Wahoos Beat Jacksonville
August 6, 2015
Pitching was the name of the game as the Pensacola Blue Wahoos (23-16, 48-59) took down the Jacksonville Suns (13-25, 42-66) by a score of 2-1 at Bragan Field. With tonight’s win, the Blue Wahoos clinched the series over the Suns.
Wahoos starter Cody Reed (2-0, 0.60) was dominant as he shut out the Suns through 8.0 innings while striking out a career-high 12 batters. Reed has allowed only one run through 14.0 innings with the Wahoos. His 12 strikeouts were also a season-high for a Wahoos pitcher. Zack Weiss earned the save, his 15th of the season.
Despite allowing only a pair of runs on three hits through 7.0 innings, Jacksonville starter Scott Lyman (0-7) is still looking for his first Double-A win. Lyman was dominant until the seventh inning, as he had allowed but a hit and two walks to that point.
Juan Duran and Ryan Wright, who each had a critical extra-base RBI in the seventh inning to break the scoreless tie, led the Wahoos at the plate. Bryson Smith, Alex Blandino and Jesse Winker also recorded hits for the Blue Wahoos. Winker now has a five-game hit streak and is batting .368 in the month of August.
The first run of the game came in the top of the seventh on a Duran RBI double to the left-center field gap that scored Marquez Smith from first. Wright would then bring Duran home on a triple over the head of Kenny Wilson in center.
Matt Juengel made some noise for the Suns in the bottom of the ninth with a deep homer over the left field wall. Weiss, however, responded with a pair of outs to earn the save.
The Blue Wahoos return home Friday to begin a five-game series against the Birmingham Barons.
Blue Wahoos Take The Golden Skillet
August 5, 2015
The Jacksonville Suns managed just one run and four hits in 14 innings Tuesday, and the Pensacola Blue Wahoos clinched the Golden Skillet for the first time in the club’s four years of franchise history.
Pensacola won both games, 1-0, and, 12-1, and the Blue Wahoos clinched the trophy with an 11-7 edge in the series with two more games against Jacksonville to play at Bragan Field.
In the second game, Yovan Gonzalez lined a solo home run to left center field in the third inning to give Pensacola the win. It was his second homer of the season.
Meanwhile, Blue Wahoos starter Wandy Peralta allowed just one hit, walked one and struck out five in five innings. He improved to 7-7 with a 5.42 ERA for Pensacola. Closer Zack Weiss struck out one and allowed one hit to earn his Blue Wahoos-leading 14th save.
The Blue Wahoos won the first game of the doubleheader Tuesday, 12-1, when Pensacola used four pitchers to keep the Suns hitless until center fielder Kenny Wilson singled off Miguel Celestino to lead off the ninth inning. The game was suspended due to rain in the third inning Monday night at Bragan Field.
Until Celestino entered the game, Sal Romano, Jacob Johnson and Joel Bender put together eight innings of hitless ball against Jacksonville. Johnson gave up one unearned run, four walks and struck out four in five innings to improve his record to 4-2.
Romano struck out two in his two innings of work Monday in his Double-A debut, while Bender struck out one in his inning of work.
Jacksonville scored its only run in the fifth inning of the first game when third baseman David Adams walked and scored on a passed ball by Pensacola catcher Kyle Skipworth.
Pensacola benefitted from a solo home run in the third inning by right fielder Jesse Winker, his eighth homer of the season. In addition, second baseman Alex Blandino hit his first Double-A home run when he hit a two-run blast in the fourth inning. Blue Wahoos third baseman Seth Mejias-Brean also went 3-5 with a double, run scored and three RBIs and now has 40 RBIs for Pensacola this season.
Pensacola (22-16, 47-59) is in second place in the second half of the Southern League South Division, while the Jacksonville Suns dropped to last place (13-25, 42-65).
Over 1,000 Florida Hunters Bag Permits For Bear Hunt
August 4, 2015
More than 1,00 permits to hunt bears this fall were sold by Tuesday morning, the first time in more than two decades that such licenses have been available in Florida.
The sale of the special-use permits — available throughout the state at tax collectors’ offices, online and at sporting-goods stores that sell hunting and fishing supplies — began despite a lawsuit that was filed Friday against the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to try to halt the hunt.
“I do know the permits are being sold and being sold successfully,” Diane Eggeman, director of the commission’s Division of Hunting and Game Management, said Monday morning.
The state hasn’t estimated how many permits — which cost $100 for Florida residents and $300 for non-residents — will be bought by Oct. 23, the day before the hunt begins.
The hunt is slated to last from two to seven days, depending on the number of bears killed.
Laura Bevan, southern regional director for the Humane Society of the United States, said people seeking permits are only doing so to get trophies, and she doesn’t believe the state is doing enough to limit the number of bears that will be killed.
“All the hunters will go into the woods at the same time. We’re really worried that it’s going to be a slaughterhouse,” Bevan said. “This is a (bear) population that only came off the threatened list 2 1/2 years ago. This is a population that’s under pressure from development, from poaching, from all kinds of things, and now we’re going to open up a hunt.”
The Humane Society supports but isn’t a party to the lawsuit seeking to stop the bear hunt. The lawsuit was filed in Leon County circuit court by the Seminole County-based environmental group Speak Up Wekiva.
“Even if we feel that the hunt is unethical and unscientific there may not be a legal way to stop it,” Bevan said.
The permits went on sale at 5 a.m. Monday. All but six of the first bear permits sold were to Florida hunters.
The state is seeking a 20 percent reduction in the bear population, which is estimated around 3,000. That percentage reduction includes bears dying naturally or getting killed by vehicles, as well as those killed in the hunt.
“We want to reach that minimum number, that harvest objective, so we can reach the stabilization of the populations,” Eggeman said.
The state hasn’t put a limit on the number of special-use bear permits that will be sold, but each hunter will be limited to killing a single bear during the week.
Eggeman said officials don’t expect the hunt to exceed bear-hunting quotas that will be set for each of the four regions of the state where hunting will be allowed — the eastern Panhandle, Northeast Florida, east-central Florida and South Florida.
The commission will set the final quota numbers for each region in September.
Other than to say they are confident a judge will support the commission’s approval of the bear hunt, state officials aren’t discussing the merits of the lawsuit.
The lawsuit contends the rules for the hunt go against a 1998 voter-approved constitutional amendment that created the commission as an independent body “to conduct management, preservation and conservation decision-making based upon sound science.” The complaint also claims the bear hunt is not based upon sound science and won’t reduce growing conflicts between bears and humans.
The lawsuit didn’t ask a judge to halt the commission from offering the permits.
But supporters of the lawsuit contend the permitting should wait until the courts rule on the lawsuit to reduce the risk of having to refund money to people who have paid.
Opponents of the hunt have argued that Florida’s increased human population is expanding into wildlife habitat and that the state should further implement non-lethal rules, such as bear-proofing trash containers, prohibiting people from feeding wild bears and cracking down on the illegal harvesting of saw palmetto berries, which is a staple of a bear’s diet.
by Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida
Wahoos And Suns Suspended
August 4, 2015
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos (20-16, 45-59) and the Jacksonville Suns (13-23, 42-63) were suspended due to rain in the third inning Monday night at Bragan Field. Pensacola holds a 3-0 lead and the game will be resumed Tuesday at 4:35 p.m. CT. The third game of the series will start 30 minutes after the conclusion of the opener.
The Blue Wahoos got on board in the first inning as Alex Blandino doubled in his first Double-A at bat and then scored on a double by Seth Mejias-Brean. Mejias-Brean’s double also scored Jesse Winker who got on base after being walked by Ivan Pineyro.
Also making his Double-A debut was starting pitcher Sal Romano. Romano, the Reds No. 17 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, struck out his first two batters. In two innings of work, he did not give up a hit or walk.
In the second inning, Romano had a RBI sacrifice fly to score Sean Buckley and make the game 3-0.
RHP Jacob Johnson will resume the game for the Blue Wahoos while RHP Casey McCarthy will come in for the Suns. The game will be nine innings while the second game will be seven.
LHP Wandy Peralta (6-7, 5.71) will take the mound for the Blue Wahoos while the Suns will send out Matt Tomshaw (5-8, 4.25) for the final game of the night.
The Blue Wahoos are taking on the Jacksonville Suns through Thursday.
Wahoos Fall Late To Suns
August 3, 2015
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos (20-16, 45-59) fell to the Jacksonville Suns (13-23, 42-63) 5-4 at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville Sunday evening. After the Wahoos jumped out to a 3-0 lead, the Suns tied the game 4-4 in the seventh inning and took a 5-4 lead in the eighth.
Pensacola starter Daniel Wright went 5.2 innings while allowing three runs on five hits. Reliever Kyle McMyne (1-4) earned the loss in 1.1 innings of work, as he would allow Jacksonville to take the late lead on a sacrifice fly.
Jacksonville starter Jarlin Garcia pitched 5.0 innings and allowed three early runs on six hits. The win went to Juancito Martinez (1-2), who did not allow a hit or a run through 1.2 innings of work. Kyle Barraclough earned his second save as he struck out the side in the ninth.
The Wahoos were led at the plate by Yovan Gonzalez and Juan Perez. Gonzalez went 2-4 with two doubles and a walk, while Perez went 2-3 with a double and a stolen base.
The Wahoos got off to a strong start as Zach Vincej and Jesse Winker both singled to open the first inning. Marquez Smith would bring Vincej home from third on an RBI groundout to make it 1-0 in favor of Pensacola.
Pensacola struck again in the top of the fourth to score a pair of runs in the frame. A single by Perez and a Gonzalez double would set things up for Beau Amaral, who would single to shallow center and make it 2-0. Vincej would later bring Gonzalez home on a sacrifice fly to make it 3-0.
The Blue Wahoos faced danger in the bottom half of the fourth as a single and a pair of walks loaded the bases for Eudy Pina. However, Wright was able to force him to pop out, ending the threat for Jacksonville.
The Suns were able to get on the board in the bottom of the fifth as pinch-hitter Ryan Rieger would bring Zack Cox home on an RBI single, making the score 3-1.
The Wahoos would score again in the sixth, as Perez would reach home as a bad pickoff attempt resulted in a throwing error. Perez had doubled and stolen third on the previous two at-bats.
Jacksonville would lead off the bottom half with a J.T. Riddle single. Matt Juengel would then bring him home on a double to left, making it 4-2. Juengel would then come home on a sacrifice fly from Pina.
The Suns would tie the game in the seventh on an RBI single form Riddle to score David Adams. McMyne was then able to force a double play with the bases loaded to avoid further damage.
Jacksonville would take the lead for good in the eighth on a sacrifice fly to right off the bat of Adams, bringing Pina home to make it 5-4 in favor of the Suns.
The Blue Wahoos are taking on the Jacksonville Suns through Thursday.
Pensacola Captures Series Against Chattanooga With 8-1 Win
August 2, 2015
For 7.2 innings, Pensacola Blue Wahoos pitcher Barrett Astin gave up just two hits to the Chattanooga Lookouts — a team third in the Southern League in team hitting at .261.
Astin also struck out a season-high nine Lookouts as Pensacola pulled out an 8-1 win and captured the first series this season against Chattanooga, 3-2, Saturday at AT&T Field.
In the third inning, Pensacola would get all the runs they needed when first baseman Marquez Smith lined a double to score left fielder Jesse Winker and go up, 1-0. Right fielder Juan Duran then singled in Smith for a 2-0 lead.
Smith and Duran were the stars of Pensacola’s 15-hit attack on Saturday. Smith was 2-4 with two doubles, scoring three runs and driving in two more. He now has a team-leading 17 doubles on the year with a team-leading 37 RBIs and is batting .275.
Duran was 3-5 with four RBIs, including two RBIs. He has 22 RBIs and is batting .308 in 29 games for Pensacola.
Pensacola third baseman Seth Mejias-Brean got on base four times, going 2-3, with two walks, one run scored and also drove in his 37th run of the year. Meanwhile, DH Sean Buckley also reached base four times on three hits and a walk in five total at bats.
The team hit a season-high eight doubles in the game, the most since hitting seven against April 20th at Birmingham. Bryson Smith, Jesse Winker, Kyle Skipworth and Buckley each added a double a piece to the evening.
Astin cruised into the eighth and got the first two batters out before walking the next two batters and giving up a run scoring single to shortstop Jorge Palanco. In seven starts since June 29 with the Blue Wahoos, Astin is 3-2 with a 3.48 ERA. He has struck out 37 batters in 44 innings with the Double-A team.
The Blue Wahoos travel to take on the Jacksonville Suns beginning Sunday.
Blackwater Forest Home To First-Ever XTERRA Triathlon This Weekend
August 1, 2015
XTERRA, the global sport of off-road triathlon that has been contested world-wide for over 20 years, comes to the area this weekend. One Sunday, a sold out field of 150 athletes will swim, bike, and run in and around Bear Lake in hopes of claiming the first ever XTERRA Blackwater title.
Staged in the beautiful Blackwater River State Forest at the Bear Lake Recreation Area, the race consists of an 800 yard swim, a 13 mile mountain bike and a 3.75 mile trail run.
Nine states will be represented once the start gun fires. Included in the field is accomplished pro triathlete Sara McLarty. The Clermont, FL, resident was the 2005 USA Triathlon Rookie of the Year, a member of Team USA in the 2007 and 2011 Pan-Am Games, and has numerous top 10 and top 5 finishes at premier triathlons around the world.
Hosted by SOML Racing (So Others May Live), a non-profit organization consisting of Naval Aviation Rescue Swimmers, families, and friends, it’s an organization that strives to be a formidable force in the lives of those whose seek to better themselves mentally and physically, as every Navy rescue swimmer knows, “So Others May Live!”
Wahoos Even Series With Win Over Chattanooga
August 1, 2015
Cody Reed (W, 1-0) was stellar in his organizational debut Friday night at AT&T Field in Chattanooga, leading the Blue Wahoos to a 4-1 win to even the series. Reed earned the win while matching his season-high with seven strong innings allowing just a first-inning run. He walked only one and struck out six.
The Lookouts took advantage of a leadoff double in the first inning by Shannon Wilkerson to take a 1-0 lead. The game stayed that way until Pensacola rallied in the seventh. With Juan Duran at second after a one-out double, Seth Mejias-Brean ripped a groundball right between the legs of the first baseman D.J. Hicks. Duran scored on the error to tie the game and snap Pensacola’s scoreless streak at 15 innings. Mejias-Brean scored the go-ahead run when Sean Buckley singled him home later in the inning.
The Wahoos added to their lead with a couple more runs in the eighth. Duran came through again with a two-run single scoring Ryan Wright and Jesse Winker to make it a 4-1 game. Duran led the offense with a 3-for-4 night including the two RBI and a run scored.
The bullpen finished strong for the Blue Wahoos. Kevin Shackelford pitched a scoreless eighth inning in his third outing since returning from the disabled list. Zack Weiss picked up his 13th save by striking out the side in order in the ninth.
Chattanooga’s Greg Peavey (6-3) took the loss after allowing two runs, one earned, on five hits over 6.1 innings.
Pensacola will look for their third series win of the second half tomorrow night. RHP Barrett Astin (2-2, 3.96) is expected to be activated prior to the game going up against LHP David Hurlbut (7-4, 3.77). First pitch is set for 6:15 CT from AT&T Field in Chattanooga, Tenn.
The Blue Wahoos are on a 10-day road trip against the Chattanooga Lookouts and Jacksonville Suns.
Ernest Ward Cheerleaders Attend Summer Camp; Five Named ‘All American’
July 30, 2015
The 2015-2016 Ernest Ward Middle School Cheerleaders attended a three-day Universal Cheerleaders Association camp at the school this week, learning new cheers, stunts, chants and dances for the upcoming year.
Five of the girls were chosen as UCA All-American and will have the opportunity to to cheer in the Thanksgiving Day Parade at Disney’s Magic Kingdom in Orlando.
Award presented included:
- Anna Adams- All American and Most Improved
- Lexi Broadhead- All American
- Jada Crabtree- All American
- Ashlan Harigel- All American, Dancing Diva and Camp MVP
- Cloe Smith- All American and Best Attitude
Pictured: Ernest Ward Middle School UCA All-American cheerleaders (L-R, standing) Cloe Smith, Ashlan Harigel, Lexi Broadhead, Jada Crabtree, and (kneeling) Anna Adams. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Blue Wahoos Win In Extra Innings
July 30, 2015
It took 10 runs, 16 hits and seven pitchers, but the Pensacola Blue Wahoos (18-14, 43-57) got back into the win column after a 10-9 win over the Chattanooga Lookouts (12-18, 55-43) at AT&T Field Wednesday night.
With multi-hits from four different players, Pensacola registered season-highs in runs, hits and RBIs in the extra-inning game. Both Juan Perez and Beau Amaral went 3-5 with a run and three RBIs while Juan Duran went 3-5 with two runs and a RBI. Seth Mejias-Brean went 2-3 with two runs, an RBI and a walk.
The Blue Wahoos started the game by scoring two runs on three hits in the first inning for an early lead. After a leadoff single, Ryan Wright scored off of Duran’s RBI single. Duran later scored off of Perez’s single to shallow left field.
Starting pitcher Tim Adleman left the game in the second inning with an elbow injury after giving up one hit in 1.2 innings. RHP Jacob Johnson came into relief and threw 3.1 innings of work allowing two runs on five hits in his first appearance for the Blue Wahoos since being transferred back from Louisville.
With two-outs in the second inning, Pensacola added two more runs to the scoreboard as Duran got his second single of the game and Seth Mejias-Brean notched his 12th double of the season. Perez knocked them in with a double to the right field wall. Perez’s three RBIs are a season-high and the most since July 20, 2014 for the Bakersfield Blaze.
The Lookouts got on the board in the fourth inning as Stuart Turner was walked by Johnson and then advanced to second on a wild pitch. Levi Michael doubled on a line drive to right-center field to score Turner.
In the fifth inning, Marquez Smith was walked and advanced to third on a deep double to left field by Duran for his third hit of the night. Smith scored on a sacrifice fly by Mejias-Brean as the Blue Wahoos took a 5-1 lead.
Heiker Meneses scored for Chattanooga in the bottom of the fifth off of a RBI double by Max Kepler to make the game 5-2. LHP Joel Bender came into the game for the Wahoos in the sixth inning and gave up two runs on three hits to make it 5-4.
After a few quiet innings, the Lookouts went on a scoring rampage in the eighth. Meneses started the inning with a single. Patrick Shuster came in to replace Miguel Celestino on the mound. Celestino promptly gave up a home run to Kelpler. After a single, fielding error and two walks, Aderlin Mejia drove in two runs to take an 8-5 lead.
The Blue Wahoos began a comeback and tied the game 8-8 in the ninth inning. Beau Amaral hit a one-run single to score Ray Chang. Smith double to right field to drive in both Cam Maron and Amaral.
In the top of the 10th, the Blue Wahoos scored two runs on Amaral’s double to right field scoring both Mejias-Brean and Perez.
Zack Weiss, who came into the game in the ninth inning, registered his first career Double-A win going 2.0 innings recording three hits, one run, one walk and one strikeout.
The Blue Wahoos are on a 10-day road trip against the Chattanooga Lookouts and Jacksonville Suns.