first home run at Blue Wahoos Stadium on in front of 4,019 fans on Tuesday. He launched his third homer of the season just right of center field into the Hill-Kelly Dodge berm with Pensacola shortstop Blake Trahan on base. It pulled Pensacola within, 5-3, with no outs.
“It feels great,” Guerrero said. “We just keep fighting. We never give up. We almost came back.”
The rally continued when Pensacola first baseman Gavin LaValley singled with one out and then was singled in by Long’s liner to center field to make it a one-run game, 5-4.
With runners on first and third and two outs, Hudson stepped to the plate. The 23-year-old Guerrero, who was selected to the Southern League All-Star game, was surprised Hudson’s line drive was the last out of the game. Hudson had one of the first two hits off Ortiz when he doubled in the sixth inning.
“I thought the ball was going to go through,” Guerrero said. “(Lopez) threw his glove out there and caught it.”
Biloxi went ahead, 5-0, thanks in part to right fielder Clint Coulter whohad both RBIs in his first two at bats of Tuesday’s game for the Shuckers. The 23-year-old, who was selected 27th overall in the 2012 draft, grounded out to shortstop in the second inning, allowing first baseman Dustin DeMuth to score from third base and put Biloxi up, 1-0.
Coulter then launched his 12th homer of the season to the left center gap to lead off the fifth inning, giving Biloxi a 2-0 lead. Coulter has the team lead in both homers and RBIs with 39 this season.
In the sixth inning, it looked like Pensacola second baseman Shed Long had turned a double play when DeMuth hit a grounder up the middle that Long fielded, stepped on second base and whipped the ball to first. But the umpire ruled he missed the bag allowing Biloxi second baseman Blake Allemand to stay at second base. He would come around to score on shortstop Gabriel Noriega’s sharp single to centerfield to put the Shuckers ahead, 3-0.
Biloxi left fielder Angel Ortega then smacked a two-run homer, his seventh of the season, to left field in the seventh inning to put the Shuckers seemingly out of reach with a, 5-0, lead.
The Blue Wahoos fell to 15-16 in the second half and 55-46 overall. Biloxi, which has lost four consecutive series and 13 of their past 19 games, improved to 13-18 and 49-51 overall.
Northview Baseball To Host Coed Softball Tournament
July 24, 2017
The Northview Baseball team will be host a coed softball tournament Saturday, July 29 at Bradbury Park (NWE).
Entry fee is $200 per team and each team must have a minimum of three females. Rules will be based on USSSA rules. This is a two loss elimination tournament, so each team is guaranteed two games.
To participate or donate, call (850) 232-3205.
Pensacola Falls, 4-2, To Montgomery
July 24, 2017
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos scored two runs in the second inning and were blanked the rest of the way.
The Montgomery Biscuits came from two runs down to beat Pensacola, 4-2, Sunday at Riverwalk Stadium to capture the series, 3-2.
Pensacola scored its two runs when right fielder Aristides Aquino tripled to center field to drive in left fielder Josh VanMeter to put the Blue Wahoos ahead, 1-0. VanMeter hit an infield single to shortstop and stole second base, his 10th of the season, to start the inning.
Blue Wahoos second baseman Shed Long walked putting runners at first and third. Aquino then scored when Montgomery starting pitcher Hunter Adkins made a wild pickoff throw that allowed Aquino to cross the plate to make the score, 2-0.
Montgomery scored one run in the second, third and fourth innings to take a, 3-2, lead. In the second inning, catcher Nick Ciuffo grounded out to allow shortstop Jake Cronenworth to score. In the third inning, Montgomery loaded the bases with two outs, when first baseman Michael Russell hit an infield single to third that brought in left fielder Nathan Lukes. In the fourth inning, Biscuits center fielder Andrew Velazquez hit what turned out to be a game-winning home run, his sixth of the season, to center field that put Montgomery up, 3-2.
Ciuffo padded the Biscuits lead with a homer to start the eighth inning to make it a, 4-2, game.
Meanwhile, the Biscuits pitching staff shut down the Pensacola lineup. The Blue Wahoos never threatened to score over the last seven innings.
Montgomery starter Adkins earned the win to improve his record to 2-2 with a 3.91 ERA. He retired nine of the last 11 batters he faced, giving up two singles. In his five innings of work, he gave up two runs on five hits and one walk and struck out four.
Then Biscuits relievers Yoel Espinal, Kyle Bird and Ian Gibaut took over and allowed just two hits, no walks and struck out three over the last four innings.
Pensacola pitcher Domingo Tapia made his fifth spot start for the Blue Wahoos and earned the loss to drop to 3-6 on the season with a 3.77 ERA.
At the plate, Pensacola was led by Aquino, who was 1-4 with a triple and RBI. Both shortstop Blake Trahan and third baseman Nick Senzel went 2-4.