Tate To State After Regional Final Win
May 2, 2015
For the second year in a row, the Tate Lady Aggies are headed to the State Final Four.
The Lady Aggies beat Atlantic Coast High School in Jacksonville 2-1 Friday night to claim the Region 1-7A championship.
Tate was led by pitcher Tori Perkins on the mound. In seven innings, she allowed five hits while striking out five. Hitting for Tate were Lauren Brennan 1-2, 2 RBI; Casey McCrackin 1-3, 2 R; Elizabeth Werdann 1-3; Hayden Lindsay 1-3; Savannah Rowell 1-2.
The Aggies will travel to Vero Beach to take on the Bartow Yellow Jackets Wednesday at Historic Dogertown in the Class 7A state semifinals.
Pictured: The Tate Lady Aggies celebrate their regional championship win Friday night in Jacksonville. Photo by Mike Brennan for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Jackson Generals Beat Wahoos
May 2, 2015
The Jackson Generals wasted little time in jumping on Pensacola Blue Wahoos pitcher Robert Stephenson at The Ballpark at Jackson.
Jackson defeated Pensacola, 8-3, by scoring six runs in the first inning off of Stephenson, who has been rated as the Cincinnati Reds top prospect the past two seasons.
Stephenson loaded the bases in the first inning by walking the first two batters and then allowing a single. Jackson’s D.J. Peterson then doubled in two runs on a sharp line drive to left field for a, 2-0, General lead.
With men on second and third with none out, Pensacola pitching coach Jeff Fassero visited the mound to calm his young flamethrower.
Stephenson got the first out of the inning on a long fly ball by Gabby Guerrero, but it scored Darrio Pizzano to put Jackson up, 3-0. Stephenson then walked Jordy Lara before giving up his third home run in three games, this one to Daniel Paolini, who smashed a three-run homer to left center field to put Jackson ahead, 6-0.
Stephenson then struck out the next batter before walking the No. 9 hitter and being replaced by reliever Tim Adleman. In all, Jackson sent 10 batters to the plate in the first.
In 0.2 innings, one of Stephenson’s shortest outings in his minor league career, he gave up six earned runs on three hits, four walks and one strikeout. He saw his ERA jump from 5.40 to 8.31.
Marquez Smith is 4-7 against Jackson in two games including his first RBI of the season Friday, when he knocked in Ryan Wright on a sacrifice fly in the fourth inning. Last year, he led the Reds organization with 131 RBIs between High-A Bakersfield and Double-A Pensacola.
Waldrop, the Reds No. 14 prospect, singled in the fourth inning to extend his hitting streak to six games and is now 8-24 (.333).
Jay Wins Regional Title; Headed To State
May 2, 2015
The Jay Lady Royals won the Region 2-1A championship Friday night with a 2-1 win over the Chipley Tigers. It will be the third trip to state in the last four years for the Lady Royals
Destiny Herring pitched seven innings for Jay, allowing just two hits and striking out six. At the plate, Herring as 1-3 with a run, while Samantha Steadham wen 1-3 with a double. It was Coach Brian Watson’s 200th win.
The Jay Lady Royals will travel to Vero Beach for a Wednesday morning game against Sneads at Historic Dodgertown in the state semifinals.
Pictured: The Jay Lady Royals after their regional win Friday night. Photo By Diann Tagert for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Two West Florida Seniors Sign
May 2, 2015
Two West Florida High School seniors signed letters of intent Friday. Keandre Prim signed to play football with Faulkner University, while Teandre Jones signed a basketball scholarship with Shelton State. Courtesy photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Chiefs’ Lambert, Newsome Sign Letters Of Intent
May 1, 2015
Two Northview High School seniors signed football letters of intent Thursday. Cameron Newsome (right) signed with Waldorf College in Iowa, and Nick Lambert signed with Faulkner University in Montgomery. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Photos: Ransom, Ernest Ward Track
May 1, 2015
Ransom, Ernest Ward and Workman middle school met in a track meet Thursday afternoon in Cantonment. Results were not immediately available.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Wahoos Halt Three-Game Skid
May 1, 2015
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos ended a three-game losing streak by beating the Jackson Generals in the opener of a five-game series.
Pensacola scored two runs in the second inning to go ahead, 2-1, and added another run in the fifth inning for a, 3-1, victory over host Jackson.
Marquez Smith, who went 2-4, doubled to open the second inning and scored on Ray Chang’s groundout to tie the game, 1-1. Then, Juan Silva singled on an infield hit to shortstop that scored newly added catcher Cam Maron for a 2-1 lead.
Pensacola added an insurance run in the fifth when Jesse Winker, the Cincinnati Reds No. 4 prospect, led off the inning with a triple to center and scored on a double by Kyle Waldrop to centerfield to go ahead, 3-1. Waldrop extended his hitting streak to five games and is now 7-20 (.350) during his streak.
Jackson had taken the lead, 1-0, in the bottom of the first when they loaded the bases with two outs and Zach Shank scored on a wild pitch by Sampson.
Layne Somsen, who won Sunday’s spot start against Biloxi, pitched three scoreless innings of no-hit ball and struck out two for his second win of the season. Ben Klimesh struck out two in the ninth for his fourth save of the year.
Baltimore Unrest, Fanless Game Cause Orioles Manager Showalter To Reflect Back To Century
April 30, 2015
The Baltimore Orioles beat the White Sox Wednesday in a empty stadium, the first even Major League Baseball game with no fans. The public was kept out of the game, which was required to keep the MLB schedule, due to safety concerns following this week’s rioting, and racial divide in Baltimore.
Baltimore Orioles manager Buck Showalter’s family moved to Century in the late 1950’s. His father served as a teacher, coach and principal at Century High School for 23 years. The thought of the silence from the stands brought Showalter back in his mind to Century prior to the game Wednesday.
In an interview with the New York Daily News, Showalter said he remembered the time his father emptied the gym at Century High for a basketball game because there were fights during a previous meeting between the Blackcats and the other team (which he did not name).
“So I come from a family that understands the kinds of quiet I am going to encounter (on Wednesday),” Showalter told the New York Daily news prior to the game at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore.
Daily News write Mike Lupica turned to first person in his story.
“I have known him (Showalter) a long time and like him a lot, and asked him on this day about whether he sometimes worries that things are getting worse in this country instead of better,” Lupica wrote.
“You have to wonder about that sometimes,” Showalter said. “Don’t you?”
Read the entire NY Daily News story by clicking here.
Pictured: The Century Blackcat logo inside the old Century High School gym. NorthEscambia.com file photo.
Tate, Jay, West Florida Earn Playoff Wins
April 30, 2015
Tate 2, Niceville 0
The Tate Lady Aggies beat Niceville 2-0 Wednesday night in the Region 1-7A semifinal at Tate.
Tori Perkins took the win for Tate on the mound, committing no errors, and allowing no runs. Hitting for Tate were: Tori Perkins 1-3, RBI, 2B; Hayden Lindsay 1-2, RBI, BB; Savannah Rowell 1-2, R. Rachel Wright 1-3.
Tate hits the road Friday to take on the Atlantic Coast Stingrays in Jacksonville in the Region 1-7A finals.
Jay 11, Franklin County 1
The Jay High School Lady Royals destroyed Franklin County 11-1 in six innings Wednesday in the Region 2-1A semifinals in Jay.
Destiny Herring pitched five for the Lady Royals with no errors and four strike outs. Hitting for Jay: Emily Dobson 4-4, 2B, 2 R, RBI; Destiny Herring 2-3, 2 R, 3 RBI, HR; Dana Blackmon 2-4, R, RBI; Riana Wolfe 2-4, 2 RBI, 2 R; Avarie Jackson 2-4, 2 R; Michaela Stewart 1-4, 2 RBI.
The Lady Royals will host district runner-ups Chipley at 7 p.m. Friday. In the District 2-1A championship game, the Royals beat Chipley 7-6. The winner of Friday night’s game is headed to Vero Beach for the Class 1A tournament.
BASEBALL
West Florida 4, Taylor County 1
West Florida beat Taylor County 4-1 in the Region 1-4A quarterfinals Wednesday. The Jaguars will face Catholic in the semifinals next week.
Pictured top: The Jay Lady Royals after their regional semifinal win over Chipley Wednesday. Photo by Diann Tagert for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Shuckers Beat The Pensacola Wahoos, Again
April 30, 2015
All the excitement in Wednesday’s game between the Pensacola Blue Wahoos and the Biloxi Shuckers happened in the eighth and ninth innings.
Sean Buckley crushed a two-run home run to dead center field that traveled 400-feet plus.
Then Kyle Waldrop doubled off the top of the right field wall and Juan Perez doubled to centerfield beating the throw to second.
All of a sudden Pensacola trailed by two runs, 5-3, in the eighth inning and the Blue Wahoos fans at Pensacola Bayfront Stadium finally had something to cheer about in an otherwise dreary game that saw the Blue Wahoos total just three hits in the first seven innings.
However, Biloxi held on, 5-3, to take five of six games in the series after a rally killing double play in the ninth inning. Pinch hitter Marquez Smith worked the count to earn a walk to lead off the ninth. But he was doubled up when second baseman Ryan Wright laced a pop out to second baseman Orlando Arcia in shallow right field that he caught and threw to first to get Smith.
Smith walked toward the umpire and was immediately thrown out. Pensacola Manager Pat Kelly sprinted over from third and was immediately ejected. It was the most noise in the ballpark all night.
“The play wasn’t even close,” Kelly said. “He was safe.”
Although disappointed with another loss to Biloxi, Buckley said it was a relief to smash his first home run of the season.
“I don’t think it’s the farthest one but it’s the first one this year,” he said. “It felt good. I’ve been waiting for that one.”
Kelly also liked seeing his team fight to win until the end of the game against first place Biloxi, which is opening the season on a 55-game road trip until its ballpark finally is completed in June.
“Any time you go over the 400-foot sign you have to give him credit,” Kelly said. “He’s swinging the bat as good as anybody this year.”
Starting pitcher Wandy Peralta also showed some fortitude. After giving up three runs on three hits and three walks in the first inning to Biloxi, including a two-run single by the Shuckers first baseman Nick Ramirez, he settled down. Throwing a mix of off-speed and fastballs, Peralta then struck out seven of the next 10 batters and worked out of two bases loaded jams.
“In the past, emotionally, (Peralta) never would have recovered from a first inning like that,” Kelly said. “He was ambushed in that first inning. But he settled down.
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos travel to play a five-game series April 30-May 4 against the Seattle Mariners Double-A affiliate Jackson (Miss.) Generals. The Blue Wahoos next homestand is May 5-9 against the Chicago Cubs Double-A affiliate Tennessee Smokies.