Defending State Champion Jay Falls To Branford In 1A Final Four
May 23, 2023
The defending 1A station champion Jay Lady Royals fell 2-1 to Branford Buccaneers Monday in the Final Four in Clermont.
Jenna Toups surrendered two runs and five hits over six innings while walking one and striking out four.
Brett Watson led Jay at the plate, going 2-3. Caitlyn Gavin and Brooklyn Sorrells also added a hit each for the Royals.
Branford (25-4) moves on to the 1A state championship game tomorrow afternoon.. The Royals finished their season at 16-12.
NorthEscambia.com file photo.
Tate High’s Jay Davis Signs With Coastal Alabama
May 22, 2023
Tate High School’s Jay Davis recently signed with Coastal Alabama East to continue his athletic and academic career. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Wahoos End Series With 3-1 Finale Win Over Smokies
May 22, 2023
On their Throwback Sunday, the Blue Wahoos returned to a narrative that’s worked well in the past.
They got solid starting pitching, put together just enough runs, then had their bullpen show its winning depth in the Blue Wahoos’ 3-1 victory against the Tennessee Smokies at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
With closer Sean Reynolds earning his league-best seventh save, thus pounding his glove in delight after recording the final pop out, this win enabled the Blue Wahoos (25-13) to gain a split in the six-game homestand with the Smokies and increase their first-place lead to five games in the Southern League South Division.
A crowd of 4,202 took a cue from famed organist Nancy Faust, who worked 41 years and missed just five games as the iconic Chicago White Sox entertainer. They clapped and sang along with her various medleys as the Blue Wahoos took a 3-1 lead in the fifth and played good defense the rest of the way.
Faust got one of the loudest cheers when announced for a final time in the ninth inning.
Pensacola’s winning inning occurred in a strange way. After J.D. Orr led off the fifth inning with a walk, José Devers laced a one-out single. Dane Myers drew a walk and Victor Mesa Jr. battled his way with foul balls and good takes to draw a bases-loaded walk to score Orr.
Troy Johnson then took a curveball in the back to force in the third run. A double-play ball by Will Banfield ended the inning with the 3-1 lead. The Blue Wahoos got their first run when Dane Myers tripled home José Devers in the first inning.
The Blue Wahoos had numerous other scoring chances in the game, but couldn’t break it open.
But their pitching Sunday was outstanding against the Smokies, the Chicago Cubs’ Double-A affiliate and North Division leaders.
Blue Wahoos righthander M.D. Johnson, making his second start of the week, grinded through four innings. He gave up a leadoff walk against Andy Weber, who came around to score the game’s first run on two-out single by Cole Roederer.
But the rest of the way, Johnson found a way to get through innings.
He threw 82 pitches, yielded three walks and struck out five in those four innings. His best inning was his final one when he gave up a leadoff single, then a walk, but retired the next three batters with a pair of strikeouts and inning-ending flyout.
Cristian Charle and Josan Méndez followed with three scoreless innings of relief. They combined to allow just one hit and had a trio of strikeouts.
That set the table for Reynolds to finish the game and seal the win.
The Smokies had just four baserunners in the final five innings.
Following the game, as is customary on Sunday, children were able to run the bases and families played catch in the outfield.
The Blue Wahoos will have Monday off before embarking on a two-week road trip to face the Mississippi Braves and Biloxi Shuckers.
The series against the M-Braves begins on Tuesday at Trustmark Park in Pearl, Mississippi. The Blue Wahoos’ ace Patrick Monteverde (5-0, 1.29 ERA) is the scheduled starter against the M-Braves Luis De Avila (1-3, 4.00). The teams will play through Sunday, May 28.
After a rough start, the M-Braves (16-21), the Atlanta Braves’ Double-A affiliate, have turned things around. They were 7-3 in their last 10 games entering Sunday. It will be the Blue Wahoos’ first of two trips this season to Pearl, Miss.
Following that series, the Blue Wahoos will travel to Biloxi, Mississippi to face the Biloxi Shuckers for six games beginning on May 29.
by Erik Bremer, photo Nino Mendez / Pensacola Blue Wahoos
Pensacola’s Comeback Foiled In 13-6 Loss To Tennessee
May 21, 2023
The Blue Wahoos are now on the wrong kind of streak.
After this week started with a pair of wins and a club-record 10-game winning streak, the Tennessee Smokies won their third in a row Saturday by answering the Blue Wahoos’ comeback attempt with a pair of 3-run homers in the eighth inning of a 13-6 blowout win.
A sellout crowd of 5,038 became energized when the Blue Wahoos rallied from a 7-1 deficit in the fifth inning and had a tying run thrown out at the plate to end the sixth inning.
The intrigue continued into the eighth.
That’s when the Tennessee Smokies Haydn McGeary blasted a first-pitch fastball from reliever Austin Roberts into the right-center berm for a 3-run homer.
The ball’s flight immediately had reliever Roberts kicking the mound in disgust.
The decisive moment then got worse for the Blue Wahoos (24-14) when reliever Zach Willeman gave up a walk, a single and second 3-run homer of the inning, this one by Bradlee Beesley, who went 2-for-3 in the game and scored four runs. The Smokies (21-17), leaders in the Southern League North Division, had 11 hits as every batter reached base.
But most of the crowd stayed around for the attraction of post-game fireworks presented by Navy Federal Credit Union.
Following the show, more than 130 Scouts of America youths, along with parents and scouting leaders, were part of a sleepover night at the ballpark.
Blue Wahoos starter Evan Fitterer sustained his worst outing this season. He did not make it out of the second inning. When he was lifted with two outs, the Smokies already had a 5-0 lead.
Fitterer threw 69 pitches, only half for strikes, as he struggled with location unlike any prior start. The righthander yielded a season-high five hits with four walks and three strikeouts.
In four prior starts, the 22-year-old Fitterer had allowed just five runs combined and recorded three consecutive wins in joining the team from High-A Beloit Sky Carp. He gave up four hits or fewer in each of those Pensacola starts.
Trailing 6-0 in the fourth inning, the Blue Wahoos started their comeback with Griffin Conine’s RBI single.
Troy Johnston then smashed a 3-run homer in the fifth inning, part of a night when he went 3-for-4 with 3 RBI and two runs scored.
Will Banfield homered to lead off the sixth inning. Nasim Nuñez drove home Bennett Hostetler with a RBI single. Nuñez was later thrown out at the plate trying to score on Dane Myers’ hit. Nuñez went 2-for-5 and was among seven Blue Wahoos batters with at least one hit.
All of that led into the eventual eighth inning when the Smokies blew open the game.
The Blue Wahoos will now hope to salvage a split in the 6-game series when closing the homestand Sunday afternoon against the Smokies.
M.D. Johnson (0-1, 3.67), who began the week Tuesday with a solid start (6 innings, 3 runs), returns to the mound for a repeat against the Smokies, who will throw Porter Hodge (0-3, 5.47) for a second time.
The game will also feature renowned baseball organist Nancy Faust, who performed 41 years for the Chicago White Sox beginning in 1970, and is considered a pioneer in game entertainment. She will be performing on the concourse behind home plate with the same kind of vintage organ she used at Comiskey Park.
by Erik Bremer, photo Nino Mendez / Pensacola Blue Wahoos
Tate High’s Frankie Randall Signs With Coastal Alabama
May 20, 2023
Tate High School’s Frankie Randall has signed with Coastal Alabama South to continue his athletic and academic career.
For more photos, click or tap here.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Johnston Homers As Blue Wahoos Fall 5-1 To Smokies
May 20, 2023
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos couldn’t solve Cubs prospect Jordan Wicks in a 5-1 loss to the Tennessee Smokies in front of a sellout crowd on Friday night.
Troy Johnston’s solo home run in the fifth inning was the lone bright spot for the Blue Wahoos, who have now lost back-to-back games for the first time in almost a month.
The Smokies took an early lead against Pensacola starter Luis Palacios (L, 1-1) with an RBI single from Pablo Aliendo in the second inning and a solo homer from Chase Strumpf in the third. Palacios allowed two runs in 5.0 innings, departing with a 2-1 deficit.
Nelson Maldonado added some insurance for Tennessee with a two-run double against Dylan Bice in the sixth inning, and BJ Murray closed out the scoring with a solo home run against Brady Puckett in the eighth.
Pensacola threatened in the eighth and ninth, but couldn’t chip away at the deficit. Ben Hecht (S, 2) wriggled out of a jam in the ninth to earn the save.
The Blue Wahoos continue their series against the Smokies on Saturday.
by Erik Bremer, photo Nino Mendez / Pensacola Blue Wahoos
Tate Cheer’s Paige McKinney And Landry Bellard Sign With Troy University
May 19, 2023
Tate High School seniors Paige McKinney and Landry Bellard have signed to continue their cheerleading careers with Troy University.
For more photos, click or tap here.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Late Rally Falls Short As Pensacola’s Win Streak Snaps At 10
May 19, 2023
The Blue Wahoos had their franchise-record streak end Thursday, but not without suspense.
After trailing 5-0 into the fifth inning, Pensacola produced a 3-run rally in the seventh and had a chance for a walk-off rally in their final at-bat before the Tennessee Smokies held on for a 5-4 victory, halting a 10-game win streak that stretched into a third week.
Playing as the Pensacola Mullets and wearing their specialty uniforms on Mullet Thursday, the home team fell into an early hole, but rallied against the Smokies bullpen.
The game’s biggest moment was a near-miss shot by Victor Mesa Jr. With two outs and the tying run on third, Mesa Jr. launched a ball into the right-center gap that appeared to have a chance for a home run.
But Smokies right fielder Owen Caissie made a sensational catch against the wall to end the inning.
In the bottom of the ninth, another chance ensued when Bennett Hostetler led off with a walk. J.D. Orr was unable to bunt him over and popped out. Smokies reliever Riley Martin then struck out Nasim Nuñez and Troy Johnston to end the game.
But the Blue Wahoos (24-12) had a memorable stretch of games where they swept a road series for only the second time in franchise history and eclipsed a win streak of eight games set three times in team history.
Blue Wahoos newcomer Jonathan Bermudez, making his first start this year since being signed by the Miami Marlins on April 26, struggled in his Pensacola debut.
Bermudez struck out the first two batters he faced, then allowed a walk before getting out of the first inning.
The second inning, however, wasn’t so clean. He walked two of the Smokies’ (19-17) first three batters. With two out Caleb Knight laced a pitch to right field. The Blue Wahoos’ Griffin Conine made a sliding attempt to keep the ball in front, but it bounced away allowing two runs to score.
The Smokies had their first two batters on second and third base in the fourth inning when Bermudez was lifted for reliever Josan Méndez. He gave up an RBI double to the next batter, but got out of the inning without worse damage.
The Smokies then took a 5-0 lead with two runs in the top of the fifth against Méndez.
Griffin Conine got the Blue Wahoos on the board with a solo home run, his fourth of the season, to begin the bottom of the fifth.
The Blue Wahoos began their seventh inning rally when Hostetler walked and Orr singled. Nuñez drove in a run and Johnston had a sacrifice fly RBI. Dane Myers then hit a shot back at the mound, off the pitcher’s leg and the errant throw allowed another run to score.
The fourth game of this series begins the weekend set on Friday.
The Blue Wahoos’ Luis Palacios (1-0, 9.00 ERA) will make his second start since joining the team a week ago from the Beloit Sky Carp, as part of the movement when Eury Pérez went to the Marlins. Palacios pitched twice last year for the Blue Wahoos.
The Smokies will start their top pitcher, lefthander Jordan Wicks (2-0, 2.67), rated the Chicago Cubs’ No. 5 overall prospect.
First pitch will be at 6:35 p.m. at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
by Bill Vilona, photo Nino Mendez / Pensacola Blue Wahoos
North End Elite Wins 8U Tournament
May 18, 2023
The North End Elite won the recent USFA 8U Softball Tournament at Pace. The team includes players from the Molino Recreation Association and Northwest Escambia 8U softball. Pictured above: (front, L-R) Mailei Milner, Paycen Cutler, Madison Daniel, Issy Mills, Bryndle Moye, (middle L-R) Abby Weaver, Bayleigh Enfinger, June Kilgore, Hadley Cook, Peyton Roberts, Caroline Peters, Tatum Godwin. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Blue Wahoos Get 10th Straight Win
May 18, 2023
The way Patrick Monteverde has produced superlatives in prior starts, it was fitting the team’s left-handed ace would deliver the Blue Wahoos a 10th consecutive win.
Monteverde, named the Southern League’s pitcher of April for his first four stellar outings, worked out of two innings Wednesday with baserunners, while upping his league-best record to 5-0 in the Blue Wahoos 7-4 victory against the Tennessee Smokies at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
A crowd of 3,678, which included middle school bands from Shoal River and Davidson schools in Crestview combining to perform the National Anthem, watched the Blue Wahoos catch a break from weather and power their way to a record-extending win total.
It was Pensacola’s 18th win in 19 games, continuing the best stretch of success in the team’s 11-year history.
One common element of the first two months this season has been Monteverde’s dominance on the mound.
The 25-year-old Pittsburgh native, who entered the 2023 season as the Miami Marlins’ No. 30 rated prospect, has now allowed just six runs in seven starts. His earned run average has dropped to 1.29. He allowed just one run on two hits and struck out eight in five innings. He’s now had 57 strikeouts and just 12 walks in 42 innings.
His night Wednesday had two pivotal moments. After allowing a walk and double to start the second inning, he got a line-out double play on a spectacular catch from third baseman Cody Morissette. In the third inning, he again allowed a double and a walk, but retired the next three batters on a pair of strikeouts and flyout.
That all proved decisive.
After Victor Mesa Jr. manufactured a second-inning run with a walk, moving over on a ground out and scoring on a throwing error while stealing third, the Blue Wahoos slugged their way to the other six runs in the game.
The biggest smash was Morissette’s 2-run homer into the right field berm in the fourth inning. José Devers led off the inning with a double and scored on Will Banfield’s single.
The Blue Wahoos tacked on two more runs in the sixth inning on Griffin Conine’s RBI sacrifice fly and Troy Johnston’s two-out single to make it 7-1.
The Smokies scored three runs in the ninth off reliever Austin Roberts before he ended the game on a force out.
Eight of the Blue Wahoos lineup reached base. Banfield had the team’s multi-hit night, going 2-for-4 with a run scored.
The game was delayed 27 minutes to get the field ready, following the off-and-on light rain all day. The Blue Wahoos kept the field tarp on from Tuesday night to ensure the game could get played.
Remarkably, the heavier rain which hit other parts of Pensacola, never materialized at the ballpark.
The series now heads into Thursday with Blue Wahoos newcomer Jonathan Bermudez, a lefthander, making his pitching debut with a new organization. He was released during spring training from the Sacramento River Cats, the San Francisco Giants’ Triple-A affiliate.
He was signed by the Miami Marlins on April 26 and spent the past couple weeks with the Florida Complex League (FCL) Marlins, the rookie league team. Tennessee will throw right-hander Kohl Franklin (0-1, 13.50 ERA).
The game is part of “Mullet Thursday” with the Blue Wahoos wearing their Pensacola Mullets uniforms.
by Bill Vilona, photo Nino Mendez / Pensacola Blue Wahoos