Wahoos Beat Mississippi
June 26, 2015
In the first game to start the second half of the Southern League season, the Pensacola Blue Wahoos scored nine runs on 14 hits.
Pensacola hit .240 in the first half of the season—the lowest in the league—but had four batters with multi-hit games Thursday in the Blue Wahoos, 9-3, victory over the Mississippi Braves.
Blue Wahoos right fielder Jesse Winker lead the way with a 2-5 night, including a two-run homer and scoring two runs. Lead-off batter Zach Vincej also went 2-5 and scored a run, while left fielder Sean Buckley went 3-5 and center fielder Beau Amaral was 2-4 and scored.
Pensacola went ahead, 6-0, scoring two runs in the second, third and fourth innings.
Blue Wahoos pitcher Wandy Peralta tripled in catcher Yovan Gonzalez and Amaral to put Pensacola up, 2-0, in the second.
In the third, first baseman Marquez Smith hit a two-run home run to left center that also scored third baseman Seth Mejias-Brean that gave Pensacola a 4-0 lead. It was Smith’s fourth homer in June. The 30-year-old Smith has driven in 10 runs, while hitting .333 and earning a .424 on-base percentage this month.
Then in the fourth, Winker crushed his fourth homer of the season, a two-run dinger to right center that brought in Vincej and put the Blue Wahoos on top, 6-0.
Mississippi cut the lead in the fifth inning to 6-3. Braves catcher Matt Kennelly smacked a double to centerfield that scored shortstop Emerson Landoni. Pinch hitter David Rohm then hit a soft liner to center that drove in second baseman Levi Hyams. Kennelly then ended up scoring when center fielder Matt Lipka grounded into a double play that cut Pensacola’s lead to 6-3.
Blue Wahoos pinch hitter Juan Silva then doubled with two outs. He stole third, his sixth of the season, and Kennelly made a throwing error on the play to score Silva, 7-3, in the eighth inning.
In the ninth, Pensacola added two more runs when Mejias-Brean tripled in Winker for an 8-3 lead. Then Blue Wahoos second baseman Juan Perez singled to left to drive in Mejias-Brean to go up, 9-3.
Peralta improved to 3-6 on the season with a 4.85 ERA. In five innings of work, he allowed three earned runs on eight hits and three walks.
Jay Lindsey Named Tate Head Football Coach
June 25, 2015
Jay Lindsey has been named head football coach at Tate High School.
Lindsey was named interim coach in late March.
Lindsey was offensive coordinator for the Aggies last season and led the team through the spring. He has nine years coaching experience, including his time at Tate and years at Pace High school.
Lindsey’s appointment follows the resignation of Ronnie Douglas, who stepped down to spend more time on his business ventures.
Tate, Jay Players Named To All State Softball Teams; Wyatt Coach Of Year
June 25, 2015
The Miracle Sports All-State softball teams were named Wednesday.
Tate High School’s Tori Perkins was named the 7A pitcher of the year, and Tate coach Melinda Wyatt was named the 7A coach of the year.
Perkins and Casey McCrackin were named 7A first team. Rachel Wright, Hayden Lindsay and Lauren Brennan were named to the state second team.
In 1A, Jay’s Destiny Herring, Michaela Stewart and Harley Tagert were named to the first team, while the Royals’ Dana Blackmon, Samantha Steadham, Avery Jackson and Emily Dobson were named to the second team.
Pictured: Tori Perkins (L) shortly after Tate won the Class 7A softball championship, and Coach Melinda Wyatt (right) tosses a ceremonial first pitch for the Blue Wahoos. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Northview Beats Washington
June 22, 2015
Coming off two losses on Saturday, the Northview Chiefs lost to Walton County 7-5 before bouncing back with a 7-3 win over Washington High School on Sunday at Escambia High School. Photos by Ramona Preston for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Mobile Beats Wahoos
June 22, 2015
Pensacola knocked two home runs Sunday while Mobile added five – which ties a franchise record – in an offensive explosion that saw ball flying out of Pensacola Bayfront Stadium like a disturbed flock of seagulls at rest on the beach.
Mobile defeated rival Pensacola, 11-4, in front of 4,005 fans and now have won eight of 10 games against the Blue Wahoos this season.
“We just couldn’t keep the ball in the park,” said Pensacola manager Pat Kelly. “This is a ballpark that’s not conducive to home runs. I didn’t expect to see a lot of balls in the air. I expected to see a lot of ground balls. It was as much of a surprise to me as the fans.”
Leading the way Sunday for the BayBears was centerfielder Gabriel Guerrero with a two-run and solo shot for three RBIs in his first two at bats. Guerrero, the nephew of nine-time All-Star Vladimir Guerrero, now has four homers on the season. Mobile shortstop Jack Reinheimer (2), left fielder Zach Borenstein (4) and third baseman Sean Jamieson (3) also knocked it out of the park.
This series, the BayBears hit 10 home runs in 25 innings off Pensacola pitching. For perspective, Pensacola only has 14 home runs at home this season.
Pensacola first baseman Marquez Smith clubbed his third home run of the month Sunday when he smashed a two-out, two-run line drive over the left field wall in the third inning that pulled Pensacola within one, 3-2. It was also the first hit of the game for Pensacola, which has seen its starting nine go hitless in their first appearances at the plate in the past three games against Mobile.
Few Blue Wahoos batters have hit as well as Smith has in June. The 30-year-old minor league veteran has driven in eight runs, while hitting .339 and earning a .405 on-base percentage.
Blue Wahoos second baseman Juan Perez then hit his first homer in Double-A just inside the left field foul pole in the fourth inning and Pensacola trailed Mobile, 4-3.
However, Mobile put the game away in the sixth inning with five runs to go up, 11-3. It got a three-run homer by Borenstein and a solo shot to the left-center gap to start off the inning by Jamieson.
Mobile jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the second inning when Guerrero crushed a two-run homer high to left field. The BayBears are 23-13 when scoring first this season.
Mobile finished below .500 for only the third time in a half since 2009, going 34-35 in the Southern League.
Meanwhile, Pensacola finished the first half 25-43.
Kelly has a few goals to turn the Blue Wahoos season around in the second half—a better bullpen and better starting pitching.
Among the relievers, he would like to see Kyle McMyne, Ben Klimesh and Zach Weiss return to form.
“Our bullpen was our strength when you look at the first two months of the season,” Kelly said. “We got to solidify that bullpen. When we give them leads, they got to win them.”
Also looking into his crystal ball, Kelly would like to receive a starting pitcher or two. Currently, the Blue Wahoos have only four starters.
“Obviously, we’re short one,” Kelly said. “If we can get one or two guys to help solidify our staff, we’re good.”
Chiefs Drop Two In Summer Ball Series At Escambia
June 21, 2015
The Northview Chiefs dropped a couple Saturday as the summer ball season continues. The Chiefs lost 4-0 to Parkview and 6-3 to Escambia High School. The Chiefs will be back in action Sunday at Escambia High. Photos by Ramona Preston for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Wahoos Lose To Mobile
June 21, 2015
Finally, the Pensacola Blue Wahoos may have found a closer when its four relievers threw 4.2 innings of scoreless, one hit ball, with four strikeouts and two walks.
The most impressive of them was Zach Weiss who threw the last inning and struck out two on fastballs in the mid-90s.
Still, the Mobile BayBears took the seventh of nine games from rival Pensacola, 6-2, this season with a pair of two-run homers off of starter Daniel Wright in front of 5,038 fans at Pensacola Bayfront Stadium—the 15th sellout in 33 games this season and 118th since the inaugural 2012 season.
Pensacola manager Pat Kelly said Weiss has been watching video with pitching coach Jeff Fassero to find his pitching motion.
“If you look at video he changed things during the plane flight or on the car ride,” Kelly said. “His fastball just explodes. Zach Weiss, by far, was great.”
Pensacola’s Wright gave up six runs on seven hits in his 4.1 innings of work and dropped to 3-5 on the season with 5.91 ERA.
Pensacola first baseman Ray Chang doubled in the Blue Wahoos only runs, cutting the Mobile lead to 6-2 in the sixth inning. He went 1-3 and now has 14 RBIs and is batting .348 on the season.
Mobile scored two runs on a two-run homer when second baseman Gerson Montilla smacked a line drive over the left field wall in the second inning to put the BayBears ahead, 2-0.
They added two more runs when Mobile shortstop Sean Jamieson scored on a single that landed in front of Blue Wahoos center fielder Beau Amaral for a 3-0 lead. Right fielder Socrates Brito made it 4-0 when he scored on BayBears first baseman Rudy Flores chopper to second baseman Juan Perez.
In the fifth inning, Mobile right fielder Socrates Brito lifted a deep two-run home run over the left field wall that also scored pitcher Patrick Corbin, who had an infield single deep in the hole to shortstop.
Arizona Diamondbacks All-Star pitcher Patrick Corbin made his third start in his rehab assignment from Tommy John surgery that caused him to miss all of the 2014 season when he felt tightness in his pitching arm during spring training last year. The Diamondbacks expected him to return to the team the first of June but decided to slow his return.
Corbin threw four no-hit innings against Double-A Cincinnati Reds Pensacola Blue Wahoos Saturday before giving up a single to center by second baseman Juan Perez. In 5.2 innings, the lefty gave up two earned runs on three hits and three walks and struck out three. He threw just 79 pitches in the outing and his fastball consistently clocked in the low-90s.
“I was impressed,” Kelly said. “His fastball is definitely sneaky. It seemed like the hitters were late on the ball. It was getting on them pretty quick.”
Corbin, who last pitched six days ago on June 14 with Mobile, is now 1-0 with a 3.83 ERA. His first start for the High-A Visalia Rawhide, he lasted just 0.2 innings and gave up four runs.
The last time Corbin pitched in the Southern League for Mobile, he went 9-8 with 4.21 ERA, made the All-Star team, set a franchise record with 27.1 consecutive scoreless innings, led the league in strikeouts with 142 and helped the BayBears to the championship.
He made his major league debut April 30, 2012. And in 2013, Corbin made the Major League All-Star team, going 11-1 with a 2.35 ERA at the break and finished the year 14-8 with a 3.41 ERA for the Diamondbacks.
The Blue Wahoos dropped to 25-42 in the Southern League and have one more game Sunday before the three-day All-Star break. The game is scheduled for 7:20 p.m. Tuesday at the Montgomery Riverwalk Stadium.
Northview Chiefs Have Winning Day At 7 On 7 Football Camp
June 20, 2015
The Northview Chiefs competed in the West Florida High 7 on 7 Camp Friday morning. The Chiefs compiled a 4-1-1 record over the course of six games, defeating West Florida, Milton, Crestview and Rocky Bayou. Their lone loss was a close 7-6 to Pensacola High, and they tied with Pine Forest. Pensacola High was the overall tournament winner. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
BayBears, Wahoos Split Doubleheader
June 20, 2015
Pensacola Blue Wahoos pitcher Robert Stephenson and Mobile BayBears pitcher Braden Shipley had the makings of a Southern League baseball pitching duel.
Stephenson is No. 23 on Baseball America’s Top 100 prospects list. Shipley No. 26.
Stephenson is the Cincinnati Reds top prospect. Shipley is the Arizona Diamondbacks No. 2 prospect.
Stephenson, a flame thrower with a 100-mph arm, was drafted 27th in the first round in 2011 by the Reds. Shipley, the best changeup and curveball in Arizona’s system, was drafted 15th in the first round in 2013 by the Diamondbacks.
And that’s exactly what Pensacola fans got in the second game of Friday’s doubleheader that the Blue Wahoos won, 4-2, on Seth Mejias-Brean’s walk-off, three-run, pinch-hit home run in the bottom of the seventh inning. It was the 14th sellout this season and 117th since the inaugural 2012 season in Pensacola Bayfront Stadium.
Mejias-Brean’s walk-off made up for the first game when his error in the top of the ninth allowed Mobile to score two runs and pull out a, 3-2, victory to beat Pensacola in the first game of Friday’s doubleheader.
“(The walk-off) was really satisfying especially after that first loss,” Mejias-Brean said. “I was down on myself a lot. To be honest, I was just trying to get it into the air and give us a chance to tie the game and go into extra innings.”
Arguably the Southern League’s two best pitchers traded outs for seven innings in the second game.
It was the second straight game Stephenson gave up a pair of home runs. This time solo shots to both left fielder Zach Borenstein and second baseman Brandon Drury, who are both on the league’s All-Star team on Tuesday, June 23.
On the night, Stephenson, whose record improved to 4-6 on the year, threw seven innings, gave up three hits, walked one and struck out 10. He has struck out 10 twice and a career-high 11 once this season. He currently leads the Southern League with 86 strikeouts.
Stephenson last won June 4 against Mobile when he tossed a one-hitter over eight innings and struck out seven. He had lost his last two starts since that game.
“Overall, Robert did a tremendous job,” said Pensacola manager Pat Kelly. “Robert’s getting better and that’s what it’s all about. He’s playing better and doing a great job.”
Meanwhile, Shipley was pulled in the seventh after matching Stephenson pitch for pitch. He allowed a leadoff double that Pensacola second baseman Juan Perez hit into the right field corner. He threw no-hit ball for 3.1 innings before left fielder Sean Buckley got a bunt single. In six innings, Shipley gave up three hits and two runs, while walking two and striking out three.
Of course, Shipley has lost his last two starts since his last win on June 3 against Pensacola when he threw six scoreless innings, gave up just four hits and struck out five.
In his return this season from back-to-back Tommy John surgeries, Blaine Howell gave the Pensacola Blue Wahoos a career-high four innings.
One of Howell’s two hits allowed was a solo home run in the seventh to Mobile BayBears Rudy Flores, his seventh of the year, which tied the game, 1-1. Howell, a former Pensacola Junior College pitcher, also struck out one batter.
Pensacola catcher Cam Maron came through with a single to left field in the eighth inning to score shortstop Juan Perez from second and put the Blue Wahoos ahead, 2-1. Maron extended his hitting streak to seven games, going 8-23 or .348.
In the ninth inning, though, Pensacola reliever Carlos Gonzalez had two out and the bases empty. Both left fielder Borenstein and Gabriel Guerrero earned back-to-back walks. Pinch hitter Gerson Montilla, who hit for Flores, slapped a hard grounder down the third base line that skipped off Pensacola Mejias-Brean’s back hand into the Mobile bullpen and both Borenstein and Guerrero scored for the BayBears win.
The first game was resumed Friday after nearly a one hour delay Thursday as the team tried to repair the stadium lights behind home plate. Pensacola led the game, 1-0, when Perez singled to right field and took second when the first baseman missed the throw. He took third on a wild pitch and scored on a ground out to shortstop by centerfielder Beau Amaral
Pensacola is now 7-20 or a .259 winning percentage in one-run games, which is the worst record in the Southern League. The Blue Wahoos also have the worst overall record in the league at 25-41.
Wahoos Game Delayed By Lights
June 19, 2015
After nearly a one hour delay Thursday trying to repair the Pensacola Bayfront Stadium lights behind home plate, the game between the Pensacola Blue Wahoos and Mobile BayBears was delayed.
The second game of the five-game series with the Mobile BayBears will resume at 5:30 p.m. Friday and will go the full nine innings. Pensacola currently leads the game, 1-0, after three innings. Fans can exchange tickets at the box office for an equal or lesser game except for July 3.
Blue Wahoos officials attributed the lighting failure to the light poles and electricians were working to repair them. The umpires agreed to call the game to protect the hitters and fielders.
Marlon Byrd, who was placed on the disabled list June 3 by the Cincinnati Reds, ended his two-game rehab assignment with Pensacola Thursday night. Byrd went 2-7 with a home run, double and three RBIs.