Jumbo Shrimp Beat The Pensacola Blue Wahoos
June 1, 2017
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos pitching staff gave up a season-high 11 walks Wednesday to the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, not to mention 10 hits.
That allowed Jacksonville to snap its six-game losing streak to Pensacola this season, winning, 9-8, on a homer to lead off the ninth inning by shortstop Alex Yarbrough in front of 4,102 at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
The most walks the Blue Wahoos have given up is 13 in the 2014 season.
“The walks were killers,” Pensacola Manager Pat Kelly said. “Our bullpen has been so good but they were hurt by walks today.”
The Blue Wahoos dropped to 29-23 but remain in first place in the Southern League South Division. This season Pensacola has been out of first place just six days.
The game Thursday also featured the Double-A debut of 23-year-old right-hander Jose Lopez.
The second batter of the game, Jacksonville second baseman KC Serna, welcomed him to the Southern League by clobbering a home run to left field to put the Jumbo Shrimp ahead, 1-0. Lopez also walked one and allowed a single but closed the inning by striking out Jumbo Shrimp catcher Austin Nola. He threw 33 pitches in the first inning, 21 for strikes.
However, Pensacola came right back for Lopez with two runs in the bottom of the first to take the lead, 2-1. Blue Wahoos left fielder Tyler Goeddel scored on right fielder Aristides Aquino’s single up the middle. Then center fielder Gabriel Guerrero crossed the plate on first baseman Eric Jagielo’s ground out to shortstop.
Lopez was called up from High-A Daytona Tortugas on May 30 to replace Pensacola starter Austin Ross, the Southern League ERA leader (1.21), who was promoted to Triple-A Louisville Bats.
Pensacola went ahead, 6-1, in the fourth inning that included a solo homer by Jagielo and two-run homer by catcher Adrian Nieto that rocketed into the Hill Kelly Dodge berm. Goeddel then doubled on a grounder that hugged the third base line to score Nieto.
But Jacksonville came right back in the fifth inning against Lopez, scoring three runs to pull the Jumbo Shrimp within, 6-4, when first baseman Cal Towey launched a high fly ball out of sight over the right field wall.
It was the second homer off Blue Wahoos’ Lopez who then walked the next batter and was relieved by Robert Stock. In his first game, Lopez ended up working 4.2 innings, and giving up four runs on four hits and six walks. He struck out five in his 101-pitch outing.
“He made some good pitches,” Kelly said. “He hurt himself with walks. Overall, I liked his stuff and liked his composure.”
After Jacksonville pulled within, 6-4, Pensacola scored two more runs in the sixth inning to go ahead, 8-4. Goeddel singled in Angelo Gumbs with two outs and then third baseman Josh VanMeter hit a sharp grounder to right field to score Goeddel.
However, Pensacola reliever Ariel Hernandez gave up two hits, two walks and four runs in 0.1 innings to allow Jacksonville to knot the game, 8-8, in the seventh. The big blows came on back-to-back triples by Yarbrough and Jeremias Pineda that each drove in a run for the Jumbo Shrimp. Hernandez entered the game leading the Southern League with seven holds in his 19 appearances.
Mahle Strikes Out Career-High Nine Hitters In Win
May 31, 2017
Pensacola Blue Wahoos right-hander Tyler Mahle didn’t know that the Cincinnati Reds top dog, Dick Williams, was in the stands watching his performance.
But he said it wouldn’t have mattered if he did know that the Reds president of baseball operations and general manager was there.
Mahle threw seven scoreless innings, gave up three hits and struck out a career-high nine batters as the Blue Wahoos beat the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, 6-0, in front of 3,571 fans at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
“I just felt good tonight,” he said. “I had control of all my pitches. My arm felt live.”
It’s the kind of outing that Pensacola manager Pat Kelly has come to expect from the 22-year-old, who Baseball America says is the Reds 12th best prospect in the organization.
“That’s normal for him this year,” Kelly said. “He has had 11 really good starts that we’ve seen so far.”
The Blue Wahoos lineup staked Mahle to a 6-0 lead, something he’s not used to. It allowed him to focus on pitching and earn his first victory since May 8 and first victory after losing two games. He improved to 6-2 on the year and lowered his earned-run average to 1.55.
For the Blue Wahoos it was the team’s sixth shutout win this season. The team improved to 29-22 overall to remain in first place in the Southern League South Division. Pensacola has either led the division or been tied for first in 51 of 57 days this season. With the second place Biloxi Shuckers losing, 7-3, Tuesday to the Mobile BayBears, Pensacola is now up three games in the standings.
“We need to obviously win every series,” said Mahle about the tight race for the first half crown.
Mahle, the Southern League Player of the Month in April, is doing his best by leading the Southern League in victories (6), and having the second-best strikeout total (72), ERA (1.55) and batting average by opponents (.182).
Pensacola is vying to become the first team since the Tennessee Smokies from 2009 to 2011 win four straight half-division titles.
Pensacola scored first when Jacksonville starter Omar Bencomo had an unusual case of lack of control. The Jumbo Shrimps right hander walked the bases loaded. He entered the game allowing just 1.27 walks per nine innings — third best in the Southern League. Pensacola first baseman Eric Jagielo hit a weak blooper to left field that scored left fielder Tyler Goeddel to put the Blue Wahoos on top, 1-0.
Mahle helped himself in the fourth inning when he hit a chopper to shortstop that scored second baseman Alex Blandino to put the Blue Wahoos up, 2-0. With two outs, center fielder Gabriel Guerrero poked a line drive single to right field that drove in both Mahle and Goeddel for a, 4-0, Pensacola lead.
Kelly praised Guerrero’s clutch two-out single.
“We get all those walks and we can’t take advantage of them,” Kelly said, pointing out that Pensacola batters walked seven times in the game. “You think, ‘Are we only going to get one run again?’ Guerrero punching the ball into the gap over there gave us two huge runs.”
Kelly also credited Guerrero’s defense in center field Tuesday. He caught five balls, chasing down three of them.
“Guerrero played terrific,” Kelly said. “To me if you can run, center field is a really good position to play. Gabby can run very well. He’s improving his angles.”
Pensacola tacked on another run in the fifth inning to go up, 5-0, when with two outs shortstop Blake Trahan doubled to drive in Blandino. The Blue Wahoos extended the lead, 6-0, when Jagielo hit a deep sacrifice fly ball to the warning track in right field to score third baseman Josh VanMeter, who doubled to the left center gap to lead-off the inning.
Both Guerrero, who was 1-4 with two RBIs, and Jagielo, who was 1-3 with two RBIs, led the Blue Wahoos at the plate.
The Cincinnati Reds promoted Double-A Blue Wahoos right-hander Austin Ross (5-0, 1.21 ERA) to the Triple-A Louisville Bats. High-A Daytona Tortugas right-hander Jose Lopez (2-4, 2.84) was promoted to replace Ross.
In addition, former Blue Wahoos starter Jackson Stephens got called up to the Cincinnati Reds. The 23-year-old (3-3, 5.79 ERA) will make his Major League debut, if he gets into a game.
Mississippi Braves Beat The Pensacola Blue Wahoos 3-2
May 29, 2017
Pensacola Blue Wahoos starter Keury Mella left the game after pitching 5.2 scoreless innings. But the usually reliable Pensacola bullpen gave up three runs to Mississippi Braves in the seventh inning.
The rare blown save opportunity Sunday at Trustmark Park, allowed Mississippi to steal a, 3-2, victory.
Mella bounced back after the Mobile BayBears chased him in his last outing by scoring eight runs in the first 3.2 innings. But against Mississippi he allowed five hits, one walk and struck out four.
The right-hander left the game with runners on first and third base in the sixth inning for Pensacola reliever Robert Stock, who got out of the jam by getting Braves right fielder Keith Curcio to ground out into a double play.
But in the seventh inning, the Mississippi Braves scored three runs on Stock when he loaded the bases with two walks and a single. Stock, making his second appearance for Pensacola, gave up the first run when pinch hitter Levi Hyams grounded out softly to second base but scored left fielder Jared James from third base.
Mississippi took the lead, 3-2, when Blue Wahoos reliever Ariel Hernandez replaced Stock and threw a wild pitch that allowed both catcher Kade Scivicque and shortstop Reed Harper to score, giving the Braves a, 3-2, victory. Hernandez also made an error on the scoring play when he missed a throw at home from Pensacola catcher Adrian Nieto.
Stock, called up from High-A Daytona Tortugas this past week, dropped to 1-1 with a 6.75 ERA.
Pensacola did take the series, 3-2, but dropped to 9-10 in one-run games. It fell to 28-22 in the Southern League South Division. However, the Blue Wahoos remain in first place two games ahead of the Biloxi Shuckers.
The Blue Wahoos led Mississippi, 2-0, when Braves starter Michael Madder struggled in the second inning to throw strikes. Madder gave up one hit and his four walks in the game to the Blue Wahoos, which allowed both second baseman Angelo Gumbs and third baseman Alex Blandino to score.
Pensacola’s latest lineup earned three hits — two off Madder and one off of Braves reliever Jesse Biddle — and walked six times in Sunday’s game. Mississippi pitching dominated the Blue Wahoos, which had runners in scoring position in just the second and eighth innings.
Wahoos Top Mississippi Braves 4-2 To Take Series
May 28, 2017
Led by Alex Blandino’s bat and another quality start from Deck McGuire, the Pensacola Blue Wahoos topped the Mississippi Braves, 4-2, at Trustmark Park to clinch the series and extend its first place lead in the Southern League South Division by three games.
The Blue Wahoos got on the board first with a two-run inning in the second inning. Blandino hit a two-run home run to left field to bring home Aristides Aquino, who got on base with a double to right-center.
In the top of the sixth, Aquino got on base again, this time with a single to left-center. Blandino, once again, knocked in Aquino with his 12th double of the season. Blake Trahan drove home Blandino with a single to give the Blue Wahoos a 4-1 lead.
After a slow start in Mississippi going 1-for-8, Blandino has hit a home run in back-to-back games for the first time since 2015 when he was with the Daytona Tortugas. Blandino is now 3-for-6 the past two games in Pearl and finished Saturday’s game 2-for-3 with two runs and three RBIs with a walk.
After giving up only one run in his past three starts, McGuire held Mississippi’s lineup to four hits and two runs with a season-high nine strikeouts. McGuire gave up his third homer of the year, and last since April 20th, when Mississippi’s Kade Scivicque hit a solo shot in the bottom of the third.
McGuire has now won each of his last four decisions and has only allowed three runs in his last 25 innings pitched.
The Pensacola bullpen once again shut down the competition as Domingo Tapia threw two hitless innings with three strikeouts while Geoff Broussard picked up his fifth save of the season with a perfect inning of work.
RHP Keury Mella (1-4, 5.06) takes the mound for Pensacola against LHP Michael Mader (3-2, 2.16) Sunday for the final game of the series.
Wahoos Get Past Mississippi
May 27, 2017
Pensacola Blue Wahoos left fielder Tyler Goeddel scored on right fielder Aristides Aquino’s soft ground out to shortstop to help the Blue Wahoos regain the lead, 6-5, in the seventh inning.
After four lead changes in Friday’s game at Trustmark Park, it was a lead that Pensacola would not relinquish. Blue Wahoos relievers Robert Stock, Geoff Broussard and Jimmy Herget combined to throw 3.2 scoreless innings, give up one hit and strike out two.
Pensacola evened its record to 9-9 in one-run games and improved to 27-21 and is in sole possession of first place in the Southern League South Division.
The seesaw game allowed Stock, who was called up from the High-A Daytona Tortugas, to get a win in his first appearance with the Blue Wahoos. He pitched 1.2 innings and struck out one. He retired all four batters he faced, which included a double-play to end the sixth inning.
Meanwhile, Herget earned his second save in a row for Pensacola and now has 13 on the season to lead the Southern League. The righty also struck out one and now has 36 Ks in 22 innings pitched this season.
Before Goeddel scored the winning run, Mississippi scored two runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to tie Pensacola, 5-5. The Braves third baseman Travis Demeritte singled to center field to drive in center fielder Keith Curcio and right fielder Ronald Acuna.
Pensacola shortstop Blake Trahan had doubled in first baseman Eric Jagielo and second baseman Alex Blandino in the top of the sixth inning to put the Blue Wahoos ahead, 5-3.
Gabriel Guerrero had knocked in the tying run, 3-3, for Pensacola in the fifth inning when the center fielder’s single to shortstop scored pinch hitter Leon Landry.
Blandino smashed his second homer of the season to left field in the second inning that put the Blue Wahoos up, 2-0. Blandino was 1-3 with a walk and two runs scored in the game.
Guerrero also got back on track at the plate going 4-5 with a triple, scoring once and driving in a run. It was his first four-hit game this season with Pensacola and his 19th multi-hit game of the year. The 23-year-old Guerrero was 3-27 before going 6-12 against Mississippi in the first three games of the series.
Wahoos Top Braves
May 26, 2017
In a game that featured arguably the Southern League’s two best pitchers, one swing of the bat by Josh VanMeter proved to be the difference.
Austin Ross and Kolby Allard own the two lowest ERAs in the Southern League and Thursday’s contest proved exactly why. Ross held the Braves to just three hits over his seven innings while his only walk occurred when he gave Keith Curcio a free pass to lead off the second inning.
After allowing a first-inning double to Travis Demeritte, Ross settled in and only allowed two hits the rest of the night. He wound finishing the game retiring 18 of the last 20 batters improving his perfect record to 5-0.
Kolby Allard, who is the third best prospect in the Atlanta Braves organization according to Baseball America, lasted only five innings and was touched up for six hits in his fifth start of the year at Trustmark Park.
After a one-two-three first inning, Allard allowed baserunners in each of his last four innings. In the fifth inning after Allard struck out Ross, Tyler Goeddel hit a ground-rule double before Alex Blandino popped out for the second out of the inning. That set the stage for Josh VanMeter to uncork his first homerun of the season and put the Wahoos up 2-0.
The Wahoos had a chance to put up even more offense in the inning after back-to-back hits from Aristides Aquino and Eric Jagielo before Allard intentionally walked Gabriel Guerrero to load the bases. However, Blake Trahan ended the inning when he grounded out to Joey Meneses to end the threat.
Pensacola’s bullpen turned in another exemplary performance with two more shutout innings in relief. Ariel Hernandez pitched a scoreless eighth inning to pick up his league-leading seventh hold of the season. Jimmy Herget came into the ninth and despite allowing a base hit to Meneses struck out the side to clinch his 12th save of the year.
The Wahoos bullpen has only allowed one earned run in their least 20.1 innings pitched (0.44 ERA).
With the victory, tonight in conjunction with the Shuckers loss to Jacksonville, Pensacola moves into sole possession of first place in the Southern League South Division with their 26-21 record. In the 2017 season the Wahoos have spent 44 of 49 days either tied or alone in first place.
Tate Drops Regional Final To Nease In 10
May 25, 2017
The Tate Aggies fell in extra innings Wednesday to the Nease Panthers in the Region 1-7A Final.
The lead passed back and forth between Tate and Nease (Ponte Vedra, FL), with the Panthers prevailing 5-4 on a single in the top of the tenth.
The Aggies took an early lead in the second inning. Hunter NeSmith’s sacrifice fly scored one run for Tate. In the bottom of the sixth inning, Tate tied things up at four when NeSmith drove in one when he doubled.
Logan McGuffey took the loss for Tate. He went four innings, giving up one run, two hits, striking out four, and walking zero.
For Tate — Reid Halfacre 3-5, 2B; Logan Blackmon R; Kyler Hultgren 1-3; Michael Potts 2 R; Jesse Sherrill 1-3, R, RBI; Hunter NeSmith 1-3, 2 RBI 2B; Corben Young 1-3.
Tate was state ranked and won the Aggie Classic and the Sarasota Classic during the regular season.
Mississippi Outlasts Pensacola, 2-1
May 25, 2017
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos loaded the bases in the seventh inning with one out. But the team’s best chance to pull off a come-from-behind victory over the Mississippi Braves fell short.
Mississippi reliever Evan Phillips entered the game and forced left fielder Tyler Goeddel to line out to the shortstop and second baseman Alex Blandino to ground out to third base. The Braves went on to win, 2-1, Wednesday at Trustmark Park.
Pensacola fell to 8-9 in one-run games this season and is 25-21 on the season in a tie for first place with the Biloxi Shuckers in the Southern League South Division. Mississippi evened its record at 23-23 and is in third place.
Pensacola scored in the top of the first inning when first baseman Eric Jagielo hit a two-out single to center field that drove in Goeddel to put the Blue Wahoos ahead, 1-0. The ballclub earned two of its four hits in that inning with the other hit by Blandino, who hit a sharp grounder that deflected off the shortstop’s glove into left field.
But Mississippi came right back in the bottom of the first inning with back-to-back home runs by center fielder Ronald Acuna and third baseman Travis Demeritte off Pensacola ace Tyler Mahle. It was Acuna’s third homer with Mississippi and Demeritte’s seventh.
Neither team would score the rest of the way.
Mahle picked up his second consecutive loss, falling to 5-2, with a 1.72 ERA. The 22-year-old right-hander pitched six innings and gave up two runs on five hits, while walking one and striking out five.
Domingo Tapia relieved Mahle and threw two scoreless innings, allowing one hit, no walks and striking out three.
Meanwhile, 19-year-old Mississippi starter Mike Soroka improved to 5-3 with a 2.96 ERA. The first-round pick by the Atlanta Braves in 2015 pitched 5.2 innings, allowing one run on three hits, walked two and struck out a career-high 10.
The Braves bullpen pitched 3.1 scoreless innings, allowed one hit, four walks and struck out three Pensacola batters. Pensacola hitters struck out 13 times in Wednesday’s game.
Pensacola, which leads the Southern League with a 2.70 ERA, added another arm to its pitching staff Wednesday when the Cincinnati Reds promoted High-A Daytona Tortugas righty Robert Stock. Blue Wahoos catcher Garrett Boulware was returned to Daytona.
Jay Tops Northview In Spring Game (With Photo Gallery)
May 24, 2017
In Spring Football action, the Jay Royals defeated the Northview Chiefs 30-16 Tuesday night in Bratt.
This fall the Northview Chiefs will open with a Kickoff Classic game away on August 18 against Lighthouse Christian. The Chiefs will open the 2017 regular season at home against J.U. Blacksher of Uriah, AL. The Jay Royals will open their season at home against Baker on August 18 and travel to Flomaton on August 25.
The Chiefs and the Royals will meet again on October 6.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Northview Chiefs Present Baseball Awards
May 23, 2017
The Northview Chiefs presented their annual baseball awards Monday night. Award winners included (pictured, L-R) Devin Stabler, Defensive Player and Diamond Thief Award; Blake Reid, Chief Award; Zach Payne, Offensive Award; and Daniel Mascaro, Pitching Award and Academic Achievement Awards. Not pictured: Quentin Sampson, MVP Award. Photos courtesy Ramona Preston and others for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
