Photos: Flag Football Tournament Benefits Youth Football Program
July 29, 2012
An adult flag football tournament was held Saturday in Walnut Hill, with proceeds benefiting the Northwest Escambia youth football program.
For a photo gallery, click here.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
USA Gets First Gold; Phelps Fails to Medal in Olympics Swimming Opener
July 29, 2012
There was a shocking result in the very first swimming race at the London Olympics.
American swimmer Ryan Lochte won the men’s 400-meter individual medley (4:05.18) by an impressive margin of more than three and a half seconds, capturing the gold medal.
Brazil’s Thiago Pereira took the silver (4:08.86) and Japan’s Kosuke Hagino got the bronze (4:08.94).
While Lochte himself is a star and was one of the favorites, it was the placement of his superstar teammate Michael Phelps that came as a big surprise. The record-setting eight-time Olympic gold medalist in Beijing had narrowly qualified for the final out of the morning heats and ended up fourth.
Phelps did not hide his disappointment.
“It’s frustrating. It’s all I can say,” he admitted. “You know, it’s pretty upsetting. But I think the biggest thing now is just to try to get past this and move forward. I mean I have a bunch of other races and hopefully we can finish a lot better than how we started.”
Lochte said he was surprised Phelps was not next to him on the podium.
“I mean whenever Michael swims he’s always on the medal stand, no matter what,” Lochte noted. “But he did 110%. He gave it everything he had.”
But it was not enough this time, and Lochte won the difficult race that features all four strokes: butterfly, back, breast and freestyle.
“Feels amazing that knowing the last four years I’ve put in that hard work that it finally paid off,” Lochte said during post-race press conference, “and to not only swim for my country but to have my whole entire family there in the stands cheering for me definitely gave me a little bit more of a boost.”
Lochte was asked if Phelps had anything to say to him after the race.
“He came up to me and he congratulated me and he said ‘Way to go’ and ‘we haven’t lost the 400 IM for the USA in a long time, so way to keep it going,” Lochte said.
The first swimming world record of these Games came on the opening night in the women’s 400-meter individual medley. China’s Ye Shiwen clocked 4:28.43 seconds to break the four-year-old mark (4:29.45) by about one second set at the last Olympics by Australian Stephanie Rice, who placed sixth Saturday. American Elizabeth Beisel won the silver (4:31.27) and China’s Lu Xuanxu got the bronze (4:32.91).
China’s Sun Yang took the gold medal in the men’s 400-meter freestyle, and Australia earned gold in the women’s 4×100 meter freestyle relay, with the Netherlands getting silver and the USA bronze.
Earlier Saturday evening, the U.S. men’s archery team upset three-time defending champion South Korea in the semifinals (224-219). But in a dramatic battle for the gold medal, Italy’s last archer scored a 10 when his arrow landed on the ring to give his nation a one-point victory, 219-218.
South Korea won the bronze in a shoot-off against Mexico.
Pcola Blue Wahoos Beat The Huntsville Stars 7-5
July 28, 2012
Pensacola and Huntsville totaled nine runs in four innings, including scores in each frame from the bottom of the fifth until the bottom of the eighth, while four Blue Wahoos batters recorded multi-hit efforts to lead the Fish to a 7-5 victory over the Huntsville Stars on Friday night at Pensacola Bayfront Stadium.
The win combined with a Montgomery loss means Pensacola is now just one game behind the Biscuits for first in the second half standings of the South Division with a 19-15 record. The Stars fell to 16-18 in the second half, with the defeat snapping their five-game winning streak.
Once again Pensacola struck first, with RF Josh Fellhauer leading off the second with a double, before 3B David Vidal drove home Fellhauer with a run-scoring ground-rule double to left-center. Vidal would then come across when starting pitcher J.C. Sulbaran singled to left to push Pensacola to a 2-0 margin.
Following a solo homer from Huntsville LF Khris Davis, his eighth of the year, the Blue Wahoos started the scoring streak with a two-run fifth frame. SS Billy Hamilton led off with a triple and scored on an error on the play, while LF Donald Lutz drew a free pass and was brought home on an RBI double by 1B Beau Mills, making it 4-1.
Both teams subsequently exchanged single tallies in both the sixth and seventh innings to keep Pensacola ahead 6-3. The Stars scored thanks to a sacrifice fly from 1B Hunter Morris in the sixth, which was followed by a run-scoring single from SS Tommy Manzella in the next frame. CF Ryan LaMarre drove a run home with an RBI single in the sixth, while Vidal brought in his second tally with a single in the seventh.
After Huntsville cut their deficit to one with a pair of scores in the eighth courtesy of a two-run double by CF Josh Prince, the Fish added an additional insurance run in the bottom of the frame when LaMarre brought across pinch hitter Miguel Rojas, extending the Pensacola advantage to two.
Blue Wahoos starter J.C. Sulbaran (5.1 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 5 SO) earned the victory after giving up just two earned runs on five hits while fanning five in 5.1 frames, while Stars RHP Evan Anundsen (4.2 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 3 SO) suffered the loss for Huntsville. Pensacola closer Justin Freeman (1.2 IP, 3 H, 2 BB, 3 SO) notched his 11th save of the year by firing the final 1.2 innings.
Lamarre (2-4, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 1 BB), along with Mills (2-5, 2 2B, 1 RBI), Fellhauer (2-3, 2 R, 1 2B, 1 BB) and Vidal (2-4, 1 R, 1 2B, 2 RBI) all recorded multi-hit efforts in the win for the Fish, while Khris Davis (2-3, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 2 BB) and 2B Scotter Gennett (2-5, 1 R, 1 2B) each collected two base knocks in the contest. Mills extended his on-base streak to 30 consecutive games, which is the second longest active streak in the Southern League this year.
Pensacola and Huntsville will meet in the series finale Saturday night, with first pitch set for 6:35 p.m. at the bayfront stadium. RHP Wirfin Obispo is expected to get the nod for the Blue Wahoos, while the Stars have not yet announced their starter.
By Andrew Green
Pictured: David Vidal collected two RBI in Pensacola’s 7-5 win over Huntsville Friday. Photo by Chris Nelson for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Northview Chiefs To Hold Football Camp
July 27, 2012
The Northview High School Chiefs will host a football camp next month.
The camp is for players age eight years to the eighth grade. Registration is $30 which includes a hot dog lunch, camp t-shirt and a free pass to the first home game. Camp participants will be recognized at halftime of the first home game.
For more information and a registration form, click here (pdf).
Huntsville Stars Edge The Pensacola Blue Wahoos 3-2
July 27, 2012
Huntsville center field Josh Prince dropped down a suicide squeeze bunt in the seventh inning for what turned out to be the game-winning play, while left fielder Khris Davis launched his seventh homer of the season to lead the Stars to a 3-2 victory over the Pensacola Blue Wahoos in front of a capacity crowd of 5,038 on Thursday evening at Pensacola Bayfront Stadium.
It was the fifth straight win for Huntsville, who also clinched a series victory and improved to 16-17 in the second half, while the Fish fell to 18-15 mark since the league’s All-Star Break. The sellout was the 33rd of the year for the Blue Wahoos in their 52nd home opening this year.
For the third straight night, Pensacola scored the game’s first run, with LF Donald Lutz leading off the second frame by launching a longball to right center. The homer was the second since the left-handed slugger joined to Wahoos and gave the Fish the early 1-0 advantage.
Huntsville however answered back with single tallies in the third and fourth frames to take a 2-1 lead. Prince reached with a one-out double, before eventually coming plateward on SS Tommy Manzella’s RBI single to right. The Stars subsequently scored in the next inning when Davis drove a solo homer to left, his seventh of 2012.
The Blue Wahoos would then even the count at 2-2 in the bottom of the fourth. 3B David Vidal doubled to deep center and moved to third on Lutz’s single prior to a Stars fielding miscue, which brought home Vidal. Lutz later attempted to score on a fly out to right, but was gunned down by RF Kentrail Davis after Lutz ran into C Adam Weisenburger, who held on to the throw at the plate.
Huntsville would then break the draw in the seventh to grab the lead for good. 3B Hainly Statia led off with a base knock, took second on Kentrail Davis’ single and third on an error, before Prince put down the suicide squeeze bunt to bring across Statia.
Manzella (2-5, 1 RBI) and Statia (2-4,1 R) each recorded two base knocks to pace the Stars, while Lutz (3-4, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 HR, 1 RBI) led the Blue Wahoos with his three hits. 1B Beau Mills collected a hit in the sixth frame to extend his team-record on-base streak to 29 contests.
Huntsville starting pitcher Josh Stinson (6.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 5 BB, 2 SO) earned the win to up his record to 11-5, while right-handers Darren Byrd (2.0 IP, 1 SO) and Brandon Kintzler (1.0 IP) combined for three perfect innings in support of Stinson. Byrd recorded his ninth hold of the season, while Kitzler notched his fifth save of 2012.
Pensacola starter Daniel Corcino (6.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 SO) did not factor in the decision despite yielding just two earned runs on five hits in his six innings, while LHP Wilkin De La Rosa (0.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 SO) suffered the loss for the Blue Wahoos.
The Blue Wahoos and Stars are slated to meet again on Friday night, with first pitch scheduled for 7:00 p.m. at the bayfront stadium. Pensacola is expected to give the nod to RHP J.C. Sulbaran, while RHP Evan Anundensen is slated to toe the rubber for Huntsville.
By Andrew Green
Pictured: Daniel Corcino yielded just two runs in six innings in Pensacola’s 3-2 loss Thursday night. Photo by Chris Nelson for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Huntsville Homers Past The Pensacola Blue Wahoos 6-2
July 26, 2012
The Stars slammed four home runs, including two from first baseman Hunter Morris and one each from left fielder Khris Davis and right fielder Kentrail Davis, as Huntsville powered past the Pensacola Blue Wahoos 6-2 on Wednesday night at Pensacola Bayfront Stadium.
The victory was the fourth in a row for the Stars, who improve their record in the second half to 15-17. The defeated dropped the Fish to a 18-14 mark since the league’s All-Star Break. The team wore Reds jerseys for the contest in honor of the club’s affiliation with the Cincinnati Reds, while fans in attendance also wore red.
Pensacola got the scoring started in the opening frame to take the early 1-0 lead. SS Billy Hamilton drew a free pass and subsequently swiping second for his 113th steal of the year before moving to third on an error and home on an RBI single by RF Bryson Smith. The theft means the speedster is now 32 steals away from Vince Coleman’s all-time mark of 145, which he set in 1983 with Single-A Macon.
Huntsville would then launch their first homer of the contest in the next inning, when Morris led off the second with a solo shot to right. The left-handed slugger then mashed his second longball of the evening in his next at bat in the fourth to up his season total to 18. Kentrail Davis followed Morris with a solo blast of his own to combine for back-to-back jacks. A third Stars tally would come across in the fourth thanks to a Blue Wahoos error to make it 4-1.
The fourth and final Stars shot would come in the fifth, when Khris Davis deposited the first pitch of the at bat to left for his sixth roundtripper of the year, extending the advantage to five. Pensacola pinch hitter Josh Fellhauer cut the deficit to three in the fifth, scoring 3B David Vidal from third, but Huntsville answered right back in the sixth with a run-scoring single by SS Tommy Manzella to complete the scoring.
Morris (2-3, 2 R, 2 HR, 2 RBI, 1 BB) was the lone Huntsville hitter to collect two or more hits in the contest, while Smith (2-4, 1 RBI) also recorded a multi-hit effort for the Blue Wahoos. 1B Beau Mills drew a free pass in the sixth to extend his team-record on-base streak to 28, accounting for every game he has played for Pensacola this year.
Stars starter Johnnie Lowe (5.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 SO) earned the win after yielding just two earned runs on four hits in his five innings of work, while the relief trio of Dan Meadows (2.0 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 2 SO), Darren Byrd (1.0 IP, 1 SO) and Brandon Kintzler (1.0 IP, 1 H) combined for the final four shutout frames. Pensacola RHP Kyle Lotzkar (4.0 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 5 SO) suffered the loss to fall to 4-5, as Josh Ravin (1.0 IP, 1 BB, 3 SO), Justin Freeman (1.0 IP, 2 SO) and Chris Manno (1.0 IP, 2 SO) totaled seven strikeouts in the last three innings.
The two teams are scheduled to meet again on Thursday evening, with first pitch set for 7:05 p.m. at the bayfront stadium. RHP Daniel Corcino is slated to toe the rubber for the Blue Wahoos, while Huntsville is expected to counter with RHP Josh Stinson.
By Andrew Green
Pictured: Pensacola’s Billy Hamilton stole his 113th base of the season in Wednesday’s 6-2 loss to Huntsville. Photo by Chris Nelson for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Northview Mini Cheerleading Camp Begins Today
July 25, 2012
The Northview High School cheerleaders will host a mini cheerleading camp for children age 4 through the eighth grade.
The camp will be held from 3 until 5 p.m. on July 25, July 26 and August 2.
The cost will be $30 for camp and $10 for a shirt. The shirts will be slightly different than last year’s, but will not be required. Registration begins at 2:30 on July 25.
Camp attendees will learn chants, cheers, stunts and a dance. Refreshments will be be provided. Parents are invited to see their child’s performance on August 2, and they will also perform at the first home Northview Chiefs football game. A review session date will be scheduled prior to the football game performance.
For more information, contact Megan or Tammy at (850) 327-6681 or any Northview cheerleader.
Pictured: Northview High mini cheerleaders perform last football season. NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
Local Twirler Places Second In National Baton Competition
July 25, 2012
Colbi Kendall of Flomaton recently took part in the National Baton Twirling Competition on the campus of Notre Dame University in South Bend, Indiana.
She placed second in the 2-baton 12-year old division, missing the title by one-tenth of a point. She competed against 33 girls from across the U.S. and Canada.
“Twirling is my life, I don’t know what I would do if I didn’t twirl,” Kendall said.
Kendall is the daughter of Keith and Alissa Lodge. She twirls with the Santa Rosa and Escambia Twirlers under the instruction of Melissa Majors.
Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Huntsville Downs Wahoos 6-1
July 25, 2012
Huntsville starting pitcher Hiram Burgos tossed a nine-inning complete game, while left fielder Khris Davis and and first baseman Hunter Morris each blasted two-run homers, as the Stars defeated the Pensacola Blue Wahoos 6-1 in front of a sellout crowd of 5,038 on Tuesday night at Pensacola Bayfront Stadium.
The victory improved the Stars’ record in the second half to 14-17, while the loss dropped the Fish to an 18-13 mark since the league’s All-Star Break. The capacity crowd was the 32nd of the year for the Blue Wahoos in their 50th home opening of the season. Before the game, the Blue Wahoos and Cincinnati Reds announced a four-year extension to their Player Development Contract, meaning Pensacola will be affiliated with the Reds through the 2016 season.
The lone hiccup for Burgos (9.0 IP, 8 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 SO) came in the opening frame, when he gave up a solo home run to left off the bat of CF Ryan LaMarre, the outfielder’s second roundtripper in a three game span. It was also the fifth longball of the season for LaMarre.
From that point on, the Stars’ hurler did not allow a runner past second, giving up the lone earned run on eight hits while fanning one in his nine frames. It was also the first complete game in Burgos’ professional career, who improved to 6-1 on the year.
Pensacola starting pitcher Tony Cingrani (5.1 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 2 BB, 7 SO) suffered the loss, snapping his four-game winning streak that dated back to June 27. Relievers Brian Pearl (1.2 IP, 1 H, 1 SO), Mark Serrano (1.0 IP) and Chris Manno (1.0 IP, 1 BB, 1 SO) all combined to give up just one hit in the final 3.2 scoreless frames.
Huntsville took the lead they would not give back in the fourth, with the first of their two big flies. With two outs, 2B Scooter Gennett doubled to right, before Davis deposited the first pitch he saw over the right field line to move the Stars ahead 2-1.
They would then plate two tallies in the next two innings to extend the margin to five. RF Kentrail Davis doubled and C Anderson De La Rosa walked in the fifth, before CF Josh Prince sent both home with a triple to right center. Morris in the following frame then mashed his 16thh homer of the year to right to end the scoring for Huntsville.
Kentrail Davis (2-4, 1 R, 1 2B) and Khris Davis (2-4, 2 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI) each recorded multi-hit efforts in the victory for the Stars, while LaMarre (2-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI) and LF Donald Lutz (2-4) both accumulated two hits. 1B Beau Mills reached base with a single to extend his on-base streak to 27, as well as his hit streak to seven.
With Huntsville leading the series 1-0, the two clubs will meet Wednesday night for the second game of the five-game set, with first pitch set for 7:00 p.m. at the bayfront stadium. RHP Kyle Lotzkar is expected to get the nod for the Blue Wahoos, while the Stars are scheduled to counter with RHP Josh Stinson.
By Andrew Green
Photo by Andrew Green for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Blue Wahoos Get Deal Extension With The Cincinnati Reds
July 25, 2012
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos joined with executives of the Cincinnati Reds organization today to announce the signing of a four-year extension of the Blue Wahoos’ player development contract with the Reds.
The agreement extends the existing one year contract because of the overwhelming success of the Pensacola Blue Wahoos organization, according to Reds management. Typically, PDC’s are extended for two or four years at a time, and in some cases, not at all. The four-year extension is seen as a sign of the confidence the Reds have in the Blue Wahoos ownership and organization, as well as the community support for the team.
“We have been very extremely impressed with the operation in Pensacola, from the terrific new facility to the first-class treatment of our players by Quint Studer, Bruce Baldwin and their entire front office and gameday staffs. We appreciate that they are as interested as we are in extending our agreement for at least 4 more years, because our relationship is a very good one,” said Walt Jocketty, Reds President of Baseball Operations and General Manager.
Pensacola Mayor Ashton Hayward welcomed the news as further evidence of the community’s progress.
“Throughout this season, we have built a great relationship with the Reds and the city of Cincinnati,” said Hayward. “The Blue Wahoos have quickly become another reason why Pensacola is a great place to live, work, and play, and this exciting announcement is the latest win in a very successful debut season. I want to thank Reds owner Bob Castellini and his front office for their confidence and investment in Pensacola and our Blue Wahoos.”
Wahoos owners Quint and Rishy Studer said the contract agreement is a win-win for the fans, the city of Pensacola, the Cincinnati Reds and the Wahoos.
“We are excited to build upon the success of this first year,” said Quint. “Rishy and I have always worked hard in our business and philanthropy efforts to improve the community, and we are happy that the Reds see this endeavor in the same light. We are grateful to the Reds’ organization for this extension, and they were a joy to work with. Our negotiations were open, never contentious and we achieved a win-win for everyone. The Reds are a great program to be a part of, and we really appreciated their collegial, upfront, and forthright approach,” said Studer.
The Reds organization commended the Wahoos organization for its positive effect on the community, the support of the fans selling out numerous home games, and the quality players on the team, some who have been called upon to compete in the Major League.
Currently the Pensacola Blue Wahoos are in a tight race with the Montgomery Biscuits and the Mobile BayBears for first place within the Southern League South Division Double-A league. The playoffs will begin in September.
Pictured: Reds owner Bob Castellini speaks at Tuesday’s press conference. Courtesy photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.