Pensacola Beats Generals
July 5, 2013
Shaun Ellis dominated in his return to the rotation and the Blue Wahoos offense provided just enough support as Pensacola knocked off the Jackson Generals 2-1 on Thursday afternoon at Pensacola Bayfront Stadium in front of the 17th sellout crowd of the season.
Played in a swift 1:56, Ellis combined with relievers Josh Ravin and Trevor Bell to stymie the Generals throughout the contest. Ellis (3-1) allowed just an unearned run on one hit over his career-high seven innings pitched, retiring the final 12 batters he faced and 21 of the 23 hitters overall. The lone run the Generals scored against Ellis came in the top of the fourth inning when Chris Taylor walked, stole second base, advanced to third on a throwing error by the shortstop Devin Lohman and scored on a groundout from Ramon Morla.
The Wahoos hurlers carried a one-hitter into the eighth, facing just two over the minimum before Taylor singled with two outs, snapping a streak of 17 straight set down. Bell struck out Julio Morban to end the contest and sew up his fourth save of the year.
Pensacola had its hands full with Jackson starter Anthony Fernandez through the first five innings, but broke through in the sixth. Lohman reached on a dropped third strike to spark the rally before Yorman Rodriguez doubled him home to knot the game at one. Two batters later, Marquez Smith singled to right-center, scoring Rodriguez and giving Pensacola a 2-1 lead.
Fernandez fell to 5-4 on the year despite allowing only two runs on five hits in seven innings.
The series continues on Friday night at 7 p.m. Pensacola will go with right-hander Tim Crabbe (3-6, 3.53) while Jackson will counter with southpaw Roenis Elias (4-7, 2.96).
story by Kevin Burke
Wahoos Blast Two Homers For 5-3 Series Finale Win
July 4, 2013
No stranger to tight contests, the Pensacola Blue Wahoos found themselves on the right end of a 5-3 score over the Jacksonville Suns in the series finale at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville on Wednesday night. Pensacola ended up winning two of the five games in the set and moved to within a game of Jacksonville in the South Division standings.
The win wasn’t easy for the Wahoos, who had to survive another late Jacksonville rally to earn the victory. Pensacola held a 4-1 lead through five innings but saw Jacksonville fight its way back into the contest with solo tallies in the sixth and seventh. Zack Cox’s solo blast in the sixth inning made the score 4-2 before the Suns scored without the aid of a hit in the seventh. With the bases loaded and one out, Wilkin De La Rosa induced a 5-2 fielder’s choice and appeared to have the final out of the inning but third baseman Travis Mattair bobbled a grounder to his left, allowing Noah Perio to score an unearned run and make it a one-run game. De La Rosa battled back to strike out Zack Cox and end the threat.
Jacksonville put two on in the eighth inning against De La Rosa, but Loek Van Mil entered out of the bullpen to get a groundout from Taylor Krick, preserving the 4-3 lead.
Ryan LaMarre gave the Wahoos some breathing room in the top of the ninth, blasting his fifth homer of the season, a solo shot, to give the Wahoos a 5-3 cushion. Van Mil came back in the last of the ninth and retired the Suns in order to pick up his seventh save of the year.
Pensacola scored first in the ballgame on a Devin Lohman single scoring Ryan LaMarre in the top of the third inning. Jacksonville countered in the bottom of the frame with a two-out RBI double from Danny Black to knot the score at one.
Marquez Smith put the Wahoos back on top in the fourth inning with a one-out homer to deep left-center field. It was Smith’s third homer of the season with Pensacola in just 17 games.
In the fifth inning, the Wahoos doubled their advantage with two unearned runs. Pensacola starting pitcher Josh Smith reached on an error by the third baseman Zack Cox with two outs, which opened the flood gates. Corey Wimberly singled to put runners on first and second before Yorman Rodriguez drove home Smith with an RBI single to right. Wimberly moved to third on the play and came home to score the eventual game-winning run on a balk by Jacksonville starter Jay Jackson, making the score 4-2.
Smith improved to 7-6 on the season by tossing his eighth quality start of the year. The right-hander allowed two runs on seven hits while striking out three to pick up his second straight victory.
Jackson fell to 2-7 on the year despite going seven innings. The Jacksonville right-hander allowed four runs (two earned) on five hits in his outing, striking out five and walking one.
The Wahoos now return home to start a five-game series with the Jackson Generals on Thursday afternoon. Pensacola will send Shaun Ellis (2-1, 3.76) to the bump against Jackson southpaw Anthony Fernandez (5-3, 5.27). First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m. as the Blue Wahoos celebrate Independence Day at Pensacola Bayfront Stadium.
story by Kevin Burke
Buckmaster’s Life Hunt: Tate Student, Cancer Patient On National TV
July 3, 2013
Tate High School student Halee Boyd, who is continuing to fight a rare form of cancer, will appear on the Outdoor Channel this week.
A few months ago, Halee took part in the Buckmasters Life Hunt Classic 2013. Life Hunt is a wish-granting service for children and young adults with critical illnesses and diseases. The program was officially founded in 1998 to grant hunting wishes and has served hundreds of children and young adults to date.
The hunt took place at Sedgefields Plantation near Selma, AL. The plantation is considered to have some of the finest whitetail deer habitat in Alabama.
The Buckmasters Whitetail Magazine Classic Life Hunt show will including highlights from the hunt. It airs on the Outdoor Channel at 1 p.m. Thursday and 8 a.m. Saturday.
Halee is battling Alevola Rhabdomyosarcoma , ARMS for short, a rare cancer of the muscles that are attached to the bones. There are only a few hundred new cases per year in the U.S.
Pictured top: Jackie Bushman, founder of Buckmasters, Mardi Boyd and Halee Boyd at the Buckmasters Life Hunt Classic 2013. Courtesy photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Wahoos Fall 6-5 On Walk-Off Homer
July 3, 2013
Jake Marisnick belted a walk-off, two-run homer giving the Jacksonville Suns a come-from-behind 6-5 win over the Pensacola Blue Wahoos on Tuesday night at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville. It was the Suns’ second walk-off win over the Wahoos this series, and the win also secured the series victory for Jacksonville.
Pensacola was in control of the contest, leading 5-2 heading to the last of the eighth. Brian Pearl entered out of the Wahoos pen and promptly gave up a double to J.T. Realmuto and an RBI single to Zack Cox, slicing the deficit to two. Drew Hayes then came on and allowed Danny Pertusati to reach on a fielder’s choice. Pertusati moved from first to third on an errant pickoff attempt and scored on Ryan Fisher’s groundout.
In the ninth, Noah Perio led off with a single and after a failed bunt attempt from Michael Main, Marisnick crushed a no-doubt shot deep to left field for his 10th homer of the season. It’s the ninth time this season that the Wahoos have lost in walk-off fashion.
Hayes (2-2) blew his fifth save in five chances for Pensacola as he ended up allowing two runs on two hits in 1.1 innings. Collin Cargill (2-1) was credited with the win by firing two shutout frames to hold the Wahoos at bay in the eighth and ninth.
The four-run comeback marred a great start form Pensacola starter Daniel Renken. The right-hander’s lone mistake on the night was a two-run homer from Fisher in the last of the second to give Jacksonville a brief 2-1 lead. The right-hander induced a momentum-swinging 4-6-3 double play to thwart a rally in the last of the third and settled down from there. He allowed just four baserunners in his final 3.2 innings but had to settle for the no-decision despite allowing only two runs on five hits in 6.2 frames.
The Wahoos got off to a great start in the contest as Devin Lohman led off the game with a homer, his sixth round-tripper of the year, against Jacksonville starter Anthony DeSclafani. The Suns’ starter would retire the next 10 he faced though until running into massive trouble in the fourth.
Donald Lutz started the fourth-inning rally with a walk, before a Marquez Smith single put runners on the corners with one out. Danny Vicioso tied the game with an RBI single and then Travis Mattair followed with a go-ahead two-run triple to dead-center field. Theo Bowe would provide some insurance on a swinging bunt that DeSclafani couldn’t handle, allowing Mattair to score from third and giving the Wahoos a 5-2 lead.
Having already dropped the series, the Wahoos look to build some momentum in the series finale at 6:05 p.m. CT. Pensacola sends Josh Smith (6-6, 3.50) to the bump against Jacksonville’s Jay Jackson (2-5, 3.33).
story by Kevin Burke
Wahoos Rally Past Jacksonville In Rain-Shortened Game
July 2, 2013
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos used a four-run fourth inning to rally past the Jacksonville Suns 4-3 in a rain-shortened, six-inning affair on Monday afternoon at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville.
Rains forced the tarp onto the field with one out in the sixth before the game was eventually called approximately an hour later with no end to the rain in sight. The win snapped Pensacola’s two-game skid and moved them to within a game of first place behind Jacksonville.
Trailing 3-0 after three frames, the Wahoos came to the plate in the fourth inning without a hit against Jacksonville starter Adam Conley. Donald Lutz changed that with a single to right to spark the rally. Marquez Smith walked to follow Lutz and both runners moved up a base on a groundout by Matt Kennelly. Travis Mattair then put the Wahoos on the board with a solid single up the middle, cutting the lead to 3-1. Ryan LaMarre was plunked by a 1-2 pitch following Mattair to load the bases with just one hit.
Brodie Greene brought Pensacola closer by reaching on catcher’s interference when his swing made contact with the glove of catcher J.T. Realmuto. Greene was credited with an RBI and made the score 3-2. Dennick finished off the rally with a two-run single through the left side, putting the Wahoos on top 4-3.
Dennick battled his command early in the contest before settling down and keeping Pensacola in the game. Jacksonville plated three runs in the last of the first against Dennick on a two-run single from Mark Canha and an RBI single from Danny Black. Despite walking three in the frame, Dennick stranded a pair to keep the deficit at three. Jacksonville stranded two more runners in both the second and third innings before the Wahoos southpaw took control by retiring the final seven batters he faced.
Dennick (4-9) was credited with a complete game by tossing five innings and allowing three runs on five hits with four walks and no strikeouts. Conley fell to 7-3 but also went the distance, giving up four runs (three earned) on three hits with three walks and four strikeouts in 5.1 frames.
The series continues on Tuesday night at 6:05 p.m. CT. Pensacola will send Daniel Renken (2-6, 3.97) to the mound against Jacksonville’s Anthony DeSclafani (2-0, 2.08).
story by Kevin Burke
Want To Sponsor The Blackwater Trail?
July 2, 2013
Want your company name on the Blackwater Trail in Milton? Now you can.
A year after lawmakers agreed to allow advertising on state greenways and trails, the Florida Park Service has announced that sponsors are being sought for seven multi-use, paved trails from the Panhandle to the Florida Keys. The trails announced Monday are the first to be put up for potential sponsorship from the July 2012 law that some critics argued would diminish hiking in serene, uncluttered natural habitats.
With the negotiated sponsorship comes pre-approved, logo-covered signs at trailheads and access points that could be either 4 square feet or 16 square feet, depending upon the type of access point. A mandatory teleconference call is planned for July 15 for those interested in sponsoring a trail.
The seven state trails are: Blackwater Heritage Trail near Milton in the Florida Panhandle; Tallahassee-St. Marks Historic Railroad State Trail south of Tallahassee; Palatka-Lake Butler State Trail in north-central Florida; Nature Coast State Trail from Cross City to Chiefland crossing the lower Suwannee River; Withlacoochee State Trail south of Dunnellon; General James A. Van Fleet State Trail through Central Florida’s Green Swamp; and the Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Trail from Key Largo to Key West.
By The News Service of Florida
Milwaukee Brewers Send Gindl Back To Triple A Nashville
July 1, 2013
After a 10-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates Friday night, the Milwaukee Brewers optioned outfielder Caleb Gindl of Molino back to Triple-A Nashville and recalled right-hander Tyler Thornburg.
Gindl was called up on June 15 after Ryan Braun was placed on the disabled list with an injured thumb. He had five hits in 19 at-bats, appearing in nine games. The Brewers promoted him after placing left fielder Ryan Braun on the 15-day disabled list.
Back in Nashville Sunday, Gindl snapped tie between the Sounds and the Oklahoma City RedHawks by hitting his ninth home run of the season. The solo shot to right field put the Nashville Sounds up 4-3 on their way to a 5-3 victory.
Gindl, 24, was a Brewers’ fifth-round Draft pick in 2007 out of Pace High School, and he was 22 when he debuted in Triple-A in 2011. He had been waiting there patiently for a promotion. Gindl was batting .274 at Nashville with eight home runs and a team-best 38 RBIs. He hit .364 over his last 10 games.
Bratt Basketball Camp Planned With Former NBA Coach
June 30, 2013
The First Baptist Church of Bratt will host a basketball camp this month with a former NBA, college and high school coach.
The camp for children ages 8-14 will be held July 22-26 from 9 a.m. until noon at the church. Coach Roger Dutremble of Global Sports Outreach will teach kids the fundamentals of basketball and Biblical awareness.
Dutremble is a a retired coach and member of the International Basketball Hall of Fame. He career includes coaching at every level from high school to the NBA, and into international arenas, with a lifetime coaching record of 687-117 and seven national championships. He was selected “Coach of the Year” six times, and served as national team head coach to Belgium, Scotland, and Jordan. He was an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Lakers, serving under Paul Westhead and Pat Riley, from 1979-83 and helping the team to three NBA championships with players like Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
The cost is $35 per student with a limited number of scholarships available. For more information, contact Tim Hawsey at (850) 327-6529.
Pictured: Students that participated in last year’s basketball camp at the First Baptist Church of Bratt. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Scientists Discover New Fish Species In Escambia, Perdido Rivers
June 29, 2013
Scientists with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission have uncovered a new species of black bass in area waters, including the Escambia and Perdido rivers.
FWC scientists first noted a DNA profile that did not belong to any recognized species while testing a bass specimen from the Chipola River in 2007, as part of a broader genetic study of bass.
“We didn’t set out to find a new species,” said Mike Tringali, who heads the genetics laboratory at the FWC’s Fish and Wildlife Research Institute. “It found us.”
After confirming the initial discovery, scientists searched for the DNA profile in bass caught in nearby rivers to determine the species’ range. They found that the Choctaw bass inhabits coastal river systems in Alabama and along the western Florida panhandle. The Choctaw bass has been confirmed in the Escambia, Perdido, Conecuh, Choctawhatchee, Yellow and Blackwater rivers.
“We chose the name ‘Choctaw bass’ because the species’ range overlaps the historic range of the Choctaw Indians,” said Tringali. “As for our recommended scientific name, Micropterus haiaka, ‘haiaka’ is a Choctaw word that means ‘revealed’.” The American Fisheries Society must approve the suggested scientific name for it to take effect.
The Choctaw bass is very similar in appearance to its relative, the spotted bass. The physical differences between the two species are not easily seen with the naked eye, one reason they had never before been distinguished despite decades of bass studies in the region.
Now that this native bass is known, scientists want to ensure the population remains healthy by implementing the best possible conservation management practices. Ironically, the biggest conservation threat to the Choctaw bass may come from its cousins, spotted bass and Alabama bass.
Typically, Choctaw bass have been found in the upper reaches of rivers and streams where sediment accumulates, avoiding stream headwaters and tidal zones found closer to the coast. As of late 2012, everywhere Choctaw bass had been collected, spotted bass and Alabama bass were absent.
Courtesy images for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Wahoos Beat The Braves 7-6
June 29, 2013
Devin Lohman launched a leadoff homer in the first inning, setting the stage for the Pensacola Blue Wahoos’ 7-6 victory over the Mississippi Braves on Friday night in front of a sellout crowd of 5,038 at Pensacola Bayfront Stadium. Combined with Jacksonville’s loss to Mobile, Pensacola moved back into a tie for the first place through the first 10 games of the second half.
Lohman’s dinger was part of a two-run first inning for Pensacola. Yorman Rodriguez reached on an error and came around to score on a double from Marquez Smith to make it 2-0. After Mississippi tied the game on a Mycal Jones RBI double in the top of the second, Pensacola rallied for five straight runs.
In the second inning, Devin Lohman brought home his second run of the day on a two-out single scoring Ryan LaMarre to make it 3-1. The power returned in the last of the third, as Donald Lutz singled to set up a two-run blast from Smith, his second in as many days. Two batters later, Travis Mattair mashed his team-leading 11th homer of the year to left-center to push Pensacola’s lead to 6-1. The solo shot was also Mattair’s third round-tripper in the last four games.
All of the runs in the first three frames were charged to Braves starter Aaron Northcraft (3-6). The right-hander gave up six runs (five earned) on seven hits, three of which were long balls. The Mississippi bullpen stopped the bleeding by allowing just one run over the final five at-bats for Pensacola.
Pensacola tacked on what turned out to be an important insurance run, though, in the fourth when Lutz singled home Lohman who had walked earlier in the frame.
Josh Smith (6-6) picked up the win for the Wahoos by keeping the Braves at bay through six frames. He allowed just one run while scattering five hits.
Once Smith exited, though, the Braves made things interesting against the Pensacola bullpen. Trailing by six entering the seventh, Mississippi strung together three one-out hits, culminating in a Dan Brewer three-run homer to slice the deficit in half at 7-4 against Wilkin De La Rosa.
Mississippi cut the lead to just one in the eighth inning but putting two on with one out. Barrett Kleinknecht brought home a run with a sac fly against Jamie Walczak, who was replaced by Trevor Bell. The Pensacola closer’s first offering went straight to the backstop, allowing Emerson Landoni to scamper home, making it a 7-6 game.
Bell retired the last batter of the eighth inning before closing the door on Mississippi in the ninth for his third save of the year.
Having won back-to-back series for the first time all year, Pensacola travels to Jacksonville to start a five-game series against the Suns at 6:05 p.m. CT. Chad Rogers (3-2, 2.09) will get the start for the Blue Wahoos against the Suns’ Robert Morey (3-4, 4.73).
story by Kevin Burke