Blue Wahoos, Smokies Canceled By Rain In First Half Finale
June 26, 2023
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos and Tennessee Smokies saw their series and first half finale on Sunday afternoon canceled due to rain. The game will not be made up.
After two consecutive off days, the Blue Wahoos begin the second half of their season in Montgomery on Wednesday night. They return home to Blue Wahoos Stadium on Tuesday, July 4 for a six-game series against the Biloxi Shuckers.
written by Erik Bremer
Blue Wahoos Split Doubleheader With Historic Win
June 25, 2023
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos dropped the first game of their Saturday doubleheader 6-4 to the Tennessee Smokies, but rallied late to take the nightcap 6-5 and secure the best half-season record in franchise history.
At 41-27 with one game to play in the half, the Blue Wahoos officially surpassed the 2016 club that went 41-29 in the first half en route to a division title.
In game one, the Smokies used the long ball to take an early lead against Luis Palacios (L, 4-3). Haydn McGeary hit a two-run homer in the first, and Nelson Maldonado and Jordan Nwogu went back-to-back in the second, to put Tennessee ahead for good.
RBI singles from Victor Mesa Jr. and Griffin Conine brought the Blue Wahoos to within a run at 4-3, but Zac Leigh worked 2.0 effective innings of relief for the Smokies and Owen Caissie added two insurance runs with a double in the fifth to extend the Tennessee lead to 6-3.
In the seventh and final inning, Conine led off with a double and Troy Johnston followed with an RBI single before Danis Correa (S, 3) closed out the win.
In game two, Tennessee once again jumped out early with a first-inning home run from Caissie. José Devers evened the score with a Pensacola homer, and Conine brought in Nasim Nuñez with an RBI single in the third to put the Blue Wahoos ahead 2-1.
The Smokies evened the score against Jonathan Bermudez (W, 1-2) with a fourth-inning Cole Roederer RBI single, and Luis Vazquez blasted a 478-foot homer in the fifth to put Tennessee up 4-2.
In the top of the sixth, the Blue Wahoos drew three walks against Scott Kobos (L, 0-1) to tie the game 4-4 before Norel González capped the rally with a two-run single.
In the bottom of the seventh, Cristian Charle (S, 1) allowed a double and a Caissie RBI single before issuing a walk and three stolen bases to put the tying run at third and winning run at second. A strikeout of Roederer ended the game, securing a doubleheader split and eliminating the Smokies from the first half North Division race.
The Blue Wahoos wrap up their series against the Smokies on Sunday afternoon.
written by Erik Bremer
Three In A Row: Wahoos Beat Smokies 7-4
June 24, 2023
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos won their third in a row on Friday night, beating the Tennessee Smokies on the strength of four home runs.
Will Banfield, Griffin Conine, Troy Johnston and Cody Morissette each went deep in support of Jake Eder, who allowed three runs over 4.1 innings in his first Double-A start since August of 2021.
Nasim Nuñez began the game by drawing a leadoff walk against Smokies starter Kohl Franklin (L, 2-4), then stole a pair of bases before scoring on a Johnston RBI single. Banfield went deep with a two-run blast a batter later, giving the Blue Wahoos a 3-0 lead.
Eder allowed an RBI double to Luis Vasquez and and RBI single to BJ Murray in the first inning, but settled into a groove as he made his milestone return in a continued recovery from elbow surgery. The lefty struck out two and walked three, departing in the fifth inning after throwing a prescribed 75 pitches.
Solo homers from Conine and Johnston helped stretch out the lead further, and Josan Méndez (W, 4-1) left the bases loaded in the bottom of the fifth to prevent a Smokies comeback.
Morissette’s solo homer in the seventh stretched the Pensacola lead to 7-3. Tennessee got a run back on another Vasquez RBI double against Blue Wahoos reliever West Tunnell, but Jefry Yan (S, 6) worked a spotless ninth to lock down the win.
The Blue Wahoos and Smokies play a doubleheader on Saturday, making up a rainout from Thursday.
written by Erik Bremer
Monteverde Leads Blue Wahoos To 4-2 Win Over Tennessee
June 23, 2023
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos won the first game of their scheduled doubleheader 4-2 over the Tennessee Smokies on Thursday before rain forced the postponement of game two.
The second game will be made up as part of another doubleheader Saturday beginning at 4:30 CT.
Patrick Monteverde (W, 7-1) earned his league-leading seventh win, allowing only one earned run over 5.2 innings to lower his league-leading ERA to 2.13.
The Smokies jumped out to an early lead, as Pete Crow-Armstrong led off the first inning with a bunt single and circled the bases thanks to a pair of throwing errors. The Blue Wahoos answered back in the second with a two-run homer from Norel González, but Tennessee’s Nelson Maldonado tied the game 2-2 with a solo homer in the second.
Monteverde and Smokies starter Walker Powell (L, 3-4) traded zeroes until the top of the sixth, when José Devers led off the inning with a double and advanced to third on a lineout. Troy Johnston drew a walk before the Smokies brought in reliever Luke Little to face Will Banfield. The Pensacola catcher came through with an RBI double to give the Blue Wahoos a 4-2 lead.
Monteverde got into trouble in the sixth, but Austin Roberts (S, 2) escaped the jam and returned to work a scoreless seventh to earn the save.
First pitch Friday from Smokies Stadium is scheduled for 6 p.m.
written by Erik Bremer
Blue Wahoos Clinch First Half Title With Win Over Smokies
June 22, 2023
Nine months after winning a Southern League championship in Tennessee, the Blue Wahoos returned and celebrated the chance for another.
Troy Johnston ripped a two-out, two-run triple in the ninth inning and reliever Jefry Yan overcame a leadoff walk, striking out the final batter as the Blue Wahoos rallied to beat the Tennessee Smokies 3-1 Wednesday to clinch the first half South Division win, thus gaining the spot in post-season.
“What a game,” said Blue Wahoos manager Kevin Randel amid a celebration in the visitors’ clubhouse at Smokies Stadium. “It’s always good (to get a playoff spot). Obviously titles are nice, first half wins are nice. (Wednesday) it felt like we were chasing them all night even thought the game was tight. Pitching was outstanding.”
The Blue Wahoos clinched their seventh playoff appearance in the last eight playing seasons (excluding 2020 when all Minor League Baseball was cancelled due to the coronavirus). They’ve done it with three different affiliations. A year ago, they won their first outright league title in the team’s 10th anniversary season.
Yan struck out pinch-hitter Nelson Maldonado on a wicked breaking pitch, leaped in the air and twirled in a dance as teammates joined him in the joyful scene. Yan’s relief effort capped an outstanding night of pitching as the Blue Wahoos ended a four-game losing streak with their biggest win so far this season.
Blue Wahoos starter Evan Fitterer went five innings in a duel against the Smokies Jordan Wicks – one of the Chicago Cubs’ top rated prospects. He gave up a second inning homer to Smokies catcher Pablo Aliendo, but retired the last seven batters he faced.
From that point, the Blue Wahoos bullpen was near-perfect. Cristian Charle pitched two scoreless innings, allowing one hit, them Matt Pushard, who just joined the team from the Beloit Sky Carp, the Miami Marlins High-A affiliate, earned the win with a clean eighth inning.
Pushard’s performance followed Will Banfield tying the game in the top of the eighth with a line drive homer over the left field wall.
After missing prior opportunities in the game to get more runs, the Blue Wahoos (38-26) took advantage of two walks by Cody Morissette and Bennett Hostetler. After J.D. Orr struck out, after first missing two chances at a sacrifice bunt, a wild pitch by Smokies reliever Cayne Ueckert with Nasim Nuñez batting moved the runners over.
Ueckert then struck out Nuñez, but on a 1-0 pitch to Johnston, it was rifled down the first base line off the glove of Haydn McGeary – ruled a two-run triple as it went down the right field line.
“It was a huge sigh of relief,” Randel said. “Troy was coming up with big spots all game, he wasn’t feeling great at the plate, but he got a pitch he put a really good swing on it. It was a big triple for him.”
A year ago, the Blue Wahoos won the first half with Eury Pérez as the ace in the rotation and strong starting pitching throughout. This half season, Pérez was a big part of the first month success, but his elevation to the Marlins, along with an injury to Dax Fulton and top closer Sean Reynolds called up to Triple-A changed the team in the final weeks.
“Our pitching is still holding up pretty good,” Randel said. “Our offense had been in a little bit of rut lately, but obviously something like this to pull it out keeps us rolling.”
The Smokies (35-29), the Chicago Cubs affiliate, are battling the Chattanooga Lookouts for first place in the North Division. The Lookouts dropped their first two games against Biloxi this week and the standings are now tied in that division.
The Blue Wahoos will continue this two-week road trip with a double-header Thursday at Smokies Stadium, following Tuesday night’s rainout.
written by Bill Vilona / Blue Wahoos, photo Angelina Alcantar / Tennessee Smokies
Response Plan Implemented After Florida’s First Chronic Wasting Disease Case
June 21, 2023
Following the confirmation of Florida’s first case of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in Holmes County, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) have implemented management actions and an executive order to protect against the possible spread of CWD.
As part of a response plan, the FWC will collect samples from specific established zones to further assess the spread of the disease. The results from this initial sampling effort will inform resource managers so they can respond with appropriate management strategies.
As part of the plan, the FWC will collect samples from specific established zones to further assess the spread of the disease. The results from this initial sampling effort will inform resource managers so they can respond with appropriate management strategies.
In an executive order signed by FWC Executive Director Roger Young on June 19, new actions include:
- Establishment of a CWD Management Zone centered around the location of the positive sample. The CWD Management Zone includes the portions of Holmes, Jackson and Washington counties north of Interstate 10, east of State Road 81 and west of U.S. Highway 231.
- The prohibition of exporting whole cervid (deer) carcasses and high-risk carcass parts originating from the CWD Management Zone
- The prohibition of baiting or feeding deer within the CWD Management Zone with limited exceptions
- The prohibition of rehabilitating or releasing injured or orphaned white-tailed deer originating within the CWD Management Zone.
FDACS management actions to date include:
- Heightened review of transportation permits for intra-state captive cervids to or from captive cervid facilities within the CWD Management Zone.
- Increased communication with captive cervid facilities in the CWD Management Zone.
- Quarantine of all captive cervid facilities in the CWD Management Zone.
- The Florida Department of Health has provided informational resources to all county health offices in the area and is integrated into the Unified Command to assist as necessary.
The purpose of these regulations is to help protect Florida’s white-tailed deer herd by reducing the potential spread of CWD within the CWD Management Zone and to other parts of the state.
Controlling the spread of CWD is difficult once it becomes established in a natural population. Because prions shed by infected deer persist in the environment, the best chance for controlling CWD is acting quickly after it’s been detected to prevent more animals from becoming infected. CWD can be transmitted directly – from animal to animal – or indirectly from the environment. Multiple management strategies will be employed to control the spread of the disease.
The FWC is asking anyone who sees a sick, abnormally thin deer or finds a deer dead from unknown causes to call the CWD hotline, 866-CWD-WATCH (866-293-9282) and report the animal’s location.
Currently, there is no scientific evidence that CWD can be transmitted to humans or livestock under natural conditions. However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention do not recommend consuming meat from animals that test positive for CWD or from any sick animal. The FWC provides information about precautions people should take when pursuing or handling deer that might have been exposed to CWD.
Blue Wahoos, Smokies Rained Out In Tennessee
June 21, 2023
Tuesday’s series opener between the Pensacola Blue Wahoos and Tennessee Smokies has been postponed due to rain at Smokies Stadium.
The game will be made up as part of a doubleheader on Thursday, with first pitch beginning at 4:30 CT. Both games will be seven-inning contests.
Pensacola’s magic number to clinch the First Half South Division Championship remains at two. They can clinch with one more win, or if Montgomery, Mississippi and Biloxi each lose a game. All three South Division foes were scheduled to play their series openers, meaning the Blue Wahoos could still secure a playoff spot on Tuesday pending other results around the league.
Wednesday’s regularly scheduled game will not be impacted by Tuesday’s rainout.
written by Erik Bremer
Tate Lady Aggies Present $27,755 Strike Out Cancer Game Donation
June 20, 2023
The Tate Lady Aggies Softball team has presented their annual Strike Out Cancer donation
The Lady Aggies presented a $27,755 donation to the American Cancer Society.
Back on March 31, Tate hosted the West Florida Lady Jaguars in the Strike Out Cancer game. During the game, the Lady Jaguars defeated the Lady Aggies 6-1.
Pictured top: The Tate Lady Aggies Softball team presented their annual Strike Out Cancer donation. Pictured below: The Strike Out Cancer game March 31 at Tate High School. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Blue Wahoos Fall In Finale With Biscuits
June 19, 2023
The Blue Wahoos stumbled to the end of their two-week homestand.
But they remained standing on the doorstep Sunday of clinching another half-season division win and securing a chance to defend their Southern League championship.
Trailing 7-1 in the eighth inning with only two hits in the game, the Blue Wahoos got a flyover from the Blue Angels, learned of Montgomery’s win, staged a five-run rally, then had the winning run at the plate in the ninth before the Mississippi Braves held on for a 7-6 victory.
A capacity crowd (5,038) – the third straight of the weekend at Blue Wahoos Stadium – went from silent to screaming in the final two innings. M-Braves’ top closer Victor Vodnik struck out the final two batters, Norel González and Griffin Conine, to strand tying runner Nasim Nuñez at first base and seal the win.
After winning the first two games of this series, the Blue Wahoos have lost four straight for the first time this season.
All was not lost, however.
The Blue Wahoos continued receiving help from the Montgomery Biscuits, who held off the Biloxi Shuckers 6-5 to win their series Sunday and set up a simple scenario.
There are six games left in the first half of the Southern League schedule. The Blue Wahoos need just one road win against the Tennessee Smokies when that series begins Tuesday to clinch the first half. The other three teams in the division – Biloxi, Montgomery, Mississippi – would each have to go 6-0 in series against North Division teams to avoid elimination.
The Biscuits, now in second place, trail by five games. But the Blue Wahoos hold the tie breaker in this case. The Blue Wahoos lead Biloxi by six games – the Shuckers hold the tiebreaker – so it would take six losses and six Biloxi wins against the Chattanooga Lookouts to change the South Division standings.
Same with the M-Braves, who face Rocket City and trail by 5.5 games.
The North Division standings are much closer. The Lookouts, the Cincinnati Reds affiliate, lead the Smokies by a half-game after Sunday’s results.
The M-Braves continued their winning formula Sunday against the Blue Wahoos. They jumped to a big lead on big blasts and put the Blue Wahoos in a deep mid-inning hole.
Four different M-Braves hitters smashed home runs against three different pitchers. That equated into 18 homers struck in the six games this week against Blue Wahoos pitchers.
Meanwhile, M-Braves starter Tanner Gordon, who was hit hard Tuesday, carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning before J.D. Orr’s single.
In the seventh, Cody Morissette drove in the first run after González walked and advanced on a wild pitch.
Trailing 7-1 in the bottom of the eighth, the Blue Wahoos produced five runs on one hit. Three M-Braves pitchers combined to give up six walks and a hit batter, leading into the rally. The Blue Wahoos finished with just three hits in the game.
But it took Vodnik fanning González, then getting Conine on a 100-mph fastball, to end the game and thwart the Blue Wahoos’ improbable comeback.
Blue Wahoos starter Jake Walters, making only his second start this season, struggled in four innings, allowing a pair of home runs to absorb the loss.
The Blue Wahoos will now begin another two-week road trip to conclude June, beginning on Tuesday against the Tennessee Smokies, who are battling for first-place against the Lookouts for the Southern League North Division first half title.
The Blue Wahoos will use Monday as a travel day for their longest road trip, an eight-hour bus ride to Kodak, Tennessee, located near Knoxville. They will finish the first half schedule with a six-game series against the Tennessee Smokies beginning Tuesday. The Smokies are the Chicago Cubs’ Double-A affiliate.
by Bill Vilona, photo Nino Mendez / Pensacola Blue Wahoos
NWE 8U Wins Cal Ripken District Tournament
June 18, 2023
Northwest Escambia defeated host team Poarch 13-4 Saturday to win the District 7 Cal Ripken Baseball Tournament at Arrowhead Park. Both teams will advance to the state tournament on June 30. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
