Blue Wahoos Take Series Finale Over Mobile
July 9, 2016
Pensacola Blue Wahoos right-hander Nick Travieso pitched six scoreless innings and allowed just two hits to the Mobile BayBears to win his first game Friday in eight starts.
Plus, Blue Wahoos catcher Jose Duarte and pinch hitter Calten Daal both smashed their first Double-A home runs as Pensacola won, 4-3, at Hank Aaron Stadium.
Pensacola captured the final to take two of the five games in the series against Mobile. The Blue Wahoos start a five-game series at 6:30 p.m. Saturday against the Biloxi Shuckers, who Pensacola beat for the first half Southern League South Division title.
Travieso, the Cincinnati Reds No. 7 prospect according to Baseball America, earned his first victory since May 17 when he shut out Mississippi over seven innings. Travieso improved to 4-4 in his first season with the Blue Wahoos and lowered his ERA to 4.35.
In his last four starts, Travieso has allowed just four runs in 22 innings for a 1.67 ERA.
Pensacola closer Alejandro Chacin pitched the final two innings, allowed two hits and struck out three for his Southern League-leading 16th save on the year.
Travieso got all the run support he needed from two unlikely hitters in Pensacola’s offense, which scored three runs in the second. Pensacola catcher Jose Duarte clobbered a two-out, three-run homer in the inning for his first Double-A homer and first RBIs.
Duarte, who was called up on July 2 from Low-A Dayton Dragons, was playing in only his third Double-A game. He has a career .222 batting average in six minor league seasons with the Reds organization and hit two homers in a season once.
In the top of the seventh inning, Pensacola pinch hitter Calten Daal smacked a solo homer to give the Blue Wahoos a 4-0 lead. It was Daal’s first Double-A blast and second in 912 professional at-bats through his first four seasons in the minors.
Daal, who is hitting .310 for Pensacola, proved to hit the game-winner when Mobile came back with three runs in the bottom of the eighth to pull within, 4-3.
The BayBears first run scored when catcher Matt Jones hit a sacrifice fly to center field to drive in BayBears left fielder Rudy Flores. Pinch hitter Travis Denker then singled to drive in second baseman Jamie Westbrook with the second run of the inning. The third run scored when Mobile shortstop Ildemaro Vargas doubled to right field to score right fielder Tom Belza.
The BayBears Denker also tried to score and tie the game on Vargas’ double. But Pensacola right fielder Sebastian Elizalde threw to shortstop Zach Vincej, who relayed a strike home to Duarte to catch Mobile’s Denker out at the plate to end the inning.
Wahoos Rally Falls Short
July 8, 2016
Pensacola Blue left fielder Phillip Ervin smacked a two-run homer in the ninth inning with no outs to pull Blue Wahoos within one run but fell short in its comeback attempt.
The Mobile BayBears held on for a, 4-3, victory Thursday over Pensacola at Hank Aaron Stadium.
The winning hit ended up being first baseman Rudy Flores two-out solo homer to right field off of Pensacola closer Carlos Gonzalez in the eighth inning that gave the BayBears a 4-1 lead.
Mobile jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the second inning Thursday. It was the fourth game in a row that the BayBears scored first against Pensacola. In the five-game series, the BayBears led 5-0 Monday, 7-0 Tuesday and 3-0 Wednesday.
Pensacola, which scored 10 runs on 16 hits Wednesday, managed just four hits in Thursday’s game, two coming in the ninth on center fielder Jeff Gelalich’s single and Ervin’s home run.
Mobile third baseman Travis Denker walked to lead off the second inning and first baseman Rudy Flores singled to left field. Then Sal Romano struck out the next two batters. But with two outs, left fielder Chuck Taylor doubled to drive in both Denker and Flores for a 2-0 lead. BayBears pitcher Taylor Clarke then helped himself with a single to center field that scored Taylor to go up, 3-0.
Pensacola finally scored off of Mobile starter Taylor Clarke in the eighth inning to pull within, 3-1. Blue Wahoos third baseman Taylor Sparks scored on a wild pitch after striking out but reaching first when the third strike got past Mobile catcher Oscar Hernandez.
The BayBears righty, who was making his seventh start for Mobile, worked a season-high eight innings, giving up one run on two hits and struck out a season-high 10 batters. Clarke improved his record to 3-4 with a 3.80 earned-run average.
Mobile clinched the five-game series, going up 3-1. The BayBears also evened their second half record to 7-7 (39-45). Pensacola, which won the first half Southern League South Division title, fell to 5-9 (46-38) and last place in the South.
Meanwhile, Blue Wahoos starter Sal Romano pitched 6.1 innings, his longest outing since he pitched seven innings against the Birmingham Barons on May 26. He gave up three runs on six hits and one walk, while striking out seven. Romano fell to 1-10 with a 4.81 ERA on the season.
Pensacola Wahoos Snap Losing Streak Against Mobile Baybears
July 7, 2016
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos snapped its four game losing streak Wednesday with a 10-4 victory over the Mobile BayBears at Hank Aaron Stadium.
Pensacola got solo home runs by center fielder Jeff Gelalich, his first in Double-A, first baseman Eric Jagielo, who hit his fifth homer this season, and shortstop Zach Vincej, who smacked his third.
After being shut out the night before by Mobile, Pensacola broke out with 10 runs and 16 hits. Five Blue Wahoos had multi-hit games, including Gelalich (3-5, two runs and three RBIs), left fielder Phillip Ervin (3-5, two runs), second baseman Brandon Dixon (3-4, two RBIs), Vincej (2-4, one run, one RBI) and catcher Jose Duarte (2-5 with two runs).
Pensacola broke a 3-3 tie in the seventh inning. The Blue Wahoos loaded the bases when Duarte, Gelalich and Ervin all singled. Pensacola right fielder Sebastian Elizalde walked to score Duarte and put the Blue Wahoos ahead, 4-3. Pensacola’s Gelalich scored on a passed ball to put the Blue Wahoos up, 5-3. Pensacola took a 6-3 lead when Dixon hit a sacrifice fly to left field to score Ervin.
In the eighth inning, Pensacola added four more runs to go ahead 10-3. Vincej hit a homer over the left field wall to lead off the inning. Pensacola then loaded the bases on singles by pinch hitter Calten Daal and Duarte and Ray Chang got hit by a pitch. Gelalich doubled to score Daal and Duarte to increase Pensacola’s lead to 9-3. Chang scored on a wild pitch to put the score at 10-3.
Blue Wahoos pitcher Jackson Stephens gave up three runs on two hits in the first inning to Mobile. But after that he allowed one more hit, walked five and struck out two in five innings of work.
But Barrett Astin, who threw two scoreless innings and struck out three, got the victory to improve to 6-2 and owns a 2.93 ERA.
Pensacola knotted the score, 3-3, in the fourth inning on Jagielo’s homer to left field.
The Blue Wahoos had scored two runs in the third inning when Gelalich hit a solo home run to right field with two outs. Gelalich has hit his way into the starting lineup batting .320 with one homer and 10 RBIs. Pensacola’s Dixon doubled in Ervin to pull the Blue Wahoos within, 3-2.
The Mobile BayBears, like the game before, jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning. BayBears second baseman Kevin Medrano doubled in center fielder Evan Marzilli on a line drive to left fielder to put Mobile up, 1-0. Mobile first baseman Kevin Cron hit a sacrifice fly to right field that drove in shortstop Ildemaro Vargas to put BayBears ahead, 2-0. Then BayBears left fielder Rudy Flores hit a sacrifice fly to center that scored Medrano to make the score, 3-0.
Register Now: Former NBA Coach To Lead Bratt Basketball Camp Next Week
July 6, 2016
The First Baptist Church of Bratt will host a basketball camp next week with a former NBA, college and high school coach.
The camp for children ages 8-14 will be held July 11-15 from 9 a.m. until noon at the church. Coach Roger Dutremble of Global Sports Outreach will teach kids the fundamentals of basketball and Biblical awareness.
“We are fortunate to get someone of Coach Roger’s talents and achievements to head up this camp” said First Baptist Bratt Student Pastor Tim Hawsey. “He has a unique ability to deal with children, and his love for them is evident.” This is the fifth year the church has offered this camp.
Dutremble is a a retired coach and member of the International Basketball Hall of Fame. He career includes coaching at every level from high school to the NBA, and into international arenas, with a lifetime coaching record of 687-117 and seven national championships. He was selected “Coach of the Year” six times, and served as national team head coach to Belgium, Scotland, and Jordan. He was an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Lakers, serving under Paul Westhead and Pat Riley, from 1979-83 and helping the team to three NBA championships with players like Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
The cost is $45 per student with a limited number of scholarships available. The funds are used exclusively to purchase shoes and basketballs for needy children in other countries where Dutremble conducts camps.
“One of the many things that blesses me about the camp is coach does not receive any salary,” FBC Bratt Student Pastor Tim Hawsey said. “The $45 registration fee will actually be used to purchase shoes and basketballs for children in other countries that do not even own a pair of shoes. Coach Roger will go to those countries and conduct basketball camps and leave the equipment with the children. Some of the children walk four or five miles just to attend his camps. So, we not only benefit from learning about basketball, but we are able to participate in missions, too. And, our church receives nothing from the $45, it all goes to Global Sports Outreach. We just have the joy of seeing children learning about basketball and Jesus at the same time.
All children participating in the camp will receive a certificate of completion and a t-shirt from Dutremble. For registration information, contact Hawsey or Sherrye Gilman at (850) 327-6529 or stop by the church on Highway 4 just west of Northview High School.
Scholarships are available if the $45 registration fee per child is not financially possible for a family.
Pictured: Students that participated in a previous basketball camp at the First Baptist Church of Bratt. Inset: Coach Roger Dutremble of Global Sports Outreach. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Wahoos Drop Second Game To Mobile
July 6, 2016
The Mobile BayBears scored seven runs in the first two innings and handed the Pensacola Blue Wahoos its fourth straight loss, 10-0, Tuesday at Hank Aaron Stadium.
The BayBears jumped on starting pitcher Rookie Davis, one of the Blue Wahoos most consistent starters this season, with four runs in the first inning. Davis entered the game 6-2 with a 2.67 earned-run average and 1.08 WHIP.
Davis allowed all seven runs, four earned on nine hits and one walk in two innings. His record dropped to 6-3 and his ERA rose to 3.14.
Pensacola, which won the first half, fell into last place in the Southern League South Division in the second half at 4-8. The Blue Wahoos are now 18-23 on the road this season.
Meanwhile, Mobile starting pitcher Josh Taylor, 1-0, pitched a complete game shutout giving up just three hits to Pensacola. He struck out five and gave up no walks.
Mobile sent nine batters to the plate in the first inning. The first run scored when BayBears first baseman Kevin Cron singled to left field to score second baseman Jamie Westbrook. Pensacola’s Davis then walked right fielder Stewart Ijames with the bases loaded to score left fielder Kevin Medrano to put the BayBears ahead, 2-0. Mobile center fielder Tom Belza then doubled with two outs driving in Cron and third baseman Travis Denker to put the BayBears up, 4-0.
In the second inning, Davis got the first two batters of the inning out. However, Medrano singled, stole second and then Cron drove him in with a single to right field for a 5-0 lead. Denker doubled to put runners on second and third and they were both driven in by Ijames single up the middle to take a 7-0 lead.
Mobile just kept piling on the runs, going up, 8-0, in the sixth inning when Medrano reached on an infield single with two outs and scored on a wild pitch by Blue Wahoos reliever Evan Mitchell.
In the seventh, Ijames and Mobile catcher Oscar Hernandez hit back-to-back solo homers to start the seventh. It was Ijames’ 10th homer of the year and Hernandez’s fifth homer of the season.
Results: Jay’s Celebrate Freedom 5K Run/Walk
July 5, 2016
Almost 100 runners took part in the 17th Annual Celebrate Freedom 5K Run/Walk Monday morning in Jay. Proceeds from the event benefit the Jay Volunteer Fire Department and other local charities.
Results were as follows:
Wahoos Lose Third Straight
July 5, 2016
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos lost its third straight game to the Mobile BayBears, 7-3, on Independence Day at Hank Aaron Stadium.
Mobile gave veteran minor league pitcher Ryan Kussmaul his first start for the BayBears and the 42nd round draft pick by the Florida Marlins in 2006 delivered.
The 6-foot-4 righty, who has played for independent and Mexican League teams gave up one run in 5.1 innings on five hits and two walks, while striking out six. He is now 1-0 with a 1.69 ERA.
Meanwhile, Tyler Mahle earned his first loss in three starts to drop to 2-1 with a 4.91 earned-run average. The Cincinnati Reds No. 11 prospect according to MLB.com pitched 4.2 innings, giving up five runs to Mobile on six hits and two walks, while striking out three.
Mahle entered the game 2-0 with a 2.70 ERA with 16 strikeouts in two five inning starts.
Mobile scored first in the second inning when its third baseman Travis Denker walked to start the inning and moved to third on a single to right field by second baseman Jamie Westbrook. He put the BayBears ahead, 1-0, when right fielder Stewart Ijames grounded out into a force play.
Denker, who was 0-1, walked three times and scored each time for Mobile.
Mobile added two more runs in the third inning, with the rally starting when shortstop Ildemaro Vargas singled on a bunt back to the mound. Then with two outs, Mobile first baseman Kevin Cron smacked a two-run homer to left field, his 12th homer of the season, to put the BayBears up, 3-0.
Vargas finished the game 4-5 scored once and drove in one run.
Mobile pitcher Kussmaul then helped himself by hitting a double to right field that drove in Ijames to give Mobile a 4-0 lead.
That lead increased to 5-0 in the fifth inning when Mobile’s Iljames singled to right field to score Denker a second time.
In the sixth inning, Pensacola got a run back to make the score, 5-1, when first baseman Eric Jagielo singled in center fielder Brandon Dixon. Jagielo went 3-4 and now has 18 RBIs for Pensacola.
The Blue Wahoos scored two more runs in the seventh inning. Blue Wahoos left fielder Phillip Ervin singled to center field, right fielder Sebastian Elizalde singled to right field, then third baseman Taylor Sparks singled to center field to score Ervin that pulled Pensacola within, 5-2. Pensacola second baseman Alex
Blandino then lifted a sacrifice fly to center field to score Elizalde and make the score, 5-3.
Mobile, though, added another run in the bottom of the seventh inning when pinch hitter Rudy Flories tripled with two outs to drive in Denker for a third time in the game, putting the BayBears up, 6-3.
Vargas singled in right fielder Tom Belza for the BayBears final run in the eighth inning, 7-3.
Wahoos Drop Game To Chattanooga
July 3, 2016
It looked like the Pensacola Blue Wahoos would send Chattanooga Lookouts pitcher Aaron Slegers to the showers early and end his four-game winning streak in Saturday’s game.
The 6-foot-10 Slegers gave up two runs on four hits to the first five batters, including Pensacola right fielder Juan Duran’s double that he rocketed off of the left field wall that scored center fielder Jeff Gelalich and third baseman Alex Blandino.
But Pensacola ended up losing to Chattanooga, 7-3, Saturday as Slegers struck out a career-high 10 batters in front of the 20th sellout of the season of 5,038 at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
The Blue Wahoos are in danger of losing their first series at home with a 2-2 tie with the final game scheduled at 6:30 p.m. Sunday. The game will feature 20-plus minute fireworks show on July 3 for the Pensacola fans.
“It looked like we were going to get to him (Slegers) and knock him out,” said Pensacola manager Pat Kelly. “Duran hit that ball as hard as you can hit a ball. But I have to give Slegers credit. He had better stuff than we thought.”
Slegers ended up working seven innings, and giving up three earned runs on seven hits and a walk. He won his fifth straight game and is now 6-4 with a 3.41 ERA.
Meanwhile, Blue Wahoos starting pitcher Sal Romano struggled through five innings, giving up four runs, two earned in the third inning. The two unearned runs scored when Pensacola shortstop Calten Daal, who has had trouble making the throw to first base this series, threw a rocket past the first baseman.
Romano worked five innings, throwing 94 pitches total. He allowed five runs, three earned, on seven hits, two walks, while striking out five. Romano dropped to 1-9 with a 4.86 ERA.
“Nobody wants to be 1-9,” Kelly said. “He’s not giving up. He keeps going after the hitters.”
In the top of the second inning, Romano struck out the first two batters but then gave up a single to Chattanooga shortstop Leo Reginatto. Reginatto then scored from first when Lookouts catcher Stuart Turner hit a two-out double into the left field corner to pull within, 2-1.
Chattanooga scored four runs in the third inning to go up, 5-2. Lookouts first baseman Mitch Garver hit a deep fly ball to right field that scored second baseman Engelb Vielma to tie the game, 2-2. Lookouts third baseman Niko Goodrum scored on a wild pitch for a 3-2 Chattanooga lead.
Then with two outs Reginatto hit a routine grounder to Pensacola’s Daal who threw the ball away allowing both left fielder Travis Harrison and DH D.J. Hicks to score putting the Lookouts ahead, 5-2.
Pensacola pulled within, 5-3, when second baseman Zach Vincej hit a line drive into left field down the third base line to score Duran, who drew a walk.
Vincej continued his tear since the first of June, going 2-4 with a double and RBI. He is hitting .338 and now has eight of his 11 multi-hit games during that hot-hitting streak.
GAME NOTES
Hudson Smacks First Double-A Homer As Wahoos Beat TN
July 2, 2016
Pensacola catcher Joe Hudson prides himself in his defense but Friday he came through at the plate, knocking his first Double-A home run over the left field wall at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
He launched a two-out, three-run blast in the fifth inning and Pensacola held on to defeat the Chattanooga Lookouts, 10-8, Friday in front of 4,688 fans at home.
After taking a 10-3 lead, Hudson watched normally reliable Pensacola reliever Carlos Gonzalez let Chattanooga back in the game in the eighth inning. Gonzalez allowed the Lookouts to scored five runs to pull within, 10-8. Gonzalez gave up a two-run homer to left fielder Travis Harrison and got only one out before being lifted for Blue Wahoos closer Alejandro Chacin.
Chacin walked two batters putting the crowd on the edge of its seat after getting the first two outs of the ninth inning. But Chacin earned his Southern League leading 15th save.
Hudson said it felt good to “get the monkey off my back” yanking an inside fastball out of the park.
“I take pride in (my defense) more than anything. Defense come first,” Hudson said. “Offense comes after that and anything I get is a bonus.”
Pensacola manager Pat Kelly was thankful for Hudson’s home run that sparked the Blue Wahoos offense. Pensacola racked up 12 hits with everyone in the lineup earning a base hit.
“Hudson had a big three-run homer right there,” Kelly said. “Joe has got power we just hadn’t seen it this year.”
Hudson has mostly gotten attention for his defense in his career and this season, throwing out the most runners trying to steal second base in the Southern League. He caught two of four base stealers Friday and has thrown 22 of 50 or 44 percent out in 38 games.
He entered the 2016 season rated the best defensive catcher by Baseball America in the Cincinnati Reds organization. Hudson’s defense has always stood out, becoming a finalist for the Johnny Bench Award as the most outstanding catcher in college baseball.
“(Hudson) has a terrific throwing arm and is very accurate,” Kelly said. “He’s great to have behind the plate.”
Kelly didn’t have happy feelings about Gonzalez allowing five runs to get back into the game.
“It was pretty good for about seven innings,” Kelly said jokingly. “But you could tell right away that he wasn’t trusting his fastball. Unfortunately, we had to go to Chacin for the final five outs.”
Against Chacin, Chattanooga had the winning run on first base when he walked Lookouts slugger Daniel Palka.
Hudson said he was fine with Palka, who leads the Southern League with 20 homers and 62 RBIs, getting a free pass.
“Chacin and I have played together every year so far in pro ball,” Hudson said. “He’s the most reliable guy I’ve ever caught. He might be small but he’s not afraid of anyone. He’s made the big pitches all year and if I could have anybody I want in the game, I want Chacin right there.”
The Blue Wahoos sent all nine batters to the plate and scored five runs on five hits in the fourth inning to go ahead, 6-2. The key hit was Pensacola catcher Joe Hudson connecting on his first home run of the season over the left field wall. The two-out, three-run blast put Pensacola up, 5-2.
Pensacola had tied the game, 2-2, earlier in the fourth when left fielder Phillip Ervin smacked a low liner into left field, stole second base and scored when first baseman Ray Chang hit a high fly ball in shallow centerfield that landed in for a double when Chattanooga center fielder Niko Goodrum fell down.
The Blue Wahoos scored its sixth run of the game, 6-2, when center fielder Jeff Gelalich singled to right field to score DH Calten Daal, who got on base with his 15th infield single of the season.
Pensacola added two more runs in the fifth inning to take an, 8-2, lead when Ervin scored on Elizalde’s double to the right-center gap. Elizalde crossed the plate on the third straight hit to start the inning when third baseman Taylor Sparks singled to left field.
But Zach Vincej hit another important homer when he jacked a two-run homer over the left field wall to make it a 10-3 ball game.
Vincej went 2-3 with a home run and triple, driving in three runs and scoring twice. Vincej is hitting 24-73 or .311 in 23 games since the start of June.
Chattanooga had jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning when first baseman Daniel Palka walked with two outs and then scored on catcher Mitch Garver’s seventh home run of the season for the Lookouts.
It was the first time that Pensacola starting pitcher Jackson Stephens has given up a run in the first inning this season.
But after the shaky start, Stephens settled down and at one point retired 11 in a row. Stephens worked six innings, giving up three runs on five hits and two walks, while striking out four. The 6-foot-2, 219-pound righty evened his record at 6-6 and now has a 3.28 ERA.
Join The Celebrate Freedom 5K And One Mile Fun Run In Jay
July 1, 2016
Celebrate Independence Day this year by running or walking in the 17th Annual Celebrate Freedom 5K and one mile Fun Run on Monday, July 4, in Jay.
The 5K starts at 8 a.m. with the one mile beginning at approximately 9:15 a.m..
The race starts and ends in the Jay City Park. Patriotic awards will be given in 30 different age groups. Watermelon and refreshments will be served to all participants.
The awards ceremony will be held at the park pavilion immediately following the one mile fun run. You can sign up online at www.active.com or sign up on the day of the race. Contact Race Coordinator Matthew Dobson for more information at 850-217-2603 or email rmdobson@liberty.edu.