Pensacola Wins Second Straight Over Biloxi
May 6, 2016
Pensacola Blue Wahoos third baseman Eric Jagielo came to the plate with the bases loaded and two outs in an 0-20 slump and hitting .146.
All Jagielo did was launch a grand slam into the right field Hill-Kelly Dodge berm to lead the Blue Wahoos to its second straight victory, 8-1, over the Biloxi Shuckers in front of 4,065 at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
Jagielo, the Cincinnati Reds No. 14 prospect according to MLB.com, last got a hit 10 days ago on April 25 against the Jackson Generals.
His four RBIs were his first since he drove in two on April 11 against the Mississippi Braves in the Blue Wahoos home opener five-game series. Jagielo now has two homers and nine RBIs this season for Pensacola.
Jagielo, who was selected in the first round by the New York Yankees in the 2013 draft, played 58 games last year at Double-A before surgery to repair his right knee. The Yankees traded him to the Reds as part of the deal in December for closer Aroldis Chapman.
Jagielo said his talk with Hall of Fame shortstop Barry Larkin before the game and hitting a bucket of balls helped him get in a groove Thursday.
“It was good to get a little time to work on my swing, especially with a guy like Barry,” he said. “It’s cool to learn stuff from guys like him and then apply it to my game.”
Pensacola leads Biloxi 2-0 in this five-gamehome stand and now is 16-11 on the season. The first-place Shuckers fell to 17-9 with Pensacola one a 1.5 game back.
Just like the night before, Biloxi scored first when right fielder Brett Phillips scored from third on a passed ball that rolled to the backstop, putting the Shuckers up, 1-0. With runners on second and third and one out, Pensacola right-hander Jackson Stephens then struck out the next two batters to get out of the inning.
Blue Wahoos Stephens worked six innings and retired the last 10 batters he faced. He gave up one run that was unearned and struck out five. He improved to 2-2 on the season with a 3.95 ERA.
In addition, Stephens also got his first professional hit in his fifth season in the minors with a grounder to left field to lead off the second inning.
“The first inning he had that little blip but he really did a nice job,” said Pensacola manager Pat Kelly.
Pensacola’s relievers Matt Magill and Wandy Peralta then held Biloxi hitless over the final three innings and struck out six batters.
Kelly was also impressed by Magill, who pitched two innings and struck out three.
“Magill looked really impressive and had really good stuff,” Kelly said. “He had a really sharp slider tonight.”
Pensacola also got production from second baseman Alex Blandino, who was 0-15 in his last four games, striking out seven times.
He also spoke with Larkin about hitting Thursday before going out and clobbering his first home run of the year a solo homer to left field. Blandino also hit a double and single in four at bats, scoring two runs and knocking in three. The two talked about getting back to basics at the plate.
“Whenever you can speak to a Hall of Famer on a daily basis, you’re bound to get better,” Blandino said. “He always has good, positive things to say.”
Wahoos Beat Biloxi
May 5, 2016
The 6-foot-5, 260-pound right-handed Sal Romano looks like a menacing pitcher, especially when he throws a fastball in the mid- to upper-90s off the mound.
But believe it or not, his first Double-A victory came in his 12th start between last season and this season as the Pensacola Blue Wahoos rolled over Biloxi, 8-3, in the series opener Wednesday at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
Pensacola gained a game on Biloxi, improving to 15-11, while the first-place Shuckers dropped to 17-8.
Romano is now 1-1 in five starts this season with a 3.86 earned-run average. He gave up three runs, two earned, to Biloxi in the first inning and then settled down. He allowed five hits, two walks and struck out eight. Last year, for Pensacola the big righty was 0-4 in seven starts with a 10.96 ERA.
Pensacola manager Pat Kelly said the difference is a smarter Romano.
“We’re seeing his maturation,” Kelly said. “He started getting his curveball over the strike zone instead of burying it all the time. He’s still a thrower, though.”
Romano said he had to put the first inning out of his mind after walking to the dugout.
“My fellow staff and guys told me to leave it out there,” said Romano, who committed himself to becoming a Major League pitcher at 15 years old. “I said in my head, ‘Sal, let’s restart this.’”
And getting that first victory in the Southern League?
“Wins are wins, but obviously it’s nice to get one here in Double-A,” Romano said. “That is nice.”
In the first inning, Biloxi jumped out to a 3-0 lead when third baseman Javier Betancourt smashed a two-out, 3-2 pitch down the left field line clearing the bases for all three runs.
Pensacola came back, though, in the second inning when catcher Chad Wallach hit a two-run bomb over the left field fence with two outs that also scored shortstop Calten Daal. Daal, who was 3-4 and scored twice Wednesday, had got on base with a low line drive to left field to extend his hitting streak to seven games.
Wallach was also 3-4 and scored twice, hitting in the No. 8 spot in the lineup. He raised his average to .209 on the season and leads the team in walks with 13.
“It felt good,” said Wallach, who hit his second homer of the year. “I’ve been struggling a little bit, so it was nice to square up on the ball.”
Kelly said Wallach’s homer changed the complexion of the game.
“Wallach’s blow was big,” Kelly said. “The big key was Wallach getting that two-run home run. We didn’t have that three-run deficit.”
Blue Wahoos fans were being treated to a pitching duel when all of a sudden the force was with Pensacola hitters in the bottom of the fifth inning.
The flood of runs started with a dribbler by shortstop Calten Daal and ended with Pensacola sending all nine batters to the plate and scoring six runs on six hits to go up, 8-3.
The first five batters of the inning all got on base-on four singles and a fielder’s choice-against Adrian Houser, the Milwaukee Brewers No. 17 prospect according MLB.com. Houser struck out nine in four innings, retiring seven in a row at one point, but gave up seven earned runs on seven hits. Houser’s earned-run average jumped from 7.20 to 8.63, as he fell to 1-3 in five starts this season.
The biggest hit that inning came on a line drive triple by Phillip Ervin past a diving right fielder that cleared the loaded bases, giving Pensacola a 7-3 lead. Ervin then scored the final run of the game, when Biloxi catcher Jacob Nottingham dropped the ball trying to tag him out.
Ervin extended his hitting streak to seven games. In the last 11 games, after working with hitting coach Alex Pelaez, is 11-34 for a .294 average, with three home runs, 10 RBIs and 14 runs scored. He’s raised his average from .179 to .244.
Northview Track Team Members Place At Regionals; Headed To State
May 4, 2016
Fourteen Northview High School athletes recently competed in the 1A Regional Track Meet in Jacksonville.
The Chiefs’ Dezmine Moorer (pictured left) placed fourth in the 200 meters with a time of 23.00 to advance to the state meet this week. Also advancing to state are members of the Northview Girls 4×100 team — Myisha Syria, Celeste North, Audriene Odom and Crystal Douglas (pictured top) — who placed third with a time of 51.97.
Other results were as follows:
- Celeste North placed 10th in the 100 hurdles with a time of 18.65
- Kirsten White placed 13th in the 100 hurdles with at time of 19.54
- Audriene Odom placed 7th in the 100 meter dash with a time of 13.46
- Crystal Douglas placed 7th in the 200 meters with a time of 27.18
- Ziara Johnson placed 11th in the 300 hurdles with a time of 56.39
- Myshia Syria placed 12th in the 400 meters with a time of 1:08.30
- Girl’s 4X800 –placed 12 with a time of 12:09.37 – Autumn Albriton, Kirsten White, Moriah Mcgahan, & Savanna Roux
- Moriah McGahan placed 15th in the 800 meters with a time of 2:44.41
- Celeste North placed 12th in the high jump with the height of 4-02
- Dezmine Moorer placed 5th in the 100 meters with a time of 11.49
- Brandon Spencer placed 12th in the 100 meters with a time of 11.66
- Brandon Korinchak placed 10th in the 800 meters with a time of 2:13.92
- Brandon Korinchak placed 9th in the 1600 meters with a time of 4:56.11
- Brandon Spencer placed 6th in the 200 meters with a time of 23.57
- Lawrence Douglas placed 16th in the 400 meters with a time of 59.06
- Boy’s 4×400 –placed 8th with a time of 3:40.75- Brandon Korinchak, Lawrence Douglas, Brandon Spencer, & Ohijie Elliott
Team coaches are:
- Head Girl’s Coach- Natalie Nall
- Assistant Girl’s Coach- Michelle Peebles
- Head Boy’s Coach- Barbara Luker
- Assistant Boy’s Coach – Michael Crumm
The 1A state meet is this Friday and Saturday in Bradenton.
Tate Aggies Beat Milton In Regional Semifinal
May 4, 2016
The Tate Aggies came alive to score four in the the fourth inning and held on for a 4-2 win over the Milton Panthers Tuesday night in the Region 1-7A semifinal game.
Madison Lockman pitched the the win for Tate Aggies.. He allowed one run over 4 1/3 innings. Lockman struck out three, walked none and gave up four hits.
Up next for the Aggies is the Region 1-7A championship game against Creekside High School at 7 p.m. Tuesday in St Johns (just south of Jacksonville).
FCA Presents Extra Inning Awards
May 3, 2016
The Northwest Florida Fellowship of Christian Athletes named their Extra Inning winners from area softball and baseball teams Monday night at the First Baptist Church of Pensacola.
Winners included Northview Softball’s Hanna Ging, Tate Softball’s Ashley Barnett and Tate Baseball’s AJ Gordon.
Winners were:
- Catholic High School Softball- Serena Bruder
- Catholic High School Baseball- Devin Whitehead
- Escambia High School Softball- Makenna Wade
- East Hill Christian School Softball-Alyssa Grizzard
- East Hill Christian School Baseball- John Mobley
- Milton High School Softball- Megan Predmore
- Milton High School Baseball- Kobi Floyd
- Navarre High School Softball- Hanna Stapleton
- Navarre High School Baseball- Tyler Rebber
- Northview High School Softball- Hanna Ging
- Pace High School Softball- Madison Newton
- Pensacola High School Softball- Elydia Eligio
- Pensacola High School Baseball- Damyis Olds
- Pensacola State College- Miles Fore
- Tate High School Softball- Ashley Barnett
- Tate High School Baseball- AJ Gordon, Jr.
- Washington High School Softball- Sara Sewell
- Washington High School Baseball- Nolan Ricketson
- West Florida High School Softball- Ealon Pyle
- West Florida High School Baseball- Hunter Hatcher
Pictured top: Extra Inning award winners. Pictured inset: Barnett and Tate Softball Coach Melinda Wyatt. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
B’ham Beats The Wahoos
May 2, 2016
It appeared Pensacola would tie the game in the ninth with runners on second and third and one out.
However, Blue Wahoos second baseman Alex Blandino flew out to Birmingham left fielder Eudy Pina who threw a strike to catcher Jeremy Dowdy to get Pensacola’s Zach Vincej out at home for a game-ending double play. Vincej singled to start the ninth inning.
The Baron’s held on to win the game, 6-4, on the spectacular defensive play and clinched the five-game series, 3-1, at Regions Field.
The Barons went up, 6-2, in the seventh inning when DH Josh Richmond doubled to left field to score first baseman Nicky Delmonico.
However, Pensacola came right back in the eighth inning when right fielder Phillip Ervin hit a two-out, two-run home run to right center field to bring in Eric Jagielo and pull the Blue Wahoos within striking distance, 6-4.
Ervin was 1-4 on the day and hit his second homer in two days. He now leads Blue Wahoos with three on the year. Last season, he hit 14 home runs total between High-A Daytona Tortugas and Double-A Pensacola to lead all Cincinnati Reds minor leaguers.
Barons left-handed pitcher David Holmberg threw seven innings and gave up two earned runs on five hits and one walk, while striking out four. He won his first game this season and is 1-2.we
Birmingham improved to 10-14 on the year, while Pensacola fell to 13-11 on the year.
Meanwhile, Pensacola righty Nick Travieso pitched 4.1 innings, allowing five earned runs. He fell to 1-1 with a 4.50 earned-run average on the season. He allowed four hits, walked three and struck out six.
Pensacola first baseman Brandon Dixon, who was 1-3, also homered to left field to lead off the seventh inning and pull the Blue Wahoos within, 5-2.
Pensacola left fielder Tony Renda went 2-4 with two doubles Sunday. His line drive double to right field in the first inning scored center fielder Beau Amaral to put the Blue Wahoos ahead, 1-0.
Barons catcher Jeremy Dowdy hit his second homer of the series when he hit a liner over the left field wall in the bottom of the third inning to tie the score, 1-1.
Birmingham scored two more runs after that when shortstop Eddy Alvarez singled to center field to score center fielder Adam Engel to put the Barons on top, 2-1. A passed ball allowed by Pensacola catcher Joe Hudson then allowed Alvarez to score, making it 3-1.
DH Josh Richmond hit a two-out single to left field in the fifth inning that drove in Engel and left fielder Eudy Pina, extending Birmingham’s lead to 5-1.
Birmingham, Pensacola Split Doubleheader
May 1, 2016
Pensacola right fielder Phillip Ervin scored three times in game two of a doubleheader, including the winning run in the seventh inning, as the Blue Wahoos split a Saturday doubleheader with the Birmingham Barons.
Pensacola won the second game, 5-2, at Regions Field, after dropping its second straight game to Birmingham in the first game, 8-3. Pensacola is now 13-10 and in second place in the Southern League South Division, while Birmingham is 9-14 and in fourth place in the North Division.
Ervin, who played college baseball at Samford University in Birmingham, put on a show for old friends and fans going 3-4, scoring five runs, hitting a solo home run-his second of the season-and stealing his ninth base, which is fourth best in the Southern League. He is now hitting .239 and has a .363 on-base percentage.
When the Cincinnati Reds chose Ervin in the first round in 2013, he became the first baseball player ever drafted out of the private university. The 23-year-old, who is the Cincinnati Reds No. 17 prospect, was born in Mobile and lists his hometown as Leroy, Ala., a town of less than 1,000 residents about 60 miles north of Mobile.
In the second game, Ervin, who stole third, scored when second baseman Zach Vincej hit a soft liner to center field in the fourth inning to put the Blue Wahoos ahead, 1-0.
In the fifth inning, Ervin smacked a solo home run deep to left field to give Pensacola a 2-0 lead.
But Birmingham tied the score, 2-2, in the bottom of the sixth inning when left fielder Eudy Pina singled to shortstop, which scored center fielder Adam Engel. Pina then scored the second run on a ground out by third baseman Trey Michalczewski.
The Baron’s Engel made up for an error in the seventh inning on Ervin’s hit to center field by throwing out Pensacola’s Eric Jagielo at home plate. However, with one out first baseman Brandon Dixon then hit a two-run double to left to score both Ervin, with what turned out to be the winning run, and left fielder Tony Renda to give the Blue Wahoos a 4-2 lead. Dixon stole third base and scored on a wild pitch with two to put Pensacola up, 5-2, which was the final margin of victory.
Blue Wahoos pitcher Rookie Davis continued his hot start this season. He pitched five scoreless innings, giving up two hits and striking out one and lowered his earned-run average to 0.78.
Pensacola reliever Alejandro Chacin earned his first Double-A victory (1-0) pitching the last 1.1 innings. In his eighth appearance on the year, he gave up two hits and struck out four. He has now struck out 14 hitters in 9.1 innings this year.
In the first game, Birmingham scored the final six runs to win, 8-3, over Pensacola.
Pensacola first baseman Donald Lutz knocked in all three of Pensacola’s runs in the first game of the doubleheader and got on base all three times. Lutz, who’s batting .164 this season, blasted a two-out, two-run home run to center field in top of the second inning. His first dinger of the season came in his 55th at bat this season. Lutz’s homer scored Ervin, who singled to lead off the inning.
Lutz also tripled in the fourth inning with two out to again drive in Ervin, who was hit by a pitch, and put Pensacola ahead, 3-2. It would be the Blue Wahoos last run of the shortened seven-inning game.
Birmingham catcher Jeremy Dowdy led the Baron’s doubling in two runs with the bases loaded in the fourth inning to put Birmingham ahead, 4-2, for good. Dowdy also hit his first homer of the season in the sixth inning that brought in second baseman Joey DeMichele, giving the Baron’s its second consecutive victory in the five-game series. For the game, Dowdy was 2-3 with a double, home run, run scored and four RBIs.
Tate Wins Regional Quarterfinal
April 28, 2016
The Tate High Aggies won the regional quarterfinal Wednesday night 4-2 over Navarre. The Aggies are headed to the regional semifinals as they host Milton on Tuesday.
Trace Penton gave up just two hits, allowed no earned runs, walked one and struck out two during his three innings of work. Jake Davis pitched the win. He allowed two runs over four innings. He struck out three, walked two and surrendered three hits.
Tate hitters – Mason Land 2-3 R; Logan McGuffey 1-2 HR, RBI, R; Logan Blackmon 1-3 RBI.
Ernest Ward’s Dive Team Places At County Championship
April 27, 2016
The Ernest Ward Middle School Dive Team earned a second and a 10th place finish during the Escambia County Diving Championships at Washington High School.
The Ernest Ward Dive Team consisted of just two team members — Jayda Crabtree and Louis Crabtree III. Jayda placed 2nd, with a total score of 154.95. Louis placed 10th with a score of 114.60. Their scores will be added to Ernest Ward’s County Girls and Boys Swim Teams final score.
There were a total of 29 divers in the competition.
Pictured: Ernest Ward Middle School Dive Team Coach Randy Sanderson, Jayda Crabtree, Coach Betty Coon, Louis Crabtree III. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Jackson Wins Finale 5-3 Over The Blue Wahoos
April 27, 2016
Coming off Tommy John surgery, Cincinnati Reds starter Homer Bailey consistently threw his fastball in the 93-95 mph range in his second rehab start in the minor leagues against the Jackson Generals.
Jackson, though, ended Pensacola’s three game winning streak by taking the final game of the series, 5-3, in front of 3,317 at Admiral Fetterman Field at Blue Wahoos Stadium. The Blue Wahoos won the third of four series to start this year. Pensacola won the series, 3-2, with its win Monday night.
Bailey’s first pitch was 94 mph. But he did give up a first inning run when Jackson center fielder Guillermo Heredia, who was hit in the back of his shoulder on a 93 mph fastball, scored on left-handed hitting Leon Landry’s single to left field where the shortstop normally plays but the Blue Wahoos had shifted right, expecting Landry to pull the ball.
It would be Jackson’s only earned run in the first three innings.
The normally error-proof Pensacola defense, the best in the Southern League, made five errors in the second and third innings to make four of Jackson’s five runs unearned. The defensive meltdown happened behind Bailey’s second rehab pitching assignment and led to three unearned runs in the third and one unearned run in the second inning, putting Jackson on top, 5-2.
Bailey didn’t blame the Blue Wahoos defense, though, whose previous high was two errors this season in a game against Jackson. They had nine errors total coming into the final game of the series.
“I would say this one was a bit uglier,” said Bailey. “I wouldn’t say it was a smooth four innings. We had some obstacles we had to overcome.”
Bailey gave up six hits, five runs, one earned, walked two and struck out three in his four innings of work. Bailey, who hasn’t pitched a Major League game in almost a year, threw 78 pitches total.
Pensacola manager Pat Kelly shrugged off his young defense’s uncharacteristic showing.
“Those things happen,” Kelly said. “We really put (Bailey) in a bad spot having to throw so many additional pitches.”
Bailey, who has a career 58-51 record in nine major league seasons with two no-hitters, said he looks forward to returning to the Cincinnati starting rotation and picking up where he left off before two seasons of injuries. He got two starts last season and then was out in September 2014 after a torn flexor tendon.
“It’s been a long road that we could talk about for an hour,” Bailey said about his recovery. “I’m just trying to build up my endurance and trying to stay sharp. I’m looking forward to getting back to Great American Ballpark and being with guys I’ve played with the last five or six years. We’re holding our own and doing a lot better than people thought we would this season.”
Bailey was the second Reds pitcher to get a start in the series against Jackson. On Sunday, Anthony DeSclafini started his first rehab game, as he recovers from an oblique strain suffered in Spring Training. Bailey threw in Louisville April 21 and expects to throw one more game in the minors before returning to the Reds rotation.
Kelly said Bailey and DeSclafini may pay off for his strong pitching that leads the Southern League with a 2.24 ERA. But he would have liked to stick with his rotation.
“It probably pays off at the end of the season with all that time off,” he said. “I have five major league pitchers playing for me already, as far as I’m concerned. I’ll take my five and go to the big leagues tomorrow. You can’t beat what they’ve done.”
This series it was the Blue Wahoos hitting that carried the day. It hit .189 in its 5-game losing streak and averaged 1.4 runs per game, including losing back-to-back 1-0 games to the Biloxi Shuckers and Jackson Generals.
But the Blue Wahoos hit 32-102 or .314 during its three-game winning streak over Jackson, and scored 8.3 runs per game. For the series, it hit .287 against Jackson pitching.