Blue Wahoos Win Sixth Straight Series 5-3 Over Barons
July 7, 2012
The Blue Wahoos capitalized on five Barons errors, with center fielder Ryan LaMarre and Didi Gregorius each scoring twice, while Birmingham center fielder Jared Mitchell launched two homers as Pensacola won their sixth straight series with a 5-3 victory in front of another sellout crowd of 5,038 on Friday night at Pensacola Bayfront Stadium.
The Fish improved to 10-6 in the second half and remain in a tie for first in the Southern League’s South Division with Montgomery due to a Biscuits victory over Mobile. The Barons fell to 9-7 since the league’s All-Star Break. The capacity crowd was the 29th the club has hosted this season in 42 home openings in their inaugural season.
The two teams combined for three runs in the first, with Mitchell mashing his seventh home run of the year to right to give Birmingham a 1-0 lead in the top of the opening frame. The Blue Wahoos would answer with two tallies of their own in the bottom of the inning, when LaMarre led off with a single, advanced to second on a balk and third when Gregorius reached first before the team executed a double steal. Gregorius took off from first on the pitch, with LaMarre swiping home after Birmingham C Luis Sierra’s throw arrived to second late. Gregorius would eventually score on a wild pitch in the frame to put the Wahoos ahead.
Pensacola then extended their advantage to 3-1 in the fourth thanks to a pair of Barons fielding miscues. LF Bryson Smith reached on an error to begin the frame, stole second and got to third on a sacrifice bunt before coming home on another fielding mistake. Mitchell however, tied the game in the fifth with his second homer of the night, a two-run blast, to make it 3-3.
The Blue Wahoos subsequently grasped the lead for good in the seventh. LaMarre was hit by a pitch to start the inning and then swiped second before he was sent in on Gregorius’ RBI triple down the right field line. Gregorius would then come plateward on a sacrifice fly to center off the bat of 2B Brodie Greene to end the scoring at 5-3.
Fish reliever Curtis Partch (2.0 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 2 SO) earned the win after firing two shutout innings in support of starter Tim Crabbe (4.0 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 5 BB, 5 SO), while RHP Justin Freeman (1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 1 SO) notched his seventh save of the year by finishing the job in the ninth. Partch has now fired 21.1 consecutive scoreless innings over 14 appearances for Pensacola dating back to May 29.
Birmingham relief pitcher Leroy Hunt (3.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 SO) suffered the loss to fall to 0-3 after yielding two earned run on two hits in his three frames, while starter Cameron Bayne (5.0 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 SO) did not factor in the decision after allowing three runs, all unearned on three hits in his five innings of work.
Barons CF Jose Martinez (3-4, 1 2B) led all hitters with three hits in the contest, while Mitchell (2-3, 2 R, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 2 BB, 1 IBB) also collected a multi-hit game with his two roundtrippers and reached base a total of five times. No Blue Wahoos batters recorded two or more hits, though Gregorius’ triple in the seventh extended his hit streak to sevens straight games.
The Blue Wahoos will now host the Mobile BayBears for a three-game series in Pensacola as part of the Bay-to-Bay Series, with first pitch scheduled for 6:35 pm at the bayfront stadium. LHP Tony Cingrani is slated to take the mound for the Fish, while RHP Chase Anderson is expected to toe the rubber for the BayBears.
By Andrew Green
Photo by Chris Nelson for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Molino Lady Astros Take On The Firecracker Classic
July 6, 2012
Molino’s Lady Astros finished second in the recent Firecracker Classic at Exchange Park.
The highs school division included a dozen teams from Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana. The Lady Astros won the first two out of three in pool play for a bracket first seed. The Lady Astros advanced to the championship after two bracket wins before falling 5-0 to the Lady Hustlers from Louisiana.
“The championship game was very tense, and we gave it our best only to come up short,” Coach Donnie Nicholson said, noting the pitching from Meagan Green of Pace, Heather Thomas from Tate and Ronni Renfroe of Tate.
Member of the Molino Lady Astros are Kathleen Smiley, Brook White, Heather Thomason, Ronni Renfroe, Gracie Kilcrease, Terri Andrews, Meagen Green, Caitlyn Hagan, Audrey Hamric, Amber Peebles and Ashley Richerson. Coaches are Donnie Nicholson, Swan Green and Pat Paulson.
For a photo gallery, click here.
Pictured: The Molino Lady Astros. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Barons Even Series With 6-2 Win Over Blue Wahoos
July 6, 2012
Birmingham plated three insurance runs in the top of the ninth, while right fielder Jose Martinez, shortstop Tyler Saladino and first baseman Andy Wilkins all homered, to lead the Barons to a 6-2 win over the Pensacola Blue Wahoos in front of another sellout crowd of 5,038 on Thursday night at Pensacola Bayfront Stadium.
With the win the Barons now own a 9-6 mark in the second half, while the Fish also sport a 9-6 record since the All-Star Break after the loss but remain in a tie for first in the Southern League’s South Division with Montgomery. It was the 28th capacity crowd in Pensacola’s inaugural season, while the club also welcomed before the game the 200,000th fan to enter the ballpark. In 41 home openings, the Fish have hosted a total of 200,270 fans in 2012.
Both teams got on the board with a single tally in the first, with Martinez exiting the yard with a homer to left for the Barons, his fourth of the year. Pensacola answered with a score of their own in the bottom half of the inning when CF Ryan LaMarre drew a leadoff walk and advanced to second on a single, before taking advantage of a Birmingham error to even the contest at 1-1.
The Barons however, would go ahead in the third thanks to Saladino’s shot to left for his fourth of the season and move ahead 3-1 three innings later when Wilkins blasted his team-leading 12th longball to left. Blue Wahoos OF Yordanys Perez then narrowed the margin to one in the bottom of the frame with a solo big fly to deep center field just to the right of the batter’s eye, but Birmingham pulled away with a three-run ninth.
3B Erik Morrison was hit by a pitch to start the rally and subsequently scored on C Luis Sierra’s RBI triple, before 2B Dan Wagner drove Sierra home with a run-scoring single to left. CF Jared Mitchell brought home the final tally of the evening with an RBI double to left to bring home Wagner and end the scoring.
Blue Wahoos starter J.C. Sulbaran (6.0 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 5 SO) suffered the loss to fall to 6-6 after allowing three earned runs on six hits in six innings, while Birmingham RHP Matt Heidenreich (8.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 SO) earned the victory in his Double-A debut and yielded two runs, one of which was earned, on six hits in eight frames. Reliever Ryan Kussmaul (1.0 IP, 1 SO) fired a scoreless ninth frame in a non-save situation.
Saladino (2-5, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI) and Morrison (2-3, 1 R) each collected a pair of base knocks for the Barons in the winning effort, while Perez (2-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI) was the lone Pensacola hitter to record a multi-hit effort. Perez has gotten off to a nice start in the second half, batting .343 (11-32) in his eight games since the Southern League All-Star Break.
With the series even at one, the two teams will face off in a rubber match Friday night to decide the series, with the Fish scheduled to give the nod to RHP Tim Crabbe, while Birmingham is expected to counter with RHP Cameron Bayne. First pitch is set for 7:00 p.m.
By Andrew Green
Pictured top:Yordanys Perez blasted his fourth longball of the year in the Fish’s 6-2 loss. Photo by Chris Nelson for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Wahoos Beat Barons 7-3
July 5, 2012
Pensacola designated hitter Brodie Greene drove in four runs, including a three-run homer in the second, as the Blue Wahoos plated five runs in that frame to top the Birmingham Barons 7-3 in front of another sellout crowd on Wednesday evening at Pensacola Bayfront Stadium.
The win is the third straight for the Fish and improves their second half mark to 9-5, while the Barons fell to 8-6 since the All-Star Break. The capacity crowd was the 27th of the year and third straight in 40 home dates in the club’s inaugural season.
After Pensacola plated their first run in the opening frame thanks to an RBI single by LF Bryson Smith, Birmingham answered to even the game at 1-1 in the second courtesy of LF Brady Shoemaker’s solo homer to left.
The Blue Wahoos however would go ahead for good with five runs in the bottom of the frame. 3B David Vidal led off with a single, before he was plated by RF Andrew Means’ RBI triple to make it 2-1. After Means came plateward on an RBI groundout, C Mark Fleury and CF Ryan LaMarre both walked before Greene launched his third home run of the year to left to push the margin to 6-1.
Birmingham and Pensacola would then swap tallies in the sixth, with Barons 2B Tyler Saladino blasting his third longball of the season to right, while LaMarre began the sixth with a walk, stole second and advanced to third on a ground out before Greene brought him home with a sacrifice fly for his fourth RBI of the evening. The Barons got their last run of the game in the eighth when DH Seth Loman drove in a run with an RBI single.
Blue Wahoos starter Daniel Corcino (6.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 SO) earned the win after yielding just two earned runs on four hits in his six innings, while RHP Justin Freeman (1.2 IP, 1 H) notched his sixth save of the year after tossing the final 1.2 innings. Birmingham starter Matt Wickswat (3.0 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 7 BB, 2 SO) suffered the loss to fall to 1-6 after allowing six earned runs on six hits while walking seven in three frames.
LaMarre (2-3, 2 R, 2 BB) Smith (2-3, 1 RBI, 1 BB) and Vidal (2-4, 1 R, 1 2B) all recorded two hits for the Fish, while Saladino (2-4, 2 R, 1 2B, 1 HR, 1 RBI) and Shoemaker (2-4, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 HR, 1 RBI) collected multi-hit efforts for the Barons.
With the Wahoos leading the series 1-0, the two teams will meet again Thursday night at 7:05 pm at the bayfront stadium. RHP J.C. Sulbaran is scheduled to take the hill for Pensacola, while Birmingham LHP Pedro Hernandez is expected to toe the rubber.
By Andrew Green
Pictured; Brodie Greene homered & drove in four in the Wahoos’ 7-3 win Wednesday night. Photo by Chris Nelson for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Cingrani Leads Pensacola Wahoos To 2-0 Shutout Win
July 3, 2012
Blue Wahoos starting pitcher Tony Cingrani gave up just two hits and struck out nine in 6.2 scoreless frames, while reliever Justin Freeman fired 2.1 perfect innings in relief to lead Pensacola to a 2-0 shutout win over the Jacksonville Suns on Monday night at The Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville.
The win for the Fish even the series at 1-1 to set up a rubber match on Tuesday night and improved their record in the second half to 7-5. The Suns fell to 5-7 since the All-Star Break.
After being named the Southern League’s Pitcher of the Week for the week ending on July 1, Cingrani (6.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 9 SO) kept the Jacksonville bats in check and allowed just the two hits while striking out nine. The victory improved the southpaw to a 3-1 record with the Blue Wahoos this year.
The left-hander had been recognized by the league earlier in the day for his 15 strikeout performance in his previous outing on June 27 versus Jackson. Cingrani did not give up a tally in that contest as well, meaning he has not given up a run in his last 14.2 innings of work.
Freeman (2.1 IP, 4 SO) came on in the seventh in support of Cingrani and finished off the Suns in firing the last two plus innings for his fifth save of the year. The righty added four punchouts of his own to help extend the club’s lead in the Southern League in strikeouts. Entering tonight, only the Visalia Rawhide of the California League had tallied more strikeouts overall this season than Pensacola’s total of 720.
Jacksonville relief pitcher Alan Oaks (3.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 1 SO) suffered the loss after giving up the Blue Wahoos’ two runs on three hits in his three innings of work. RHP A.J. Ramos (2.0 IP, 1 H, 2 SO) tossed the final two innings for the Suns and allowed just one hit while striking out two.
Both teams were held quiet until the sixth when Pensacola got the only runs they would need. Cingrani helped his own cause by beginning the inning with a single to left and moved to second when 2B Brodie Greene was hit by a pitch before coming across on a run-scoring base knock from SS Didi Gregorius. Gregorius would subsequently score in the frame thanks to an infield base hit by C Brian Peacock.
Peacock has now recorded a hit 12 of his last 13 games with the Blue Wahoos dating back to April 29, with that span including a pair of stints with the Louisville Bats. During that period, the backstop has hit .340 (16-47) with five runs and six RBI.
By Andrew Green
Pictured: Tony Cingrani struck out nine & yielded just two hits in the Wahoos’ 2-0 win. Photo by Chris Nelson for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Suns Beat Pensacola Blue Wahoos 10-4 In Season Opener
July 2, 2012
Eight of the nine spots in the Jacksonville lineup reached base while first baseman Curt Smith, right fielder Jeff Dominguez and second baseman Paul Gran all homered to power the Suns to a 10-4 victory over the Pensacola Blue Wahoos on Sunday night at The Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville.
With the win, Jacksonville improves their record in the second half to 5-6, while the Blue Wahoos fell to 6-5 since the Southern League All-Star Break.
The Suns got the scoring started early on, plating two tallies in the opening frame. LF Jake Smolinski drew a leadoff walk and then stole second before coming home on Smith’s blast to left to push Jacksonville to a 2-0 advantage. Dominguez would then leave the yard in the next inning to move the Suns margin to three.
Pensacola however, would answer with three runs of their own in the third to draw the contest even. After C Mark Fleury and CF Ryan LaMarre each drew a free pass, SS Didi Gregorius brought both home with a triple down the right field line, while Gregorius would later come across on 2B Brodie Greene’s sacrifice fly to right.
Jacksonville would then take command of the game however in the fifth thanks to their third longball of the evening. Relief pitcher Kyle Kaminska drew a leadoff base-on-balls prior to a another walk by Smolinski, his third of the contest, before Gran launched a three-run blast to left to give the Suns a lead they would not give up.
The home team would add a total of four insurance runs combined in the sixth and seventh frames, including a run-scoring single by Gran for his fourth RBI of the contest. Smolinski would reach base once more when he was hit by a pitch in the seventh with the bases loaded to force in a run.
Jacksonville reliever Kyle Kaminski (2.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 SO) earned the win after yielding a lone earned run on two hits, while Joshua Schmidt (3.0 IP, 3 H, 2 SO) earned his first save of the year by tossing the final three innings. Blue Wahoos starter Tim Crabbe (4.0 IP, 3 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 3 SO) suffered the loss after allowing six earned runs on three hits while walking six in his four frames.
Three Suns batters, including Gran (2-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 1 BB), Smith (2-4, 1 R, 3 RBI, 1 BB) and Dominguez (2-5, 2 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI), all collected two hits in the contest while Pensacola LF Bryson Smith (4-4, 1 2B) tallied four base knocks in the loss. Smith in his last three games has now tallied eight hits in 12 at bats and is hitting .533 since his promotion from High-A Bakersfield on June 27.
By Andrew Green
Firecracker 5K Results
July 1, 2012
About 1,000 runners took part in Saturday’s annual Ronald McDonald House Firecracker 5K in Pensacola to support the Ronald McDonald House of Northwest Florida.
Top male finisher was 17-year old Charlie Lawrence of Foley, MN, with a time of 16:19.42. He was followed by 30-year old Brent Schneider of Pensacola at 16:30.86 and 17-year old Alec Clark of Pensacola at 16:40.27.
The first female finisher was 35-year old Olivia Jernigan at 19:39.35. Second female was 16-year old Kaysi Roberst of Pensacola at 19:48.22, and third was 33-year old Rebecca Massie of Robertsdale at 19:57.36.
For overall male results, click here.
For overall female results, click here.
(Both lists highlight North Escambia finishers in bold.)
Pictured top: A young racer is greeted by Ronald McDonald Saturday morning at the finish line of the Ronald McDonald House Firecracker 5K in Pensacola. Courtesy photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Blue Wahoos Top Generals 4-2 To Take Series
July 1, 2012
Pensacola starting pitcher J.C. Sulbaran gave up just two earned runs on five hits in his 6.2 frames, while designated hitter Beau Mills mashed a two-run double into the right center field gap in the fifth to lead the Blue Wahoos to a series-winning 4-2 defeat of the Jackson Generals in front of another sellout crowd of 5,038 on Saturday evening at Pensacola Bayfront Stadium.
The win improves the Fish’s record to 6-4 in the second half, while the Generals dropped to a 5-5 mark since the All-Star break. The capacity crowd was the third straight for the Blue Wahoos, as well as their 26th overall in their 39th home date.
Trailing 2-1 coming into the bottom of the fifth, CF Ryan LaMarre singled and SS Didi Gregorius drew a free pass to begin the frame before 2B Brodie Greene moved both over to the next base with a sacrifice bunt to set the stage for Mills. The left-handed slugger laced the 1-2 pitch into deep right center just in front of the wall to send in both runners to give the Blue Wahoos a lead they would not relinquish.
Jackson plated the first run of the contest in the second frame with the longball. RF Chih-Hsien Chiang started the frame with a solo shot to left to push the Generals ahead 1-0. The Blue Wahoos however, would answer with a score of their own in the bottom of the frame when 1B Stephen Hunt doubled and then scored on a run-scoring base knock from LaMarre.
The Generals however would even the count at 2-2 in the top of the fifth thanks to their second homer of the contest. DH Kalian Sams launched a pay-off pitch to deep left field for his seventh roundtripper of the season.
Following Mills’ clutch knock, the Fish tacked on an insurance run in the seventh to increase the margin to 4-2. Mills started the rally with a base-on-balls before moving to second and third on back-to-back singles and scoring on a Jackson fielding miscue for the final tally.
Hunt (2-4, 1 R, 1 2B) and 3B David Vidal (2-4) each collected two hits for Pensacola, while 2B Eric Campbell (2-3, 1 BB) was the lone batter to record a multi-hit effort for Jackson.
Pensacola starting pitcher J.C. Sulbaran (6.2 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 6 SO) earned his sixth win of the year after giving up just two earned runs on five hits while walking only one and fanning six, while Generals starter Taijuan Walker (5.0 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 3 SO) suffered the loss. Relievers Drew Hayes (1.1 IP, 1 SO) and Curtis Partch (1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 BB) fired the final 2.1 frames, with Partch notching his fourth save of the season with a scoreless ninth.
The Blue Wahoos will now travel to Jacksonville for a three-game series with the Suns, the Double-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins, with first pitch set for 6:00 pm ET at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville. RHP Tim Crabbe is expected to start the series opener for Pensacola, while RHP Omar Poveda is scheduled to take the hill for the Suns.
The next Blue Wahoos homestand begins on Wednesday, July 4, with a three-game series with the Birmingham Barons, with a special start time of 4:00 pm on Independence Day. While the Fish will not be launching fireworks on July 4, fans are welcomed to stay after the game to watch the Sertoma Fireworks show that is sponsored in part by NorthEscambia.com.
By Andrew Green
Pictured: J.C. Sulbaran earned his sixth win of the year in the Wahoos’ 4-2 win Saturday. Photo by Chris Nelson for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Wahoos Win 6-1
June 30, 2012
Blue Wahoos right-hander Daniel Corcino fired eight solid innings and gave up just one earned run, while center fielder Ryan LaMarre, third baseman David Vidal and left fielder Bryson Smith all homered to lead Pensacola to a 6-1 victory over the Jackson Generals in front of another sellout crowd of 5,038 on Friday night at Pensacola Bayfront Stadium.
The win evens the series between the two teams at 2-2 and also bumps the Fish’s overall record up to 39-39, as well as 5-4 since the All-Star break. The defeat drops Jackson to a 47-32 mark in 2012, in addition to a 5-4 tally in the second half. The capacity crowd was the second straight for Pensacola in the series, as well as their 25th overall in 38 home openings this year as they maintained their lead in attendance in the Southern League.
In his first start in Pensacola since firing the first eight innings of the first no-hitter in team history just under two weeks ago, Corcino (8.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 SO) was stellar again for the Fish, yielding just five hits and two walks while also fanning seven in his solid eight frames. Reliever Justin Freeman (1.0 IP, 1 SO) finished off the Generals with a perfect ninth frame, while Jackson starter Brandon Maurer (5.0 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 4 BB, 3 SO) suffered the loss to fall to 5-2 after allowing four earned runs on five hits in five innings of work.
The Blue Wahoos jumped out to an early two-run advantage in the first frame with LaMarre starting the rally with a leadoff double. After walks from 2B Brodie Greene and 1B Beau Mills loaded the bases, LF Josh Fellhauer bounced a ground ball through the hole between shortstop and third base to plate both LaMarre and Greene.
LaMarre would increase the margin to 3-0 in the next inning, launching his third roundtripper of the year over the left field wall, while his run-scoring groundout in the fourth push the Blue Wahoos ahead 4-0. Pensacola then tacked on a pair of insurance runs in the sixth with the longball. Vidal began the frame with his second big fly of the season, while Smith blasted his first homer of the year for Pensacola in just his second game since being promoted from High-A Bakersfield.
The Generals brought across their lone tally in the eighth to dash the Blue Wahoos’ shutout hopes. LF Kalian Sams reached with a base hit up the middle and moved to third on 1B Jharmidy De Jesus’ double, before he was sent home on an RBI groundout by SS Gabriel Noriega.
Smith (3-4, 2 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI) led all hitters with three base knocks in the contest, while LaMarre (2-4, 2 R, 1 2B, 1 HR, 2 RBI) also collected a multi-hit effort for the Blue Wahoos in the win. Jackson CF Denny Almonte (2-4) totaled two of the Generals’ five hits in the contest.
With the series even at 2-2, the two teams will square off in the rubber match on Saturday night, with first pitch set for 6:30 pm at the bayfront stadium. The Blue Wahoos are expected to send RHP J.C. Sulbaran to the mound, while Jackson is expected to counter with RHP Taijuan Walker, who was tabbed by Baseball America before this season as the top prospect in the Seattle Mariners’ organization.
By Andrew Green
Pictured: Daniel Corcino fired eight strong innings in the Blue Wahoos’ 6-1 win Friday. Photo by Chris Nelson for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Molino Majors Head To State Tourney, Holding Car Wash Saturday
June 29, 2012
The Molino Majors baseball team will head to Brooksville, Fla., on July 13 for the Florida Dixie Youth Baseball Tournament.
The team will hold a car wash and yard sale at Aldersgate United Methodist Church in Molino on Saturday from 8 a.m. until noon with a minimize $5 donation.
Pictured: The Molino Majors baseball team (front, L-R) Heath Sheldt, Joey Nielsen, Leo Salas, Aaron Dees, Nicholas Venable, Carson Daniels, Henry Langford, Timothy Isaacs, (back, L-R) Eli Deese, Austin Cody, Tanner Deese, and Tyler Comans. Team coaches (not pictured) are Jerry Venable, Randy Cody and Ken Daniel, and Charity Sheldt serves at team mom. Photo courtesy Eye Candy Photography for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.