Johnston Homers In Wahoos 7-2 Loss To Biscuits
June 29, 2023
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos opened up the second half of their 2023 season with a 7-2 loss at the hands of the Montgomery Biscuits on Wednesday night.
Troy Johnston was the lone offensive bright spot, going 1-for-2 with a pair of walks and his team-leading 13th home run of the season in the eighth inning.
Evan Fitterer (L, 4-2) took the loss, allowing a season-high five earned runs over 6.0 innings thanks to early homers from Diego Infante and Austin Shenton. Junior Caminero added a two-run single in the fifth inning to stretch the Montgomery lead to 5-0.
The Blue Wahoos couldn’t solve Cole Wilcox (W, 2-6), who scattered three hits and fanned eight over 5.0 scoreless innings.
Johnston’s homer in the eighth prevented just the second Blue Wahoos shutout at the hands of an opponent this year, and gave the first baseman a league-leading 53 RBI on the season.
The Blue Wahoos continue their series against the Biscuits on Thursday.
written by Erik Bremer
Molino 5U Wins Gospel Projects T-ball Tournament; NEP Takes Runner-Up
June 28, 2023
Molino 5U won the Gospel Projects T-ball World Series tournament Tuesday. NEP Gold claimed the tournament runner-up spot. Pictured: Molino 5U above, NEP Gold below. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
NEP 7U, 8U And 15U Baseball Take First In Gulf Coast Rec Classic, 10U Second
June 28, 2023
Three NEP teams finished on top at the recent Gulf Coast Recreation Classic. NEP 7U baseball, NEP 8U baseball, and NEP 15U Baseball took first, while NEP 10U took second placed in the Gulf Coast Recreation Classic. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
NEP 6U Gold Wins Gospel Projects T-ball World Series; NEP Blue Takes Second
June 27, 2023
The NEP 6U Gold team took first place in the Gospel Projects T-ball World Series, and the NEP 6U Blue team took second place. NEP’s Roman Hall was home run champion with nine total homers in the tournament, six of which were grand slams. NEP’s Malcolm Lewis had two home runs, while Ace Morgan and Easton Bairefield had one home run each. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
NWE 10U Wins Gulf Coast Recreation Classic All-Star Tournament
June 26, 2023
Northwest Escambia won the 10U championship Saturday in the Gulf Coast Recreation Classic All-Star Tournament. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Blue Wahoos, Smokies Canceled By Rain In First Half Finale
June 26, 2023
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos and Tennessee Smokies saw their series and first half finale on Sunday afternoon canceled due to rain. The game will not be made up.
After two consecutive off days, the Blue Wahoos begin the second half of their season in Montgomery on Wednesday night. They return home to Blue Wahoos Stadium on Tuesday, July 4 for a six-game series against the Biloxi Shuckers.
written by Erik Bremer
Blue Wahoos Split Doubleheader With Historic Win
June 25, 2023
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos dropped the first game of their Saturday doubleheader 6-4 to the Tennessee Smokies, but rallied late to take the nightcap 6-5 and secure the best half-season record in franchise history.
At 41-27 with one game to play in the half, the Blue Wahoos officially surpassed the 2016 club that went 41-29 in the first half en route to a division title.
In game one, the Smokies used the long ball to take an early lead against Luis Palacios (L, 4-3). Haydn McGeary hit a two-run homer in the first, and Nelson Maldonado and Jordan Nwogu went back-to-back in the second, to put Tennessee ahead for good.
RBI singles from Victor Mesa Jr. and Griffin Conine brought the Blue Wahoos to within a run at 4-3, but Zac Leigh worked 2.0 effective innings of relief for the Smokies and Owen Caissie added two insurance runs with a double in the fifth to extend the Tennessee lead to 6-3.
In the seventh and final inning, Conine led off with a double and Troy Johnston followed with an RBI single before Danis Correa (S, 3) closed out the win.
In game two, Tennessee once again jumped out early with a first-inning home run from Caissie. José Devers evened the score with a Pensacola homer, and Conine brought in Nasim Nuñez with an RBI single in the third to put the Blue Wahoos ahead 2-1.
The Smokies evened the score against Jonathan Bermudez (W, 1-2) with a fourth-inning Cole Roederer RBI single, and Luis Vazquez blasted a 478-foot homer in the fifth to put Tennessee up 4-2.
In the top of the sixth, the Blue Wahoos drew three walks against Scott Kobos (L, 0-1) to tie the game 4-4 before Norel González capped the rally with a two-run single.
In the bottom of the seventh, Cristian Charle (S, 1) allowed a double and a Caissie RBI single before issuing a walk and three stolen bases to put the tying run at third and winning run at second. A strikeout of Roederer ended the game, securing a doubleheader split and eliminating the Smokies from the first half North Division race.
The Blue Wahoos wrap up their series against the Smokies on Sunday afternoon.
written by Erik Bremer
Three In A Row: Wahoos Beat Smokies 7-4
June 24, 2023
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos won their third in a row on Friday night, beating the Tennessee Smokies on the strength of four home runs.
Will Banfield, Griffin Conine, Troy Johnston and Cody Morissette each went deep in support of Jake Eder, who allowed three runs over 4.1 innings in his first Double-A start since August of 2021.
Nasim Nuñez began the game by drawing a leadoff walk against Smokies starter Kohl Franklin (L, 2-4), then stole a pair of bases before scoring on a Johnston RBI single. Banfield went deep with a two-run blast a batter later, giving the Blue Wahoos a 3-0 lead.
Eder allowed an RBI double to Luis Vasquez and and RBI single to BJ Murray in the first inning, but settled into a groove as he made his milestone return in a continued recovery from elbow surgery. The lefty struck out two and walked three, departing in the fifth inning after throwing a prescribed 75 pitches.
Solo homers from Conine and Johnston helped stretch out the lead further, and Josan Méndez (W, 4-1) left the bases loaded in the bottom of the fifth to prevent a Smokies comeback.
Morissette’s solo homer in the seventh stretched the Pensacola lead to 7-3. Tennessee got a run back on another Vasquez RBI double against Blue Wahoos reliever West Tunnell, but Jefry Yan (S, 6) worked a spotless ninth to lock down the win.
The Blue Wahoos and Smokies play a doubleheader on Saturday, making up a rainout from Thursday.
written by Erik Bremer
Monteverde Leads Blue Wahoos To 4-2 Win Over Tennessee
June 23, 2023
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos won the first game of their scheduled doubleheader 4-2 over the Tennessee Smokies on Thursday before rain forced the postponement of game two.
The second game will be made up as part of another doubleheader Saturday beginning at 4:30 CT.
Patrick Monteverde (W, 7-1) earned his league-leading seventh win, allowing only one earned run over 5.2 innings to lower his league-leading ERA to 2.13.
The Smokies jumped out to an early lead, as Pete Crow-Armstrong led off the first inning with a bunt single and circled the bases thanks to a pair of throwing errors. The Blue Wahoos answered back in the second with a two-run homer from Norel González, but Tennessee’s Nelson Maldonado tied the game 2-2 with a solo homer in the second.
Monteverde and Smokies starter Walker Powell (L, 3-4) traded zeroes until the top of the sixth, when José Devers led off the inning with a double and advanced to third on a lineout. Troy Johnston drew a walk before the Smokies brought in reliever Luke Little to face Will Banfield. The Pensacola catcher came through with an RBI double to give the Blue Wahoos a 4-2 lead.
Monteverde got into trouble in the sixth, but Austin Roberts (S, 2) escaped the jam and returned to work a scoreless seventh to earn the save.
First pitch Friday from Smokies Stadium is scheduled for 6 p.m.
written by Erik Bremer
Blue Wahoos Clinch First Half Title With Win Over Smokies
June 22, 2023
Nine months after winning a Southern League championship in Tennessee, the Blue Wahoos returned and celebrated the chance for another.
Troy Johnston ripped a two-out, two-run triple in the ninth inning and reliever Jefry Yan overcame a leadoff walk, striking out the final batter as the Blue Wahoos rallied to beat the Tennessee Smokies 3-1 Wednesday to clinch the first half South Division win, thus gaining the spot in post-season.
“What a game,” said Blue Wahoos manager Kevin Randel amid a celebration in the visitors’ clubhouse at Smokies Stadium. “It’s always good (to get a playoff spot). Obviously titles are nice, first half wins are nice. (Wednesday) it felt like we were chasing them all night even thought the game was tight. Pitching was outstanding.”
The Blue Wahoos clinched their seventh playoff appearance in the last eight playing seasons (excluding 2020 when all Minor League Baseball was cancelled due to the coronavirus). They’ve done it with three different affiliations. A year ago, they won their first outright league title in the team’s 10th anniversary season.
Yan struck out pinch-hitter Nelson Maldonado on a wicked breaking pitch, leaped in the air and twirled in a dance as teammates joined him in the joyful scene. Yan’s relief effort capped an outstanding night of pitching as the Blue Wahoos ended a four-game losing streak with their biggest win so far this season.
Blue Wahoos starter Evan Fitterer went five innings in a duel against the Smokies Jordan Wicks – one of the Chicago Cubs’ top rated prospects. He gave up a second inning homer to Smokies catcher Pablo Aliendo, but retired the last seven batters he faced.
From that point, the Blue Wahoos bullpen was near-perfect. Cristian Charle pitched two scoreless innings, allowing one hit, them Matt Pushard, who just joined the team from the Beloit Sky Carp, the Miami Marlins High-A affiliate, earned the win with a clean eighth inning.
Pushard’s performance followed Will Banfield tying the game in the top of the eighth with a line drive homer over the left field wall.
After missing prior opportunities in the game to get more runs, the Blue Wahoos (38-26) took advantage of two walks by Cody Morissette and Bennett Hostetler. After J.D. Orr struck out, after first missing two chances at a sacrifice bunt, a wild pitch by Smokies reliever Cayne Ueckert with Nasim Nuñez batting moved the runners over.
Ueckert then struck out Nuñez, but on a 1-0 pitch to Johnston, it was rifled down the first base line off the glove of Haydn McGeary – ruled a two-run triple as it went down the right field line.
“It was a huge sigh of relief,” Randel said. “Troy was coming up with big spots all game, he wasn’t feeling great at the plate, but he got a pitch he put a really good swing on it. It was a big triple for him.”
A year ago, the Blue Wahoos won the first half with Eury Pérez as the ace in the rotation and strong starting pitching throughout. This half season, Pérez was a big part of the first month success, but his elevation to the Marlins, along with an injury to Dax Fulton and top closer Sean Reynolds called up to Triple-A changed the team in the final weeks.
“Our pitching is still holding up pretty good,” Randel said. “Our offense had been in a little bit of rut lately, but obviously something like this to pull it out keeps us rolling.”
The Smokies (35-29), the Chicago Cubs affiliate, are battling the Chattanooga Lookouts for first place in the North Division. The Lookouts dropped their first two games against Biloxi this week and the standings are now tied in that division.
The Blue Wahoos will continue this two-week road trip with a double-header Thursday at Smokies Stadium, following Tuesday night’s rainout.
written by Bill Vilona / Blue Wahoos, photo Angelina Alcantar / Tennessee Smokies