Smokies Top Wahoos
May 7, 2015
For the past two seasons, pitcher Robert Stephenson earned the tab as top prospect in the Cincinnati Reds organization.
With a fastball that can touch 100, it’s no wonder.
Part of being rated the No. 1 prospect by Baseball America is bouncing back from adversity. And that’s exactly what Stephenson did on Wednesday for the Pensacola Blue Wahoos (8-19) against the first place team in the Southern League North Division, the Tennessee Smokies (15-11) in the first game of a doubleheader at Pensacola Bayfront Stadium.
Even though Stephenson got the loss to fall to 0-4 on the year, he went 6.1 innings in the 2-1 loss. In his last game against the Jackson Generals, Stephenson couldn’t make it out of the first inning, lasting just 0.2 innings and giving up six runs.
“I made a lot of progress today, especially after that last start,” he said. “As long as I stay down (in the strike zone), it doesn’t matter who’s at the plate.”
Pensacola lost the second game of the doubleheader, 4-1, to Tennessee, chasing Blue Wahoos reliever Carlos Gonzalez with four runs on two doubles and three walks in the top of the last inning.
Meanwhile, Stephenson took the mound in game one sporting new black cleats with a pink stripe and Nike swoosh on the outside of the foot and the word, “Mom,” written on the inside for Mother’s Day this Sunday. Because the team is off on Sunday, they decided to wear its pink uniforms in honor of the day celebrating moms across the country.
His mother made the trip from Martinez, Calif., in the northern part of the state to watch her son pitch for the Blue Wahoos for the first time Wednesday night.
“She couldn’t make it last year,” explained Stephenson, who had yet to talk to her about his performance.
Stephenson walked shortstop Elliot Soto to start the seventh and a sacrifice bunt and wild pitch later, he was standing on third. Pin-Chieh Chen then singled sharply to right field to score Soto with the winning run, 2-1, and end Stephenson’s fifth outing of the year.
Things started out poorly for Stephenson, who has struggled with his control all season. He walked four in the first inning, including forcing in a run to put the Smokies up, 1-0. However, he got out of the first on an inning-ending double play. After throwing 28 pitches, including 11 for strikes, he stared down the home plate umpire as he walked to the dugout.
“There were some pretty close calls,” Stephenson said. “I had a lot of walks in that first inning but they were right around the zone.”
Pensacola Manager Pat Kelly called Stephenson’s performance “outstanding.”
“He settled down, kept his composure and got to the seventh,” Kelly said.
He then benefited again on the arms of his left fielder Jesse Winker, who threw center fielder Albert Almora out at second base when he tried to stretch his single. Tennessee catcher Kyle Schwarber, one of the top hitters in the Southern League, then hit into a double play when he flew out to right fielder Kyle Waldrop, who threw a strike to catcher Chris Berset to get leadoff hitter Jacob Hannemann out at the plate.
Stephenson settled down and threw just 21 pitches over the next three innings to the minimum nine hitters. He allowed four hits, walked seven and struck out four in the start and now has 26 Ks on the season.
Blue Wahoos first baseman Marquez Smith drove in Pensacola’s left fielder Jesse Winker with the only run of the game on a sacrifice fly to right field.
Pensacola, which has struggled at the plate as a team with a league low .223 batting average and 72 runs, has scored three runs or less in 17 of 27 games this year.
Northview Beats Liberty County, Chiefs Head To Regional Finals
May 6, 2015
The Northview Chiefs beat Liberty County 7-0 in Bratt Tuesday night in the Region 2-1A semifinals.
With the playoff win, the Chiefs (18-2) will be on the road Friday to Panama City to take on Bozeman in the Region 2-1A championship game. The winner heads to the state tournament, the loser heads home.
Brett Weeks pitched seven for the Chiefs, allowing five hits and no runs, and striking out seven. Hitting for Northview were RBI; Chasen Freeman 2-3, 2 RBIs, run; Quentin Sampson 1-3, 2 runs, Dakotah Lowery 1-3, RBI; Brody Amos 1-2, 2 runs; Weeks 1-1, 2 RBIs.
Photos by Ramona Preston for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Blue Wahoos Beat The Tennesee Smokies
May 6, 2015
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos had no hits through five innings, but finally unloaded on Tennessee Smokies starter Jeffry Antigua in the sixth.
Blue Wahoos first baseman Marquez Smith delivered the decisive two-run blow when he launched a deep fly ball to centerfield that popped out of the glove of a leaping Jacob Hannemann’s glove when he slammed into the wall.
Smith’s double scored second baseman Ryan Wright and left fielder Jesse Winker for a 4-2 lead that Pensacola held on to defeat the Tennessee Smokies, 4-3, in front of 4,306 at Pensacola Bayfront Stadium.
The win leaves Pensacola at 99 during its first four seasons at home and the Blue Wahoos are short just 9,152 away from 1 million during that same span.
Catcher Cam Maron broke up the no-hitter with a leadoff single to the right center field gap in the top of the sixth inning. Ray Chang then singled to put runners at first and third with one out. Then Wright singled in Maron and Winker singled in Chang to tie the score at 2-2.
That set up Smith’s smash to left center that looked like it would leave the stadium for his first homer of the year. Instead, it was his first hit of the season at the Blue Wahoos ballpark. He was 0-15 in the first two homestands against the Biloxi Shuckers.
Smith said he just remained confident that hits would start falling for him. He was 1-4 Tuesday and is now batting .400 (10-25) in his past six games. His average has climbed from .182 to .246.
“I didn’t know if it was going out. I just hoped it would find grass somewhere,” Smith said. “I was hoping he wouldn’t catch it.”
No one was happier than Pensacola Manager Pat Kelly to see Smith double with two out. In the past two games, Pensacola has gone 5-7 with runners in scoring position after batting a Southern League low of .212 this season.
“We knew we were capable of doing it,” Kelly said. “We got in a rut in April. Now, we hope everything will fall in place.”
The Blue Wahoos reliever Ben Klimesh earned his team-leading fifth save of the season by striking out four of the seven batters he faced in the eighth and ninth. On the year, he has struck out 11 hitters in 10 innings.
“He was trying to throw his pitches through a brick wall,” Kelly said. “He is in much better control of his emotions and pitches. He threw a lot of 3-2 split-finger fastballs for strike outs.”
Meanwhile, starter Keyvius Sampson, the No. 9 prospect in the San Diego Padres organization last year, got his first win for Pensacola. He allowed five hits, one walk, two runs, zero earned and struck out four in six innings of work.
Tate’s Simmons Signs With Alabama State
May 5, 2015
Tate High School senior Regine Simmons has signed a volleyball scholarship with Alabama State University. Simmons is pictured being congratulated by Tate High Principal Rick Shackle. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Tate To State: Lady Aggies Hit The Road
May 5, 2015
The Tate Lady Aggies hit the road Monday for Vero Beach and the state semifinals. The Lady Aggies will face the Bartow High School Yellow Jackets in the Class 7A state semifinals Wednesday afternoon. Courtesy photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Jackson Tops The Pcola Blue Wahoos 15-4
May 5, 2015
For the third time in the five-game series, the Jackson Generals hung six runs in an inning Monday on the Pensacola Blue Wahoos.
After five innings, Jackson led the game, 14-1, on two three-run home runs by designated hitter Jabari Blash and third baseman Jody Lara on the way to winning the rubber match in the five-game series, 15-4, from Pensacola at The Ballpark in Jackson.
It was the most runs in a game the Generals have scored this season, going down in order in just two of eight innings. That included the eighth when Pensacola infielder Ray Chang made his third career relief appearance and first since July 7, 2009, and preserved his 0.00 ERA.
Despite the loss, a few Blue Wahoos did perform well. Right fielder Kyle Waldrop went 1-3, hitting a 320-foot, three-run blast to right field in the sixth inning. He scored a run and had four RBIs total. In his last nine games, Waldrop is batting .364 (12-33) with four doubles, a homer, eight RBIs, and three runs. For the season, he has three homers, batted-in 14 runners, and hit .259.
In addition, Pensacola first baseman Marquez Smith, who had two singles Monday, had a good series against Jackson. Smith hit .429 (9-21) in five games, including four multi-hit games to raise his batting average from .182 to .246 on the season.
Pensacola second baseman Ryan Wright, who went 2-4 with two runs, has hits in nine of his last 10 games. He’s batting .333 (11-33) since April 26.
Meanwhile, Blue Wahoos shortstop Juan Perez’s leadoff double in the sixth inning against the Generals Monday pushed his hitting streak to six games. He’s hitting .346 (9-26) during the streak and now leads Pensacola with a .308 average and is second in on-base percentage at .366.
But Monday was really all about the Generals, who had four hits, including a two-out, three-run blast by Blash, two walks and an error to go up, 6-0, after two innings. In all, Jackson sent nine batters to the plate.
Jackson tacked on three more runs to go up, 9-0, in the next inning, thanks to catcher Steve Baron. He smashed a double to left that scored two runs in the third. Baron then stole third and scored on Blue Wahoos catcher Chris Berset’s throwing error to second.
Finally, Jackson took a, 14-1, lead when Lara crushed a three-run blast in a five-run fifth inning.
Blue Wahoos Beat Jackson
May 4, 2015
Pensacola Blue Wahoos pitcher Josh Smith picked up his second win of the season by throwing seven scoreless innings against the Jackson Generals on Sunday.
Smith, who last pitched for the Blue Wahoos in 2013, is now 2-1 with a 2.70 ERA after giving up six hits and striking out eight in Pensacola’s, 5-1, victory at The Ballpark in Jackson. The win ended a two-game losing streak to the Generals, who wrap up its five-game series Monday with Pensacola.
Smith wasn’t the only star for Pensacola on Sunday. Designated hitter Kyle Waldrop went 3-5 with a double, scored a run and drove in two more. Marquez Smith also had a 3-5 day and scored.
Pensacola scored first in the third inning. They took a 1-0 lead when Juan Silva tripled for the first time this season on a soft line drive to right field and Beau Amaral knocked him in with a single on a line drive to left field.
Marquez Smith then singled sharply to left field and Waldrop doubled on a fly ball to center field that drove in Smith to put Pensacola up, 2-0. Waldrop moved to third base on a Seth Mejias-Brean ground out to shortstop. Chris Berset drove Waldrop in on a sacrifice fly to center field for a 3-0 Pensacola lead.
Pensacola made it 4-0 when Jesse Winker reached first on a fielder’s choice and two out. Smith followed with a single to right field and Winker took third on a fielding error by Jackson right fielder Jabari Blash. Waldrop then drove in Winker with a two-out single to center field.
The Blue Wahoos added an insurance run in the ninth when Juan Perez singled on a ground ball to the second baseman and reached third on a wild pitch by Jackson’s Trevor Miller. Ryan Wright then drove Perez in on a sacrifice fly to go ahead, 5-0.
Perez went 2-5 and has now hit in six straight games and 15 of the last 16 games. He’s leading Pensacola with a .311 batting average.
Wahoos Lose…Again
May 3, 2015
The Jackson Generals won its second straight game over the Pensacola Blue Wahoos on another six-run inning—this time in the fourth inning at The Ballpark at Jackson.
Jackson beat Pensacola, 7-4, on Saturday to move to 9-11 and just two games out of first place in the Southern League North Division. Meanwhile, Pensacola fell to 6-16 and is eight games back.
The Generals sent 11 batters to the plate in the fourth to score its six runs, five of them with two out after starter Daniel Wright (0-4) struck out two batters. Dano Pizzano knocked in two on a single to right field and Jody Lara singled to left off of Blue Wahoos reliever Chad Rodgers for two more in the inning.
On Friday, Jackson drove in six runs in the first inning off of Pensacola starter Robert Stephenson.
Pensacola shortstop Juan Perez continued his hot hitting with a triple in the second inning that drove in Seth Mejias-Brean and Ray Chang to put the Blue Wahoos ahead, 3-0. He now has four RBIs and has hit in five straight games and 14 of the last 15 games. He’s hitting .304 to lead Pensacola.
Beau Amaral singled in the eighth to score Chang and bring Pensacola within two, 6-4. He went 3-4 on the night.
Meanwhile, Jesse Winker, the Cincinnati Reds No. 4 prospect, went 1-5 to extend his on-base streak to six games, while Wahoos Kyle Waldrop went 0-3 to end his six-game hitting streak.
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).