Tate Grad Rachel Wright Named Gulf South Player Of The Week
April 20, 2016
Rachel Wright was named the Gulf South Conference Softball Player of the Week and Freshman of the Week on Tuesday, making her the second UWF player to win both awards in the same week. The freshman from Tate High School in Pensacola joins Delta State’s Morgan Kazerooni as the only player in the conference with multiple Freshman of the Week honors.
Wright went 5-for-9 (.556) at the plate against No. 21 Delta State over the weekend, leading the team in hits, runs scored, home runs, RBIs, total bases, slugging percentage and on-base percentage along the way. Her weekend was highlighted by a remarkable Game 1 of the series on Saturday, in which she went 2-for-2 with two home runs, a walk, three runs scored and five RBIs. Wright is the third UWF player this year to hit two home runs and drive in five or more runs in a single game.
The freshman was just as good on Sunday, as she went 3-for-4 at the dish and scored twice in UWF’s 6-1 win over DSU to complete the series sweep. Wright ranks second on the team this season with 12 doubles, 19 walks and 72 total bases, while her 38 runs and .497 slugging percentage rank third.
Blue Wahoos Lose To Shuckers
April 20, 2016
For the first time this season, the Pensacola Blue Wahoos find themselves trailing in a five-game Southern League series.
Biloxi Shuckers first baseman Nick Ramirez hit a two-out single in the bottom of the seventh inning — one of 10 Biloxi hits in the game — that scored center fielder Brett Phillips for a 4-3 victory over Pensacola at MGM Park.
The Shuckers came back from a, 3-2, deficit to win the game. Biloxi shortstop Javier Betancourt hit a sacrifice fly to center in the bottom of the sixth inning to score Ramirez and knot up the game, 3-3. Ramirez, who hit his first home run the game before, was 2-4 with a run scored and RBI in Tuesday’s game.
With the bases loaded in the top of the fifth inning, Blue Wahoos center fielder Beau Amaral bunted and second baseman Tony Renda scored on the suicide squeeze to tie the score at 2-2. It was Amaral’s team leading ninth RBI of the season. Then right fielder Sebastian Elizalde scored to put Pensacola on top, 3-2, when shortstop Alex Blandino ground out to shortstop.
Pensacola starter Sal Romano allowed three earned runs, giving up nine hits to Biloxi and two walks in 5.2 innings. He struck out five. However, the loss went to reliever Wandy Peralta, who gave up the game-winning run on Ramirez’s single in the seventh.
The Shuckers scored first in the third inning to go ahead, 1-0, when Phillips hit a two-out line drive single that scored second baseman Christopher McFarland, who had hit an infield single to second base.
Pensacola tied it up, 1-1, in the fourth when Blandino doubled to center and scored on a throwing error by Biloxi’s Betancourt trying to complete a double play on Blue Wahoos left fielder Phillip Ervin.
Biloxi retook the lead, 2-1, in the bottom of the fourth when McFarland singled to right field to drive in left fielder Victor Roache, who had singled to center.
Biloxi moved into first place with the victory, improving to 9-3. Pensacola fell back by a half game to 9-4. Both teams met in last year’s Southern League South Division playoffs that Biloxi won.
Jay Royals Get District Playoff Win Over Northview
April 19, 2016
The Jay Royals defeated the Northview Chiefs 6-5 in the first round of the District 3-1A playoffs Monday in Jay.
Jay took a 2-0 lead after the end of the first and scored again in the top of the second. In bottom of the second, a two run double by Jared Alif narrowed the Royals lead. The Chiefs scored three runs in the bottom of the fifth to cut Jay’s lead to one. An RBI single by Thomas Moore and a two run single by Zach Payne powered the Northview Chiefs comeback.
Josh Neese pitched a full seven for the Chiefs, allowing eight hits, six runs and striking out four.
Roman Manning was 1-4 with a run; Thomas Moore was 2-4; Luke Ward had one run; Zach Payne was 2-4 with a run; Jared Alif was 2-3 for Northview.
Jay advances to play Chipley at 7 p.m. Tuesday with the district championship game set for 7 p.m. Thursday.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Ramona Preston, click to enlarge.
Biloxi Ties Series With 5-2 Win Over Pensacola
April 19, 2016
Pensacola center fielder Beau Amaral tripled in two runs in the top of the seventh inning to pull the Blue Wahoos within one run, 3-2, but it was not enough as the Biloxi Shuckers held on to win Monday in MGM Park.
Biloxi first baseman Nick Ramirez hit his first home run of the year in the bottom of the seventh inning to help the Shuckers defeat Pensacola, 5-2. The victory pulled the defending Southern League South Division champions within a half game of Pensacola, improving its record to 8-3. Pensacola remains in first place at 9-3.
It was the Shuckers who showed the dominant pitching Monday. The Blue Wahoos left fielder Tony Renda, hitting .306 for Pensacola, led off the seventh inning with the team’s first hit off reliever Tristan Archer.
Milwaukee Brewers No. 14 prospect 22-year-old, lefty Josh Hader pitched a scoreless and hitless four innings with three walks and seven strikeouts in his third start of the season. Hader was the only southpaw starter in the Brewers camp this year.
Renda, who went 1-3, got Pensacola going. Pinch-hitter Sebastian Elizalde followed him with a two-out single to center off of Archer, who was then replaced by Stephen Peterson.
Peterson promptly served up a two-out triple to Pensacola’s Amaral that drove in two runs to pull the Blue Wahoos within, 3-2. Amaral upped his team-leading RBI total to eight this season, going 1-4.
But Biloxi came right back on the homer by Ramirez.
Pensacola catcher Joe Hudson caught outfielder Garrett Cooper trying to steal to end the eighth inning and gave the Blue Wahoos one last chance to tie or win it in the ninth inning. However, Biloxi’s leading closer Jay Chapman came in and set Pensacola down in order to earn his fourth save in five games. He has yet to give up a hit or run in five innings of work and has struck out seven.
Biloxi added two runs in the fourth, when it loaded the bases on singles by third baseman Nate Orf, catcher Jacob Nottingham and Cooper. With one out, shortstop Javier Betancourt singled to center in the bottom of the fourth inning to drive in Orf and Nottingham for a 3-0 Biloxi lead.
Biloxi scored, 1-0, when Cooper singled in the bottom of the first inning to score right fielder Brett Phillips.
Amir Garrett, the Cincinnati Reds No. 3 prospect according to Baseball America, threw six innings and allowed three runs, two earned on six hits and one walk, while striking out five.
But it was Hader, the only southpaw starter in the Brewers camp this year, who starred Monday. Received in a trade with the Houston Astros, some say the young lefty may make the Brewers team as soon as this year.
Wahoos Top Biloxi
April 18, 2016
For the second time in six days, Pensacola Blue Wahoos Beau Amaral started the game with a lead-off home run. It’s also the only two times the speedy center fielder has done that in his professional career.
Between Amaral’s first inning home run and starter Daniel Wright and relievers Nick Routt, El’Hajj Muhammad, Alejandro Chacin combining on a two-hit shutout, Pensacola defeated the Biloxi Shuckers, 5-0, Sunday at MGM Stadium. It was Pensacola’s pitching staff’s second shutout in a row, after beating the Jacksonville Suns, 3-0, at home Saturday.
The win improves the Blue Wahoos record to 9-2 – it’s best start in team history – and puts them in first place in the Southern League South Division. Biloxi falls to 7-3 on the season.
On a 1-1 count against Biloxi starter Jorge Ortega, Amaral jacked the next pitch over the right center field wall to put Pensacola ahead, 1-0. That would be all the runs Pensacola needed Sunday.
Amaral worked in the offseason on his hitting with his dad, Rich, who played 10 years in the big leagues. He was 2-5 in the Biloxi game and now leads the Blue Wahoos with two home runs and six RBIs and is batting .282.
However, after Amaral’s solo blast a pitching duel ensued. Wright, who was starting in place of Nick Travieso who went on the disabled list with a pulled groin, threw five scoreless innings of one-hit ball, walked one and struck out six batters.
Biloxi’s Ortega allowed six hits in 5.2 innings of work, struck out three and gave up Amaral’s blast.
Pensacola’s bullpen then continued to shut down the Biloxi lineup, giving up one hit and striking out three. The Blue Wahoos’ pitchers have also thrown four one-run games this year.
The Blue Wahoos added four runs in the top of the ninth for some wiggle room, lighting up Biloxi’s fourth pitcher of the game Hobbs Johnson.
Third baseman Eric Jagielo started the inning with a walk, left fielder Phillip Ervin singled, Tony Renda grounded out to Biloxi third baseman Nate Orf to force out Jagielo at third. Right fielder Pin-Chieh Chen then hit an infield single to Orf who threw the ball away trying to get Chen out at first, allowing Ervin, who was 4-4 on the day, to score from second for a 2-0 Blue Wahoos lead.
Hobbs walked Pensacola catcher Joe Hudson to load the bases and then threw a wild pitch that allowed the speedy Renda to score from third putting Pensacola ahead, 3-0. Orf then committed his second error of the game on a ground ball by first baseman Ray Chang that let Chen score, 4-0.
The scoring ended when shortstop Zach Vincej singled to left field to score Hudson for a commanding, 5-0, lead for the Blue Wahoos.
Chacin capped the shutout and win by setting Biloxi down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the ninth with two strike outs.
Blue Wahoos Get First Shutout Of The Season
April 17, 2016
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos lowered its team earned run average even more with Rookie Davis, Wandy Peralta and Kyle McMyne combining for the team’s first shutout this season.
Pensacola’s ERA dropped to an absurd Southern League-leading 1.80 in its, 3-0, victory Saturday over the Jacksonville Suns in front of a packed sellout crowd of 5,038 at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
Strong pitching has been the theme for the 2016 version of the Cincinnati Reds Double-A affiliate in its first two series against Jacksonville and the Mississippi Braves. It has thrown four one-run games.
Despite feeling under the weather when he arrived at the park, Rookie Davis picked up his second victory, leading the way with six scoreless innings. He allowed five hits, walked one and struck out four.
Davis said he didn’t tell anyone how sick he felt.
“I didn’t want it to be an excuse,” Davis said. “I wanted to put it all on the line. The other team doesn’t feel sorry for me.”
Pensacola manager Pat Kelly said he was impressed that Davis “battled through” his sickness and a hip flexor injury suffered in spring training.
The Blue Wahoos tough-to-hit pitching staff is getting a lot of credit, but Pensacola has relied on strong defense, as well.
In the fourth inning, J.T. Riddle smacked a single to right field sending Austin Dean, who drew a lead-off walk, to third. But Riddle rounded the bases too far and got caught in a run down. However, Dean decided to bolt for home and Pensacola first baseman Brandon Dixon gunned him out at the plate on a nice tag by catcher Chad Wallach.
“Our ERA under two shows how good our defense is,” said Davis, who has allowed one run in 11 innings for a 0.82 ERA. “It’s not just the pitching staff. We’re not averaging 27 strikeouts per game. We have a great defense behind us.”
Kelly said it was a good thing the rundown of Riddle took so long.
“Dean got a little anxious and Wallach made a good play on a tough throw,” Kelly said.
Pensacola scored first in the fourth inning when Davis hit a slow and high chopper to second base that scored third baseman Tony Renda from third. Blue Wahoos center fielder Beau Amaral then doubled down the right field line to drive in both Dixon and Wallach and just like that Pensacola led, 3-0.
It was the 22-year-old Davis’ first RBI since he was an 18-year-old playing in high school. He said he wasn’t trying to hit the ball to the opposite field, his swing was just behind.
“I was a little bit late,” Davis said. “I always pictured my first RBI coming on a hit.”
Pensacola has now won its first two series and is 8-2 and in first place in the Southern League South Division. It’s the team’s best start in its five-year history.
The Wahoos travel to Biloxi to play the Milwaukee Brewers Double-A affiliate the Shuckers Sunday afternoon. The Shuckers are in second place this season. The game will be a rematch of last year’s South Division playoffs that pitted the two teams against each other and was Pensacola’s first playoff appearance since it was established in 2012. Biloxi won the playoff series.
Also Saturday, Pensacola second baseman Alex Blandino, the Reds sixth best prospect, was activated Friday after an injury in spring training while playing in the World Baseball Classic qualifier for Nicaragua. He got his first hit Saturday in his seventh plate appearance on a blistering line drive to left field. He’s now 1-7 in two games.
Tate Wins District Title; Jay Falls To South Walton
April 16, 2016
Tate 7, Pace 2
For the third year in a row, the Tate Lady Aggies won the District 1-7A title Friday night 7-2 over Pace at Escambia High School.
Savannah Rowell recorded 10 strike outs in seven innings and allowed just two runs and seven hits. Rowell was also 2-4 with two RBIs and run. Savannah Ullrich and Hannah Brown bother homered for the Lady Aggies.
Other Tate hitters — Hannah Brown 3-3 HR, 2 RBIs, 2 R; Savannah Rowell 2-4 2 RBIs, R; Savannah Ullrich 1-2 HR, 2 RBIs, R.
Tate will host Milton on Wednesday in regional action, while Pace will hit the road to Niceville.
South Walton 3, Jay 1
The Jay Lady Royals lost Friday night 3-1 to South Walton at Northview in the Lady Royal’s sixth consecutive appearance inthe District 3-1A title game.
Destiny Herring pitched seven innings for Jay, allowing three runs, eight hits and striking out three. Micheala Stewart was 1-3 with a run for Jay.
Jay will travel Thursday night to Franklin County for the regional semi-finals.
Pictured top: The Tate Lady Aggies celebrate their district championship win Friday night. Courtesy photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
West Florida Lady Jags Win District Championship
April 16, 2016
The West Florida Lady Jaguars shut out Gulf Breeze 4-0 for the District 1-6A championship Friday night.
Sarah Nicholas pitched seven for the Lady Jags, allowing three hits and striking out five. Lauren Carnley was 2-4 with a single, a double, three RBIs and a run scored for West Florida, while Jibrashia Moore was 2-3 with a walk and two runs scores. Bri Morgan was 1-3 with a sacrifice bunt.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Gary Carnley, click to enlarge.
Wahoos Beat Jacksonville
April 16, 2016
Pensacola Blue Wahoos first baseman Ray Chang said when he stepped into the on-deck circle, he had a serious case of de ja vu.
Less than a year ago on June 10, the 32-year-old minor league veteran hit a walk-off single to defeat the Jacksonville Suns.
He did it again last night with a single to right field to score catcher Chad Wallach from third base with one out in the 11th inning, giving Pensacola a, 4-3, victory Friday over Jacksonville at Blue Wahoos Stadium. It’s the first time in the Blue Wahoos’ five-year history that it has won the first two five-game series.
Pensacola is 3-1 against the Suns and sits atop the Southern League South Division at 7-2. Jacksonville fell to 5-4.
Chang, who’s hitting .294, nearly froze to death after his walk-off hit getting doused in cold water three times. It was the third walk-off in his career. He said the feeling of hitting a walk-off never gets old.
“Never. Absolutely never,” Chang said after the game. “That’s an awesome feeling.”
Chang’s walk-off was set up by smart base running by Wallach. He took off for second when Suns’ closer Victor Araujo bounced one in the dirt and ended up on third when catcher Francisco Arcia threw the ball into right-center field.
Pensacola manager Pat Kelly said Chang was just the person he wanted at the plate.
“I love him being up in that situation with his experience,” Kelly said. “Chang was clutch again.”
In the 10th inning, the Blue Wahoos loaded the bases against Araujo with two outs but he struck out Pensacola’s Brandon Dixon to get out of the inning.
Chang said the mood of the 2016 team compared to last year’s team is “180-degrees different.” He added, “We got off to a really slow beginning last year. We’ve got some serious chemistry going on here.”
Interestingly, Wallach scored the Blue Wahoos last two runs. He smashed a two-run homer to right field — the team’s third home run of the season — that put the Blue Wahoos up, 3-0, in the second inning.
“Chad’s got the power to go to the opposite field,” Kelly said. “In this park, I don’t care which way the wind is blowing, that’s a big home run.”
The Blue Wahoos went up, 1-0, in the first when Beau Amaral walked and then scored when left fielder Tony Renda, ripped a single to center field.
However, Jacksonville clawed its way back scoring one run in the sixth, seventh and eighth to tie the game, 3-3. In the eighth, Suns first baseman Brady Shoemaker singled into right field with one out to score right fielder Jeremias Pineda with the tying run.
Jacksonville had a golden opportunity to win the game in the ninth inning when it loaded the bases but Austin Dean hit a chopper to Pensacola third baseman Eric Jagielo, who quickly threw to home plate to force out second baseman Peter Mooney. With the bases still loaded and two out, Shoemaker hit a grounder to Jagielo who stepped on the third base bag to end the scoring threat.
Meanwhile, the Wahoos bats went silent as Jacksonville relievers set down 16 Pensacola hitters in a row from the fourth inning until Chad Wallach earned an infield single that ricocheted off the first baseman in the ninth inning. In fact, Suns relievers Scott Lyman, Tyler Kinley and Sean Donatello combined to pitch 5.2 innings of no-hit, no-run ball until Wallach’s hit.
Pensacola pitcher Jackson Stephens, who got the Suns side out four times in six innings, pitched 5.2 innings and allowed one run on three hits and two walks, while striking out seven.
Wahoos Erupt For Four Runs To Beat Jacksonville
April 15, 2016
Barrett Astin, Wandy Peralta and Alejandro Chacin combined to pitch four scoreless innings, allow one hit and strikeout five as the Pensacola Blue Wahoos beat the Jacksonville Suns, 4-1, Thursday at Blue Wahoos Stadium. The Blue Wahoos are off to their best start in team history at 6-2, surpassing the 2012 team that started 5-3.
Chacin earned his second save of the season in four games and now has four strikeouts in four innings pitched. The relievers came in and got out the first 10 batters they faced after Sal Romano pitched five strong innings. He got six of his seven strikeouts in the first three innings, while allowing three hits and one earned run in the first inning.
Romano, the Cincinnati Reds No. 9 prospect according to Baseball America, also showed some defensive skills, reaching out to nab a hard hit grounder and getting the speedy Suns lead-off hitter Yefri Perez out at first.
Pensacola manager Pat Kelly said he had questions about his bullpen coming into the year but has called Chacin “fearless.”
“It’s been nice to have great pitching,” Kelly said. “We have a lot of flexibility and some good arms. They’ve been doing really good.”
The Blue Wahoos now lead the Suns, 2-1, in the five game home stand. In 2015, Pensacola didn’t win its first series until May. But this year, they’re going for their second straight series win to start the season.
Pensacola trailed, 1-0, until it erupted in the sixth inning, scoring four runs and sending nine hitters to the plate.
Jacksonville took the lead in the first inning when Suns shortstop J.T. Riddle singled on a soft liner to right field. Suns left fielder Austin Dean then smashed a high fly ball over the head of left fielder Pin-Chieh Chen, which scored Riddle easily.
However, first baseman Donald Lutz led off the sixth with a walk and scored Pensacola’s first run when the Blue Wahoos loaded the bases and catcher Joe Hudson then earned a walk to tie the game, 1-1. Then Chen, who had a bunt single, scored on pinch hitter Ray Chang’s blooper to centerfield that put the Blue Wahoos up, 2-1.
But the biggest hit in the sixth inning when Pensacola shortstop Zach Vincej slapped a two-out single that dropped in front of the center fielder and scored both right fielder Sebastian Elizalde and catcher Joe Hudson. The runs gave Pensacola some breathing room, 4-1.
Vincej said he was just looking for a good pitch to hit.
“The previous at bat, I popped up with guys on base,” said Vincej, who’s hitting .290 this season. “I was just trying to put some barrel on it.”
Four of the first five innings, Pensacola’s first batter reached base. But the runners remained stranded. The best chance to score came in the fourth inning when Pensacola center fielder Phillip Ervin walked to lead off the inning and Lutz followed by smashing a single over the head of the shortstop. But Lutz rounded first base and was tagged out in a rundown.
Jacksonville right-hander Austin Brice, the Marlins No. 14 prospect, ended up pitching five innings allowing two hits, walking four and striking out two. In his two starts this season, Brice has pitched 11 scoreless innings.
“What I saw was a pretty good pitcher,” Kelly said. “Brice threw extremely well. On a cold night, he pitched us inside.”
But it has been Pensacola’s bullpen that has consistently impressed Vincej.
“They have come in and shut the door,” Vincej said. “It makes it a lot easier on the defense. We can go out and play relaxed.”