Hunstville Beats Wahoos 10-5
July 21, 2013
Jason Rogers smashed three home runs and drove home another run with a single as part of a six-RBI night in the Huntsville Stars’ 10-5 win over the Pensacola Blue Wahoos on Saturday night in front of the 21st capacity crowd of the season at Pensacola Bayfront Stadium.
Rogers started the scoring with a two-run homer in the top half of the fourth inning against Pensacola starter Tim Crabbe. It was part of a four-run frame for the Stars who got an RBI triple from Adam Weisenburger and an RBI single from Eric Patterson to build a 4-0 lead. Crabbe was taken out of the game after four frames. He allowed four runs on six hits with five strikeouts.
However, in the last of the fourth, the Wahoos countered with four runs of their own against Huntsville starter Taylor Jungmann. With runners on second and third and one out, Devin Lohman reached on an infield single to score a run while another run scored on a throwing error by the pitcher Jungmann to make it 4-2. Corey Wimberly doubled home Lohman two batters later to make 4-3 before Wimberly scored on an RBI single from Yorman Rodriguez, knotting the game at four. Rodriguez finished the night going 4-for-5 with a triple and an RBI. It was the first time this season a Wahoo has recorded four hits in a game.
Rogers broke the tie in the sixth inning with a solo homer and added an insurance tally with a two-out single in the seventh to give the Stars a 6-4 lead. Both hits came against Loek Van Mil who fell to 0-6 by allowing two runs on seven hits in three innings.
In the ninth, Rogers provided the exclamation point to his night with another two-run shot to left, capping a four-run frame for Huntsville and opening up a 10-4 cushion. Rogers went 4-for-5 with the three homers and six RBI, both career-highs. The three blasts were his first since May 27.
Pensacola scored a run in the last of the ninth inning when Tucker Barnhart singled home Donald Lutz to make it 10-5. Barnhart went 2-for-3 with an RBI to extend his hitting streak to eight games.
David Goforth picked up the win for Huntsville to improve to 4-1. In relief of Jungmann, Goforth fired three scoreless frames with two strikeouts. Jungmann didn’t last past the fourth inning for Huntsville, as he gave up four runs on seven hits and took a no-decision.
Pensacola will look to salvage the final two games of the series starting on Sunday at 4 p.m. Josh Smith (7-8, 3.72) will start for the Wahoos while Ariel Pena (5-7, 3.47) gets the call for the Stars.
story by Kevin Burke
Wahoos Fall Flat In Series Opener
July 19, 2013
The Huntsville Stars scored in their first at-bat, providing all the offense on the night in a 1-0 win over the Pensacola Blue Wahoos on Thursday night in front of the 19th sellout crowd of the season at Pensacola Bayfront Stadium.
Chadwin Stang started the game off with a double for the Stars and moved to third on a sac bunt by Nick Shaw. Two batters later, Brock Kjeldgaard lifted a sacrifice fly into foul territory in left field to score the game’s only run.
Pensacola had numerous opportunities in the contest, smacking eight base knocks, but couldn’t push across any runs. The Wahoos stranded 11 runners, including the bases loaded in the fourth inning. In the second inning, Pensacola had runners at second and third and one out but Chris Berset lined out sharply to second base before Daniel Renken grounded out. Renken batted with the bags packed and two outs in the fourth and struck out.
Despite the shutout, Travis Mattair continued his torrid pace with a 3-for-4 performance with two doubles. In his current seven-game hitting streak, Mattiar is 14-for-23, a .609 average.
Renken (3-7) took the tough luck loss despite tossing his fifth quality start in a row. The right-hander allowed a run on three hits with four strikeouts and four walks in six innings.
Drew Gagnon (2-5) snapped a five-game losing streak with his best start in Double-A. Gagnon shutout Pensacola over 6.2 innings, scattering eight hits with three strikeouts and two walks. Greg Holle picked up his ninth save of the year by pitching around a one-out walk in the ninth inning.
The series continues on Friday night at 7 p.m. Carlos Contreras will make his Double-A debut with Pensacola after being called up from High-A Bakersfield over the All-Star Break. Huntsville will counter with Brooks Hall (0-3, 6.31).
story by Kevin Burke
Storm 10U Majors Place 2nd In Global World Series
July 18, 2013
The Pensacola Storm 10U Majors baseball team placed second in the recent USSSA Global World Series Tournament in Orange Beach.
After two days of tournament action, the Pensacola Storm was 4-0 with a No 1. seed as one of the top eight teams in the 35-team tourney. The Storm beat the Texas Punishers 5-2 but then lost to the Arkansas Express Jaggers. They cam beack and battled hard for a 4-2 win over the Germantown Giants from Tennessee. After a lengthy rain delay, they went on to beat the Twin City Outlaws of Texas 11-5 and 14-1. The Pensacola Storm then lost the championship game to the Arkansas Express Jaggers.
The Pensacola Storm finished the season with a 48-15 overall USSSA record and an impressive eight first place and four second place standings out of 15 USSSA tournaments.
Pictured: (front, L-R) Jackson Penton, Tanner Rouchon, Aaron Noack, Josh Turner, Trenton Norton, Jordan Jarman, (back) Jordan Peacock, Jordan McCants, Hunter Pierson, Ian Ladieu, Damarius McGhee and Coleman Dorsett. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
South Tops North 6-0 In Southern League All-Star Game
July 18, 2013
The North Division was held to just one hit in the South Division’s 6-0 win in the Southern League All-Star Game at Bragan Field at the Baseball Ground of Jacksonville on Wednesday night.
Blue Wahoos pitchers Tim Crabbe and Shaun Ellis both got in the game in successive innings. Crabbe worked a scoreless fifth allowing just a hit. Ellis shut out the North Division in the sixth inning with a strikeout and a walk.
Jackson’s James Jones had the only hit for the North Division, a double in the fifth. Offensively, the game belonged to the South. The Wahoos’ division blasted 11 hits resulting in six runs. Mobile’s Mike Freeman was one of three South squaders with a pair of hits. He also scored a pair of runs. Montgomery’s Cameron Seitzer, who was the home run derby champ earlier in the evening, delivered a pair of hits and a run batted in. Mississippi’s Jaime Pedroza had the other dual-hit game for the South squad.
The BayBears’ Justin Greene was awarded MVP for his RBI triple to get the scoring started in the bottom of the first. With the one-hit shutout thrown by the South Division, that run proved to be the game-winner.
This is the second straight All-Star Game win for the South. David Holmberg, also from Mobile, earned the win. He started and worked a perfect first inning with a strikeout.
The Blue Wahoos will return to action on Thursday night at home as they open up a series against the Huntsville Stars at 7 p.m. Daniel Renken (3-6, 3.91) is the scheduled starter for the Wahoos while Huntsville has not yet named a starter.
by Kevin Burke
Gaetz, Others Urge FWC To Back Deer Importation Ban
July 17, 2013
Senate President Don Gaetz and two other Panhandle lawmakers this week urged the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to approve a ban on importing deer from out of state, amid concerns about the spread of a disease that can be fatal to the animals.
Last month, Gaetz, his son, Rep. Matt Gaetz, and Sen. Greg Evers asked the commission to wait for more evidence of the impact of Chronic Wasting Disease. The panel postponed a decision on a ban until its September meeting.
But now the lawmakers say the risk is too great.
“Please accept this letter as acknowledgement that the scientific case for closing the border is stronger than we had originally understood,” they wrote Monday to FWC Chairman Kenneth Wright. “We now believe that moving forward with (the ban) is the prudent course of action.”
Chronic Wasting Disease is similar to Mad Cow Disease and is fatal to deer. If a deer is found with the disease, the entire population — fee-ranging or farmed — must be eradicated to prevent it from spreading.
Marion Hammer of the National Rifle Association, which backs the ban, says the disease could wipe out all the state’s deer.
“Some folks say it’s manageable. It’s not manageable,” Hammer said. “Why should you wait to try to manage something when you can take action to prevent getting it in the first place?”
But opponents of the ban said the move is unnecessary.
“I think it’s a shame,” said Chris Winsey, president of the Southeast Trophy Deer Association. “We’re just being prejudiced toward the deer versus any other animal that’s being moved in our state.”
“They don’t have enough data to close the border,” said Mike Vizcaino, a deer farmer in the St. Augustine area. “If these guys were really afraid of CWD, they would be promoting a statewide testing requirement rather than closing the borders.”
Vizcaino said the ban had been pushed by importers who are stocking up on deer now “so they can set the prices” once the ban goes into effect. “This is all about money.”
Currently, to reduce chances of the disease entering Florida, the state bans deer from being imported from those states and Canadian provinces where infected deer have been found. The ban also prohibits deer killed in those areas from being brought into Florida unless they have first been deboned or treated and mounted by taxidermists outside the state.
The state also requires that imported deer come from herds that have been certified disease-free for five years. Opponents of the ban have recommended the state consider doubling that time frame.
At last month’s commission meeting, deer farmers and game ranchers said closing the border would increase the risk of the disease turning up in Florida. They predicted an increase in smuggling to keep up with the demand for deer available for hunting.
“I believe this decision is probably going to cripple the (deer) industry in Florida,” Winsey said. “It’s a shame how we continue to discriminate against people in agriculture.”
But Hammer said the disease is so deadly that if it spread to Florida, deer hunting would become too dangerous to continue.
“If we got Chronic Wasting Disease in the state of Florida, I’d never eat another piece of venison,” she said. “The risk is too great. So we need to take the steps that are best to prevent ever getting the disease to begin with.”
The disease is not known to affect people.
Backers of the ban include not only the NRA but the Florida Wildlife Federation, United Sportsmen of Florida, Florida Deer Association, Florida Zoo Association and the Humane Society.
Hammer wants the commission to schedule an emergency meeting to hasten the start of the ban, but FWC spokesman Tony Young said Tuesday that wasn’t necessary.
By The News Service of Florida
NHS QB Club Hosting Softball Tournament
July 15, 2013
The Northview High School Quarterback Club will host a coed softball tournament on August 2 and 3.
The entry fee is $150 per team. To register a team and support the Class 1A state football champions in their upcoming season, call Bodie Tullis at (850) 390-3945.
Editor’s note: The above represents a lower registration fee and a date change from a previous announcement.
Wahoos Blank Biscuits
July 15, 2013
Pensacola’s red-hot offense rolled into the All-Star Break with another strong performance, smashing seven runs on 14 hits in a 7-0 blanking of the Montgomery Biscuits on Sunday evening at Riverwalk Stadium. The win moved the Blue Wahoos to within two games of first place Mobile and marked the first time this season that Pensacola won four games in a single series.
The Wahoos offense came out early, striking for three runs in the first inning against Montgomery starter Jake Floethe. Donald Lutz, Tucker Barnhart and Travis Mattair stroked consecutive RBI singles in the first to give Pensacola the early advantage. An inning later, Brodie Greene doubled with one out, stole third base and scored on a fielder’s choice off the bat of Corey Wimberly to make it 4-0.
That was enough support for Pensacola starter Ryan Dennick who got the nod after pitching just one inning on Friday before rains suspended that contest. Dennick fired five shutout innings, allowing just two hits with a strikeout and two walks to improve to 5-10 on the season.
Chris Manno, Josh Ravin, Loek Van Mil and Jamie Walczak combined to hold the Biscuits to just three hits over the final four innings to give the pitching staff its seventh shutout of the season.
Pensacola put the game away in the top of the eighth inning against reliever Erik Hamren. With the bases loaded and nobody out, Mattair scored Yorman Rodriguez on an RBI groundout before Mike Costanzo and Ryan LaMarre notched RBI singles to make it 7-0. The knock for Costanzo was his first in a Blue Wahoo uniform this season in 12 at-bats.
Eight of the nine Wahoos starters ended up with at least one hit in the ball game while five players smacked multi-hit games for the fourth time in the series. Corey Wimberly led the attack with a 3-for-5 showing while Lutz (2-for-4), Barnhart (2-for-4), Mattair (2-for-4) and Costanzo (2-for-5) contributed two-hit games. In the series, Pensacola blasted 31 runs on 52 hits for a team batting average of .308 during the five-game set.
The Wahoos will take the next three days off for the Southern League All-Star Game, which will be played on Wednesday in Jacksonville. Pensacola will return to action on Thursday night at home as they open up a series against the Huntsville Stars at 7 p.m. Daniel Renken (3-6, 3.91) is the scheduled starter for the Wahoos while Huntsville has not yet named a starter.
story by Kevin Burke
Molino’s Kelly Named To World Wood Bat Tournament Team
July 14, 2013
Jacob Kelly of Molino was recently named to the 2013 World Wood Bat Association 18U National Championship All-Tournament Team as a pitcher. The tournament, held in Atlanta, featured over 180 teams with over 3,000 players.
Kelly, 17, pitched 11 innings striking out 13 and allowing only one earned run. Kelly played with the Patriot Travel Team made up of area high school athletes. Another team member, Chandler Burgess, was also named to the All-Tournament team as a hitter. Burgess batted .438 during the tournament that featured teams from as far away as Hawaii and New Jersey.
Wahoos Set Team Record With 12-4 Win Over Montgomery
July 14, 2013
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos scored a franchise record 12 runs in a 12-4 win over the Montgomery Biscuits in the conclusion of Friday’s suspended game, but were shut out on just one hit by Victor Mateo and lost 6-0 in game two.
In game one, both teams traded single runs in the second and third innings before Pensacola finally took the lead for good with three runs in the top of the fifth. Ray Chang tied the game with a sacrifice fly to centerfield driving home Ryan LaMarre to even the score at 3-3. Donald Lutz followed a couple batters later, and grounded in a fielder’s choice at second base, but on an attempt to turn a double play the throw to first got away allowing two runs to score and Blue Wahoos went ahead 5-3.
Pensacola was holding onto a 7-4 lead when they blew the game open with a five-run eighth inning. After two runs had already scored in the inning, Tucker Barnhart doubled down the right field line with the bases loaded which plated two more runs. The final run scored on a groundout by Travis Mattair to cap the scoring.
It was the third straight game where five batters finished with multi-hit efforts. Corey Wimberly (3-for-5) led the attack with his third-straight multi-hit game. Lutz (2-for-4), Barnhart (2-for-5), LaMarre (2-for-4) and Brodie Greene (2-for-4) all chipped in with two-hit affairs. LaMarre and Greene both belted solo home runs in the contest. It was LaMarre’s third game in a row with a round-tripper.
Daniel Renken (W, 3-6) started the resumption and earned the win after allowing just two earned runs, four total, over 4.2 innings. The Wahoos plated four of their 12 runs against Marquis Fleming (L, 2-4) who took the loss for the Biscuits. Fleming was charged with three earned runs over 3.1 innings for Montgomery.
Game two was a much different story. Victor Mateo (W, 4-8) faced just one over the minimum for the Biscuits in a complete game shutout of the Blue Wahoos. Mattair had the Wahoos only hit with his second inning single. That was the only baserunner the Blue Wahoos would get in their fourth time facing the Biscuits starter.
The Biscuits scored, what proved to be all they needed, in the third inning when Robby Price singled home Mayo Acosta. Montgomery opened up their 1-0 lead with four runs in the fifth. With two runs already home, Kyeong Kang belted a two-run home run to right field which signaled the end of the game for Blue Wahoos starter Josh Smith (L, 7-8). Smith was charged with five runs, all earned, on nine hits over 4.2 innings in the loss. The win for Mateo was his second straight.
With the game one win, the Blue Wahoos have already assured themselves a series victory. Now, Pensacola looks to make it four out of five with a win in the series finale on Sunday. Pensacola will look to LHP Ryan Dennick and RHP Shaun Ellis to carry to load against Biscuits RHP Jake Floethe. First pitch is set for 6:05 from Riverwalk Stadium.
story by Kevin Burke
Wahoos Make It Two Straight With 7-2 Win Over The Biscuits
July 12, 2013
For the second straight game the Blue Wahoos had five players with multi-hit games as Pensacola cruised to a 7-2 win over the Montgomery Biscuits for their second consecutive win on Thursday night at Riverwalk Stadium. Corey Wimberly (2-for-4), Donald Lutz (2-for-5), Tucker Barnhart (2-for-5), Travis Mattair (3-for-4) and Brodie Greene (2-for-4) all had multiple knocks aiding the 13 hit effort by the Wahoos.
Ryan LaMarre got the Blue Wahoos on the board with a three-run homer in the top of the fourth inning. Greene tripled a batter later and scored on a sacrifice fly from Wimberly to make it 4-0. That proved to be all the Blue Wahoos would need behind more solid pitching. The Biscuits scattered six hits against Blue Wahoos starter Tim Crabbe (W, 4-7) over his six shutout innings on his way to his fourth win of the year. Jim Patterson (L, 0-2) took the loss after allowing all four Blue Wahoos runs in the fourth. They were the only four runs he allowed over his three innings out of the Biscuits bullpen.
Both teams traded runs in the seventh. Pensacola scored one when Barnhart singled home Lutz. In the bottom of the frame, Todd Glaesmann doubled home Cameron Seitzer before scoring on a sacrifice fly to centerfield a couple batters later for the Biscuits two runs. Both runs were scored off reliever Jamie Walczak in his only inning of work.
Pensacola extended the advantage and put the game away with two more runs in the ninth off Austin Hubbard. Wimberly homered to right for his first of the season with Pensacola, before Barnhart singled home Lutz for the second time in the game making it 7-2 Wahoos. Josh Ravin and Loek Van Mil both worked scoreless innings in the eighth and ninth, respectively, to cap off the win.
The five-game set rolls on Friday night at Riverwalk Stadium. LHP Ryan Dennick (4-10, 3.77) takes the ball for Pensacola against Biscuits RHP Mike Colla (3-1, 3.29). First pitch is slated for 7:05 in Montgomery, Ala.
NOTES: Former Blue Wahoos closer Donnie Joseph made his Major League debut on Thursday afternoon for the Kansas City Royals against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. The lefty worked 0.1 innings allowing just a hit and a walk. Joseph was traded to Kansas City with former Wahoo J.C. Sulbaran near last year’s trade deadline in exchange for Jonathan Broxton.
story by Kevin Burke