Red-Hot Wahoos Continue Offensive Surge, Win 10-6
June 27, 2025
written by Willie Phaler
After a 10-6 win Thursday night, the Blue Wahoos have continued to put up runs in bunches during their road trip in Chattanooga. With a 9-6 win on Wednesday and a 9-8 win Tuesday, the Wahoos have scored nine or more runs in three consecutive games for the first time since July 7-9, 2023.
The offense got things going against Lookouts starter Ryan Cardona, as Nathan Martorella picked up a bases-clearing double with two outs in the third after sneaking a chopper by first baseman Cam Collier. Kemp Alderman added on in the fifth for Pensacola with his league-leading fourth triple of the season. After legging out the three-bagger, Alderman was awarded home on a balk by Cardona.
After four innings of one-run ball from Ike Buxton in his second Double-A start of 2025, the Lookouts chased him in the fifth on the way to a five-run frame. Sal Stewart sent a three-run home run out to left-center while Noelvi Marte and Austin Callahan each picked up an RBI. Buxton was charged for three runs, while two were charged to Alex Williams (W, 3-0), ending his scoreless streak at 19.1 innings.
The offense continued to come flying in for the Wahoos with a two-run sixth. Third baseman Tony Bullard picked up an RBI with a double to right while Shane Sasaki drove in a run of his own.
The seventh inning was the cherry on top toward the massive offensive output. Grant Richardson gave Pensacola the lead for good by clobbering a three-run home run to right. Richardson’s drive left the bat at 111 mph and helped chase Chattanooga righthander Brandon Komar (L, 1-2). Catcher Spencer Bramwell added the tenth run with an RBI single to solidify the Blue Wahoos lead.
Left fielder Michael Snyder also shone through for the Blue Wahoos at the plate, tying a team record with four walks. Snyder is the first Wahoo to pick up four free passes since outfielder Jakob Marsee on May 8, 2024.
To pair with Buxton’s 4.1 innings, Williams provided length after taking over in the fifth as he finished the ballgame with 4.2 strong innings in a 10-6 Wahoo win.
The Blue Wahoos will continue their series against the Lookouts as they play game four of the series on Friday night. First pitch from AT&T Field in Chattanooga is scheduled for 7:15 p.m. EDT/ 6:15 p.m. CDT.
Wahoos Tee Off In Chattanooga, Beat Lookouts 9-5
June 26, 2025
written by Erik Bremer
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos scored early and often on Wednesday night, beating the Chattanooga Lookouts 9-5 for their third consecutive win.
Kemp Alderman and Dalvy Rosario went deep, Johnny Olmstead finished a homer shy of the cycle, and Robby Snelling (W, 3-5) twirled 7.0 scoreless innings of three-hit ball as the Blue Wahoos improved to 2-0 in the second half of the Southern League season.
Alderman’s homer in the first inning against Lookouts starter Jose Acuña (L, 6-5) set the tone for the rest of the night. Rosario extended the lead to 3-0 in the second inning with a two-run shot, and Olmstead sent a two-run triple high off the wall in left field for a 5-0 lead in the third inning. The five earned runs over 3.0 innings marked a season high for Acuña, whose 2.73 ERA entering the night had been the second-best in the league.
The Blue Wahoos added more against the Chattanooga bullpen, scoring a run in the fourth inning on a missed catch error from catcher Mat Nelson and extending their lead to 8-0 in the fifth inning on sacrifice flies from Shane Sasaki and Kemp Alderman. Nathan Martorella brought home another on an RBI fielder’s choice in the seventh inning to extend the Pensacola lead to 9-0.
Snelling scattered three singles over his dominant night, striking out seven men over 7.0 quiet frames without issuing a walk. It was more than enough for Pensacola’s Opening Day starter to earn a winning decision for the first time since April 16, and tied for the longest start of the 21-year-old lefty’s professional career.
Handed a 9-0 lead in the ninth, Luarbert Arias ran into trouble in his Blue Wahoos season debut. The righty allowed five runs in just 0.1 innings before Jesse Bergin (S, 4) came on to get the final two outs and secure a 9-5 final.
The Blue Wahoos continue their series against the Lookouts on Thursday night. First pitch from AT&T Field in Chattanooga is scheduled for 7:15 p.m. ET/6:15 p.m. CT
Wahoos Begin Second Half With Furious Comeback, 9-8 Win Over Lookouts
June 25, 2025
written by Erik Bremer
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos started the second half of their season with perhaps their most impressive comeback win of the year, scoring seven unanswered runs to defeat the Chattanooga Lookouts 9-8 in 10 innings on Tuesday night.
Trailing 8-2 after five innings, the Blue Wahoos rallied thanks to a seventh-inning solo homer from Cody Morissette and an eighth-inning three-run double from Ryan Ignoffo to tie the game and force extras. An infield pop-up off the bat of Johnny Olmstead in the 10th was misplayed by Lookouts first baseman Cam Collier, allowing Michael Snyder to score the eventual winning run.
Blue Wahoos starter Jacob Miller began the night with 3.0 hitless innings, and was handed a 2-0 lead thanks to a Morissette sac fly and a run-scoring wild pitch from Lookouts starter Donovan Benoit. But Chattanooga charged back, taking a 3-2 lead in the fourth inning on a Jay Allen II three-run homer.
In the fifth, the Lookouts scored five runs on only two hits. A fielding error from Blue Wahoos first baseman Nathan Martorella opened the door for a big inning, and the Lookouts capitalized with a Sal Stewart RBI single and Austin Hendrick two-run double to open up an 8-2 advantage.
The Blue Wahoos chipped away starting in the sixth, when a grounder off the bat of Olmstead was misplayed by Lookouts second baseman Dominic Pitelli to score two runs. Morissette’s homer drew the Blue Wahoos a run closer before Ignoffo completed the comeback with a three-run double in the top of the eighth.
Pensacola reliever Evan Fitterer (W, 4-4) worked 3.0 scoreless innings in his new bullpen role, stranding runners at the corners in the ninth, to force extras. Chattanooga lefty Drew Parrish (L, 0-2) did his job in the 10th, but a two-out pop-up to Collier at first was dropped and then touched in fair territory to allow the Blue Wahoos to take a 9-8 lead.
Nigel Belgrave (S, 1) deftly worked out of trouble in the bottom of the 10th, stranding the placed runner at third base to earn the save and lock down the unlikely win.
The Blue Wahoos continue their series against the Lookouts on Wednesday night. First pitch from AT&T Field in Chattanooga is scheduled for 7:15 p.m.
Jorey Diamond Back As Jay Baseball Head Coach
June 24, 2025
Longtime Jay High School Coach Jorey Diamond is returning as head baseball coach, marking his third time leading the Royals baseball program.
Diamond will continue to serve as the head coach of the varsity girls’ basketball team.
“We’re excited to have Coach Diamond back at the hehn of our baseball team,” said Jay High Principal Benjie West. “His leadership on and off the field is invaluable, and we’re confident he’ ll continue to build on our proud legacy.”
Diamond’s last stint as head baseball coach was 2019 with time as an assistance since.
Last season, Jay baseball went 17-13 with a loss to Holmes County in the Rural finals, losing both games in the best-of-three series.
Diamond replaces Duane Raley who left after last season. His son, Justin Raley headed across the Escambia River to take the head coaching job at Northview High School.
Cantonment’s Maxed Out Wins 8U Pensacola Beach World Series
June 23, 2025
The Maxed Out baseball team from Cantonment won the 8U Pensacola Beach World Series over the weekend at NEP ballpark. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Wahoos Take First Half Finale In Win Over Biscuits
June 23, 2025
An explosive fifth inning and a 3-RBI day from Cody Morissette propelled the Pensacola Blue Wahoos to a 6-3 victory on Sunday over the Montgomery Biscuits, ending the first half on a high note.
Morissette, who picked up two singles and scored a run to pair with his 3 RBIs, knocked in the winning run in the fifth to help put Pensacola back in the win column.
“[I was] just trying to execute the situation and get the job done to get a win today,” Morissette said. “It was good.”
After being held to just two hits through the first four innings by Montgomery’s Ty Johnson, the Blue Wahoos offense came to life in the fifth.
As soon as Montgomery turned to the bullpen, the bats woke up. With right-hander Ryan Shreve (L, 0-1) on the mound, right fielder Grant Richardson belted a 2-RBI double off the wall in right to tie things up at two to score Johnny Olmstead and Ryan Ignoffo, who reached on his first extra-base hit at the Double-A level.
Richardson later came around to score and take the lead as Morissette singled to right. Josh Zamora added one more run in the frame with a sacrifice fly, allowing Morrissette to score.
Morrissette added some insurance an inning later in the sixth, lining a two-out single to center to score two, extending the Pensacola lead to 6-2.
“Credit to the lineup and credit to our pitchers,” Morissette said. “The lineup put a lot of pressure on their pitchers, got on base, we just executed situations and the pitchers kept us in it.”
After four innings of two-run ball from starter Orlando Ortiz-Mayr, the Blue Wahoos’ pen took over in a big way.
The trio of Josh Ekness, Ricky DeVito (W, 1-0) and Jesse Bergin combined for five innings of one-run ball, successfully protecting the lead after Pensacola’s four and two-run frames in the fifth and sixth.
Montgomery picked up the first run of the game in the third, after Gregory Barrios drove in Cooper Kinney on a sacrifice fly to left. Shane Sasaki made a jumping catch-up against the wall in foul territory in deep left field, giving Kinney enough time to score on the tag-up.
The Biscuits added a run in the fourth, as centerfielder Homer Bush Jr. singled up the middle with the infield in, allowing Hunter Stovall to score.
Will Simpson added an RBI single in the ninth for the Biscuits, dumping a bloop single into right-center against Blue Wahoos closer Josh Ekness. This was the first run Ekness has given up in the month of June, ending a 7.1 IP scoreless streak.
The Blue Wahoos will travel to Chattanooga to begin the second half of the season, making their lone trip to AT&T Field to square off with the North Division first-half champion Lookouts. Jacob Miller (2-4, 3.05 ERA) is slated to start game one on Tuesday for Pensacola, while Chattanooga has yet to announce a starter.
GAME NOTABLES
— Famed baseball organist Nancy Faust, who became a historic pioneer in the industry when playing for 41 years (1970-2010) at Chicago White Sox games, made her third visit in the past four years to Blue Wahoos Stadium on Sunday, entertaining fans with a medley of music during pregame activities and in-game entertainment. Faust was set up with the same type of Hammond Organ that she played in Chicago, on loan from a local Pensacola church, on the concourse level behind home plate. She was underneath a tent and engaged with fans as she played music and walk-up songs throughout the game.
Aside from her White Sox history, Faust was also the organist at Chicago Bulls and Chicago Blackhawks games during the 1980s.
— Sunday’s game officially closed the first half of the Southern League schedule. The Blue Wahoos had 39 home games in the first half. The second half begins on Tuesday throughout the league, and the Blue Wahoos will have a 30-game home slate in the second half.
WHAT’S NEXT?
WHO: Blue Wahoos vs. Chattanooga Lookouts
WHEN: Tuesday through Sunday (June 29).
WHERE: AT&T Field, Chattanooga, Tennessee.
BACKGROUND: This series begins the second half of the Southern League season. Chattanooga clinched the first-half North Division title on Sunday, locking itself into a playoff spot. The divisional records will be reset, and a second-half winner will be decided in both divisions to determine playoff matchups. This will be the Blue Wahoos’ only trip to Chattanooga to face the Lookouts, the Cincinnati Reds’ affiliate. However, the Lookouts will play in Pensacola on July 18-20 and again on August 26-31.
NEP Gold Wins Gospel Projects World Series; NEP Blue Claims Second
June 22, 2025
Two NEP teams won big in the 2025 Gospel Projects Tee Ball World Series.
The NEP Gold All-Stars went undefeated on their way to winning the series, outscoring their opponents 29-47.
Reece Phelps knocked out three home runs over a four-game span.
Caleb Moore made history with an incredible 13 home runs in just four games — breaking the tournament record. His record-breaking homer also served as a walk-off to clinch the championship in the top of the sixth inning.
Moore was named the series Home Run Champion.
Also in the series, NEP Blue took second place and was presented the Sportsmanship Award.
Pictured: NEP Gold (top), NEP Blue (below) and Caleb Moore (bottom). Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Wahoos Thwarted Late, Drop Close Contest To Montgomery Biscuits
June 22, 2025
The Blue Wahoos played their quickest game of the week Saturday and without weather delay.
But it failed to alter a struggling pattern.
Unable to generate a big inning or late-inning dramatics, the Blue Wahoos dropped another one-run game, this time a 4-3 setback against the Montgomery Biscuits before the usual Saturday capacity crowd of 5,038 at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
It was their fourth loss in five games against the Biscuits in the final series of season’s first-half schedule. It meant the Blue Wahoos (33-35) won’t have a winning record before the divisional standings reset next week. The Biscuits (38-30) clinched the series with a third straight win.
The night, however, contained a layered number of crowd-pleasing activities.
The biggest, of course, was the post-game fireworks.When it ended, the Blue Wahoos began their “Shark In the Park Night” next door on the boat dock and in the water behind right field. The original “Jaws” was played on a big screen as people watched in the water on the 50th anniversary summer of the iconic film’s debut.
There was also a poignant “Home Run For Life” featuring a young boy who beat back leukemia with help from his father’s stem cell transplant.
The game evolved like others this week with Montgomery taking an early lead. After Homer Bush Jr. led off the game with a walk, Cooper Kinney followed with a 2-run homer off Blue Wahoos starter Dax Fulton.
In the second inning, Bush had a two-out single to score Willy Vasquez, who had been hit by a pitch.
The Blue Wahoos got two runs back in their half of that inning when Johnny Olmstead hit a two-run homer.
Montgomery, however, answered right back when Brayden Taylor led off with a walk and scored on another RBI single from Bush. Fulton finished the inning, but had his shortest start since May 31. It was another tough-luck outing. He had a season-high eight strikeouts and only two walks, but an error and the first inning home run were his downfall.
The Blue Wahoos made it a one-run game when Dalvy Rosario led off the fifth inning with a walk and scored on Nathan Martorella’s RBI single. However, they had just one hit and two baserunners in the final four innings as Montgomery’s bullpen again shut down any opportunity.
The Blue Wahoos had nine fly ball outs in this game. They will now seek to salvage a second win in the series finale on Sunday, as the first half ends.
GAME NOTABLES
— Hours before the game, Blue Wahoos players froze during practice to see a U.S. Marines MV-22 Osprey Helicopter flying over the stadium and landing across Main Street at the former ECUA lot. The players stopped their routine to look at the faded olive green chopper from the Vietnam War. The helicopter was part of a special reunion at the ballpark from retired members of U.S. Marines Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 362 (VMM-362), known as the Ugly Angels, who were formed in the early 1950s, then fought in the Vietnam War, the Iraq War and other conflicts. This particular helicopter, which traveled to Pensacola from Oklahoma, had more than 50 bullet holes on its sides from combat duty.
The reunion featured more than 240 members of the Ugly Angels, who got their name from a wounded Marine, rescued by the squadron and chopper and said, “that is the ugliest angel I’ve ever seen.” The group had a two hour event with speakers and other testimonials, then watched Saturday’s game from a group section in the stands.
WANT TO GO?
WHO: Montgomery Biscuits vs. Blue Wahoos
WHEN: Sunday, 4:05 p.m.
WHERE: Blue Wahoos Stadium
Gulf Coast Recreation Classic Is Next Week At John R. Jones Ballpark
June 21, 2025
Next week, Escambia County Parks and Recreation will host the 2025 Gulf Coast Recreation Classic at the John R. Jones Ballpark at 555 East. Nine Mile Road.
The games begin on Monday, June 23 and last until Saturday, June 28. Game times are 5:30 p.m., 7 p.m., and 7:15 p.m. Monday-Friday and Saturday games will begin at 9 a.m. Roger Scott Athletic Complex, located at 2130 Summit Boulevard., will host the 10U division games June 23-24, 26-27 at 5:30 and 7:15 p.m.
There will be 62 recreation-based all-star teams participating in the Gulf Coast Recreation Classic, including teams from Escambia County, City of Pensacola, City of Gulf Breeze, Santa Rosa County, and Okaloosa County. Teams consist of youth baseball players ages 7-15. The tournament is open to the public at no charge. All spectators are welcome to support the recreation all-stars.
Escambia County teams include players from Northwest Escambia Baseball (NWE), Perdido Baseball, NEP Baseball, Molino Recreation Association, and West Pensacola Baseball.
“We’re thrilled to welcome these all-star teams back to Escambia County for another great year of youth sports,” Escambia Parks and Recreation Director Michael Rhodes said. “It’s an honor to be selected to host these teams, and I’d like to give a special shoutout to our staff who works hard to make this event happen. The passion our players and their families have for youth sports is what makes events like this possible. We look forward to a great week of youth sports and invite everyone to come out and join us.”
Pictured: NWE 10U at the Gulf Coast Recreation Classic. File photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
White Debuts, Wahoos Fall In Wild 10-Inning Finish
June 21, 2025
written by Willie Phaler
Even with a 3-2 loss in extra innings on Friday night, there was a special buzz around Blue Wahoos Stadium. With specialty jerseys and a beanie giveaway for Snowmageddon night, a capacity crowd filed in.
Oh yeah, and for the Double-A debut of the Marlins’ No.1 and MLB Pipeline’s 30th overall prospect, Thomas White.
With all of the hype surrounding the young right-hander’s Blue Wahoos debut, it was overshadowed by pure chaos in extra innings.
Heading into extras with the score at 1-1, there had already been nine unpredictable innings played. White and his counterpart, Brody Hopkins, both made early exits, and each team’s bullpen was lights out. To pair with on-the-fly bullpen pairings from each side, Pensacola manager Nelson Prada was ejected in the third inning, arguing a ball-in-play call with home plate umpire Jared Duerson.
In the top of the tenth, Montgomery took a two-run lead after a double from Matthew Etzel off of Will Kempner (L, 0-1), with Tatem Levins getting just under Ryan Ignoffo’s tag at the plate, infuriating the Blue Wahoos on the field and in the dugout. Following the play, multiple ejections ensued, including reliever Ricky DeVito in the bullpen and second baseman Cody Morissette.
The Blue Wahoos, fielding a makeshift defense that included Nathan Martorella moving from first to left field and Dalvy Rosario coming in to second from center field, escaped the top of the tenth. Martorella singled in Grant Richardson on the first pitch of the bottom half of the inning to cut the lead to 3-2.
The Blue Wahoos were able to load the bases with two outs, as Johnny Olmstead reached on a dropped third strike and Ignoffo reached on an infield single. The Biscuits let nothing more come from it, as Jackson Lancaster (S, 1) induced a ground ball to short from Dalvy Rosario to end the night.
White’s night began with an up-and-down first inning. After notching his first career Double-A strikeout against Homer Bush Jr. to lead off the night, he walked the next two hitters, along with a single to Matthew Etzel. White picked up two more punchouts, sitting down Colton Ledbetter and Tres Barrera to wiggle out of the self-induced jam, but not without racking up his pitch count to 37 in the first frame.
Montgomery continued to force White into elevating the pitch count, forcing an early exit. As the Massachusetts native was taken out at 2.2 IP, he allowed three hits, one earned run, four walks and four strikeouts in his first start at Double-A.
“It’s good to see that my stuff definitely does play,” White said. “I felt pretty comfortable, actually. I think there’s sometimes you just go out there and maybe you just don’t have it, whether something’s not clicking mechanically or just release point-wise.”
After the Biscuits pushed a run across against White in the third thanks to an infield single by Etzel, the Blue Wahoos tied things up at one with a bases-loaded walk. Montgomery starter Brody Hopkins walked four in the fourth, allowing Shane Sasaki to score to bring it to 1-1.
Alex Williams was a standout for the Pensacola bullpen as he shouldered the load for the staff. After White lasted only 2.2 IP while pushing his pitch count to 70, Williams provided 4.2 IP of shutout baseball. While allowing only two hits, the right-hander pushed his scoreless streak to 19.1 IP, tying Tim Adelman for the tenth-longest streak in franchise history.
The Biscuits found success in the bullpen, piecing together 5.0 shutout innings prior to Martorella’s RBI in the tenth against Lancaster. Dan Hammer, Keyshawn Askew and Trevor Martin (W, 3-1) put together this stretch that helped push the Biscuits to their third win of the week.
The Blue Wahoos and Biscuits will meet for the fifth game of a six-game series Saturday night, with Dax Fulton (3-4, 3.60 ERA) taking the mound for Pensacola while Ty Cummings (2-2, 3.07 ERA) will make his fifth start of the year for Montgomery.
WANT TO GO?
WHO: Montgomery Biscuits vs. Blue Wahoos
WHEN: Saturday and Sunday.
GAMETIMES: Saturday’s game starts at 6:05 p.m. The game on Sunday starts at 4:05 p.m.
WHERE: Blue Wahoos Stadium