The One With The Home Runs: Tate Destroys Escambia; Jay Tops Northview
April 16, 2025
In high school softball on Tuesday night, it was a night of home runs for the Tate Aggie as they beat Escambia, and Northview and Jay each recorded a home run as the Royals came out on top.
Tate 15, Escambia 1
The Tate High School Lady Aggies were on fire Tuesday night as they destroyed the Escambia Gators 15-1 in mercy-ruled five innings.
The hits just kept on coming from the Aggies. In the second inning, Jordyn Banks hit a grand slam to center field. Kara Wine homered to right field to score two runs, and Carlyn Ham hit a solo home run to center field. In the third inning, Madison Smilie hit ad solo home run to left field.
Peyton Womack earned the win for Tate. In five innings, she surrendered three hits and one fun, walking two and striking out five.
Carlyn Ham went 2-3 for Tate at bat.
In JV action for Tate, freshman Bailey Parden also knocked a homer on Tuesday.
Jay 5, Northview 3
The Northview Lady Chiefs fell to Jay 5-3 Tuesday night in Jay.
The night saw two home runs — a solo home run to left field from Jay’s Mylee Frazier in the bottom of the fourth inning and a solo homer to center field by Northview’s Avery Stuckey in the top of the firth.
Jamison Gilman pitched four innings for the Lady Chiefs, allowing two runs (one earned) and one hit while walking one and striking out two. Mikayla McAnally went two in the circle for Northview, allowing three runs and walking two and striking out four.
Layna Lowry went a complete seven innings for the Royals, surrendering three runs on eight hits in seven innings, walking three and striking out nine.
Addysen Bolen and Avery Stuckey both had two hits for Northview with one RBI each. Riley Brooks added one Chief RBI.
Mylee Frazier had three runs batted in for Jay as she went 1-2.
Northview will host Baker Thursday in a district matchup, and Jay will travel to Crestview.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Northview And Tate Fall In Baseball District Playoffs
April 16, 2025
Both the Northview Chiefs and the Tate Aggies fell Tuesday night in district playoff action.
Jay 2, Northview 1
Jackson Bridges went five and two-thirds innings for Northview, giving up two runs (one earned) on six hits, walking four and striking out three. Landon Golden started for Jay, surrendering five hits and one run in seven innings, striking out eight and recording one walk.
Brady Smith went 2-4 for Northview, and Jase Portwood had home RIB as he went 1-3.
Cam Pierce went 1-2 with one RBI for the Royals.
No. 1 Central and No. 2 Jay will play for the Rural District 1 Championship on Thursday at 7 p.m.
Crestview 11, Tate 4
In the 6A District 1 semifinals, the Tate Aggies fell 11-4 to Crestview.
Zane Warrington went five and two-thirds innings for Tate, allowing seven runs (five earned) on six hits while walking four and striking out six.
Kaleb Posta had three RBIs for Tate as he went 1-3. Taite Davis and Kaden Posta also had a hit apiece.
No. 3 Crestview will face No. 1 Pace on Wednesday for the district championship.
Blue Wahoos Blanked In Columbus Opener
April 16, 2025
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos began their road schedule with a loss on Tuesday night, falling 3-0 to the Columbus Clingstones in the first game at the newly-renovated Synovus Park.
In front of an eager sellout crowd of 5,041 fans, the Clingstones (5-4) christened their new home with a combined four-hit shutout of the Blue Wahoos (7-3). Starter Blake Burkhalter (W, 1-1) was the star, fanning eight batters over 5.2 innings and leaving six Pensacola runners on base to squander early threats.
Blue Wahoos starting pitcher Jacob Miller (L, 0-2) did his best to counter, becoming the first Pensacola pitcher to complete 6.0 innings this season, but surrendered a leadoff walk to second baseman David Fletcher in the third that came in to score on a subsequent wild pitch for the only offense the Clingstones would need.
Columbus added two more runs in the seventh with RBI singles from Carlos Rodriguez and Cal Conley against reliever Ricky DeVito, extending their lead to 3-0. They then handed things off to nine-time All-Star Craig Kimbrel, who struck out a pair in a scoreless eighth in front of the delighted crowd. Kimbrel, 36, was added to the Columbus roster on Monday in his attempt to return to the major leagues with the Atlanta Braves.
Hayden Harris (S, 1) finished off the Blue Wahoos in the ninth, ending a memorable night for the Columbus fans. Synovus Park, formerly named Golden Park and originally opened in 1926, underwent an extensive renovation to meet modern MiLB standards and lure a Double-A franchise back to town for the first time since 1990.
Blue Wahoos catcher Joe Mack collected the first hit in the stadium with a single in the first inning. Jared Serna extended his hitting streak to a team-high eight games with a single in the seventh. Mark Coley II made a sprawling catch in the left field corner in the bottom of the seventh and rob Adam Zebrowski of a potential two-run double.
The Blue Wahoos continue their series against the Clingstones on Wednesday night. First pitch from Synovus Park is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. ET/6:05 p.m. CT.
File photo.
Northview Baseball Beats Laurel Hill 15-0 In First Round Of District Playoffs
April 15, 2025
The Northview Chiefs opened the district tournament with a 15-0 run-ruled shortened four inning win over the Laurel Hill Hoboes Monday afternoon in Baker.
Jayden White earned the win on the mound for Northview. He gave p one hit and no runs in three and two-thirds innings while walking one and striking out seven. Jackson Bridges pitched a perfect one-third of an inning in relief.
Kelan Jury, Braynt Mason, Jase Portwood, and Brady Smith each had two hits for the Chiefs. Jury and Mason had three RBIs each.
With the win, the No. 3 ranked Northview Chiefs (11-1) advance to the FHSAA Rural District 1 semifinals on Tuesday against No. 2 Jay (13-10) at 4 p.m.
NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Tate Lacrosse Slips To Gulf Breeze In District Semifinals
April 15, 2025
The Tate Aggies girls lacrosse team fell short 19-6 against No. 1 Gulf Breeze Monday in the semifinals of the 2A District 1 tournament.
The Aggies advanced in round one of the tournament with a 7-3 win over Milton.
Gulf Breeze will face Navarre on Thursday for the district championship.
NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Tate High School Cheerleader Alexis Hudson Signs With University of South Florida
April 14, 2025
Tate High School cheerleader Alexis Hudson signed on Friday afternoon with the University of South Florida. She has been a four-year Tate varsity cheerleader and captain. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Fast Start, Strong Relief Give Blue Wahoos Series Win Over Biscuits
April 14, 2025
by Bill Vilona
Getting a fast start Sunday proved enough for the Blue Wahoos to finish a nine-game, season-opening homestand in a desired position.
After scoring three runs in the first inning, then taking a 4-0 lead into the middle innings, Blue Wahoos pitcher Luis Palacios was flawless in a rare relief role to seal a 4-3 victory and series win against the Montgomery Biscuits.
A crowd of 4,457 on a postcard perfect setting at Blue Wahoos Stadium watched the Blue Wahoos win for the fourth time this week and start their season at 7-2 before the first road trip.
“I’m very pleased,” said Blue Wahoos first-year manager Nelson Prada, saluting his players. “They played hard every time. They’ve come out with a good work ethic. They want to come and play the game hard every day and that’s a big thing for me.”
This was the second Family and Military Sunday. The big crowd amid perfect weather included children running the bases following the game and families catching soft baseballs in the outfield for 30 minutes.
Palacios entered the game to start the seventh inning and did not allow a hit. A one-out walk in the ninth inning was the only base runner he allowed. The lefty finished the game with a strikeout and a ground ball to earn his first save in four years and only third of his professional career.
He’s been primarily a starter since 2021, including Tuesday night’s series opener against the Biscuits. He worked four innings in that game, allowing four hits and a run in a game the Blue Wahoos went on to win – matching their best start in franchise history.
He breezed through the Biscuits lineup Sunday, not long after Montgomery rallied for three runs in the fifth inning to chase Blue Wahoos starter Orlando Ortiz-Mayr, who had been strong to that point.
Ortiz-Mayr allowed only one hit and three walks until the fifth inning. But two walks and three singles resulted in a big inning for the Biscuits. Zach McCambley followed and gave up a run-scoring hit, but ended the inning and pitched a scoreless sixth inning to set the table for Palacios to finish.
The Blue Wahoos began their first inning with the first three batters reaching and scoring. A wild pitch scored Jared Serna with the first run after he had led off with a single. Mark Coley II had the biggest hit with his two-run double.
“The one thing that stands out for me (in the first nine games) is that different hitters have done something every day,” Prada said. “So it’s not the same guy every time. A different hitter every day for me is big.”
A familiar guy, Kemp Alderman, who has been a big hitter in a bulk of games, produced again Sunday with a two-out single to score catcher Sam Praytor, who had singled earlier in the team’s at-bat.
But from that point, the Blue Wahoos had only two hits and three baserunners in the last seven innings.
The Blue Wahoos will now have Monday off before taking their first road trip, which will be a historic one. The Blue Wahoos will be in Columbus, Georgia, as the Southern League’s new team the Columbus Clingstones have their home opener in remodeled Synovus Park.
The stadium, which opened in 1926 as Golden Park and included Babe Ruth as one of the stars of yesteryear to play there, underwent a $50 million renovation to become the Atlanta Braves’ relocated Double-A affiliate. It will be a return of affiliated baseball to Columbus, which had teams from 1969 through 2008 in consecutive fashion.
GAME NOTABLES:
- Kazoo’s Reading Program had its first pregame parade with 120-plus children who completed the reading assignments and were able to receive a free ticket, along with on-field parade before the game.
- The Tiger Point Sports Association followed with the organization’s parade of youth baseball and softball players. The group had 250 players, parents and friends in attendance. Following the game, many in the group remained to watch the movie “Sandlot” on the stadium video board.
WHAT’S NEXT?
WHO: Blue Wahoos vs. Columbus Clingstones WHERE: Synovus Park, Columbus, Georgia WHEN: Tuesday through April 20
Photos: SEC Western Gate Soccer Showdown At Ashton Brosnaham Park
April 13, 2025
The top-ranked Southeastern Conference women’s soccer teams competed in the Western Gate Soccer Showdown at Ashton Brosnaham Athletic Park off 10 Mile Road. It was the second year for the free event at the Escambia County Park.
The showdown will feature 45-minute matchups between the Florida Gators, Mississippi State Bulldogs, and LSU Tigers, and autograph sessions. Admission was free.
For a photo gallery from LSU vs. Mississippi State, click here.
The 2025 SEC Women’s Soccer Tournament will return to Escambia County November 2-9. The top 12 SEC women’s soccer teams will compete for the SEC Championship at Ashton Brosnaham Athletic Park.
Pictured: LSU takes on Mississippi State Saturday afternoon at Escambia County’s Ashton Brosnaham Park. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Jay High’s Chase Dooley Wins Historic State Weightlifting Title
April 13, 2025
Jay High School’s Chase Dooley is now a Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) 1A state weightlifting champion. He claimed state titles in both the Traditional division with a total lift of 710 pounds and the Olympic division with 585 pounds.
Dooley’s victory Saturday in Lakeland marks the first state weightlifting championship in Jay High School history.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Alderman’s Bombs Power Wahoos To 10-5 Win
April 13, 2025
This week for the Blue Wahoos outfielder Kemp Alderman had not gone so well.
He changed that Saturday in a huge way.
Alderman clouted two home runs, part of a four-hit night with five RBI, as the Blue Wahoos blasted the Montgomery Biscuits 10-5 on a fitting Fireworks Night for the home team that delighted a sellout crowd of 5,038 at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
“I was just trying to help the team win,” said Alderman, who entered the game with just two hits in 12 at-bats in this series. “Get pitches to hit and then just going out there, having fun, and play the game.”
Alderman, a former Ole Miss star who played a big role in the team’s 2022 College World Series championship, spent time Saturday working on a couple mechanical elements, trying to drive more pitches to the opposite field.
The extra work resulted in his first multi-homer game as a pro, both over the right field wall. It led to the Blue Wahoos scoring the most runs of their first eight games.
“It means a lot,” said Alderman, the Miami Marlins’ second round draft pick in 2023, who has risen to the No. 11 prospect in the organization by MLB Pipeline. “Working on it (Saturday), I had been pulling off the ball, so I tried to make an adjustment and it worked for me.”
His homers were among a combined six clubbed by the teams Saturday. That was a prelude to the post-game fireworks.
The win improved the Blue Wahoos to 6-2 and provided a chance to win the series against the Biscuits (4-3) in Sunday’s 1:05 p.m. finale that wraps up a nine-game, two team homestand to start the season.
The Blue Wahoos started Saturday in a big way.
The scored five runs in their first at-bat, highlighted by Alderman’s 3-run homer that landed just over the right field wall into the grass berm area. Jared Serna had led off the game by reaching on a strikeout that got past Biscuits catcher Ricardo Genoves. The second batter in the first inning, Joe Mack, was hit by a pitch.
Alderman then delivered the first of his two bombs. Later in the inning, third baseman Josh Zamora hit a two out homer over the left-center wall.
In the third inning, Alderman led off with another right field shot, this one high and inside the foul pole that left the ballpark. He then had a broken bat single in the fifth inning and followed with a run-scoring single in the seventh.
The Blue Wahoos then sent eight batters at the plate in the eighth inning, scoring three runs to blow open the game.
On the mound, starter Dax Fulton had his most successful outing since May 2023, before an elbow injury led to missing the rest of the that season and the entire 2024 season.
Fulton, a lefthander ranked as the Marlins’ No. 14 prospect, finished 5.1 innings, throwing 84 pitches to earn his first win in two years. He allowed just two walks, four strikeouts in a solid performance. Three relievers followed with closer Josh Ekness finishing the game with a strikeout on a 97 mph fastball.
Every Blue Wahoos batter reached base in this game. Zamora and Nathan Martorella both had two-hit games.
GAME NOTABLES
— With three more stolen bases, the Blue Wahoos now have swiped 16 bags. They entered the game second in the Southern League in that category.
— The National Anthem was performed by Brooke Woods.
— There were three Pensacola area youth baseball teams participating in on-field recognition and team members running onto the field with Blue Wahoos players for the starting line. The teams were the Cantonment Reds with 124 total guests, Perdido Baseball and the Bill Bond Warriors.
WANT TO GO?
WHAT: Blue Wahoos Homestand Finale
WHO: Montgomery Biscuits vs. Blue Wahoos
WHERE: Blue Wahoos Stadium
WHEN: Sunday, 1:05 p.m.