Johnston Walks It Off Again In 5-4, 11-Inning Wahoos Win
June 16, 2022
Troy Johnston was the hero again for the Pensacola Blue Wahoos on Wednesday night, providing a walk-off double in the bottom of the 11th for a 5-4 win over the Tennessee Smokies.
Johnston, who was 3-for-6 on the night, slashed a base hit into the left field corner to score Bubba Hollins with the winning run. It was Pensacola’s sixth walk-off win of the season, and fifth in their past eight home games.
The Blue Wahoos maintained their 4.5-game lead in the South Division with 10 to play in the first half.
Eury Pérez was sharp his his start for Pensacola, allowing only one run on four hits over 5.0 innings with 5 strikeouts. He departed with a 3-1 lead thanks to a three-run homer from Thomas Jones in the second inning.
The Smokies rallied against reliever Eli Villalobos, scoring a run on a wild pitch in the sixth and two more in the seventh on a Bradlee Beesley RBI single and Matt Mervis fielder’s choice to take a 4-3 lead.
Griffin Conine tied the game in the eighth with a solo blast, his ninth of the year. Colton Hock (W, 5-2) pitched brilliantly, working three perfect innings and striking out four while stranding the placed runner at second base in both the 10th and 11th innings.
The Blue Wahoos couldn’t convert in the 10th, but quickly established a rally in the 11th against Nicholas Padilla (L, 1-1). Bubba Hollins reached on a fielder’s choice and Ray-Patrick Didder walked before Johnston’s walk-off hit.
The Blue Wahoos continue their series against the Tennessee Smokies on Thursday.
by Eric Bremer, Pensacola Blue Wahoos
NWE All-Stars Win 10U District Championship
June 15, 2022
The Northwest Escambia 10U All-Stars won the Cal Ripken 10U District 7 Championship. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Wahoos Extend Their South Division Lead With Shutout Of Tennessee
June 15, 2022
A.J. Ladwig continued his dominant month with 7.0 shutout innings as the Pensacola Blue Wahoos blanked the Tennessee Smokies 3-0 on Tuesday night.
At one hour and 55 minutes, the contest was the second-fastest nine-inning game in team history and the fastest at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
The Blue Wahoos extended their lead in the South Division to 4.0 with 11 to play in the first half, pending other results in the league.
Ladwig (W, 2-0) allowed a Chase Strumpf first-pitch double off the center field wall to begin the ballgame, but stranded him at third in a sign of things to come. The Smokies out-hit the Blue Wahoos 7 to 4, but went 0-for-6 with men in scoring position.
After two perfect innings from Smokies starter Ryan Jensen, Dalton Stambaugh (L, 3-1) took over and continued to keep the Blue Wahoos in check. Pensacola’s first hit left the yard, however, as Troy Johnston went deep off the scoreboard in right field in the fourth inning for a 1-0 lead.
Ladwig needed only 82 pitches to breeze through seven shutout innings, giving him 13.0 innings in the month of June without an earned run.
Pensacola added two more in the seventh on a two-run single from Norel González, and that was more than enough for Josh Simpson (S, 1). The lefty struck out four batters for a six-out save, his first of the season.
The Blue Wahoos continue their series against the Tennessee Smokies on Wednesday.
by Eric Bremer, Pensacola Blue Wahoos
NEP 10U And 16U Win Their Divisions In GCGSA Softball Tournament
June 14, 2022
NEP Blue 10U and NEP Blue 16U softball teams both won their divisions at the Gulf Coast Girls Softball Association All-Star Tournament in Molino.
Complete tournament results for NEP were as follows:
- 8U — 4th
- 10U Blue — 1st
- 10U Gold — 2nd
- 12U — 4th
- 16U Blue — 1st
- 16U Gold — 2nd
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Florida Recreational Red Snapper Season Begins June 17
June 14, 2022
The recreational red snapper season will start June 17 in Gulf state and federal waters off Florida and remain open through July 31 with 12 days in the fall.
“We are excited about Governor Ron DeSantis’ recent announcement of this year’s 57-day Gulf red snapper season, which is the longest we’ve had since the FWC began managing the season in state and federal waters,” said Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) Chairman Rodney Barreto.
For-hire operations that do not have a federal reef fish permit may also participate in the season but are limited to fishing for red snapper in Gulf state waters only.
NWE All-Stars Win 8U District Championship
June 13, 2022
The Northwest Escambia 8U All-Stars won the Cal Ripken 8U District 7 Championship Sunday. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Wahoos Lead Slips Away In 12 Inning Walk-off Loss
June 13, 2022
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos held three different leads after the eighth inning on Sunday afternoon, but couldn’t hold any of them in a 7-6, 12-inning loss to the Birmingham Barons.
Yoelqui Cespedes singled home the tying run for Birmingham in the bottom of the 12th, then scored from first on an Ian Dawkins walk-off single to help the Barons split the six-game series.
The Blue Wahoos maintained their 4.0-game lead in the South Division with 12 to play in the first half, pending other results in the league.
Cody Mincey turned in a quality start for the Blue Wahoos, allowing two runs over six innings, but Pensacola trailed 2-1 going to the seventh. Thomas Jones hit a one-out double, then scored on a wild pitch with a crafty slide to evade the tag from catcher Evan Skoug. Troy Johnston delivered a go-ahead two-run single moments later, giving the Blue Wahoos a 4-2 lead.
That lead would hold until the bottom of the ninth, when J.J. Muno hit his first homer of the year off Dylan Bice to tie the game 4-4. J.D. Osborne, who had homered earlier in the game, delivered a go-ahead RBI single in the top of the tenth, but a fielding error from Cobie Fletcher-Vance in the bottom of the inning breathed new life into the Barons and allowed them to send the game to the 11th.
Pensacola was unable to score in the 11th against Taylor Broadway (W, 2-2), but neither were the Barons against Jefry Yan (L, 1-1) in the bottom half of the inning. Norel González gave the Blue Wahoos a 6-5 lead with an RBI single in the top of the 12th before the Barons rallied against Yan moments later to walk it off.
After an off day on Monday, the Blue Wahoos welcome the Tennessee Smokies to Pensacola for a six-game series on Tuesday.
by Erik Bremer, Pensacola Blue Wahoos
Blue Wahoos Fall 5-1 To The Barons In Birmingham
June 12, 2022
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos took a 1-0 lead to the bottom of the eighth inning in their game against the Birmingham Barons on Saturday night, but uncharacteristic bullpen struggles cost the club in a 5-1 loss.
Jeff Lindgren tied a career high with 7.0 innings of scoreless work in his start for the Blue Wahoos, his fourth quality start in six Double-A appearances this season.
The Blue Wahoos maintained their 4.0-game lead in the South Division with 13 to play in the first half, as every other team in the division also lost.
Troy Johnston provided Pensacola’s only run-scoring hit of the night with an RBI double in the third against Birmingham starter Emilio Vargas to put the Blue Wahoos up 1-0. Pensacola managed just three hits in the game, and none after the fourth inning as a Barons bullpen effort from Kyle Kubat, Declan Cronin, Garrett Davila (W, 2-0) and Fraser Ellard kept the Blue Wahoos in check.
Birmingham was stymied by Lindgren through seven innings, but pounced on Andrew McInvale (L, 0-1) in the eighth. A leadoff walk to Craig Dedelow was followed by a game-tying RBI triple to Yoelqui Cespedes, who was then brought home on an Alex Destino sacrifice fly to put the Barons up 2-1. Three hits, two walks and a hit batsman followed as the Barons eventually stretched the lead to 5-1.
The Blue Wahoos wrap up their series and road trip against the Barons on Sunday.
Written by Erik Bremer, Pensacola Blue Wahoos
Blue Wahoos Overcome Early Deficit in Comeback 9-8 Win Over B’ham
June 11, 2022
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos were undaunted by an 8-1 deficit in Birmingham on Friday night, scoring eight unanswered runs for a comeback 9-8 win over the Barons.
Josh Simpson (W, 3-0), Dylan Bice and Colton Hock (S, 5) combined for 6.0 innings of one-hit, shutout relief that allowed the offense to chip away at the Barons bullpen.
The Blue Wahoos extended their lead in the South Division by 4.0 games with 14 to play in the first half.
Griffin Conine opened the scoring for Pensacola in the first against Birmingham starter Scott Blewett, grounding an RBI single up the middle for a 1-0 lead. Blue Wahoos starter Bryan Mitchell allowed a two-run double to J.J. Muno in the second before things unraveled in the third inning.
Birmingham scored six runs against Mitchell in the third, though three errors from the Blue Wahoos made five of the runs unearned. The big inning was capped by a three-run homer from Luis Curbelo to put the Barons ahead 8-1.
Luis Aviles Jr. hit a solo homer to lead off the fourth and kick off the comeback effort, and Ray-Patrick Didder hit an RBI triple later in the inning to cut the deficit to 8-3. In the fifth, a two-out throwing error from Barons third baseman D.J. Burt made the score 8-5.
The Blue Wahoos completed the comeback in the sixth, scoring four runs against Taylor Broadway (L, 1-2). Paul McIntosh laced a two-run double to left-center and scored the tying run on a wild pitch before an Aviles sacrifice fly brought home the eventual winning run.
Simpson, Bice and Hock held the lead, facing just one over the minimum over the final four innings.
The Blue Wahoos continue their series against the Barons on Saturday.
written by Erik Bremer, Pensacola Blue Wahoos
License-Free Freshwater Fishing This Weekend In Florida
June 10, 2022
Anglers can fish for free in freshwater in Florida this weekend.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said license-free freshwater fishing days provide an excellent opportunity for those new to fishing without needing to first purchase a license. On these days, the fishing license requirement is waived for all recreational anglers, including residents and non-residents. All other rules including seasons, bag and size limits still apply.
Pictured: Fishing at Lake Stone near Century. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.