Johnston and Johnson Lead Pensacola To 7-2 Victory Over Trash Pandas
July 24, 2023
The score was tied, the bases were loaded and up stepped Troy Johnston in the eighth inning Sunday with Blue Wahoos Stadium abuzz with anticipation.
He delivered, of course, just like he’s so often done these two seasons in Pensacola.
Johnston laced a pitch down the right field line for a two-run double, which followed his run-scoring double in the sixth inning, to again become the offensive star of the Blue Wahoos’ 7-2 victory against the Rocket City Trash Pandas, which put a bow on a memorable homestand at the bayfront ballpark.
“I didn’t think (the Trash Pandas) were going to give me much to hit,” said Johnston, who has surged his batting average to .296. “(They) actually gave me two pitches to hit. The first one (from reliever Kelvin Caceres) I fouled off… got a little big (with swing).
“Of course, me being me, I was trying to hit a home run. But the second one I really honed in, I was like, ‘Alright, I gotta get the bat on the ball,” and tried to make something happen. I squeaked it down the first base line and (became game-deciding) hit.”
The Blue Wahoos tacked on three more runs in the inning on RBI hits from José Devers and Cody Morissette, plus a pitcher’s balk in between that scored Johnston. The win was Pensacola’s fifth in the six-game series against Rocket City, the Los Angeles Angels affiliate, located in Madison, Alabama, near Huntsville.
It boosted the Blue Wahoos record to 53-36, by far the best in the Southern League, and 12-9 in the second half of the season.
Earlier Sunday, the game’s pivotal performance was delivered by Blue Wahoos right-hander M.D. Johnson. He rebounded from a rough outing in his previous start where he allowed 10 runs July 16 against Birmingham to now twirl his best game this season.
Johnson, 26, a Dallas, Texas native, made his 16th start a sweet one, allowing just two hits and no runs in six innings. He matched his season-high with nine strikeouts and walked just one batter.
Of his 85 pitches, 52 were strikes. After giving up a leadoff double, then hitting the next batter to start the game, Johnson struck out the next three batters in succession. He faced only two batters above the minimum the rest of the way and finished off his pitching gem by striking out four of the last six hitters he faced.
“He was our spark plug, ultimately,” Troy Johnston said. “M.D. kept us in the game all day long and really just pitched his butt off. I am really thankful I was on the other side of that, playing defense and not offense.”
When Johnson left, the Blue Wahoos led 2-0 after a sacrifice fly RBI from Morissette in the fifth inning and Johnston’s double in the sixth.
Rocket City tied the game off first reliever Josan Méndez in the seventh.
But in the eighth inning, Nasim Nuñez led off with a walk. Griffin Conine singled. Avisaíl García, the Miami Marlins outfielder on a rehab assignment, walked to load the bases. That set the stage for Johnston.
“Any way we can get a win, I’m excited, especially on a Sunday,” said Johnston, who went 12-for-26 in the series with 11 RBI.
The Blue Wahoos next begin a road series Tuesday against the Mississippi Braves in the final week of games before the Major League Baseball trade deadline on August 1. This is a point in the Minor League Baseball season where roster moves are made and the Blue Wahoos could have a different makeup in the next few days.
With his success, there’s always a possibility Johnston gets elevated.
“Ultimately, I am just like every other kid… like a 12-year-old who wants to be a big leaguer,” Johnston said. “So for me, this is a stepping stone and I hope I get the call sooner than later and I will try do my best in whatever place they put me in.”
The Blue Wahoos will have Monday off before leaving on Tuesday for Pearl, Mississippi and a six-game road series against the M-Braves, the Atlanta Braves affiliate. It will be their second trip this season to Trustmark Park. The M-Braves will return to Pensacola for a third time on September 12-17 for the final homestand of the season at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
The first game of the upcoming series against the M-Braves will begin at 6:35 p.m. Tuesday.
by Bill Vilona, photo Nino Mendez / Pensacola Blue Wahoos
Mesa’s Walk-Off Grand Slam Caps Festive Wahoos Win
July 23, 2023
The fireworks show Saturday at Blue Wahoos Stadium played out in the most literal way.
After Rocket City rallied from an 8-4 deficit with one big hit in the ninth inning to tie the game, Blue Wahoos centerfielder Victor Mesa Jr launched a two-strike fastball like a roman candle, deep into the night sky for the first walk-off grand slam in franchise history that lifted Pensacola into a 12-8 victory.
One grand finale led into another on a night fittingly-themed “Christmas in July” with the Blue Wahoos wearing blue Christmas-style jerseys.
After Mesa Jr. touched the plate in a spray of water and bucket-dousing from teammates in celebration, the postgame pyro show immediately followed, sponsored by Pen Air Credit Union. That completed the night amid another sellout crowd (5,038) at the bayfront park.
So much happened in this wild game, which started an hour late due to weather issues.
The Blue Wahoos surged to an 8-0 lead in the third inning. They batted around and chased two Rocket City Trash Pandas pitchers with a six-run rally in that inning.
But they couldn’t finish the game smoothly.
Closer Jefry Yan, normally reliable for a save, walked the bases loaded with one out in the top of the ninth. He then gave up a run-scoring single. With two outs, on a 3-2 pitch, Yan threw a fastball across the plate that the Trash Pandas’ Sonny DiChiara hit off the wall in right-center – just missing a grand slam – to tie the game.
That sent Blue Wahoos manager Kevin Randel out to replace Yan with Brady Puckett, whose two-strike pitch to Tucker Flint was fielded on a good stop by Cobie Fletcher-Vance at third base and thrown across the diamond to end the inning.
More theatrics followed in the bottom of the ninth.
Avisaíl García led off with a pop double down the right field line. Troy Johnston, who has crunched Rocket City pitching all week, was intentionally walked. Will Banfield followed with a sacrifice bunt attempt that pitcher Kenyon Yovan threw wide enough at third to allow pinch runner Dalvy Rosario’s slide to be safe on the play and load the bases.
Mesa Jr. followed off several pitches in a battling at-bat. But he made perfect contact on the next one he saw that carried over the straightaway center wall for the electrifying walk-off slam.
The Blue Wahoos clinched the series with their fourth win of this homestand. It was also their 14th win in 15 games against Rocket City in Blue Wahoos Stadium. The consecutive streak ended with the Trash Pandas’ win Friday night.
Besides the 20 runs, this game featured a combined 25 hits. The Blue Wahoos took advantage of four Rocket City errors early in the game to build the lead.
Banfield and Johnston both had three hits apiece among five multi-hit batters for the Blue Wahoos.
Earlier in the game, Blue Wahoos starter Jake Eder produced a strong outing in his comeback from two injuries. Making his fifth start this season at the Double-A level, Eder continued progression by working five innings, giving up five hits with a season-best eight strikeouts and three walks.
He committed two pitch clock violations, one of which led to a run when Eder followed by yielding a balk that became a run with a two-out RBI single by Jose Gomez.
The event-filled homestand concludes Sunday afternoon with the Blue Wahoos trying for a fifth win against the Trash Pandas in the six-game series.
by Bill Vilona, photo Nino Mendez / Pensacola Blue Wahoos
Rocket City Blasts Past The Blue Wahoos 10-5
July 22, 2023
Patrick Monteverde has normally set a tone for Blue Wahoos pitching with his presence on the mound.
This time, however, it signaled the start of a rough night in several ways.
Playing as the Pensacola Pok-ta-Pok as part of a duel of teams transforming into their Copa de la Diversion identities, a quick first-inning deficit eventually ballooned with relief pitching woes in Rocket City’s 10-5 victory Friday before a near-capacity crowd (4,851) at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
After the Blue Wahoos won the first three games of this series, Rocket City wore its Lunaticos uniforms in the Southern League’s first matchup with both teams honoring the game’s Latin American heritage. The moniker change went well for the visitors.
Rocket City sprayed 14 hits against five different Pensacola pitchers, including big games from Tucker Flint, who went 4-for-6 with four two RBI and four runs scored, plus Jose Gomez, who was 3-for-5 with a single, double, triple and two RBI. The Trash Pandas also benefited from 10 walks allowed by Blue Wahoos pitchers.
In making his 15th start this season, Monteverde had a rare lapse of control and too many pitches that resulted in hard contact. He was unable to finish the fifth inning with his team trailing 6-2. He entered the game as the top pitcher in the Southern League and among the best across all minor league levels with an 8-1 record and 1.91 earned run average.
Friday, however, he gave up three first-inning hits and two runs. He finished allowing eight hits – matching a season high — three walks, three strikeouts. His only rougher night was May 28 when he pitched just three innings and gave up six runs on the road against the Mississippi Braves.
In all other games, Monteverde yielded just three-or-less runs, including nine starts in 2023 with only one or zero runs allowed.
Friday’s outing began in a rocky way. With one out, he yielded a double and single, then a sacrifice fly. Flint followed with a run-scoring triple. Before he was lifted in the fifth inning, Monteverde’s two walks in the fifth inning helped load the bases, leading into a three-run rally that included a steal of home on a double steal.
The Blue Wahoos had their biggest moment in the bottom of the inning. With two out, none on, Nasim Nuñez singled and scored on Miami Marlins outfielder Avisail Garcia’s moon-shot homer, which was his first hit since joining the Blue Wahoos on an injury rehab assignment.
Troy Johnston continued his torrid production by following with a double and scoring on Will Banfield’s single, cutting the deficit to 6-5 and momentarily changing the game’s momentum.
Johnston finished 3-for-5 to pace Pensacola hitters and raise his batting average to .288.
Rocket City answered against the Pok-Ta-Pok bullpen with three runs in the seventh and tacked on another in the eighth to blow open the game.
It spoiled a Giveaway Friday where the first 1,000 fans received a commemorative poster from game sponsor Pepsi, honoring the Blue Wahoos’ first-half win in the Southern League South Division and automatic berth into the playoffs.
The Blue Wahoos will try to clinch the series win on Saturday with heralded prospect, lefthander Jake Eder (1-1, 4.74 ERA), making his fifth start on his injury comeback quest against Rocket City’s Jack Kochanowicz (4-5, 5.72).
by Bill Vilona, photo Nino Mendez / Pensacola Blue Wahoos
Johnston’s Late Heroics Lead Wahoos To Third Straight Win
July 21, 2023
Troy Johnston had scorched pitches in two previous at-bats, only to come up empty on great defensive plays.
But he didn’t get disappointed the third time he made great contact.
Johnston hit a towering, eighth-inning shot that struck the left-field wall for a go-ahead, run-scoring double, then Jefry Yan followed with another impressive close for his second win as Pensacola beat the Rocket City Trash Pandas 4-3 on Mullet Thursday at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
In transforming to their alternate identity as the Pensacola Mullets, the Blue Wahoos continued their amazing three-year success against the Trash Pandas. This was their 13th consecutive home win against Rocket City, the Los Angeles Angels affiliate, located in Madison, Alabama near Huntsville.
The Blue Wahoos won all six meetings in 2022 against the Southern League North Division team, after claiming the last four games at home in 2021. The teams meet just once at each ballpark this season.
Rocket City had just tied Thursday’s game on Jeremiah Jackson’s 3-run homer in the top of the eighth against Pensacola reliever Josan Méndez.
Prior to that inning, Mullets starter Jonathan Bermudez had produced his best start of the season. He worked six scoreless innings, allowing just five hits with just one walk and eight strikeouts. Included in his performance was pitching out of a bases-loaded jam in the sixth inning.
With two outs, he struck out Jackson on a high fastball, then thew a slider down low to strikeout Orlando Martinez to end the inning and his outing.
Pensacola catcher Bennett Hostetler helped provide run support with two solo homers in the third and fifth innings that were both moon shots toward the water beyond left field. After Hostetler hit his leadoff shot in the third, Dalvy Rosario went back-to-back with a blast over the left-center wall.
That 3-0 lead from four hits through seven innings had Pensacola in good shape.
In the bottom of the eighth, Cody Morissette led off with a walk. He then showed his baserunning skills by never hesitating and making a perfect slide to avoid a tag on Johnson’s double for the go-ahead run.
In the ninth, Yan walked the leadoff batter, then struck out the next three batters with a pair of fastballs and a curve to end the game. He has become the team’s go-to closer following Sean Reynolds’ call-up to Triple-A Jacksonville. Yan is 2-1 with a 1.97 ERA to go along with his eight saves.
The Blue Wahoos will try to clinch the series when the homestand continues on Friday.
by Bill Vilona, photo Nino Mendez / Pensacola Blue Wahoos
Palacios Twirls Gem In 4-2 Wahoos Win
July 20, 2023
Luis Palacios made his 10th start this season with the Blue Wahoos a near-perfect one.
He was then backed by Zach McCambley’s first save of his pro career.
The dynamic delivery on Wednesday equated into Pensacola’s 4-2 victory against the Rocket City Trash Pandas, pushing the Blue Wahoos to their 50th win in 85 games.
After the Blue Wahoos knocked out Trash Pandas starting pitcher John Swanda with a four-run first inning, Palacios painted the strike zone throughout his best performance. It made for a crisp, 2-hour, 15-minute game on “Winning Wednesday’ that included baseball bingo and was capped by a mid-week fireworks show provided by game sponsor Covenant Care.
Palacios, a 23-year-old lefty from Venezuela, allowed just four hits, matching the fewest he allowed this year. He struck out five without walking a batter, and improved to 6-3 in a smooth, seven-inning outing that matched his longest of the season.
It was the first time he threw up seven zeroes on the scoreboard. He continually stayed ahead of hitters and consistently threw strikes – 64 strikes in 85 pitches. It was the first time in his Double-A career he did not allow a walk.
McCambley, 24, a righthander, who has shifted to a reliever role that will further enhance his own future, worked a clean ninth inning. He ended the game on a called strikeout with a fastball on the outside part of the plate.
As things turned out, the game was decided in the first inning. Nasim Nuñez and Miami Marlins outfielder Avisail Garcia, continuing his injury rehab assignment, started the rally with walks. Nunez advanced to third on a groundout and scored on a wild pitch.
With two outs, Will Banfield laced an RBI single to left, José Devers singled and Cody Morissette followed with a two-run double to complete the rally. Banfield and Norel González both went 2-for-3 as the Blue Wahoos pounded out eight total hits.
Rocket City, the Los Angeles Angels affiliate, got its runs on a pair of solo homers off Pensacola reliever Eli Villalobos in the eighth inning. After the second blast, pitching coach Dave Eiland met on the mound and Villalobos retired the next two batters to end the frame.
Following the game, specialty jerseys worn by the Blue Wahoos in pregame Wednesday and decorated in sponsor Covenant Care design, were delivered to auction-bidding fans by Blue Wahoos players in front of the home team dugout. The auction began in the sixth inning.
The series continues Thursday on Mullet Thursday as the Blue Wahoos become the Pensacola Mullets.
by Bill Vilona, photo Nino Mendez / Pensacola Blue Wahoos
Tate Aggies Baseball Head Coach Karl Jernigan Has Resigned
July 19, 2023
Tate High School head baseball coach Karl Jernigan has resigned.
“Coach Jernigan resigned to spend more time with and focus on his family,” Principal Laura Touchstone told NorthEscambia.com Tuesday night. “Coach Jernigan has been very transparent with me through this process, and I support his decision. Most importantly I support the Tate baseball program and will continue to do so. We are actively searching for a coach to fulfill the position and uphold the legacy of Tate baseball.”
Jernigan was hired as Tate’s head coach during the summer of 2017.
NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
Johnston’s Historic Night Lifts Blue Wahoos To 8-3 Win
July 19, 2023
The Blue Wahoos followed their most lopsided loss with one of the season’s more complete wins.
Only natural that Troy Johnston helped trigger it.
Johnston continued his run-producing prowess, driving in five runs on a trio of line-drive hits, then was backed up by some highlight-worthy defense from teammates in an 8-3 victory Tuesday against the Rocket City Trash Pandas to open the homestand at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
Already a leader in six different Southern League categories, Johnston is now the Blue Wahoos’ all-time single-season RBI leader with 77. Tuesday night he passed Griffin Conine, who had 74 last year to set the franchise record.
The first baseman also has 11 RBI in the past four games. He leads the league in home runs (18), RBI (78), hits (84), extra base hits (40), total bases (164) and runs (64). His batting average has soared to .287.
This game started and finished far differently than the Blue Wahoos’ 15-2 loss Sunday at Birmingham, which ended a post-break, short series with the Barons on a sour note.
That quickly was flushed and replaced Tuesday by Johnston’s first-inning run-scoring single off Trash Pandas lefty starter Ky Bush, rated the No. 3 prospect in the Los Angeles Angels system. José Devers followed with an RBI double for a 2-0 lead.
It stayed that way until Rocket City got back within a run in the sixth inning.
Blue Wahoos starter Evan Fitterer worked into the sixth, giving up three runs. Two of those came before he was lifted in the sixth after leaving a changeup over the plate that Rocket City catcher Edgar Quero blasted for a no-doubt, two-run homer over the right field berm.
But the Blue Wahoos offense answered by batting around in the seventh inning. Johnston had a two-run double and Will Banfield drove in a run on a single as part of the big inning.
From that point, the bullpen took over. Cristian Charle, Matt Pushard and closer Jefry Yan delivered scoreless innings to complete the win on “Doggone Tuesday” where fans were allowed to bring their dogs to the ballpark.
Though Griffin Conine did not get a hit in the game, he made a sensational diving catch in right field in the fifth inning, then got up and threw out the Trash Pandas’ Tucker Flint, who tried to tag up from second, to complete an amazing double play.
Blue Wahoos catcher Will Banfield threw out Rocket City’s Kyren Paris trying to steal and left fielder Dalvy Rosario saved a run with a diving stop on a ball near the foul line. It was all part of textbook defensive plays made in this game.
The series continues Wednesday. The Blue Wahoos will have Luis Palocios (5-3, 6.40 ERA) going against Rocket City’s Fernando Romero in the first series meeting this year between these teams.
by Bill Vilona, photo Nino Mendez / Pensacola Blue Wahoos
Barons Beat Blue Wahoos In Lopsided 15-2 Finale
July 17, 2023
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos dropped their road trip finale to the Birmingham Barons on Sunday afternoon, falling 15-2 in their most lopsided loss of the season.
The Barons put up 15 runs on 18 hits, and benefitted from nine walks and three Pensacola errors, to take the rubber match of the three-game series.
Ben Norman delivered most of the early offense, hitting a three-run homer in the second, a two-run double in the third and a two-run single in the fourth. The Barons outfielder finished 3-for-4 with 7 RBI on the afternoon.
Pensacola starter M.D. Johnson (L, 1-3) allowed 10 runs, 9 earned, over 3.0 innings. The righty began the fourth inning, but departed without recording an out as the Barons stacked up seven runs in the frame to put the game out of reach.
Birmingham starter Matt Thompson (W, 4-9) allowed two runs on three hits over 5.0 innings. A Nasim Nuñez RBI double in the third inning and Cody Morissette RBI groundout in the sixth accounted for the only Blue Wahoos runs of the game.
After an off day Monday, the Blue Wahoos begin a six-game home series against the Rocket City Trash Pandas on Tuesday.
Wahoos Come Up Short In Wild 11-Inning Saturday Night Loss
July 16, 2023
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos put together a furious rally with two outs in the ninth inning to force extra innings on Saturday night, but their effort wasn’t enough in a 10-9, 11-inning loss to the Birmingham Barons.
After leading 6-1 early, the Blue Wahoos surrendered the next eight runs of the ballgame before putting together a three-run rally of their own with their backs to the wall in the ninth. After forcing extras, the Blue Wahoos couldn’t push across another run before Luis Mieses ended the game with a walk-off single in the bottom of the 11th.
The Blue Wahoos provided Jake Eder with early run support, thanks to a Troy Johnston two-run double in the third and Cody Morissette two-run homer in the fifth. The Pensacola starter departed with two outs in the fifth and a 6-2 lead, but left the bases full before the Barons unloaded them against reliever Josan Méndez with a two-run single from Alsander Womack and a single from Mieses.
Birmingham catcher Xavier Fermandez tied the game 6-6 in the sixth with a solo homer, and the game remained tied until the bottom of the eighth when the Barons got a two-run double from Rodriguez to claim their first lead of the night.
Trailing 9-6 with two outs in the ninth, the Blue Wahoos kept hope alive as José Devers hit an RBI double before Morissette added an RBI infield single. Griffin Conine hit a tapper to second base that would have ended the game if not for a hurried and errant throw from Womack, scoring Devers for the tying run.
Brady Puckett (L, 1-2) pitched scoreless relief in the ninth and 10th, but the Blue Wahoos couldn’t scratch across any more runs in extra innings. Their best chance was foiled in the 11th, when Morissette lifted a fly ball to right field against Nick Gallagher (W, 1-2) with Johnston at third as the potential go-ahead run. Yoelqui Cespedes dealt a perfect throw to the plate, cutting down Johnston trying to score and ending Pensacola’s last threat.
Puckett returned for the 11th, but allowed a single and a walk before Mieses ended the game with a walk-off single down the left field line.
At 3 hours and 36 minutes, the game was Pensacola’s longest of the season. It was also their first time playing 11 innings all year.
The Blue Wahoos wrap up their series against the Barons on Sunday.
written by Erik Bremer
Well-Rested Wahoos Beat Barons 8-3
July 15, 2023
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos didn’t miss a beat after their four-day All-Star Break, returning to action as sharp as ever in an 8-3 win over the Birmingham Barons on Friday night.
Patrick Monteverde turned in another great start with only one earned run in 5.1 innings, Victor Mesa Jr. drove in three with a homer and an RBI double, and Troy Johnston added to his league-leading RBI total with a pair of clutch hits in the final two innings.
The Blue Wahoos took a 1-0 lead in the third when Victor Mesa Jr. lined an RBI double over the head of Barons left fielder Luis Mieses, scoring Norel González from first base. The Barons tied the game 1-1 in the bottom of the fifth when a dropped pop-up was followed by an RBI single from Bryan Ramos.
In the sixth, Mesa put the Blue Wahoos in front again with a solo homer to right field. Monteverde departed after 5.1 innings with a man on third base, and Cristian Charle (W, 5-2) let in the inherited runner with a sacrifice fly from Yoelqui Cespedes to tie the game 2-2.
In the eighth, Dalvy Rosario led off with a double against Andrew Perez (L, 1-3). With two outs, Johnston hit a grounder deep in the hole at second base that Jose Rodriguez threw away for an RBI single to put Pensacola ahead 3-2. Will Banfield followed with a deep fly to center that Terrell Tatum lost in the night sky, allowing the Blue Wahoos catcher to reach third on an RBI triple.
Penascola added four insurance runs in the ninth on a Mesa RBI groundout and a Johnston three-run double to stretch their lead to 8-3. Johnston now has a league-leading 70 RBI on the season.
Zack McCambley recorded the final three outs in the ninth to lock down the series-opening win.
The Blue Wahoos continue their series against the Barons on Saturday.
written by Bll Vilona