Blue Wahoos Complete Entertaining Showcase Against Monterrey Sultanes Before Season-Opener
April 4, 2024
by Bill Vilona, Pensacola Blue Wahoos
The never-before series with the Blue Wahoos and the Mexican League’s Monterrey Sultanes ended Wednesday with both teams hugging, exchanging their jerseys, then gathering for a team photo.
Then, a countdown in Spanish began for a fireworks show, while a Latin band performed and had people dancing on the concourse well after the game ended.
It was this kind of memorable night in Blue Wahoos Stadium history.
The game was a show, too.
The Sultanes hit three home runs, one of them a sure-bet into the water beyond left field, en route to a 6-4 win against the home team, which again reverted to its alter identity as the Pensacola Pok-ta-Pok in a nod to baseball’s Latino influence and Pensacola’s own Spanish history.
“I love Pensacola. I really love the people,” said Guillermo “Willie” Gonzalez, the Sultanes’ vice president, who began working for the team at 13-years-old as a baggage handler, then worked his way all the way into having management stake in the oldest franchise (81 years) in the Mexican League.
“The weather is amazing, the food, everything,” he said. “The last time we played in the (United) States was in 2011 (against the Arizona Diamondbacks). So many years ago. This was our brilliant idea. We are so excited… I had heard about the fireworks and we’re so happy.”
The two games, which are believed to be the first time a Mexican League team has played against an affiliated Major League Baseball team in the eastern side of the U.S.. brought a sizeable crowd on a perfect weather night Wednesday at the bayfront stadium.
The event came about when Monterrey’s lead owner, a golfer and fan of Pensacola’s pro star Bubba Watson, read the introspective book by the two-time Masters champion and 11-time PGA Tour winner and wanted to meet him. That led to a meeting and eventual decision by Monterrey to travel to Pensacola.
The two organizations have quickly connected and mentioned about continuing this kind of series in future years.
The two exhibition games served as a prelude the Blue Wahoos’ 2024 season, which officially begins on Friday against the Mississippi Braves, the Atlanta Braves affiliate, and in their last year as the M-Braves before moving next season to Columbus, Ga.
Monterrey, managed by Roberto Kelly, a 14-year outfield veteran in MLB, including six seasons with the New York Yankees, begin their season next week.
“I think it’s been good, especially being in Monterrey and getting to play such a high-caliber team. I think it’s been good for the players to see different players, this kind of pitching and I think that will help us for our season.”
As for the game, the Blue Wahoos broke through first on a bases-clearing, 3-run double by Tanner Allen in the second inning, part of a good night at the plate for Allen, a Mobile-area native and former high school player.
But Monterrey’s big bats enabled them to get the lead on three home runs, including two on consecutive at-bats by first baseman Christian Villanueva, who played two seasons (2017-18) for the San Diego Padres. Both were big bombs, but the second one had the likelihood of bouncing quickly into the water beyond left field.
Romero Cuadrado, who has played nine seasons at various levels, had the Sultanes’ other homer.
The Blue Wahoos, as they hoped were able to use a half-dozen pitchers each game and get their likely starters some tasted of night games at the stadium.
Blue Wahoos starter Luis Palacios pitched out of a second-inning jam with runners on second and third and none out, before he was lifted in the fourth inning.
Jay Rains On Northview’s Senior Night 9-1
April 3, 2024
Jay rained on Northview’s senior night, with the Royals winning 9-1 during intermittent rain showers Tuesday in Bratt.
Landon Golden pitched six and two-thirds innings for the Royals, allowing no hits and one run while walking two and striking out eight. Kaden Strength closed with one-third of an inning with no hits, no runs and striking out one.
Jackson Bridges went four innings on the mound for the Chiefs, allowing six hits and five runs while striking out four and walking two. Brady Smith closed three innings, surrendering four hits and four runs while striking out six and walking one.
Nick Baxley, Ethan McDonald, and Jax Lowery each had two hits for Jay. Haydn Morris and Lowery both drove in two runs for Jay.
Grayden Sheffield led the Chiefs with one RBI.
Northview will host West Florida at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, and Jay will travel to Fort Walton Beach Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.
Robbie Bodiford, Wyatt Scruggs and Rylan Minor were honored before the Senior Night game.
Pictured: North baseball seniors Robbie Bodiford (#6) with parents Robert and Angie Bodiford; Wyatt Scruggs (#16) with parents Ray and Kim Bodiford; and Rylan Minor (#18) with parents Brandon and Brittany Minor. Photos for NorthEscmbia.com, click to enlarge.
Northview Lady Chiefs Beat Crestview 12-7 In Eight Innings
April 3, 2024
The Northview Chiefs beat the Crestview Bulldogs 12-7 in eight innings Tuesday night in Crestview.
Jamison Gilman tossed the first one and two-thirds innings, allowing one hit and three runs while recording two strikeouts and walking four. Mikayla McAnnally was in the circle for six and one-third innings in relief for the Lady Chiefs, giving up seven hits and three runs while striking out eight and walking three.
Gilman and Avery Stuckey had two hits each for Northview.
Northview will host the Escambia Gators on Friday.
Pictured: Northview’s Mikayla McAnnally. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Tate Aggies Fall To Kentucky Team Ahead Of 1,600 Miles On The Road This Week
April 3, 2024
The Tate Aggies fell short 6-0 to the Spartans of South Warren, Kentucky, Tuesday night in Cantonment.
Neal Croom took the loss for the Aggies, going two innings while giving up one run on two hits, striking out two and walking one.
Connor Hassell, Kaleb Posta, Trey Rebber, and Clif Quiggins each one hit for the Aggies.
The Aggies will rack up over 1,600 miles on the team bus later this week, with a game at St. Augustine Thursday night and at Providence High in Jacksonville Friday night.
Blue Wahoos, Sultanes Of Mexico Play to 1-1 Tie in Festive Exhibition
April 3, 2024
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos rallied late in their season-opening exhibition game against the Mexican League’s Sultanes de Monterrey on Tuesday night, scratching across a ninth-inning run to force a 1-1 tie.
After hitting only seven singles over their first eight scoreless innings, the Blue Wahoos got on the board with one out in the ninth inning against Sultanes closer Jorge Rondon. Jake Thompson, who was thrown out at the plate trying to score on a Bennett Hostetler single in the fourth inning, laced a triple to the wall in right-center before scoring on a balk.
The tie spared the Pensacola pitching staff from a tough-luck defeat, as four righties combined to silence the Sultanes. Kyle Tyler allowed only an unearned run in 4.1 innings, departing after a Cody Morissette fielding error and Zoilo Almonte RBI single gave Monterrey a 1-0 lead.
Zach McCambley, Matt Pushard and Austin Roberts followed with 4.2 scoreless innings of relief, allowing the Pensacola offense to force the late tie.
Tyler Viza, Stephen Tarpley and Carlos Morales kept the Blue Wahoos at bay for the first eight innings, combining for 10 strikeouts on a night when fly balls were stifled by a stiff gulf breeze.
The Blue Wahoos play their second and final exhibition game against the Sultanes on Wednesday night at Blue Wahoos Stadium before beginning their regular season on Friday at home against the Mississippi Braves.
written by Bill Vilona, Wahoos senior writer
Photos NIno Mendez/Blue Wahoos for NOrthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Free Mississippi State, Florida, LSU Women’s Soccer Games Saturday At Ashton Brosnaham
April 2, 2024
This Saturday, the women’s teams from three top ranked Southeastern Conference schools will compete in the Western Gate Soccer Showdown at Ashton Brosnaham Athletic Park, and admission is free.
The inaugural Western Gate Collegiate Soccer Showdown will feature 45-minute matchups between the Florida Gators, Mississippi State Bulldogs, and LSU Tigers, and autograph sessions will be held throughout the day with all the teams.
The game and autograph session times are below.
Blacksher Bulldogs Defeat Northview 12-2 (With Gallery)
April 2, 2024
The Northview Chiefs fell 12-2 in six innings to the J.U.Blacksher Bulldogs of Uriah, Alabama, Monday afternoon in Bratt.
Click here for a photo gallery.
Jayden White took the loss for the Chiefs, giving up seven hits and nine runs in five innings, striking out two and walking four. Harrison pitched one inning in relief, giving up one hit and three runs while walking two and striking out none.
Grayden Sheffield went 1-2 at bat for Northview with one RBI; Wyatt Scruggs was 1-3 wine on RBI. Kelan Jurey, Jayden White and Dand King each had one hit.
Next, the Chiefs (6-8) will host Jay at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday. Jay (5-6) is coming off a Monday 10-9 win over T.R. Miller.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Blue Wahoos Implement Metal Detectors, Other Screening For This Season
April 2, 2024
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos have announced new enhanced safety measures at Blue Wahoos Stadium ahead of the 2024 season as part of their continued effort to improve fan experience and remain aligned with Major League Baseball’s facility operating standards.
Beginning on Tuesday, April 2 for their exhibition game against the Mexican League’s Sultanes de Monterrey, the Blue Wahoos will install metal detection and screening systems around the stadium’s main entrances. At the ballpark’s primary home plate entrance, the Wahoos have installed three automatic screening systems. The wire-free, high-convenience systems are currently used by eight different Major League Baseball clubs, including the Blue Wahoos’ MLB affiliate Miami Marlins. At stadium group entrances, the Blue Wahoos have installed two CEIA USA Metal Detection and Security Screening systems. The installed systems are part of a near-$100,000 investment by Blue Wahoos owners Quint and Rishy Studer to improve and prioritize fan and player safety.
“This move is consistent with our goal of making fans feel safe,” said owner Quint Studer. “Some years back, we expanded ballpark netting to the foul poles at a time when few teams were doing it. Over and over again, as foul balls that could have injured a fan were stopped by netting, that decision proved to be the right one. Prevention of harm is the key. Taking the lead from the Marlins and other MLB clubs in placing the most up-to-date detection system makes sense. We don’t ever want to be in the position of ‘we wish we had.’ This also supports the talented security staff, police officers and emergency personnel who are on site at every game.”
The Blue Wahoos remain wholly committed to fan and player safety as a top priority and are confident the new measures will ensure that Blue Wahoos fans and players can enjoy a fun, safe, and firearm-free experience.
The Blue Wahoos will host the Mexican League’s Sultanes de Monterrey in an exhibition series April 2 and 3, with Opening Day of the 2024 Southern League season coming Friday, April 5 at home against the Mississippi Braves. S
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos are the Double-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. Founded in 2012, they have won Southern League Championships in 2017 and 2022. Their mission is to improve the quality of life for people in their community, and to make Pensacola the best place to live in the world.
NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Ice Flyers Comeback Attempt In Home Finale Foiled By Macon Mayhem In 4-3 Loss
April 1, 2024
By Bill Vilona, Ice Flyers correspondent
The Ice Flyers were hoping their scheduled home finale would put an Easter Sunday bow on a season of record-setting attendance and fan experience memories.
But the Macon Mayhem had other ideas.
On an afternoon that followed Macon’s overtime win Saturday night at Birmingham — thwarting the Bulls from clinching the league regular-season crown — the Mayhem jumped to a 4-1 lead in the second period Sunday and held on for a 4-3 victory against the Ice Flyers at the Pensacola Bay Center.
A crowd of 3,609 on Friends and Family Day boosted the Ice Flyers season attendance to 148,588 for the 28-game home schedule. It was by far the largest season attendance in the team’s 15-year franchise history.
Unfortunately for the Ice Flyers, they weren’t able to close it out with a win. They will now finish the 56-game schedule on the road next weekend at Fayetteville, which is battling to hold on to fourth place and home-ice for the first round of the playoffs.
Both teams Sunday were playing in their third game in three days. The Ice Flyers (25-25,4 OT losses) split their two-game series against Evansville the previous nights at the Bay Center, while Macon (15-32, 7 OT losses), which will finish in last place in the 10-team Southern Professional Hockey League, split two games at Birmingham.
“We got outplayed by a team that shouldn’t have outplayed us,” said Ice Flyers coach Gary Graham. “It’s unacceptable. It was a very disappointing weekend to lose two home games. I care a lot about it. It’s frustrating. I just don’t feel that level was there (Sunday) from our group.”
The game recap:
FIRST PERIOD
The game’s first penalty led to the Ice Flyers first goal.
Macon’s Sacha Roy was whistled for tripping twice in the same sequence with 13:55 remaining. And 45 seconds later, Reggie Millette wristed a shot into the net, following a faceoff won by Garrett Milan in the Mayhem zone. Milan got the puck to Zac Herrmann, who found Millette open for the shot.
Less than two minutes later, Macon tied the game.
David Nippard rifled a shot that bounced off Ice Flyers’ goaltender Reid Cooper’s chest protector and the puck went over his shoulder and rolled into the net.
Cooper became a pro hockey buzz last April when the Washington Capitals signed the former NCAA Division III star goaltender to a contract — and he dressed for an NHL game as the backup goaltender.
Cooper was making his first start for the Ice Flyers. He played a total of 14 pro games, all in the higher level ECHL in 2023 and earlier this season before the Ice Flyers signed him.
Exactly three minutes later, the Mayhem took a 2-1 lead into the intermission when Roy’s shot from inside the blueline got through traffic and past Cooper with 8:40 remaining.
The Ice Flyers’ Spencer Kennedy created the other noteworthy moment of the period. He got tangled with Macon’s Dan Winslow, took exception to a hold around his neck and dropped Winslow with a flurry of punches. Teammate Billy Jerry jumped in and Kennedy threw some punches at him as well.
It produced seven minutes in penalties for Kennedy and gave Macon a five minute power play that the Ice Flyers killed off.
SECOND PERIOD
This is when the game was ultimately decided.
The Mayhem scored two goals less than two minutes apart and it caused Graham to pull Cooper from the game after Macon took a 4-1 lead with 13:46 remaining. He faced 16 shots, stopping 12.
The Ice Flyers No. 1 goalie, Stephen Mundinger, who played between the pipes the previous two nights, was unexpectedly summoned to finish the game Mundinger stopped all 14 shots he faced to help get the Ice Flyers re-energized.
Houston Wilson started the momentum with his shot through traffic with 2:54 remaining in the period, cutting the deficit to 4-2 at second intermission.
THIRD PERIOD
Less than three minutes into the period, Macon thought it had scored when a shot hit the pipe and the goal lamp came on. After the officials stopped play for video review, their initial decision of no goal was confirmed.
That led to the Ice Flyers Reggie Millette putting home a rebound on a shot from Mitch Atkins with 14:26 remaining. Suddenly, the crowd was making an impact and the Ice Flyers seemed positioned for a complete comeback.
But in the final four minutes, the Ice Flyers managed just three shots on goal, including the final 1:19 when Mundinger was pulled during a timeout for an extra attacker.
It was Macon’s fourth win against the Ice Flyers in the 10 games between the teams.
NOTABLES:
— With Sunday’s attendance, the Ice Flyers finished their 28-game home games with an average of 5,307 per-game. Only the Huntsville Havoc, the league’s attendance leader, has a better per-game average and total attendance in the SPHL.
— Following the game, the Ice Flyers signed autographs for fans on the second-level concourse.
— During the first intermission, the Ice Flyers front office staff had their moment in a contest shooting pucks from the blue line into an empty net.
— The Ice Flyers have clinched the No. 7 seed in the playoffs and will face either Birmingham or Peoria in the first round of the playoffs that can begin the week of April 8-14.
QUOTABLES:
Ice Flyers Coach Gary Graham: “The first two (Macon) goals were very lucky. The shots went off a player and went into the net. So, they had a little bit of puck luck early. And again, for the new goalie (Cooper), his first game when I had to pull him, he didn’t get a chance to do a lot for us.
“And any goalie is going to be upset which is normal. They are passionate guys, they are competitors, which I respect. For me, it wasn’t his play, it was more about trying to wake my team up. Sometimes for a coach it’s a gut feel and we did start playing a little bitter out of that. I’m upset that his first game was like that, but I have a lot of confidence in both of them, so that’s not going to waver at all moving forward.
On Ice Flyers Struggles:
“For me it’s the same thing over and over again. You look at a team, Macon, they shoot the puck from everywhere. They have two of the top five goal scorers in the league. They shoot and shoot and they get to the net. Every game, we have chances in the slot, we look for something cute on the back post, it’s been the same problem all year. We don’t have pure goal scorers on this team. We don’t have guys who want to shoot the puck.”
NEXT FACEOFF
WHO: Ice Flyers vs. Fayetteville Marksmen
WHEN: April 5-6
WHERE: Crown Coliseum, Fayetteville, N.C.
UWF Softball Honors Miracle League Players
March 31, 2024
The University of West Florida softball team invited the players of the Miracle League of Pensacola to their game Saturday afternoon. The Argos honored the Miracle League placers and organization.
It was a quick and decisive game three at the UWF Softball Complex as UWF Softball (23-12, 12-6) run-ruled the Shorter Hawks (2-32, 1-20) by a 10-0 score Saturday afternoon.
The bats for West Florida continue to light up the scoreboard in recent weeks, as the run-rule marks the sixth victory in that manner in the last nine games. Since the March 15 series against Christian Brothers, UWF has outscored opponents 95-20 in that time.
It is also third-straight series sweep in conference for UWF. The victory marks their 23rd win of the year, surpassing the total from last year with 17 regular season games remaining. With a month till the GSC Tournament, UWF sits at fourth in the conference standings.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
