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.
West Florida Eliminated From 4A State Playoff Series
April 29, 2015
The defending 4A state champion West Florida Lady Jaguars are out of the state playoffs. The Lady Jags lost to the Walton Braves Tuesday 6-0 in the Region 1-4A quarterfinal.
Farrah Nicholas pitched six innings for West Florida, allowing eight hits and six runs while striking out three. Hitting for the Lady Jaguars were Kayla Miller 2-3 and Ealon Pyle 1-2.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Gary Carnley, click to enlarge.
Wahoos Drop Another One To Biloxi Shuckers
April 29, 2015
It was Fat Tuesday at Pensacola Bayfront Stadium but the Biloxi Shuckers did all the partying.
With the stadium decorated in purple, green and gold balloons, the Shuckers had five runs cross the plate in the second inning and the celebration was on. Biloxi, the Southern League South Division leader at 13-6, won the game, 6-2, and now has taken seven of nine from Pensacola (5-13) this season.
Pensacola Manager Pat Kelly credited Josh Smith for coming back and retiring 13 in a row after giving up five runs in the second inning.
“Our bullpen has been pretty taxed the last couple of days,” Kelly said, pointing out reliever Drew Hayes got called up to Triple-A Louisville and Layne Somsen started Sunday. “He became Josh Smith again. That’s the Josh Smith I’ve known and seen the last couple of years.”
Smith ended up throwing seven innings giving up six runs, three earned on six hits, no walks and striking out four.
If Pensacola had turned a double play to begin the second inning, Biloxi would have had no runners on base with two outs. Instead, Biloxi loaded the bases and Nick Shaw doubled to score two runs and Yadiel Rivera singled to score two more. In all five runs crossed the plate.
Rivera, the Milwaukee Brewers No. 13 prospect according to Baseball America, increased his on-base streak to 18 games and is hitting .367.
Blue Wahoos third baseman Seth Mejias-Brean singled to increase his on-base streak to six games. Wahoos shortstop Juan Perez, who had a nine-game hitting streak end Monday, hit a triple and scored his first run of the season on a single by center fielder Beau Amaral.
The Blue Wahoos are hitting .206 as a team, which is 10 points higher than the Jacksonville Suns, in the Southern League.
“Hitting is contagious but so is not hitting,” Kelly said. “These guys really feed off each other. There hasn’t been one guy go in and swing the bat good every time. It just takes somebody getting hot.”
The final game of the six-game series with the Milwaukee Brewers Double-A affiliate Biloxi Shuckers is scheduled at 6:35 p.m. Wednesday. LHP Wandy Peralta (1-1, 2.30) takes the mound for the Wahoos and is scheduled to be opposed by the Shuckers RHP Jorge Lopez (1-2, 5.25).
Biloxi Beats Wahoos
April 28, 2015
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos may be 5-12 and in last place in the Southern League South Division early in the season but the players definitely do not feel like they are in the dog house yet.
Biloxi Shuckers righty Tyler Wagner hit a two-run home run to right field off of Blue Wahoos right fielder Jesse Winker’s glove in the fourth inning for a 4-2 lead and improved his record to 4-0 to become the Southern League’s first four-game winner. Biloxi (12-6) ended up winning its sixth game in eight contests against Pensacola, 8-2, in front of 3,439 fans during the overcast game.
Pensacola Manager Pat Kelly said he will remind his players that the season is 140 games long.
“It’s a long season and you can’t judge it by the first three weeks,” Kelly said. “Tonight we had a chance. It was 4-2 before we got blown out at the end of the game.”
Biloxi, which sits in first place in the South Division, scored four runs in the fourth and four more runs in the top of the ninth inning with four singles, walk and error.
Wagner, who is the Brewers’ No. 9 prospect according to Baseball America, lofted a deep fly ball that Winker almost caught after playing in on the pitcher. Wagner gave up two earned runs in five innings and struck out five for the win.
The Biloxi pitching staff—loaded with top Milwaukee prospects—entered the game with the fifth best earned run average in all of Minor League Baseball at 2.30.
Wagner had sat down seven Wahoos in a row before walking Winker and Sean Buckley with two outs in the third inning. Waldrop then laced a single to right to score Winker and Seth Mejias-Brean bounced a double over the right field wall to score Buckley for a 2-0 lead.
Blue Wahoos reliever Jacob Johnson said the club house remains positive, despite eight one-run losses, so far, this season. He pitched two innings of scoreless relief.
“I have complete confidence in this team that it’s going to click,” Johnson said. “All of our guys are too good.”
The fifth game of the six-game series with the Milwaukee Brewers Double-A affiliate Biloxi Shuckers is scheduled at 6:35 p.m. Tuesday.