Results: Northview Preseason Volleyball Classic
August 21, 2015
Here are results from a volleyball preseason classic Thursday at Northview High School
Court 1, Game 1 Laurel Hill vs Central
20-25, 26-24, 17-15 Laurel Hill wins
Court 2, Game 1 Jay vs PCA
32-34, 25-14, 15-9 Jay wins
Court 1, Game 3 Laurel Hill vs NHS
25-17, 26-24 Laurel Hill wins
Court 2, Game 4 Central vs PCA
25-21, 26-16 Central wins
Court 1, Game 5 Jay vs Laurel hill
20-25, 27-25, 15-12 Jay wins
NorthEscambia.com photos by Gary Amerson, click to enlarge.
Wahoos Top Lookouts
August 21, 2015
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos (30-23 ,55-66) came away victorious over the Chattanooga Lookouts (23-28, 66-53) by a score of 3-1 in front of 4,156 fans Thursday night at Pensacola Bayfront Stadium.
Wahoos starter Tim Adleman (8-8) was stellar once again as he pitched 7.1 innings while allowing only one run on five hits. The effort brought his ERA down to 2.21, the best among Southern League starters. Adleman did not allow a run until the eighth inning, allowing him to reach 19.2 consecutive innings pitched without a run allowed. The feat is the longest for a Wahoo pitcher this season, breaking his previous record of 17.1 innings.
Chattanooga starter Aaron Slegers (1-2) earned the loss despite a decent effort, allowing three runs on six hits through 6.2 innings. Zack Weiss earned the save for the Wahoos, his 22nd of the season. The number ties a team record for saves in a season.
Kyle Skipworth, who went 2-3 with an RBI and a run, led the Wahoos at the plate. It marked Skipworth’s first multi-hit game since June 22nd.
The Wahoos got on the board first in the bottom of the second when Skipworth brought Marquez Smith home on an RBI single up the middle. It was Skipworth’s first RBI since August 6th at Jacksonville.
Chattanooga threatened in the top of the fourth, but Juan Duran came up big in the outfield. D.J. Hicks tagged up at third on a would-be sacrifice fly, but Duran was able to one-hop a throw from right field to Skipworth at the plate, ending the frame.
The Wahoos extended the lead in the bottom of the seventh. Ray Chang’s shot to the corner in left resulted in an RBI double that scored Skipworth. Beau Amaral made it 3-0 on an RBI single that plated Chang.
Amaral also came up huge with two SportsCenter worthy diving catches in center field while Phillip Ervin, who made his Double-A debut, raved for an out in left field.
The Lookouts cut into the lead in the eighth inning on a Max Kepler RBI single. Kepler extended his hit streak to nine games on the play.
Chattanooga Tops The Pensacola Blue Wahoos 11-0
August 20, 2015
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos (29-23, 54-66) fell to the Chattanooga Lookouts (23-27, 66-52) by a score of 11-0 in front of 3,852 fans at Pensacola Bayfront Stadium. The loss puts the Wahoos half of a game behind the Mobile BayBears, who were postponed due to rain.
Pensacola starter Sal Romano (0-2) earned the loss on a rough night in which he wasn’t able to get through the first inning. He allowed five runs on five hits and two walks.
Chattanooga starter, Brett Lee (5-4), a Pensacola native and West Florida High grad, earned the win with 7.0 shutout innings. Lee allowed only two hits in the effort.
Joel Bender was the star of the night for the Wahoos, pitching 4.0 shutout innings in the middle of the game. The effort was his longest of the year for the Wahoos.
The Wahoos would only get three hits on the nights against Lookout pitching, with Alex Blandino, Yovan Gonzalez and Ryan Wright each hitting safely.
The Lookouts got things started with bang, as they scored five runs on five hits in the top of the first inning. All of the runs were scored with two outs, and Jacob Johnson would replace Romano before the frame’s conclusion.
Chattanooga would extend the lead to 7-0 in the next inning with a two-run shot from Max Kepler. They would then add two more on a two-run double from Stuart Turner.
Jorge Polanco would make it 10-0 in favor of the Lookouts in the third, taking a solo shot to the bay in left field.
The crowd received a much-needed jolt of enthusiasm in the ninth as infielder and fan favorite Ray Chang took the mound for the Wahoos. He allowed a run on a hit and a walk in his fourth appearance in 11 years.
Pensacola Tops Chattanooga
August 19, 2015
Pensacola right fielder Juan Duran knocked in three of the club’s six runs in the first two innings as the Blue Wahoos pulled out a series opening victory over the Chattanooga Lookouts.
Duran tripled in two runs and hit a sacrifice fly to knock in another run as Pensacola cruised to an 8-4 win in front of 3,909 Tuesday night at Pensacola Bayfront Stadium.
Since finishing rehab in Arizona, Duran has played 42 games and has four home runs, 34 RBIs and is hitting .270 for the Blue Wahoos in July and August. He went 1-4 and scored a run against Chattanooga. His 22 extra base hits are second in the Southern League in the second half of this season.
Pensacola improved to 29-22 in the South Division in the second half of the Southern League season and catapulted into a first place tie with the Mobile BayBears, who lost to the Jacksonville Suns. The latest the Blue Wahoos had been in first place before now was July 22, 2012 — the team’s inaugural season.
Pensacola manager Pat Kelly said he looks forward to Duran coming to the plate.
“Juan has been terrific,” he said. “He’s really good with runners in scoring position, especially with two outs. Having his presence in the lineup really helps.”
Chattanooga was playing in front of its parent club Minnesota Twins general manager Terry Ryan on Thursday. Ryan coincidentally is from the same hometown as Blue Wahoos owner Quint Studer in Janesville, Wisc.
Ryan watched as Pensacola wasted no time chasing Chattanooga starter Greg Peavy in the second inning, after going up, 6-0. Duran drove in three of those runs on a line drive triple that rolled to the wall in the right-center gap, scoring center fielder Bryson Smith and shortstop Alex Blandino in the first inning. His deep sacrifice fly to center field scored left fielder Beau Amaral in the second inning.
Amaral added two more runs when he blasted a home run, his fourth of the year, to left field in the sixth inning that also brought in second baseman Zach Vincej to put the Blue Wahoos up, 8-3.
Pensacola has had a home run outburst in the second half. It has gone from last place in home runs in the Southern League with 25 in the first half to fourth place with 44 home runs in the second half for 69 on the season.
Amaral’s sister, Jessica, who played softball at UCLA, was in Pensacola for the first time and got to watch her big brother hit his fourth home run of the season.
“I need her to come to more games,” Amaral said jokingly. “It was cool for her to come out here.”
Starting right-hander Daniel Wright checked Chattanooga the first two innings, retiring the side both times and striking out four. He retired the side five of the seven innings he worked. In all, he lasted 6.1 innings before walking two in the seventh.
Wright had one bad inning when the Lookouts added three in the third inning on a solo home run by shortstop Niko Goodrum and then center fielder Shannon Wilkerson and third baseman Steve Wickens both scored when Duran fumbled a bloop single by right fielder Max Kepler, earning an error on the play. The Lookouts pulled within, 6-3.
Blue Wahoos closer Zack Weiss entered the game in the eighth inning and earned his Southern League-leading 21st save on the season. Weiss is one save from the Pensacola franchise record of 22 saves set by Shane Dyer last season.
Winker Homers In Fifth Straight, Wahoos Win
August 16, 2015
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos (28-21, 53-64) defeated the Biloxi Shuckers (23-25, 66-50) in front of a packed house at MGM Park.
Jesse Winker homered in his fifth consecutive game to give the Wahoos the lead for good, as he hit a two-run blast in the eighth inning to break a scoreless tie. He finished 2-4 on the night and brought his home run total to 13 on the year. The homer was also his 10th of the second half.
Wahoos starter Cody Reed (3-1) pitched 7.0 scoreless innings while striking out ten batters in the victory. He was matched by Biloxi starter Tyler Wagner, who also pitched a 7.0 inning shutout. The loss went to Shuckers reliever Yhonathan Barrios (1-1), who allowed Winker’s two-run bomb. Zack Weiss earned the save for the Wahoos, his 20th of the season.
The Wahoos threatened in the top of the fourth as Ryan Wright led off with a double. However, he was eliminated at third on a throw from center fielder Brett Phillips after a Winker single. Marquez Smith would then single to put two on, but Wagner would retire the next two after that.
They came close to breaking the tie again in the seventh as Sean Buckley doubled with a man on base. Seth Mejias-Brean was then eliminated at home after a pair of great throws from Phillips and Orlando Arcia.
Winker broke the tie in the top of the eighth with a two-run blast to right-center. The homer was his fifth in as many games, matching Kyle Skipworth’s previous season high.
The Shuckers made things interesting in the bottom of the ninth as a sacrifice fly by Nick Shaw made it 2-1. However, Weiss was able to get his 20th save of the season with the potential tying run on third.
Four Games, Four Homers For Winker As The Wahoos Beat Biloxi
August 15, 2015
Pensacola left fielder Jesse Winker wasted no time in crushing his fourth homer in four games when he hit a deep fly ball to left field against Biloxi in the first inning.
Winker now has 12 homers and 44 RBIs, which leads the Blue Wahoos.
Winker’s dinger was the only run Pensacola needed as it pulled out a 1-0 victory over Biloxi Friday at MGM Park.
The win ended a two game slide and improved Pensacola’s record to 27-21 and a half game behind Mobile in second place in the second half of the South Division in the Southern League. Biloxi, the South’s first half winner, dropped to 23-24 and is in fourth place in the second half.
Last month, Pensacola catcher Kyle Skipworth hit five homers in five games. The Southern League record is six home runs in six games.
Winker, the top prospect in the Cincinnati Reds organization according to MLB Pipeline, finished the game 1-2 with a walk. He is hitting .311 in the second half with nine home runs and 27 RBIs. In August, he’s hitting .392 (20-51) and has a .455 on-base percentage.
Pensacola only other hit besides Winker’s was catcher Yovan Gonzalez’s double in his first at bat in the second inning. He went 1-3 and has now hit in six straight games. During his streak, Gonzalez is batting (10-19) with three doubles, two homers and four RBIs. He’s raised his average from .177 to .238.
In the eighth inning, Pensacola closer Zack Weiss came in relief of starter Tim Adleman after he allowed a double to left fielder Nathan Orf with one out. Adleman blanked the Shuckers for 7.1 innings, limiting them to five hits, one walk and striking out five. Adleman, who held Biloxi’s top five batters in the lineup to one hit in 20 at bats, improved to 7-8 and now owns a Southern League-leading 2.27 ERA.
Weiss retired the last five batters he faced, striking out two and is a top the Southern League in saves at 18.
Winker Homers Again, Wahoos Lose To Biloxi
August 14, 2015
Pensacola left fielder Jesse Winker hit a three-run homer in the third inning and now has smacked three homers in three games. The top prospect in the Cincinnati Reds organization according to MLB Pipeline now tops the Blue Wahoos with 11 home runs on the year and 43 RBIs.
Right fielder Juan Duran also homered against the Biloxi Shuckers in the inning and Pensacola went up, 4-1, at MGM Park.
But Biloxi broke out with five runs in the fifth and pulled out its second straight victory, 6-5, against Pensacola.
Blue Wahoos centerfielder Bryson Smith singled in shortstop Zach Vincej in the top of the ninth with two-out to pull Pensacola within one but that’s as close as it would get.
Biloxi’s big five-run inning started off with shortstop Orlando Arcia, ranked the eighth best prospect in America by Baseball America, hitting his 32nd double of the year to score two runs. Arcia would then score on a passed ball to tie the game, 4-4. Shuckers third baseman Taylor Green singled in the final two runs of the rally that sent nine batters to the plate and put Biloxi up, 6-4.
Pensacola fell to 26-21 and third place in the second half of the South Division in the Southern League. Biloxi, the first half winner, improved to 23-23 and is in fourth place behind Pensacola.
Meanwhile, Winker is hitting hotter than the sweltering August temperatures at .308 in the second half with eight home runs and 26 RBIs. In August, he’s hitting .387. He went 2-4 against Biloxi, his fourth multi-hit game in his past six games, with a run scored and the three-run shot.
Winkler Homers, Wahoos Lose To Biloxi
August 13, 2015
Jesse Winker hit his second solo home run in two games but it lead off the ninth inning and the Pensacola Blue Wahoos dropped the opener of its five-game series, 4-1, with the Biloxi Shuckers.
It was the first time the Blue Wahoos played in the Shuckers new MGM Park in downtown Biloxi near the Gulf of Mexico and Beau Rivage Casino.
Pensacola entered the game in first place in the second half but the loss dropped them to 26-20 in and one game behind the Mississippi Braves in the South Division of the Southern League. Biloxi, the first half winner, improved to 22-23 and is in fourth place in the second half.
The game was a far cry from the Blue Wahoos offensive explosion Tuesday against the Birmingham Barons when it scored 13 runs on a season-high 19 hits.
Wednesday night, Pensacola managed just one run on five hits. Winker, the Cincinnati Reds top prospect according to MLB Pipeline, was the only hitter to manage two hits, going 2-4 and reaching 40 RBIs on his solo blast to left field. He now hitting .303 in the second half with seven home runs and 23 RBIs.
Biloxi pitcher Jorge Lopez, the Milwaukee Brewers No. 9 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, pitched eight scoreless innings, allowing four hits, two walks and striking out eight. He improved to 11-5 with a 2.45 ERA on the year.
Center fielder Brett Phillips knocked in Biloxi’s first run in the second inning with a two-out double that scored catcher Adam Weisenburger for a 1-0 lead.
Biloxi added two more in the third when first baseman Nick Ramirez doubled in second baseman Nathan Orf and Weisenburger singled in Ramirez to go ahead, 3-0.
Biloxi scored its last run in the fourth inning when left fielder Victor Roache singled in Phillips to go up, 4-0.
Wahoos Win, Move Into Tie For First Place
August 12, 2015
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos exploded offensively — like a bull bursting out of the chute at the buzzer — with Jesse Winker, Bryson Smith and Juan Duran hitting long home runs to left field right out of the gate to put the club up 8-0 after the first two innings.
The Birmingham Barons tried to hang on but Pensacola won 13-10 and the Blue Wahoos captured its sixth series of the second half in front of 4,012 at Pensacola Bayfront Stadium.
Pensacola manager Pat Kelly said in his 40-plus years of managing, Tuesday’s game was one of the “craziest.”
“It was one of the craziest ones I’ve been a member of in quite a while,” Kelly said. “We scored so early we tried to keep emphasizing to our team to keep scoring.”
Pensacola’s offensive explosion included its first multi-homer inning this season when Bryson Smith and Duran both hit dingers in the second inning. Smith crushed a three-run homer and Duran smacked a mammoth, two-out homer over the lights in deep left field to put Pensacola up, 8-0.
Blue Wahoos left fielder Jesse Winker, the Cincinnati Reds top prospect according to MLB Pipeline, started a two-out, three-run rally in the first inning with an opposite field, solo home run that put the Blue Wahoos up 1-0. Pensacola tied its season-high of three home runs in a game.
Marquez Smith then smashed a grounder to Birmingham third baseman Tony Thomas who threw it wide of first, allowing Smith to reach second. Blue Wahoos right fielder Juan Duran’s sharp grounder to diving Barons’ shortstop Tim Anderson drove in Smith, who got a big jump on the hit and beat the throw to home plate to make the score, 2-0.
Pensacola added a third run when Duran scored on third baseman Seth Mejias-Brean’s double on a line drive that fell between the center fielder and right fielder.
By the time Birmingham stopped Pensacola’s breakout at the plate in the fifth inning, the Blue Wahoos had 11 runs and 14 hits, while Birmingham had no runs and three hits.
At the end of the game, Pensacola compiled 13 runs and a season-high 19 hits. Pensacola also added eight extra base hits and leads the Southern League with 127 extra base hits since July 1.
Every Blue Wahoos starter earned a hit Tuesday. Pensacola center fielder Bryson Smith led the way with a 5-6 night with two runs scored and four RBIs, which included his three-run homer and a double. Smith, who has three homers for Pensacola, said the five hits is the most he’s recorded in his professional career.
Smith, who has played in Pensacola at least once a season since its inaugural season in 2012, said he clobbered a hanging slider.
“The wind might have blown it out. I don’t know,” Smith said jokingly. “That was a lot of runs. At some point, you just want it to stop and it did thankfully.”
In addition, the teams combined for 33 hits, which ties the franchise record set against Jacksonville on Aug. 10, 2013.
The Pensacola franchise records are 17 runs and 22 hits in a 17-1 victory in Jacksonville on April 21, 2014.
Meanwhile, right-hander Barret Astin took care of the Barons, throwing six innings, giving up five runs on nine hits, striking out two and walking one.
Birmingham mounted its own offensive attack scoring seven runs over three innings from the fifth through the seventh. It included a three-run blast by first baseman Jeremy Dowdy in the fifth inning and a solo blast by third baseman Thomas in the sixth.
Pensacola came right back with two runs in the seventh inning to go back up 13-7 when Winker doubled in Bryson Smith and Duran singled past the second basemen to drive in Winker.
Birmingham still had more runs to score after Jacob May launched a three-run homer in the eighth inning to bring the Barons back within three, 13-10.
Kelly said he was trying to resist using closer Zack Weiss, who now has a Southern League-leading 18 saves and had struck out the side four times in his last six outings. Weiss recorded the last five outs in the score fest.
“In the fourth inning their best player (shortstop Tim Anderson) comes out of the game and they get within striking distance of beating us,” Kelly said. “There were times in the seventh and eighth that I thought we might lose it. It was chaos.”
The Blue Wahoos head to play the Biloxi Shuckers tied for first place with the Mississippi Braves in the second half in the Southern League South Division at 26-19 (51-62). Biloxi, which moved into its new stadium June 6, won the first half of the South Division.
Bryson Smith, who came from Triple-A Louisville July 17, said he’s looking forward to the five-game series, since Pensacola has not had a winning half yet.
“Obviously, we can’t put a lot of pressure on ourselves,” he said. “It’s fun to be in the hunt. We just have to do our best. I’ve been here a couple years, so it’s really nice to be a part of all of this.”
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos travel to play a five-game series beginning at 6:40 p.m. Wednesday against the Milwaukee Brewers Double-A affiliate the Biloxi Shuckers.
Wahoos Drop To B’ham
August 11, 2015
One of the areas that Pensacola Blue Wahoos manager Pat Kelly wanted to see improve in the second half was the team’s bullpen.
The Blue Wahoos used three relievers Monday, who allowed one run on seven hits and one walk over 6.1 innings and struck out four.
Despite the solid performances by Jacob Johnson, Joel Bender and Kyle McMyne in relief of starter Cody Reed, Pensacola dropped its second straight game to Southern League North Division leaders the Birmingham Barons, 7-2, in front of 4,136 at Pensacola Bayfront Stadium.
However, the Blue Wahoos remained tied for second place with the Mississippi Braves in the second half in the Southern League South Division at 25-19 (50-62).
The bullpen got its opportunity to show its stuff when Pensacola left-hander Cody Reed was chased after 2.2 innings. Reed came over in the Johnny Cueto trade July 26 with the Kansas City Royals and was making a much-anticipated Double-A start at home.
Kelly said the relievers kept Pensacola in the game. The Barons had the bases loaded in the second and seventh innings and runners at first and third in the third inning but couldn’t get a run across the plate.
“They did a great job,” Kelly said. “We had a couple of opportunities and they kept us in the game.”
Reed entered the game 2-0 in two starts on the road with a 0.60 ERA, giving up one run in 15 innings. The Southern League pitcher of the week, though, promptly faced nine batters and gave up five runs in the first inning to Birmingham. However, in the second inning he struck out the top of the Barons’ order.
But when the struggling Reed walked in a run in the third inning, he was pulled. His line was: 2.2 innings, six earned runs, three hits, five walks and three strikeouts.
Kelly said he liked that Reed kept his composure despite being in trouble most of his start.
“His command was a little off,” Kelly said. “He really competes. He came out in the second inning and struck out the side. I liked what I saw. He didn’t give in.”
Meanwhile, Birmingham starter Frankie Montas shut down the Blue Wahoos lineup over the first five innings. He allowed four hits one run and zero earned runs walked two and struck out five. Rated the No. 89 prospect in Major League Baseball, Montas improved to 4-3 and lowered his ERA to 2.59.
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos play the final game of a five-game series at 6:35 p.m. Tuesday against the Chicago White Sox Double-A affiliate the Birmingham Barons.