McCambley Shines, Nuñez Delivers In 6-3 Wahoos Win
August 13, 2022
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos won their second game in a row over the Birmingham Barons on Friday night, as Zach McCambley and Nasim Nuñez led the way in a 6-3 victory.
McCambley (W, 6-7) struck out 10 batters over 6.0 one-run innings, biding his time until the Blue Wahoos exploded for four runs in the bottom of the sixth to swing the game in their favor.
The Blue Wahoos and Barons traded zeroes until the fifth inning, when Evan Skoug hit a solo homer to put Birmingham ahead 1-0. Pensacola finally broke through against Barons starter Emilio Vargas (L, 1-5) in the sixth, as Griffin Conine doubled and Will Banfield singled before J.D. Osborne tied the game with an RBI single to left field.
Banfield scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch from reliever Taylor Broadway, and Nuñez capped the big inning with a two-out, two-run single to put Pensacola ahead 4-1.
In the seventh, Jose Rodriguez got the Barons within a run at 4-3 with a two-run homer against Eli Villalobos. Pensacola answered back in the bottom of the eighth, however, as Will Banfield led off the frame with his fourth hit of the night and Thomas Jones brought him home with an RBI triple. Jones scored on a wild pitch from Vince Vannelle to extend the Blue Wahoos lead to 6-3.
In the ninth, Sean Reynolds (S, 2) walked the first two batters but struck out the next three to earn the save.
The Blue Wahoos continue their series against the Barons on Saturday.
by Erik Bremer, Pensacola Blue Wahoos
Private Donor Contributes $20,000 To Tate Quarterback Club
August 12, 2022
A private, unnamed donor contributed $20,000 this week to the Tate High School Quarterback Club.
“To say we are thankful would be an understatement,” the QB Club said in a social media post. “You believe in us and for that we are thankful!”
The Tate Quarterback Club supports the Tate High School Aggies football program.
King, Devers Drive Blue Wahoos T o 5-4 Victory Over Birmingham
August 12, 2022
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos got a solid start from Zach King and a 4-RBI game from José Devers in a 5-4 win over the Birmingham Barons on Thursday night.
King (W, 1-3) turned in a quality start, allowing only one run in 6.0 innings, to earn his first Double-A win as the Blue Wahoos continued their dominance over the North Division. They are now 24-9 against opponents from the North, including an 18-3 record at home.
Devers got the scoring started right away in the first, lifting an opposite-field three-run homer to left field against Scott Blewett (L, 6-6). Devers added an RBI single in the fourth, giving him his second 4-RBI game in the past week after a nearly identical performance last Friday in Montgomery.
King worked out of trouble early in his start, as the Barons put their leadoff man at second base in each of their first four innings. Only once did the runner come home, as Raudy Read brought in Jose Rodriguez with an RBI single in the third inning.
Pensacola added an insurance run in the sixth on an RBI single from Cobie Fletcher-Vance, and they would end up needing it. Birmingham’s Oscar Colas hit a three-run homer in the eighth against Robinson Martínez to draw the score to 5-4 before Dylan Bice (S, 2) ended the threat and earned a four-out save.
The Blue Wahoos continue their series against the Barons on Friday
by Erik Bremer, The Pensacola Blue Wahoos
Barons Exact Revenge With Late 5-2 Win Over Blue Wahoos
August 11, 2022
One night after rallying late to steal a win from the Birmingham Barons, the Pensacola Blue Wahoos suffered a similar fate on Wednesday in a 5-2 defeat.
Marlins rehabber Tommy Nance pitched 2.0 scoreless innings in relief for Pensacola, but three late Birmingham runs helped the Barons even up the series one game apiece.
J.J. Muno put Birmingham ahead 2-0 in the second inning with a two-run homer against Pensacola spot starter Jefry Yan. The Blue Wahoos couldn’t solve Barons starter Sean Burke, who delivered 5.0 scoreless innings, but kept the game within reach thanks to effective relief from Tyler Mitzel and Nance.
In the bottom of the seventh, the Blue Wahoos tied the game 2-2 thanks to a walk, a catcher’s interference call, a throwing error and a safety squeeze bunt from Thomas Jones against Luke Shilling (W, 1-0). Just moments later, the Barons took a 3-2 lead in the eighth as Andrew McInvale (L, 2-2) uncorked a wild pitch to score Oscar Colas from third base.
In the ninth, the Barons got a pair of insurance runs on a Jose Rodriguez double, Raudy Read sacrifice fly and a solo homer from Colas against Josh Simpson. Theo Denlinger (S, 5) got the final six outs to earn the save.
The Blue Wahoos continue their series against the Barons on Thursday.
by Erik Bremer, Pensacola Blue Wahoos
Devers Caps Comeback For 5-4 Wahoos Walk-off Win
August 10, 2022
With two outs and two strikes in the bottom of the ninth, José Devers hit a two-run single to send the Pensacola Blue Wahoos to a 5-4 walk-off win over the Birmingham Barons on Tuesday night.
After the Barons jumped ahead 4-2 in the top of the ninth with a two-run Ian Dawkins homer against Sean Reynolds (W, 1-0), the Blue Wahoos rallied back with a fielding error and three walks against Edgar Navarro (L, 2-1) before Devers ended the game with his walk-off single. The win marked Pensacola’s eighth walk-off victory of the season, and their first since June 16.
Trevor Rogers, a 2021 NL All-Star with the Marlins, made a rehab start for Pensacola in his return from a back injury. The lefty went 3.1 innings, allowing a pair of runs, one earned, and striking out five. Barons catcher Raudy Read touched him for a solo homer in the first and an RBI double in the third to put Birmingham ahead 2-0.
After being stymied for five innings against Barons starter Matt Thompson, the Blue Wahoos tied things up in the sixth on a Nasim Nuñez RBI double and Griffin Conine RBI single. Effective relief from Justin Evans, Zack Leban and Eli Villalobos kept the game tied 2-2 until the ninth, when Dawkins put the Barons ahead with his home run.
With one out in the ninth, Will Banfield reached on an error before the next three batters coaxed walks against Navarro. Marcus Chiu’s bases-loaded walk drew the deficit to 4-3, but Taylor Broadway entered to strike out J.D. Orr and get ahead 0-2 on Devers. The second baseman coaxed the count full before delivering a walk-off, two-run single to right field.
The Blue Wahoos continue their series against the Barons on Wednesday.
by Eric Bremer, Pensacola Blue Wahoos
Vernon High Head Football Coach Killed In Tragic Boating Accident
August 8, 2022
Trey Pike, Vernon High School athletic director and football coach, was killed in a boating accident over the weekend.
Pike’s 21-foot boat struck an electrical tower abutment in North Bay, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. The boat was discovered early Sunday morning, but it was not known if the accident occurred late Saturday night or early Sunday morning.
There were no other passengers on the boat.
Pike was just recently named as the new head coach of the Vernon Yellow Jackets. He had served two years as an assistant coach at Vernon after teaching and coaching at Holmes County High and an Asheville, Alabama, school.
The accident happened in North Bay, near the Highway 77 Bailey Bridge at Lynn Haven — nearly 30 miles south of Vernon.
Photo: Trey Pike, Vernon High School athletic director and football coach, was killed in a boating accident over the weekend.. Photo courtesy Vernon High School Athletics for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
UWF Football Serves Up Meals At Waterfront Rescue Mission
August 8, 2022
The University of West Florida football team spent time recently giving back at the Waterfront Rescue Mission.
Team members washed dishes, helped prepare food, served breakfast and lunch, and spent time fellowshipping with Waterfront clients.
The UWF football season kicks off September 3 as they host Warner.
Photos for NorthEsambia.com, click to enlarge.
Biscuits Top The Wahoos 7-6 In Series Finale
August 8, 2022
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos suffered another late loss to the Montgomery Biscuits on Sunday afternoon, falling in their series finale 7-6.
Demetrius Sims had Pensacola’s first five-RBI game of the season, going 3-for-4 with a homer and a double, but the Blue Wahoos surrendered three runs in the bottom of the eighth as they dropped five of six in their weeklong road trip.
Montgomery jumped out to an early 3-0 lead against starter A.J. Ladwig, as Brett Wisely hit a leadoff homer in the first and Jordan Qsar and Roberto Alvarez hit back-to-back RBI triples in the second. Nasim Nuñez countered with an RBI single in the third to put the Blue Wahoos on the board, and Sims blasted a three-run homer in the fourth to put Pensacola in front 4-3.
Erik Ostberg hit a game-tying homer in the fifth to even things up 4-4, but Sims delivered again with an RBI single in the sixth and an RBI double in the eighth to give the Blue Wahoos a 6-4 edge. Effective relief from Josh Simpson after Ladwig’s departure preserved the lead until the bottom of the eighth.
In his second Double-A appearance of the season, Tyler Mitzel (L, 0-1) got the first two outs of the eighth inning without incident. But a walk to Niko Hulsizer was followed by a game-tying home run to Ronny Simon, and Ostberg delivered the go-ahead RBI double three batters later to put Montgomery ahead for good. Alan Strong (W, 1-0) pitched the final two innings for the Biscuits to lock down the win.
After an off day Monday, the Blue Wahoos begin a six-game home series against the Birmingham Barons on Tuesday.
by Erik Bremer, Pensacola Blue Wahoos
FWC Hunter Safety Course Offered At Molino Library
August 7, 2022
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is offering a free hunter safety internet-completion course in Molino on August 10 at 6 p.m.. Hunter safety courses are designed to help students become safe, responsible and knowledgeable hunters and learn about conservation.
Participants must take the online course before attending this class.
All firearms, ammunition and materials are provided free of charge. Students should bring a pen or pencil and paper. An adult must accompany children younger than 16 at all times.
Anyone born on or after June 1, 1975, must pass an approved hunter safety course and have a hunting license to hunt alone (unsupervised). The FWC course satisfies hunter-safety training requirements for all other states and Canadian provinces.
Those interested in attending a course can register online and obtain information about future hunter safety classes at MyFWC.com/HunterSafety or by calling FWC safety instructor Paul Averill at (850) 982-8070 for more information.
Blue Wahoos Fall 8-7 in 10-Inning Walk-Off Loss To Montgomery
August 7, 2022
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos put forward a resilient effort to come back from an early deficit, but dropped their Saturday night game to the Montgomery Biscuits by a score of 8-7 in 10 innings.
After failing to score in the top of the 10th, the Blue Wahoos surrendered a walk-off double to Ronny Simon on the first pitch of the bottom of the inning. The Biscuits have taken four of the first five in this week’s set, clinching a series victory in advance of the Sunday finale.
In his Double-A debut, Patrick Monteverde pitched into the sixth inning but allowed seven runs, six earned, on 11 hits. He allowed single runs in the first and second inning before J.D. Osborne hit a solo homer in the fifth to trim the Pensacola deficit to 2-1. A solo homer from Tyler Frank and a Simon sacrifice fly in the fifth gave the Biscuits some cushion, stretching their lead to 4-1.
In the top of the sixth, a trio of RBI doubles from Pensacola’s Bubba Hollins, Osborne and Thomas Jones briefly tied the game 4-4. Montgomery would waste no time in re-claiming the lead, however, as Blake Hunt blasted a three-run homer off of Monteverde in the bottom of the inning to put the Biscuits ahead 7-4.
The Blue Wahoos scored a pair of unearned runs against reliever Graeme Stinson in the seventh, and Hollins tied the score with a solo homer against Andrew Gross to lead off the eighth. Three innings of hitless relief from Pensacola relievers Eli Villalobos and Sean Reynolds sent the game to the ninth tied 7-7.
Gross stranded a pair of Pensacola runners in a scoreless ninth, but Robinson Martínez (L, 1-1) put up a zero in the bottom of the inning to force extras. Jose Lopez (W, 7-3) pitched a hitless top of the 10th, and Simon blasted the first pitch he saw from Martínez off the top of the right field wall for a game-ending double.
The Blue Wahoos wrap up their series in Montgomery on Sunday.
by Erik Bremer, Pensacola Blue Wahoos