Mississippi Wins Pitching Duel 2-0 Over The Blue Wahoos
July 14, 2017
Pensacola Blue Wahoos fans were treated to a pitching duel between Keury Mella and Mississippi Braves Mike Soroka.
Mississippi and Soroka ended up getting the win, 2-0, over Pensacola to snap a four-game losing streak.
Pensacola manager Pat Kelly credited the 23-year-old Mella and the 19-year-old Soroka on their performances Thursday in front of 4,497 in Blue Wahoos Stadium.
“Those were two good young pitchers right there,” Kelly said. “Soroka got the best of him but Mella really competed.”
Mella, ranked the No. 19 prospect in the Cincinnati Reds organization, pitched his best game at home, Kelly said, and his best since his last victory June 15 against the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp. He worked seven innings, only the second time he has done that this season, and gave up two earned runs on six hits, had no walks and struck out six, which was one shy of his season-high.
“He was solid,” Kelly said of Mella. “He was very aggressive with his fastball and had good use of his breaking ball.”
Mississippi, which have now won two of its last 15 games, scored its first run in the third inning when center fielder Connor Lien scored on a sacrifice fly to right field by right fielder Keith Curcio. Curcio also hit a two-out homer into the Hill-Kelly Dodge berm in right field for the M-Braves second and final run.
Mella, who has yet to win a start in Blue Wahoos Stadium, retired the last seven batters he faced.
Meanwhile Soroka, who pitched seven scoreless innings, allowed four hits, had no walks and struck out six. He is now 2-0 in three starts this season against Pensacola, allowing just one run in 19.2 innings for a 0.47 ERA.
A Canadian who chose baseball over being a goalie in hockey, now has 10 wins to lead the Southern League and his 2.37 ERA is only behind Pensacola starter Austin Ross, who has a 1.44 ERA.
Soroka is ranked as the No. 33 prospect in Baseball America’s midseason re-ranking lists and the 13th best pitcher.
“For a 19-year-old, he has a great feel for pitching,” said Kelly, who said Canadian baseball players are usually a year behind in development because the weather doesn’t allow them to play year-round.
Pensacola had an opportunity to score in the third inning on Soroka with runners on first and second and two outs but third baseman Nick Senzel struck out. Soroka mowed down the last eight Blue Wahoos batters he faced. Pensacola got just one more hit in the last four innings of the game when second baseman Josh VanMeter hit a bloop single to left field to start the ninth inning.
Senzel increased his hitting streak to 13 games, going 1-4 with a double off of Soroka in the third inning. The Cincinnati Reds top prospect is now 19-50 during the streak for a .380 batting average. The 22-year-old Senzel has hit in 15 of his 19 games with the Double-A team since being called up June 22 from the High-A Daytona Tortugas.
Pensacola is 10-11 in the second half. The South Division champions in the first half are 50-41 overall. Mississippi is 5-15 in the second half and 39-51 overall.
Pensacola is almost done playing 20 games in a row before getting a day off July 18 after the series with Mississippi is finished. Kelly said it isn’t easy.
“Twenty-game stretches are tough in this league with this humidity,” Kelly admitted. “It’s a good challenge for the players. We just have to be smart. This is July and this is in the South.”
Kelly also reported that Nick Longhi, who was playing in his seventh game for Pensacola after being picked up by the Reds in a trade with the Red Sox, complained about soreness in his throwing arm and said it affected his swing. Longhi is hitting .316 with a homer and seven RBIs for the Blue Wahoos.
“It was precautionary to get him out,” Kelly said.
Chattanooga Beats The Pensacola Blue Wahoos In 12 Innings
July 13, 2017
Pensacola Blue Wahoos manager Pat Kelly sees the positive side of his team’s matchup against the Chattanooga Lookouts.
The Blue Wahoos have taken three of the last five games from the Lookouts, although they lost Wednesday’s game, 5-3, in front of 4,423 at Blue Wahoos Stadium. In the three head-to-head series, Pensacola is 3-11 against Chattanooga, which is the first half North Division champions and own the best record in the Southern League.
“Every game we play against Chattanooga is like this,” Kelly said. “They seem to find the holes and we don’t. We can play head-to-head with them. We beat them three of the last five times.”
Pensacola left fielder Tyler Goeddel smoked a line drive over the left field wall to tie the score, 3-3, to lead off the seventh inning. It was his fifth homer of the season for the Blue Wahoos. Goeddel also played the hero in Tuesday’s game, drilling a bases-loaded double to left field to propel Pensacola over Chattanooga.
But the Lookouts scored two runs in the top of the 12th inning when DH Andy Wilkins hit a line drive double down the left field line to score shortstop Nick Gordon to put Chattanooga up, 4-3. First baseman Jonathan Rodriguez then scored on a sacrifice fly by Max Murphy that made it a 5-3 game.
Pensacola dropped to 1-6 in extra-inning games and are 10-10 in the second half. The South Division champions in the first half are 50-40 overall. Meanwhile, Chattanooga improved to 15-5 in the second half and 57-33 overall.
Chattanooga went up, 3-2, in the fifth inning on a controversial call. The Lookouts started a two-out rally when second baseman Alex Perez hit a double on a fly ball down the left field line that was ruled a fair ball. Perez then scored when Gordon, the Minnesota Twins top prospect, singled to center field with two outs. Lookouts left fielder LaMonte Wade, the Twins No. 12 prospect, then hit a soft liner to left field that drove in both catcher Dan Rohlfing and Gordon.
Kelly said the call changed the momentum of the game. He also expressed dissatisfaction that the No. 9 hitter batting .141 followed with a walk.
“It didn’t have to be a three-run inning,” Kelly said.
Pensacola right fielder Gabriel Guerrero lead off the fourth inning with a double off the left field wall and then scored on a chopper by catcher Chad Tromp to make the score, 2-0. Chattanooga third baseman T.J. White looked Guerrero back to the bag and then threw to second baseman Alex Perez for a force out. Perez saw Guerrero sprinting home and threw it on the mark but Guerrero slid wide of the plate for the run. Guerrero was 2-6 with two doubles off the wall in left center field for his team-leading 26th multi-hit game of the year.
Pensacola scored in the first inning to go ahead, 1-0, when third baseman Nick Senzel smacked a two-out grounder up the middle to extend his hitting streak to 12 games. First baseman Gavin LaValley earned a walk and then Blue Wahoos left fielder Nick Longhi blasted a single to center field that drove in Senzel from second base.
Senzel, the Cincinnati Reds top prospect, was 3-6 with a run scored and now has five multi-hit games this season. He is hitting .318 for Pensacola since being called up June 22 from the High-A Daytona Tortugas.
Chattanooga right-hander Felix Jorge was starting in his first game back with the Lookouts after making two starts with the Minnesota Twins. Jorge, the Twins eighth-ranked prospect, made his Major League debut July 1 and earned the win.
Against Pensacola, he worked six innings, giving up two runs, one earned on five hits and three walks, while striking out three. He is 8-1 on the season with a 3.14 ERA.
Pensacola had a chance to win its third straight game against Chattanooga in the eighth when it loaded the bases with one out against Lookout relievers Raul Fernandez and Todd Van Steensel. The Blue Wahoos loaded the bases when catcher Chad Tromp was hit in the head with an 84-mph breaking ball, knocking him flat on his back.
But Aristides Aquino came in to pinch hit after that and struck out and then Goeddel hit a chopper to third base that allowed the Lookout’s White to make the force out at second to end the scoring threat.
Kelly reported after the game that Tromp passed all the concussion tests but said he would probably hold him out of the next two or three games.
Northview Grad Bates Signs Transfer To LSUA Generals
July 12, 2017
A 2015 Northview High School graduate is one of four junior college transfers to the LSU-Alexandria Generals.
E’Layzha Bates, a 5′10″ forward from Molino, joins the Generals from Baton Rouge Community College.
Last season with the Bears, Bates started all 13 games she appeared in, averaging five points per game on 41.5 percent shooting from the field in 28.5 minutes played each time out. A key feature to her game will be rebounding, where she grabbed just over five boards per contest last season, which was second on the BRCC squad.
Bates also boasted the highest GPA on her team and was named a team captain.
At Northview, Bates was also team captain and most valuable player of her high school squad. She plans on majoring in kinesiology at LSUA.
Three In A Row: Wahoos Beat Chattanooga
July 12, 2017
Pensacola Blue Wahoos starting pitcher called his nine strikeouts against the first 10 Chattanooga Lookouts batters “just another game.” But to all the other onlookers Tuesday at Blue Wahoos Stadium, his performance was impressive.
The 22-year-old right hander struck out a career-high 11 batters and the left fielder Tyler Goeddel hit a clutch bases-loaded double to left field as Pensacola rallied to beat Chattanooga for the second straight game.
Coming into the four-game series, Pensacola, the South Division first half champions, were 1-9 against Chattanooga, the North Division first half champions. The Blue Wahoos now lead the series, 2-1.
Pat Kelly said he was disappointed Lopez failed to get the victory. Instead, reliever Geoff Broussard got the victory striking out two in his one scoreless inning of relief to improve to 3-1 with a 3.58 ERA.
“It’s a shame he didn’t get the win,” Kelly said. “He really pitched exceptional, especially against that club. He dominated them. That was fun to see.”
Lopez said he has worked with pitching coach Danny Darwin to tweak his mechanics.
“I threw every pitch for a strike,” Lopez said. “I was just pounding the zone. I’ve turned things around a little bit.”
That’s an understatement. Lopez had a no-hitter through the first 4.2 innings before right fielder Max Murphy, playing his fourth game for the Lookouts, smacked his first Double-A homer just over the right field fence on a curveball.
Lopez tied his career-high of 10 strikeouts in the sixth inning when the hurler got Chattanooga first baseman Jonathan Rodriguez out to end the inning. He then set a new career-high of 11 when he struck out the Lookouts leadoff batter in the seventh, DH Andy Wilkins.
Lopez gave up just three hits and a walk. It’s his second strong outing in a row, after throwing eight scoreless innings in his previous start against the Biloxi Shuckers.
He credited Pensacola catcher Joe Hudson for his performances in both games, who directed Lopez to pound hitters inside, throw his breaking balls and elevate the ball in the strike zone.
“I love it,” Lopez said. “We’re on the same page. I trust him to watch the hitters for things I don’t pick up.”
Trailing, 1-0, Pensacola loaded the bases with one out to start the eighth inning. That’s when Chattanooga manager Jake Mauer called for his left-handed reliever Randy Rosario to face leadoff hitter Goeddel, who doubled in center fielder Gabriel Guerrero and right fielder Aristides Aquino to put Pensacola ahead, 2-1. Second baseman Josh VanMeter then hit a grounder to Chattanooga second baseman Ryan Walker who threw it past catcher Carlos Paulino to allow both shortstop Blake Trahan and Goeddel to score for a 4-1 Blue Wahoos lead.
Pensacola turned to Zack Weiss for the second straight game in the ninth inning and the right-handed closer earned his fourth save in five opportunities.
“We’re testing him,” Kelly said. “We’re testing his elbow to see how it feels. I think his stuff was better tonight (Tuesday). It’s a really good sign that he is able to go back-to-back.”
Meanwhile, Chattanooga starter Fernando Romero, who MLBPipeline.com ranks as the No. 4 prospect for the Minnesota Twins, worked five scoreless innings, allowed two hits, walked one and struck out five before turning the game over to Lookouts reliever Ryan Eades.
Former NBA Coach To Lead Bratt Basketball Camp This Week
July 11, 2017
The First Baptist Church of Bratt will host a basketball camp this week with a former NBA, college and high school coach.
The camp for children ages 8-14 will be held July 12-14 from 9 a.m. until noon at the church. Coach Roger Dutremble of Global Sports Outreach will teach kids the fundamentals of basketball and Biblical awareness.
Dutremble is a a retired coach and member of the International Basketball Hall of Fame. He career includes coaching at every level from high school to the NBA, and into international arenas, with a lifetime coaching record of 687-117 and seven national championships. He was selected “Coach of the Year” six times, and served as national team head coach to Belgium, Scotland, and Jordan. He was an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Lakers, serving under Paul Westhead and Pat Riley, from 1979-83 and helping the team to three NBA championships with players like Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
The cost is $45 per student with a limited number of scholarships available. The funds are used exclusively to purchase shoes and basketballs for needy children in other countries where Dutremble conducts camps.
The First Baptist Church of Bratt is located on Highway 4 just west of Northview High School.
Pictured: Students that participated in a previous basketball camp at the First Baptist Church of Bratt. Inset: Coach Roger Dutremble of Global Sports Outreach. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Register Now For Tate Youth Football Camp
July 11, 2017
A Tate Youth Football Camp will be held 5-8 p.m. July 17-19 at Pete Gindl Stadium.
The camp will be directed by Tate football coaching staff with assistance from Tate football players. It is an opportunity for youth to work on fundamentals, practice agility, run through drills and learn about being part of a team. No football equipment will be needed. Cleats are recommended, but not required.
The camp fee is $65 preregister online at tatehighfootball.com or $75 first day of camp (checks made payable to Tate Quarterback Club). Each camper will receive a camp t-shirt, daily snack and drink and a pizza party at the end of camp.
To download a camp brochure and registration form, click here (pdf).
Wahoos Top Chattanooga
July 11, 2017
In his fourth game with Pensacola, Nick Longhi knocked a high, deep game-winning three-run home run in the sixth inning that gave the Pensacola Blue Wahoos a, 3-2, victory Monday over the Chattanooga Lookouts in front of 3,689 at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
Te first baseman was happy to beat the Blue Wahoos nemesis. Pensacola, the first half South Division champions, are now 2-10 against Chattanooga, the first half North Division champions.
“I thought if it doesn’t get out, something’s wrong,” Longhi said. “I’m pretty excited about it. It feels great to do that in a new environment.”
Longhi came over from the Red Sox Double-A affiliate the Portland Sea Dogs where he had six homers, 33 RBIs and was hitting .262. He was ranked as the Red Sox’s ninth best prospect according to MLBPipeline.com. For Double-A Pensacola, he has one home run six RBIs and is batting .273.
Blue Wahoos manager Pat Kelly is excited about the Reds picking up Longhi, who he said is fitting in. Longhi admitted, too, that his new teammates have welcomed him. Kelly said he knew Longhi would be a good addition, after hearing about him play in high school in Venice.
“Nick is athletic enough he can play both left or right field,” Kelly said. “What a beautiful swing he’s got. He has always been a really good hitter.”
Besides Longhi’s clutch homer, Pensacola’s bullpen came through Monday. Blue Wahoos relievers Robert Stock, Carlos Gonzalez and Zack Weiss combined for five scoreless innings and didn’t allow a hit to Chattanooga, putting just two Lookouts on base on walks. The trio struck out five.
Stock pitched three innings, allowing one walk and striking out four, and improved to 5-1 with a 2.79 ERA this season for Pensacola.
“To me the key to the game was Robert Stock,” Kelly said, who also credited Gonzalez and Weiss. “That’s a nice one-two punch.”
Chattanooga threatened to tie the game in the eighth when shortstop Ryan Walker earned a leadoff walk, stole second base and reached third on a wild pitch with two outs. But Gonzalez struck out Andy Wilkins for his second K of the inning.
Pensacola started Rookie Davis, who made his second start for the Blue Wahoos after injuring his back and not playing for 47 days. The 24-year-old right hander, who started the season in the Cincinnati Reds starting rotation, didn’t allow a hit to Chattanooga through the first three innings.
However, Lookouts first baseman Andy Wilkins ripped a line drive to right field for a double to lead off the fourth inning. Chattanooga third baseman T.J. White came up next and ended a 4-30 slump with a long home run to left center, his fifth of the year, giving the Lookouts a 2-0 lead.
Davis worked four innings, gave up two runs on two hits, walked three and struck out two, and threw 71 pitches. He is 0-0 with a 5.00 ERA for Pensacola.
“I thought he struggled a little bit,” Kelly said of Davis, who is limited to 75 pitches by the organization. “He was battling himself which is part of the process of coming back.”
Davis admitted he was happy to be back playing in Pensacola, but was more critical of his performance than Kelly.
“I felt like I was fighting myself the whole game,” he said. “I know it’s only my second game back and I have to be patient with myself. I’m more critical on myself than I should be but to get back to where I want to be, I have to be hard on myself.”
For the Reds, Davis posted a 1-2 record with a 7.58 ERA in five starts and was sent down to the Triple-A Louisville Bats where he made two more starts before getting injured.
Amir Garrett, Sal Romano, Jackson Stephenson and Davis have all made their Major League debuts with the Reds this year after they all pitched in the Blue Wahoos starting rotation last year.
That comes as no surprise to Davis, who reported the 2016 Blue Wahoos rotation, including Nick Travieso, are good friends.
“It wasn’t surprising at all,” Davis said. “We knew it was just a matter of who would get there first. It was something we all knew was going to happen. A few of us thought it would happen last year. All camp, we were determined to make the club.”
Meanwhile, Chattanooga starting pitcher Dereck Rodriguez earned his first loss in five starts in Double-A, falling to 3-1 on the year with a 3.77 ERA. Rodriguez is the son of former Major League catcher Ivan Rodriguez, who was elected to the Hall of Fame this year.
Pensacola improved to 9-9 in the second half in the South Division and 49-39 overall. The Lookouts fell to 14-4 in the second half in the North Division and 56-32 on the season.
Cantonment Cowboys Football Registration Each Monday Evening
July 10, 2017
Cantonment Cowboys football is holding registration every Monday at the Cantonment Ballpark, 651 Well Line Road, from 5:30 until 7 p.m. The registration fee is $135 for ages 5-14. For more information, contact the Cantonment Cowboys on Facebook. Courtesy photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Blue Wahoos Drop to Chattanooga, 5-1
July 10, 2017
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos fell to 1-10 this season against its nemesis, the Chattanooga Lookouts, which has the best record in the Southern League.
Chattanooga padded its lead in the eighth inning with two runs on a bases-loaded walk and bases-loaded wild pitch to continue its domination of Pensacola, winning, 5-1, in the opener of the four-game series Sunday in front of 3,778 at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
The Lookouts improved to 14-3 in the second half in the North Division and 56-31 on the season, both of which lead the Southern League.
Pensacola dropped to 8-9 in the second half in the South Division and 48-39 overall.
Blue Wahoos starting pitcher Deck McGuire’s scoreless inning streak ended at 23.1 innings when Chattanooga first baseman Andy Wilkins doubled over the head of Blue Wahoos left fielder Tyler Goeddel in the third inning to drive in center fielder LaMonte Wade. The Lookouts took a 2-0 lead when third baseman T.J. White grounded out to shortstop, allowing DH Jonathan Rodriguez to score from third base.
Blue Wahoos McGuire gave up a double on a one hopper off the right field wall to Wade and a sizzling line drive single to center field to Rodriguez in the fifth inning. But the 6-foot-6 righty then got a strikeout and two fly outs to leave the Chattanooga runners stranded at second and third.
Pensacola manager Pat Kelly said he liked that McGuire kept Chattanooga from scoring.
“I thought he battled,” Kelly said. “He didn’t have his best stuff. He gave up a lot of extra-base hits. But he kept them off the board and gave us a chance.”
McGuire earned the loss and is 8-6 this season with a 2.78 ERA. He gave up two runs on nine hits, including four doubles, and walked one.
Pensacola second baseman Shed Long drilled a line drive down the right field line for a triple that drove in DH Nick Longhi to cut Chattanooga’s lead to, 2-1, in the fifth inning.
But Chattanooga scored two runs in the eighth inning to go ahead, 4-1. The Lookouts White scored when Pensacola reliever Alex Powers walked No. 9 hitter, catcher Dan Rohlfing. The second run scored when Pensacola reliever Brennan Bernardino struck out shortstop Ryan Walker for the third out but the strikeout pitch skirted by Blue Wahoos catcher Joe Hudson, who had no play, allowing right fielder Max Murphy to score.
Kelly said that Chattanooga has just given Pensacola fits, sweeping them in the first five-game series.
“They are a really good team,” he said. “They have strong pitching, speed, power in the middle of the lineup. They got about everything you could want.”
Chattanooga Kohl Stewart, the Minnesota Twins first round selection in 2013, has not had a losing decision since April 24. He worked six innings Sunday, giving up one run on three hits and a walk and striking out six. At one point, he retired 10 Blue Wahoos in a row.
“He had good stuff,” Kelly said of the Minnesota Twins eighth ranked prospect. “He had late action on his fastball. We weren’t getting good swings on him.”
Biloxi Rallies Over Pensacola
July 9, 2017
The Biloxi Shuckers rallied for seven runs in the bottom of the eighth inning Saturday to overcome the Pensacola Blue Wahoos, 11-6, at MGM Park.
Pensacola entered the eighth inning ahead, 6-4, and got the first two outs of the inning before the Shuckers mounted their comeback. Biloxi sent 11 batters to the plate and earned four hits, two walks, a hit batter and one error.
Biloxi second baseman Wendell Rijo and pinch hitter Javier Betancourt scored the first two runs of the inning when center fielder Johnny Davis singled them both in to tie the score, 6-6. Shuckers right fielder Michael Choice doubled in two runs when Betancourt and Davis scored to go up, 8-6. The final three runs scored when left fielder Clint Coulter smashed a three-run homer to left field, his 10th this season, that scored Choice and catcher Jacob Nottingham to make the score, 11-6.
Pensacola relievers Zack Weiss and Brennan Bernardino pitched the eighth. Weiss gave up six runs, one earned, and got the loss, while Bernardino gave up one run on the homer to Coulter.
The rally spoiled a good start by Pensacola, which had a six-run inning of its own in the fifth inning that gave them a 6-1 lead.
Blue Wahoos pitcher Keury Mella doubled to drive in the first two runs in the fifth. Third baseman Josh VanMeter singled to score Mella. First baseman Nick Longhi, who the Cincinnati Reds picked up from the Boston Red Sox seven days ago, doubled to center field with the bases loaded in his first start for the Blue Wahoos to drive in left fielder Tyler Goeddel, VanMeter and center fielder Gabriel Guerrero.
Pensacola starter Keury Mella gave up just one run in the first five innings but then gave up three in the sixth inning that pulled Biloxi within, 6-4. Mella gave up hits to the first three batters he faced in the sixth inning, including Dustin DeMuth’s two-run homer, his fifth of the season.
Mella ended up scattering eight hits and one walk over five innings and giving up four runs, while striking out five.
Biloxi relievers Jorge Lopez and Matt Ramsey held the Blue Wahoos hitless and scoreless over the last three innings and combined to strike out four. Lopez got both victories in relief against Pensacola in the series and is 5-6 this season.