Northview Majorettes To Host Mini-Majorette Clinic
September 9, 2016
The Northview High School Majorettes are hosting a Mini-Majorette Clinic on September 13, 14 and 15 from 4-5 p.m. each day. The clinic will teach students baton tricks, skills and a baton routine they will perform during a pregame show on September 16. The clinic is open to any student between age 5 and grade 8. Students should bring their own baton, or one will be provided.
The cost is $25 per child and includes the clinic, a t-shirt, game admission and the performance.
To register, or for more information, click here for a registration form.
Wahoos Drop Playoff Game
September 9, 2016
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos gave up four runs in the third inning to the Mississippi Braves and couldn’t recover Thursday.
Mississippi third baseman Carlos Franco hit a three-run homer in the third inning and 6-foot-6 right-hander Patrick Weigel handcuffed the Pensacola hitters throwing seven scoreless innings to give the Braves a 5-0 win Thursday in front of 3,866 at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
Mississippi tied the Southern League South Division series, 1-1, and now plays the next two games at 7 p.m. Friday and 6 p.m. Saturday at Trustmark Park. If Game 5 is needed, it will be played at 6:30 p.m. Sunday at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
Pensacola manager Pat Kelly expressed confidence in his team, despite the split at home. The Blue Wahoos won both series at Mississippi, going 7-3.
“Obviously, we wanted to win two here,” Kelly said. “It’s a best of three series now. It’s nice to know we can come back for game five.”
Franco lifted a high deep fly ball into Hill-Kelly Dodge Hill in right field with one out in the third inning to score three runs and put Mississippi on top, 5-0. It was his fifth homer this year.
Pensacola seemed jinxed to start the third inning. Braves center fielder Mallex Smith bunted down the first base line and Pensacola pitcher Jackson Stephens fielded and threw to first base hitting Pensacola first baseman Ray Chang right between the eyes.
Then Braves second baseman Levi Hyams hit a ball that deflected off of Stephens’ glove and reached first. Mississippi slugging left fielder Dustin Peterson smacked a hard liner into center field to score Smith to put the Braves up, 2-0. Franco finished the inning off with the fourth straight hit off of Stephens.
Stephens has been inconsistent in his last five starts. He’s allowed 16 runs in his last 21.1 innings pitched, which is a 6.75 ERA. In the second game of the playoffs, he pitched five innings, allowing five runs on eight hits and a walk, while striking out five.
Meanwhile, Pensacola’s Evan Mitchell pitched three scoreless innings of relief and now has thrown 15.2 scoreless innings. He allowed one hit, one walk and struck out one. Kyle McMyne retired the Braves in order in the ninth.
Kelly said it has been fun watching Mitchell gain confidence on the mound.
“It’s fun to see,” Kelly said. “He’s got great stuff. He has a 94 mph sinker and what a scout told me was a man hole cover slider.”
But the story Thursday was really 22-year-old Weigel who was making just his fourth start in Double-A. The right-hander pitched a gem throwing seven scoreless innings, allowing three hits, walking two and striking out eight.
Pensacola was unable to figure out the Braves’ Weigel, who allowed one Blue Wahoos runner to third base and one to second base. Weigel was called up to Mississippi on Aug. 19 from the Low-A Rome Braves where he was 10-4 with a 2.51 ERA.
“Weigel was good,” Kelly said. “He had all four pitches working. He was very impressive. We had a report on him that if you got him into the stretch he was not very good. We just didn’t get him in the stretch too many times.”
In his last start on Sept. 1 against Biloxi, Weigel was sharp, too. He allowed one unearned run on two hits over 8.1 innings, while striking out four.
Mississippi jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the second inning when Franco hit a leadoff single to left field. He scored easily from second base when Braves right fielder Connor Lien doubled over the head of Pensacola left fielder Phillip Ervin for a 1-0 lead.
Blue Wahoos leadoff hitter Alex Blandino and No. 3 hitter Sebastian Elizalde got five of the Blue Wahoos six hits Thursday. Blandino was 3-4 with a double, while Elizalde had two singles in four at bats.
In the North Division playoff, the Jackson Generals took a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five series against the Montgomery Biscuits with a 2-1 victory at home.
Wahoos Win First Playoff Game
September 8, 2016
In the opening game of the best-of-five Southern League South Division playoffs, Pensacola did it the Wahoo Way.
They extended its franchise record to 12 walk-offs this year when with the bases loaded Blue Wahoos catcher Joe Hudson walked on four straight pitches from Mississippi closer Caleb Dirks to give Pensacola a dramatic 6-5 victory Wednesday.
The game was also entertaining for the 2,652 fans at Blue Wahoos Stadium and everyone else in attendance, including Pensacola manager Pat Kelly.
“They call it Wahoo Way baseball,” a grinning Kelly said. “We’ve played it all year. We only had to score two runs to win.”
The thriller came in front of all the top brass in the Cincinnati Reds organization.
“That was outstanding,” said Walt Jocketty, President of Baseball Operations. “It was the best game I’ve seen all year.”
It appeared the game was over with the Blue Wahoos ahead, 4-3, and Southern League saves leader Alejandro Chacin taking the mound to shut down the Braves like he had done in 30 of 35 times during the regular season.
But that’s not what happened. What happened was with one out left to go in the ninth, Mississippi pinch hitter Stephen Gaylor slapped a single up the middle to score right fielder Connor Lien. A low throw from Pensacola center fielder Brandon Dixon and a high throw from second baseman Alex Blandino to home allowed Mississippi shortstop Johan Camargo to score, putting the Braves back on top, 5-4.
After the inning, a dejected looking Chacin walked slower than a turtle back to the dugout.
“We didn’t want to say it but we had a feeling in the dugout that something special was going to happen,” said veteran minor leaguer Ray Chang, who played at first base.
And it did.
Chang tied the game on a single to left field that scored left fielder Phillip Ervin to tie the game, 5-5. Chang’s double in the fourth inning that drove in Dixon also knotted the game, 1-1.
Then Hudson walked with two outs to allow Pensacola right fielder Sebastian Elizalde to score the game winning run, 6-5.
“He deserves a lot of credit,” said the 32-year-old Chang about Hudson. “That’s a big time situation. He forced him to throw strikes. That’s a big at bat.”
The Blue Wahoos and the Braves have now played in a one-run game 11 times in the clubs’ 21 meetings this season.”
“Anytime you win game one it’s huge,” Kelly said. “When we squandered an opportunity, you kind of wonder if you’re going to get a chance to get it back.”
Both clubs had their aces starting the playoff opener. Mississippi had southpaw Sean Newcomb on the mound who is the Atlanta Braves No. 3 prospect and led the Southern League with 152 strikeouts this season. He faced Pensacola right hander Rookie Davis, the Reds No. 7 prospect, who leads the team with 10 wins this year.
Davis was pumped up to start his first playoff game of his professional career against Mississippi, striking out the side in the first inning. Davis struck out five of the first nine Braves hitters and eight for the game. He tossed six innings allowing one run on three hits and a walk.
“I just wanted to set the tone for the playoffs,” Davis said. “Striking out the side was great put I was just trying to get three outs so we could get our bats going. That’s what I was going for.”
It was the 23-year-old Davis’ first start at home since being sent down from Triple-A Louisville where he was 0-2 with a 7.50 ERA in five games.
“It was a learning experience,” Davis said. “It’s something I needed. After 15 years in the big leagues, I’ll be happy I went through it.”
Newcomb has been plagued this season by control issues, ranking second among Southern League pitchers in the regular season with 71 walks. In his five innings of work, he gave up only two hits and one earned run but he walked six. He also struck out six batters on 96 pitches.
Pensacola had taken the lead in the see-saw battle, 4-3, in the seventh inning when Ervin belted a line drive past the third baseman that Mississippi left fielder Dustin Peterson over ran. The ball rolled past Peterson for an error allowing both pinch hitter Ronald Bueno and Blandino to score and help the Blue Wahoos regain the lead, 4-3.
In the North Division playoff game, the Jackson Generals won just as dramatically to take a 1-0 lead against the Montgomery Biscuits. The Generals won, 3-0, over the Biscuits when Tyler O’Neill hit a walk-off three-run homer in the 10th inning at The Ballpark at Jackson. Generals pitcher Andrew Moore threw nine scoreless innings and allowed just one hit.
Northview Chiefs Name Football Players Of The Week
September 7, 2016
The Northview Chiefs have named Players of the Week. From Friday night’s win over Escambia Academy, they are:
- Offensive Player of the Week: Luke Ward – 19 rushes, 100 yards, 2 TD; 5-15 passing, 103 yards, 1 TD; also had 38 yards on kickoff return and an interception on defense
- Defensive Player of the Week: Jacob Weaver — 17 total tackles, 8 solo tackles, 2 tackles-for-loss through 2.5 quarters of action
- Dominator Award (given to player with biggest hit): Devin Stabler – Hit on visitor sideline in 4th quarter
Pictured top: Devin Stabler with a big defensive play for the Chiefs. Pictured below: An injured Jacob Weaver is led off the field. Pictured bottom: Luke Ward readies a pass. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Photos: Northview Mini Cheerleaders
September 6, 2016
The Northview High School Cheerleaders held a min-cheerleader camp that culminated with a performance at last Friday night’s game.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Blue Wahoos Capture Both Halves Of South Division
September 6, 2016
Pensacola Blue Wahoos second baseman Alex Blandino came through with arguably the biggest hit of the season when his double knocked in two runs and lifted his club to an improbable second half Southern League South Division title.
Pensacola swept all five games from the Birmingham Barons with a 3-1 victory Monday at Regions Field to end the second half 40-30, which was one more win than the Mississippi Braves (39-30). The Blue Wahoos finished with its best overall record at 81-59 since its inaugural season in 2012, while Mississippi finished the season 73-65.
Entering the last two games of the regular season, Pensacola trailed Mississippi by 1.5 games. Mississippi lost 7-0 to the Biloxi Shuckers on Sunday and fell again, 4-1, Monday. Meanwhile, Pensacola won both games, 5-4, and, 3-1. It was Pensacola’s first sweep of a five-game series since July 9-13, 2015 against the Montgomery Biscuits.
In addition, Pensacola also became the first Southern League team to win three straight division titles since the 2009 and 2010 seasons. The Blue Wahoos captured the second half last season and the first half and second half this season. The Jacksonville Suns and Tennessee Smokies both did the same thing in 2009-2010.
It was all made possible when Blandino smacked a double to center field in the seventh inning to drive in the first runs of the game. The No. 14 Cincinnati Reds prospect’s extra-base hit scored third baseman Taylor Sparks and center fielder Jeff Gelalich and put the Blue Wahoos up, 2-0.
Pensacola padded its lead when right fielder Sebastian Elizalde knocked in his seventh RBI of the series with Birmingham when he smacked a two-out single in the ninth inning to drive in Gelalich for a 3-0 lead.
The Barons did score one run in the bottom of the ninth when DH Eudy Pina belted a one-out, solo homer to left field — his fourth of the season — off of Pensacola reliever Abel De Los Santos. He worked the final 1.1 innings and allowed one run, two hits, one walk and struck out one to earn his third save of the season.
Before scoring in the seventh, Pensacola had only two runners reach second base. In the fifth inning, Blue Wahoos catcher Chad Wallach doubled but was stranded there. In the sixth inning, Pensacola left fielder Phillip Ervin was hit by a pitch and then stole his career-high 36th base of the season to reach second.
Birmingham pitcher Thaddius Lowry threw seven innings in his fourth start for the Barons after being called up from the High-A Winston-Salem Dash. He allowed two earned runs on five hits, one walk and struck out two before giving way to Birmingham reliever Connor Walsh.
Meanwhile, Pensacola right-handed starter Nick Travieso pitched a season-high 7.2 innings and was replaced by De Los Santos after Travieso, the Reds No. 15 prospect, allowed Birmingham center fielder Hunter Jones to single and walked second baseman Joey DeMichele. De Los Santos got the next batter to ground out to him.
Travieso gave up five hits, walked one and struck out six. He improved to 5-7 with a 3.84 ERA. Coming into the game, the 22-year-old, who was placed twice on the 7-day disabled list this season, had one quality start in five appearances in August.
The Blue Wahoos go into the Southern League South Division playoffs against Mississippi with a five game win streak and have won 10 of its last 11 games.
Tate, West Florida Football Teams Tackle Childhood Hunger
September 5, 2016
The Tate and West Florida football teams may have battled it out on the football field Friday night, but they also teamed up to fight childhood hunger.
The Aggies and the Jaguars joined the Escambia County Schools Backpack Program USA to tackler hunger. Football fans were urged to donate loose change or cash during the game. All donations were earmarked for Pine Meadow, McArthur and Jim Allen elementary schools, which were identified according to need by the Escambia County School District.
The event was organized by the Tate High School Quarterback Club, with fans of both teams sharing in the project to raise $500.
The mission of the Escambia County Schools Backpack Program is to provide weekend food supplements for at-risk children in area elementary schools.
Pictured are (L-R) Scott Stillman of the Escambia County School District, Temarques Dunnigan, Kaleb Moore, Shermari Jones, Trae Melton and Ladarryl Paige. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Wahoos Win Over B’ham
September 5, 2016
This time it was Sebastian Elizalde who doubled in three runs with one out in the top of the ninth to deliver a second consecutive victory Sunday for the Pensacola Blue Wahoos in its last at bat against the Birmingham Barons.
This time, Pensacola won, 5-4, over Birmingham at Regions Field, after scoring four runs in the ninth on Saturday to beat the Barons 6-2. The Blue Wahoos have won four of the five games against the Barons with the final game at 12:30 p.m. Monday.
The Blue Wahoos entered the ninth inning Sunday, trailing 4-2, when pinch-hitter Phillip Ervin singled to third base to start the inning, catcher Joe Hudson hit a single back up the middle. They both moved up to second and third on a sacrifice bunt by center fielder Jeff Gelalich. Then Pensacola second baseman Alex Blandino walked to load the bases with one out.
That’s when Elizalde hit his bases clearing double on a fly ball to center field for the 5-4 lead. Elizalde went 2-5 with one run scored and three RBIs. In four games in the five game series against Birmingham, Elizalde is 10-20 or .500 with four runs scored, a double and six RBIs.
The 24-year-old left-handed hitter has had four-straight multi-hit games and now has 35 multi-hit games on the season to lead Pensacola, plus he leads the team with a .298 batting average.
Pensacola then brought in closer Alejandro Chacin, who was the only Blue Wahoos player named to the post season Southern League All-Star team, then sewed up the victory. Chacin earned his franchise record 30th save, striking out one in one inning of work. On the season, he has 75 strikeouts in 60.2 innings and is 5-2 with a 1.78 ERA.
Sal Romano, the hottest starter for Pensacola in the second half, tossed six innings giving up four runs on five hits and one walk. The Cincinnati Reds No. 17 ranked prospect had four strikeouts giving him 144 this season, which is good for second in the Southern League.
Meanwhile, Pensacola, which won the first half Southern League crown, improved to 39-30 (80-59) for second place during the second half, putting pressure on division leader Mississippi (39-28, 73-63) to beat the Biloxi Shuckers on Sunday.
Pensacola jumped out in front of Birmingham Sunday. Blue Wahoos shortsop Zach Vincej singled to center in the first inning to knock in Elizalde for a 1-0 lead. On the previous play, Pensacola center fielder Jeff Gelalich was thrown out at home when left fielder Brandon Dixon bounced back to Birmingham pitcher James Dykstra, who threw home to catcher Sean O’Connell to catch him.
With the bases loaded in the third inning and no outs, Vincej drove in his second run of the game for Pensacola when he grounded out to first, allowing second baseman Alex Blandino to score to put the Blue Wahoos up, 2-0.
Vincej was 2-5 with two runs batted in Sunday for his 27th multi-hit game of the season. He is also hot in the series against Birmingham, going 9-18 (.500) and two walks and driving in six runs for 47 RBIs this year.
However, Birmingham came back in the fourth inning when right fielder Keenyn Walker doubled, his 16th of the year, and scored when DH Courtney Hawkins hit a ground ball to third base. Barons left fielder Marcus Lemon singled to drive in Hawkins to tie the score, 2-2.
In the sixth inning, Birmingham then went ahead, 4-2, when first baseman Keon Barnum hit a sacrifice fly to left field that scored Barons second baseman Joey DeMichele. Lemon then hit a line drive single to center field to score Hawkins with Birmingham’s fourth run.
Meanwhile, Birmingham starter James Dykstra and reliever Colton Turner combined for five shutout innings. Turner pitched two scoreless innings, allowing no hits, while walking one and striking out three. Pensacola scored all three runs to win the game off of Barons closer Brian Clark.
UWF Football Rolls To Historic 45-0 Victory In Program Opener
September 4, 2016
The UWF football program got everything it could have asked for on Saturday in its first-ever intercollegiate game – 500 yards of total offense, a defensive shutout that held the opposition to 105 yards and a happy group of close to 200 Argonaut fans, including the university president.
UWF (1-0) got off to a slow start, failing to score on its first three possessions before a pair of 50-plus yard scoring drives to close the half put the Argonauts up for good.
Tim Bellinger scored from a yard out midway through the second quarter before Kaleb Nobles completed a 15-yard pass to Caleb Robinson just before the half ended.
Bellinger rushed 18 times for 101 yards and a pair of touchdowns to lead the UWF ground game, which finished with 288 yards and four scores.
The teams were set to start the second half but were sent back to the locker rooms when a lightning storm hovered over the area, forcing a 2 hour 15 minute delay.
When play resumed, the UWF offense went into overdrive, scoring on the team’s opening four possessions. Bellinger added crossed the goal line from two yards out, Austin Peffers drilled a 25-yard field goal, Daviante Sayles made the highlight play of the game when he hurdled an AMU linebacker at the 3-yard line and Ishmel Morrow caught an 8-yard pass from Nobles.
Chris Schwarz completed the scoring in the fourth quarter with a rushing TD from four yards.
Nobles finished the game with 235 yards passing on 21-of-29 and two TDs. He and fellow signal caller Grey Jackson combined for 236 yards passing and connected with nine different targets.
AMU (0-1) managed just 105 yards of offense and just two net yards rushing.
UWF will face Missouri S&T in its inaugural home game next Saturday. Kickoff at Blue Wahoos Stadium in downtown Pensacola is set for 6:00 p.m. Central time.
Blue Wahoos Score Four In Ninth To Top Birmingham
September 4, 2016
Jackson Stephens last start was, well, very un-Jackson Stephens like.
The Jacksonville Suns knocked him out of the game after 0.2 innings, scoring four runs on three hits and three walks. It was the 22-year-old right hander’s shortest start in his five-year minor league career.
He returned to the old Stephens with a quality start, throwing six innings and allowing two runs, one earned on eight hits, a walk and striking out seven.
Birmingham loaded the bases with no outs in the top of the sixth. Barons shortstop Trey Michalczewski singled to center, DH Eudy Pina earned an infield single to second base and first baseman Keon Barnum walked.
Birmingham catcher Chris O’Dowd then hit a ground ball to force out Barnum at second base. But Pensacola shortstop Zach Vincej committed a throwing error, his fifth error this season. Both Michalczewski and Pina scored on the play to put the Barons ahead, 2-0.
But Pensacola came right back in its next at bat in the top of the seventh to knot the game, 2-2. Blue Wahoos right fielder Sebastian Elizalde singled to center field with the bases loaded and two outs to score both Pensacola first baseman Eric Jagielo and right fielder Ronald Bueno.
In the eighth inning, Pensacola loaded the bases twice. With one out, Blue Wahoos third baseman Taylor Sparks was forced out at home for the second out. Bueno walked to load the bases again but Pensacola second baseman Alex Blandino grounded out to end the inning.
In the top of the ninth inning, the Blue Wahoos busted out with a four-run inning. Vincej singled to center with one out to drive in Elizalde to put Pensacola on top, 3-2. With the bases loaded, two more runs scored when catcher Chad Wallach grounded to Birmingham third baseman Marcus Lemon, who. threw the ball away. Both center fielder Brandon Dixon and Vincej scored to increase the Blue Wahoos lead to 5-2. Pensacola’s Jagielo then singled on a line drive to right field that drove in Sparks. Bueno then lifted a fly ball to Barons right fielder Keenyn Walker and Wallach tried to score but was thrown out at home.
Meanwhile, Evan Mitchell relieved Stephens and shutdown the Birmingham offense. He threw three hitless innings and struck out six. Mitchell, who was recently selected to represent the Cincinnati Reds in the Arizona Fall League, improved to 4-1 with a 2.70 ERA.
Pensacola benefited from the bats of Elizalde, Vincej and Jagielo. Elizalde was 4-5 with a run scored and two RBIs. He has 50 RBIs on the season and is hitting .296 on the year. He now leads the team with 34 multi-hit games.
Vincej also went 4-5 with one run and one RBI. He has 26 multi-hit games and lifted his average to .279.
Meanwhile, Jagielo got a hit in his fifth consecutive game, going 3-4 with a run scored and he drove in one.
The Mississippi Braves won their fifth straight game and remain in first place in the Southern League South Division. The Braves are 1.5 games in front of the Blue Wahoos in the second half of the season and would have to lose their last two games of the season, while Pensacola won their last two for the Blue Wahoos to add the second half title to its first half title.
Mississippi is 39-28 and 73-63 overall. Meanwhile, Pensacola is 38-30 in the second half and 79-59 overall.
Pensacola and Mississippi will play each other in the first round of the Southern League playoffs on Wednesday at Blue Wahoos Stadium. In the North Division, the playoffs match the Montgomery Biscuits, second half winners, against the Jackson Generals, first half winners.