Wahoos Blank Barons 3-0
June 9, 2012
Tony Cingrani (1-0) set the stage for the Blue Wahoos on Friday night by fanning nine batters over six shutout innings, but the bats provided what proved to be more than enough support in the Wahoos 3-0 win over the Birmingham Barons at Regions Park.
Pensacola scored first when Ryan LaMarre came home on a sacrifice fly by Josh Fellhauer in the top of the first. Brodie Greene was the story offensively for the Blue Wahoos on the night. He made it 2-0 with his second home run of the season, a solo shot in the third. He finished the game 3-for-4 with a walk and two runs scored. He scored his second run on a ground ball to the shortstop in the fifth inning off the bat of Yordanys Perez to cap the Wahoos scoring.
Following Cingrani’s gem, Justin Freeman and Drew Hayes (S, 1) combined to work three scoreless innings in relief to nail down the win. Freeman struck out four batters over two innings, while Hayes retired three of four batters he faced in the ninth including a pair of strikeouts to earn his first save of the season.
All three Blue Wahoos runs were charged to Birmingham starter Cameron Bayne (5-5). He worked eight innings in the losing effort and allowed nine hits while issuing three walks. He struck out just one.
The Fish look to make it three in a row on Saturday night when they send right-hander Kyle Lotzkar (2-1, 3.03) to the mound against Barons righty Nestor Molina (4-4, 4.74). First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. from Regions Park.
By Tommy Thrall
Pictured top: Tony Cingrani struck out nine over six shutout innings for the Blue Wahoos. Photo by Chris Nelson for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Wahoos Earn Series Opening 5-2 Win Over Birmingham
June 8, 2012
The Blue Wahoos used a five-run sixth inning to roll to a 5-2 win over the Birmingham Barons in the first game of the five-game set from Regions Park in Birmingham on Thursday night.
With the Wahoos trailing 1-0, Joel Guzman hit a ground ball to third with the bases loaded, the ball was bobbled and the tying run scored without an out getting recorded on the play. With the bases still loaded, the next batter, David Vidal, was hit by a pitch to force in the go-ahead run. Yordanys Perez cleared the bases on the very next pitch with a double in the right-centerfield alley scoring all three runners and putting the Wahoos in front 5-1.
Tim Crabbe (3-2) pitched well for the Blue Wahoos by allowing just two hits over five-plus innings. He struck out six and was charged with two runs in earning his third win of the season. Donnie Joseph retired the final four Birmingham batters to earn his league-leading 13th save of the season. Simon Castro (5-3) was pegged with the loss. He was charged with all five Wahoos runs, only four were earned, over six innings.
The Wahoos have now won three of their last four and look for their second-straight win on Friday night. Lefty Tony Cingrani (0-0, 2.70) will oppose right-hander Cameron Bayne (5-4, 6.10). First pitch is set for 7:05 at Regions Park.
By Tommy Thrall
Pictured top: Tim Crabbe allowed just two hits over five-plus innings in the winning effort Thursday as the Blue Wahoos beat the Birmingham Barons. Photo by Chris Nelson for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Jacksonville Edges The Pensacola Blue Wahoos 2-1 To Take Series
June 7, 2012
Jacksonville starting pitcher Matthew Neil shutout Pensacola over six shutout frames, while center fielder Donnie Webb totaled three hits and fell a double short of the cycle as the Suns topped the Blue Wahoos 2-1 on Wednesday night at Pensacola Bayfront Stadium.
The win gives Jacksonville a 3-2 series victory and improves their season’s record to 28-32, while Pensacola fell to 27-33 on the year. It was the third time in four series this season that the final game decided a series between the two teams.
The Suns got on the board with single scores in the third and fifth frames. Webb led off the third with a triple before scoring on a sacrifice fly to center, while Webb would increase the advantage to 2-0 with a solo homer to right in the fifth.
The Blue Wahoos cut the deficit in half in the eighth when CF Ryan LaMarre started the frame with a base knock and advanced to second and third on a Jacksonville fielding miscue, before he came home on RF Josh Fellhauer’s sacrifice fly to right.
Neil (6.0 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 6 SO)earned his first victory at the Double-A level after being promoted to Jacksonville on May 18, tossing six shutout frames and yielding just five hits while fanning six. Suns relievers James Leverton (1.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 SO) and Evan Reed (1.1 IP, 1 BB, 3 SO) followed Neil by combining to give up the lone unearned run on only one hit in the last three innings. Neil received his first hold of the year, while Reed notched his 12th save of the year to tie him for the Southern League lead.
Pensacola starter Daniel Corcino (5.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 SO) suffered the loss to fall to 2-4 despite allowing just two earned runs on five hits in five innings of work. Chris Manno (2.0 IP, 1 BB, 3 SO) and Drew Hayes (2.0 IP, 1 H, 3 SO) were outstanding in support of Corcino, surrendering just one hit and a walk in the final four scoreless frames.
Webb (3-4, 2 R, 1 3B, 1 HR, 1 RBI) and LaMarre (3-4, 1 R) each recorded three hits for their respective clubs, with each collecting half of their team’s six base knocks in the game. Blue Wahoos SS Didi Gregorius and 3B David Vidal each tallied a base knock in the contest to extend their hit streaks to nine and six respectively.
Pensacola will now travel to Birmingham to face the Barons, the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox, with the first pitch of the series scheduled for Thursday night at 7:05 pm. RHP Tim Crabbe is expected to get the nod for the Fish, while Birmingham is slated to send RHP Simon Castro to the hill.
By Andrew Green
Pictured: OF Ryan LaMarre tallied three hits in the Fish’s 2-1 loss Wednesday night. Photo by Chris Nelson for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Bad Golfers, Bad Timing and Bad Economy Lead To Century Park Changes
June 7, 2012
There are three changes coming to all of Century’s parks — one caused by bad golfers, another caused by bad timing and a third due to the bad economy.
Mayor Freddie McCall said the parks will soon have “No Golfing” signs erected because bad golfers are breaking out lights. “People are knocking out the big globes when they don’t get a good chip shot,” he said.
Late night music is leading to a loud music and noise curfew in the town’s parks of 8 p.m. McCall said the town and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office has received reports of loud music at parks late at night.
And the bad economy and rising electric rates has forced the town to up the cost for using field lights The town has charged everyone but non-profits $10 per hour to use lights at ball fields for numerous years. Now, the town had voted to up that rate to $15 per hour. That’s still cheaper than the neighboring town of Jay, McCall said, which is at $25 per hour.
Perdido Gators Win ‘Slide Into Summer’ 14U Tourney
June 7, 2012
The Perdido Gators travel softball team won the USFA “Slide Into Summer” Fast Pitch Girls 14U tournament last weekend, going undefeated Saturday and Sunday.
The Perdido Gators softball team is made up of players from Bratt, Molino, Milton, Pensacola, Perdido, and Gulf Breeze that attend Northview, West Florida, Tate, Escambia, Milton and Gulf Breeze high schools.
Pictured: Members of the 14U Perdido Gators are Ashley Young, Angel Lathan, Olivia Printiss, Sara Spears, Ali Cutaio, Mallory Ryan, Kota Berry, Sydney Ezelle, Kristin Gunter, Lauren Brennan, and Morgan Peppers (not pictured). Coaches are Jeff Cutaio, Greg Spears, Eddie Ryan and Tracy Ezelle. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Pensacola Blue Wahoos Top Suns 9-2 To Even Series
June 6, 2012
Blue Wahoos starter J.C. Sulbaran struck out ten batters in and gave up just two earned runs, while Pensacola scored nine runs on 14 hits to defeat the Jacksonville Suns 9-2 and even the series at 2-2 on Tuesday night in Pensacola’s Bayfront Stadium.
With the win, the Fish now own a 27-32 record in 2012, while the Suns dropped to 27-32 this season.
For the second straight night, Pensacola struck first with two tallies in the first frame. OF Ryan LaMarre began the frame with a home run to left, his second longball of the season, while SS Didi Gregorius doubled before he came home on 2B Brodie Greene’s RBI base knock to center.
The Blue Wahoos would then plate four scores in the fourth frame to add to the margin. 1B Joel Guzman and 3B David Vidal started the inning with back-to-back hits prior to a run-scoring base knock from RF Andrew Means brought home Guzman, while Vidal scored on a fielding miscue on the play. Means got to third thanks to a single from C Chris Berset and got home on a safety squeeze from starting pitcher J.C. Sulbaran, while Berset came home on CF Ryan LaMarre’s run-scoring base knock to move the lead to 6-0.
Pensacola added two additional insurance runs in the subsequent frame courtesy of an RBI triple by Greene and a sacrifice fly to center off the bat of Vidal, in addition to a final tally in the eighth. The Suns struck for their two runs in the seventh with RBI doubles by LF Ryan Patterson and CF Donnie Webb.
Sulbaran (6.1 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 10 SO) earned his fourth victory of the year after yielding just two earned runs on seven hits while recording his ten punchouts, while Suns LHP Graham Taylor (4.0 IP, 10 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 1 SO) suffered the loss to fall to 3-5. Pensacola relievers Wilkin De La Rosa (1.2 IP, 1 H, 4 SO) and Clayton Tanner (1.0 IP) teamed up for the final 2.2 frames, allowing just one hit over that span.
Vidal (3-3, 2 R, 1 RBI) and Means (3-4, 1 R, 1 RBI) led the club with three base hits, while LaMarre (2-5, 1 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI), Gregorius (2-4, 2 R, 1 2B) and Greene (2-4, 1 R, 1 3B, 2 RBI) also collected multiple knocks in the contest. Webb (2-4, 1 RBI) and Dominguez (2-4) each tallied multi-hit efforts. Gregorius extended his hit streak to eight consecutive games, and has now compiled a .419 average (13-31) dating back to May 27.
Pensacola and Jacksonville will square off Wednesday night for the rubber match in the series, with first pitch set for 7:00 pm. RHP Daniel Corcino is slated to take the mound for the Blue Wahoos , while the Suns are expected to give the ball to RHP Matthew Neil.
By Andrew Green
Pictured: J.C. Sulbaran struck out ten & earned his fourth win in the Wahoo’s 9-2 win Tuesday night in Pensacola. Photo by Chris Nelson for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Penn State Recruit: Northview Chief Neiko Robinson’s Big Dreams
June 5, 2012
It’s a long way from Century, Florida, to University Park, Pennsylvania — just over 1,000 miles to be exact. And there’s a huge difference between the Northview Chiefs stadium and Beaver Stadium at The Pennsylvania State University, the second largest stadium in the western hemisphere and the fourth largest in the world with a record crowd of 110,753.
But everything Penn State Nittany Lions is all part of the big dreams of Neiko Robinson of Century, a rising senior at Northview who is working to make his dreams a reality.
The list of schools recruiting the 5-11, 170-pound safety was impressive with Penn State, Alabama, Florida State, the University of South Alabama, North Texas, Louisiana Tech and others paying him a visit or watching practices at Northview in Bratt.
When Penn State made an offer Friday, it didn’t take Robinson long to accept. Sunday night, he made the verbal commitment to the Nittany Lions on the phone with head coach Bill O’Brien — he’s the man that replaced legendary Hall of Fame coach Joe Paterno.
“It’s a good school,” Robinson said about Penn State. “They are building their program again to be what it used to be in the past. I like where the coaching staff is going. They want guys that can be game changers, and I think I can do that on the defensive side.”
To date, Robinson has not visited the Penn State campus. He is the first Penn State football scholarship recruit from Florida in more than a decade.
“I want to be part of that and be there for four years of winning,” he added.
Robinson is transferring from the nearby Flomaton Hurricanes, where was part of last season’s 11-2 team. He racked up 93 tackles and returned three interceptions for touchdowns last year for the ‘Canes.
The future Nittany Lion, however, is now a Northview Chief, looking forward to his first season on the field at Bratt and fulfilling another dream before heading to Penn State.
“I’m looking for the state championship,” Robinson said.
Wahoos Walk Off With 3-2 Extra Inning Win
June 5, 2012
Pensacola first baseman Joel Guzman singled into center field to score shortstop Didi Gregorius from third in the 11th inning, while right fielder Josh Fellhauer recorded four hits, as the Blue Wahoos walked off with a 3-2 extra-inning victory over the Jacksonville Suns on Monday evening at Pensacola Bayfront Stadium.
The win snaps the Fish’s four-game losing streak and improves their record to 26-32 this year, while the Suns now own a 27-31 mark with the defeat. Despite the loss, Jacksonville still owns a 2-1 series lead over the Blue Wahoos.
Gregorius began the 11th with a single and advanced to second on Fellhauer’s base knock, his fourth of the contest, before both moved an extra base on a wild pitch to set the stage of Guzman. The 27-year-old subsequently bounced the 1-1 pitch up the middle into center field to send in Gregorius and start the celebration.
The Blue Wahoos also scored the game’s first runs of the contest with two tallies in the first frame. CF Ryan LaMarre led off with a double and went to third on Gregorius’ single, before both scored on a throwing error from Suns CF Donnie Webb to take the early advantage.
The Suns however drew the margin even in the fourth with the longball. 2B Paul Gran was hit by a pitch to start the frame, while 1B German Duran lifted the very next pitch over the left field wall for his third roundtripper of the year. Both teams then were held silent until Pensacola’s score in the 11th.
Neither starting pitcher, Suns RHP Bryan Evans and Blue Wahoos RHP Kyle Lotzkar received decisions despite solid outings from each. Lotzkar (7.0 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 10 SO) fanned a season-high ten batters and gave up just two runs on seven hits in seven frames, while Evans (6.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 5 SO) gave up two unearned runs on six hits in six frames.
Pensacola relief pitchers Curtis Partch (3.0 IP, 1 H, 5 SO) and Justin Freeman (1.0 IP, 1 SO) combined to yield just one hit in the final four innings support of Lotzkar, with Freeman earning the win while Jacksonville reliever Corey Madden (2.2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 SO) suffered the loss. Blue Wahoos hurlers combined for a season-high 16 punchouts in the contest.
Fellhauer’s (4-5) four hits matched a single-game career-high, with his last such contest coming on April 9, 2011, when he was with High-A Bakersfield. Gregorius (3-5, 2 R) was the only other Blue Wahoos batter with a multi-hit effort, while Suns SS Jeff Dominguez (2-5, 1 3B) collected two base knocks for his club.
Before and during the contest, the 4-A state champion Pensacola Catholic high school baseball team was honored on the field and on the dugout for their accomplishment. They received a standing ovation from the large crowd on hand.
Pensacola and Jacksonville are scheduled to square off again Tuesday evening for their fourth game of the series, with first pitch set for 7:00 pm. The Blue Wahoos are slated to give the ball to RHP Daniel Corcino, while LHP Graham Taylor is expected to get the nod for the Suns.
By Andrew Green
Pictured top: Joel Guzman’s walk off single in the 11th gave the Fish a 3-2 win Monday night. Photo by Chris Nelson for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Northview Chief’s Neiko Robinson Commits To Penn State Nittany Lions
June 4, 2012
Northview High Schools’ Neiko Robinson has committed to the Penn State Nittany Lions.
Robinson, a 5-11, 170-pound safety, made the unexpected verbal commitment on the phone late Sunday night with Penn State coach Bill O’Brien after receiving the offer on Friday.
The rising senior is listed as the 18th best safety in Florida, according to Rivals.com.
Northview Coach Ty Wise says Penn State, Alabama, Florida State, the University of South Alabama, North Texas and Louisiana Tech were among the schools that visited Robinson or watched him practice at Northview. The first offer Robinson received was from Penn State.
Robinson is a transfer from nearby Flomaton High School, where he help lead the Hurricanes to an 11-2 season last year.
Pictured top: Northview High School’s Neiko Robinson has verbally committed to Penn State. Pictured inset: Robinson transferred from Flomaton High School. Pictured inset: Robinson (#11) chases down a West Florida Jaguar during Northview’s Spring Game. NorthEscambia.com exclusive photos, click to enlarge.
Jacksonville Suns Hold Off The Blue Wahoos, 5-4
June 4, 2012
Jacksonville scored five runs in the final three frames, including two in the ninth, and stopped a last inning Blue Wahoos rally as the Suns defeated Pensacola 5-4 on Sunday afternoon in Pensacola Bayfront Stadium.
With the win the Suns improve to 27-30 and take a 2-0 lead in the series, while the Blue Wahoos fell to 25-32 in the loss.
After Jacksonville entered the frame tied at 4-4, RF Jose Duarte led off with a walk, advanced to second on pinch hitter Kyle Jensen’s base knock and moved to third on a groundout before coming home on 2B Paul Gran’s sacrifice fly to take the lead. After an intentional walk placed Jensen at second, C Kyle Skipworth reached base on a strikeout, with a Pensacola defensive miscue bringing home Jensen to put the Suns ahead by two.
The Blue Wahoos would not go down without a fight however in their half of the ninth. With two outs, CF Ryan LaMarre and SS Didi Gregorius reached on back-to-back singles before 2B Brodie Greene sent in LaMarre to cut the deficit to one, but Jacksonville reliever A.J. Ramos was able to set down 1B Joel Guzman to shut down the comeback hopes.
Pensacola and Jacksonville were held scoreless until the fifth, when the Blue Wahoos struck first with two tallies. RF Andrew Means and C Chris Berset got it started with consecutive singles, while starting pitcher Tony Cingrani helped his own cause by reaching on an infield single to load the bases from LaMarre. The outfielder would drive home Means with a base knock to right before an RBI groundout from Gregorius made it 2-0.
The Suns got three runs in the seventh to take their first lead with three straight run-scoring singles from pinch hitter German Duran, SS Chris Gutierrez and Gran. The Blue Wahoos then drew the margin even at 3-3 in their half of the seventh courtesy of Gregorius’ RBI single to score LaMarre.
Cingrani (6.2 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 SO) did not receive a decision in his Double-A debut despite yielding just two earned runs on five hits in 6.2 innings, while Jacksonville starter Jose Alvarez (5.1 IP, 9 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 SO) also did not factor in the final decision for the Suns. Ramos (2.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 SO) earned his third win of the year after allowing a run on four hits in the final two frames, while Pensacola closer Donnie Joseph (0.2 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 SO) suffered the loss.
Gran, Skipworth and CF Donnie Webb all tallied a pair of base knocks for the Suns in the victory, while LaMarre led all batters with three hits. Gregorius, Greene and 3B David Vidal each collected multi-hit efforts as well in the loss.
Jacksonville and Pensacola are scheduled to meet again on Monday evening, with first pitch set for 7:00 pm. The Blue Wahoos are expected to send RHP Kyle Lotzkar to the bump, while the Suns are expected to counter with RHP Bryan Evans.
By Andrew Green