More Blue Wahoos Walk-Off Dramatics As Hostetler’s Game Winning Hit Decides In Tenth
May 10, 2024
written by Bill Vilona
Cody Morrisette gave Pensacola a big hit it lacked in the early innings to tie the game.
And then Bennett Hostetler followed on good fortune in extra innings to get a bigger one with a two-strike, liner hit to score Joe Mack for a 5-4 comeback victory against the Birmingham Barons on Mullet Thursday at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
Before a crowd of 4,116, it was this team’s fourth walk-off win in 18 home games this season
Talking on their alternate identity as the Pensacola Mullets, they rallied from a 3-1 deficit when the left-handed hitting Morissette, who played a big role in Wednesday’s matinee game win, went opposite field with an eighth-inning fastball he blasted over the left-field wall for a two-run, game-tying homer.
They again tied the game in the ninth on an errant pickoff throw that led to Jakob Marsee scoring from third base.
In the 10th, a wild pitch sent automatic runner Joe Mack from second to third. On a two-strike slider, Hostetler made perfect contact with a gap-liner to win the game.
“I was just trying to do whatever I could to get Joe to third, and once he got to third, just trying to put the ball in play,” Hostetler said.
It pushed the Blue Wahoos (17-13) to a 7-2 record in one-run games and gave them a lead in the week-long series against the Barons (20-9), who have the best record in the Southern League.
Marsee gave Pensacola a first-inning lead when scoring on Mack’s RBI single. But the Blue Wahoos stranded four runners in the first three innings, along with hitting in a double-play in the second inning against Jake Eder, who pitched for the Blue Wahoos in 2021.
Eder was part of the dynamic duo with former Miami Marlins first round pick Max Meyer that season. Both wound up with elbow issues. Eder’s injury occurred later that 2021 season and led to him missing all of 2022, then being traded to the Chicago White Sox in exchange for Jake Burger last summer.
Wednesday night in his return to Blue Wahoos Stadium, Eder survived a rocky five innings, allowing six hits, but just one run and struck out six.
Pensacola starter Valente Bellozo worked six solid innings. His only mistake was yielding a two-run homer to the Barons’ Wilfred Veras in the sixth inning. The Barons got another run in the seventh for a 3-1 lead.
In the ninth inning, Barons reliever Gil Luna was trying to protect a 4-3 lead when he threw an errant two-out pickoff attempt at first base that allowed Marsee to easily score the tying run from third. Marsee had reached on a walk, advanced on a wild pitch and moved to third on a two-out single by Zach Zubia.
Blue Wahoos reliever Lincoln Henzman was sensational in the 10th against his former team, stranding the automatic runner by recording three consecutive outs with a strikeout and two soft ground outs.
The Blue Wahoos will try take a two-game lead in the series with the fourth game of the series on Friday. Pregame activities and ceremonial first pitches will begin at 5:40 p.m. with the official first pitch and game start at 6:05 p.m.
Wahoos Get Education Day Win Over Birmingham Barons
May 9, 2024
written by Bill Vilona
When Cody Morissette was growing up in New Hampshire, some of his favorite memories were the school day field trips to take in a professional baseball game.
He was thrilled to watch two players for the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, Bo Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who are now among the biggest stars in Major League Baseball.
“It was the best trip ever,” he said.
On Wednesday, the Blue Wahoos second baseman dazzled in his own way to create some special memories for area kids.
Morissette followed a leadoff double with a steal of third base, then stole home, to ignite a 2-run rally in the sixth inning that helped the Blue Wahoos to a 5-1 win against the Birmingham Barons, thus delighting a crowd of 4,063 in a matinee Education Day game filled with thousands of area school children at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
“We don’t play many 11 a.m. games, so it’s a tough game for us to wake up for, but once we get out there… I remember being those kids,” Morissette said. “I’m happy to have all those kids in the stands.
“We all go out there and try to give them our best energy. Trying to give them a good show during the day. They take time out of their school day to come watch us play and hopefully we can inspire a few kids to want to do what we do one day.”
There were about 2,300 kids from 25 schools represented from five counties, including Baldwin County in Alabama, attending the second of two Education Days.
The first one on April 24 also resulted in a win that day against the Biloxi Shuckers.
They watched the Blue Wahoos (16-13) take an immediate lead on Joe Mack’s sacrifice fly in the first inning to score leadoff batter Jakob Marsee, who reached on the first of his four walks in the game.
After missing chances in the second and third innings, stranding seven runners during a three inning span, the Blue Wahoos provided a textbook way to manufacture runs. They took a 2-1 lead on Jacob Berry’s RBI single to score Paul McIntosh, who reached on an error and advanced on Nathan Martorella’s single.
That was part of another impact game from Martorella, who joined the Blue Wahoos with Marsee on Tuesday following the Luis Arraez trade between the Miami Marlins and San Diego Padres.
Marsee scored on a balk after Martorella’s single moved him to third. Martorella then drove in the fifth run on an eighth-inning single.
That was plenty enough production for the Blue Wahoos pitching staff, which has carried this team to its first-place position. Starter Luis Palacios allowed just three hits in five innings against the Barons (20-8). Three relievers, Adam Laskey, Anderson Pilar and Raffi Vizcaíno followed with scoreless relief, issuing just one walk and yielding three hits.
“This team we’re playing, we know they’re a good team, so we know we have to scrap across runs whenever we can,” Morissette said. “Especially (Wednesday), the pitchers were throwing it well, so we had to find a way to get a run across.
“Being able to hit a double (in the sixth), I wanted to make it easier for the guy behind me. I was able to get a good jump at second and take third.”
And then his steal of home was the second of his Blue Wahoos career and the seventh steal of home in franchise history. Marsee was on first base when the Blue Wahoos pulled off the double steal. Barons reliever Garrett Schoenle tried to pick off Marsee, who beat the throw as Morissette took off.
“We actually ran that same play last year in Mississippi when I stole home,” Morissette said. “And Smoke (manager Kevin Randel) said, ‘Start creeping (down the third base line) and as soon as (the reliever) picks over to first, take home and it was able to get my arm in on the slide.”
The third game of the homestand, matching the two first place teams in the Southern League, will revert back to a night game at 6:05 p.m. Thursday and with a unique twist. Former Blue Wahoos pitcher Jake Eder, a star lefthander from the 2021 season, will now be the opposing pitcher to face his former organization. Eder is 0-1 with a 5.18 ERA and will go against the Blue Wahoos’ Valente Bellozo.
GAME NOTABLES
— The Blue Wahoos’ Jessica Voigt, a group sales trainee, performed the National Anthem for the third time this season and received a loud ovation that included a salute from Blue Wahoos manager Kevin Randel.
— The schools attending this game were as far east as Bonifay and west to Bay Minette. In addition, the Bayview Senior Center had 27 of its residents attending the game and those fans sat right behind home plate and stayed through the hot weather to see the final out recorded.
WANT TO GO?
WHO: Birmingham Barons vs. Blue Wahoos
WHEN: Thursday, 6:05 p.m.
WHERE: Blue Wahoos Stadium
Blue Wahoos Foiled By Strong Pitching In Series Opener Against Barons
May 8, 2024
written by Bill Vilona
No team so far has been able to fully crack Birmingham Barons pitcher Drew Thorpe.
The Blue Wahoos were unable to do so, either.
Thorpe, rated the No. 3 prospect in the Chicago White Sox minor league system and ranked among the game’s top overall prospects, showed his command and calm Tuesday in his sixth start as the visiting Barons produced a 2-0 victory against the Blue Wahoos in a series-opening clash of the league’s two division leaders.
Thorpe (5-1) lowered his earned run average to 1.01 after allowing just two hits, two walks and striking out five in 5.2 innings. He was the New York Yankees’ second-round pick in 2022 after an All-American season at Cal-Poly where he set a school record with 149 strikeouts in a season.
He’s played a big role in the Barons’ (20-7) dominating first month of the schedule, which is by far the best record in the Southern League. The Blue Wahoos (15-13) entered with four wins in six road games last week against the Mississippi Braves.
A crowd of 3,682 at Blue Wahoos Stadium – the largest Tuesday crowd so far this season – again included a wide array of various dog breeds on Doggone Tuesday where people are allowed to bring their pups to the park.
The fans saw strong pitching and defense on both sides.
Neither team had a hit or a baserunner through three innings. Blue Wahoos starter Jonathan Bermúdez again excelled in his fifth start.
The only two pitches he didn’t locate exactly as desired left the ballpark.
After retiring the first two batters in the fourth inning, Barons catcher Edgar Quero blasted a fastball from Bermúdez over the left-center wall for the game’s first run.
In the fifth, the Barons’ Tim Elko led off with a moon shot over the left field wall on a well-timed connection on a changeup pitch.
That was the offense in the game. The Blue Wahoos bullpen had three relievers combine to pitch four scoreless innings the rest of the way.
Blue Wahoos newcomer Nathan Martorella, who joined the team Tuesday, had Pensacola’s first hit in the fourth inning with a two out double down the right field line. Martorella was part of a four-player trade of San Diego Padres prospects for Miami Marlins star Luis Arráez, a former Blue Wahoos player in 2019, who has won batting titles in the American and National League the past two seasons.
Martorella also had a hard out in the ninth inning, leading off with a ball driven deep to center that was caught.
The Blue Wahoos had their best scoring chance thwarted when Jacob Berry was thrown on in the sixth inning trying to score after tagging up from third on Cody Morissette’s fly ball to centerfielder Jacob Burke. But Burke’s one-bounce strike to the plate was a perfect throw to get Berry.
The Blue Wahoos had two baserunners for the only time in the sixth inning after singles by Jakob Marsee, who also was part of the Arráez trade, and Paul McIntosh. Martorella struck out on a high fastball from reliever Eric Adler to end the inning.
The second game of the series on Wednesday will feature an 11:05 a.m. start for the second Education Day of the season. The gates will open at 10 a.m. The broadcast will begin at 11:00 a.m. on Blue Wahoos.com/radio or the MILB app.
GAME NOTABLE
— This series-opening game Tuesday is one of 18 meetings – the most since the Blue Wahoos joined the Southern League – with the Barons. The Blue Wahoos will twice play in Birmingham this season.
WANT TO GO?
WHO: Birmingham Barons vs. Blue Wahoos
WHEN: Wednesday, 11 a.m.
WHERE: Blue Wahoos Stadium
PROMOTION: Education Day. The second of this season’s mid-day, matinee games will feature more than 2,000 area school children from schools in four different counties. Tickets are available for the general public as well.
Blue Wahoos Manager Kevin Randel Reaches Milestone In Series-Clinching Victory
May 6, 2024
written by Erik Bremer
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos clinched a series victory with a 9-1 win over the Mississippi Braves on Sunday. With the victory, fourth-year Pensacola manager Kevin Randel made history by moving into first place on the franchise’s all-time wins list. The victory was Randel’s 219th in a Blue Wahoos uniform, passing former manager Pat Kelly (2015-17).
After a rain delay pushed back the game’s start by an hour, both offenses struggled for early production. Neither Pensacola nor Mississippi scored through six innings. Blue Wahoos starter Paul Campbell (W, 3-1) and Braves starter Luis De Avila (L, 0-4) both turned in quality starts, but De Avila was the first to blink in the pitchers’ duel.
With one out in the seventh inning, Pensacola snapped out of a 23.1-inning long scoreless streak with a five-run barrage. Second baseman Cody Morissette’s single drove in catcher Paul McIntosh to break the scoreless deadlock. RBI singles from center fielder Dalvy Rosario, left fielder Tanner Allen, and designated hitter Joe Mack padded the lead.
The Braves’ only offense of the game came in the bottom of the seventh off a pair of Pensacola relievers. A bases-loaded walk to right fielder Justin Dean plated what would ultimately be the lone Mississippi run of the game. However, Pensacola lefthander Chandler Jozwiak forced a groundout to end the threat. The Wahoos piled on four combined runs in the eighth and ninth innings to put the game out of reach.
With the victory, the Wahoos clinched their second consecutive series win and the second series win in two meetings with Mississippi so far this year.
The Blue Wahoos return home on Tuesday for their first series of the year versus the Birmingham Barons. First pitch from Blue Wahoos Stadium is scheduled for 6:05 p.m.
Baseball, Softball Regionals: Here’s Which North Escambia Teams Are In, and Which Are Out
May 5, 2024
Here’s which North Escambia team are in, and which ones are out as regional baseball and softball tournaments begin this week.
Region 1-1A Softball
No 1. seed Northview (21-4) will host the No. 4 Freeport Bulldogs (16-8) at 6 p.m. Thursday in Bratt. District champions and No. 2 seed Jay (14-9) will host the Holmes County Blue Devils (14-13), at 7 p.m. Thursday. The winners will advance to the regional finals on May 14 at the higher seed.
Region 1-6A Softball
The Tate Lady Aggies received an at-large bid to the regional quarterfinals. As the No. 7 seed, the Aggies (15-11) will travel to Oviedo, Florida, just northeast of Orlando, to face the Hagerty Huskies (21-5) at 7 p.m. (EDT) on Thursday. Meanwhile, back in the Panhandle, the No. 1 seed and district champion Pace Patriots (23-2) will host the No. 8 Oviedo Lions (12-12) from Oviedo, Florida.
Region 1-1A Baseball
Thursday, No. 1 Central (21-3) will host No. 4 Paxton (11-9) and No. 3 Jay (15-10) travel to No. 2 Holmes County (16-9) in the regional semifinals. Both games are at 7 p.m. The Northview Chiefs (21-4), which beat Central 11-1 ina run-ruled semi-final game, did not make the playoffs.
Region 1-6A Baseball
In our area, the No 4. Pace Patriots (19-6) will host No. 5 Fleming Island (18-10) on Tuesday at 7 p.m. The Tate Aggies (11-14) are out.
Pictured: Northview and Jay district championship action May 2 at Central High in Allentown. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Mejia Silences Blue Wahoos In 2-0 Loss To Braves
May 5, 2024
written by Erik Bremer
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos were shut out 2-0 by Ian Mejia and the Mississippi Braves on Saturday night, managing only three hits in a quiet defeat.
Mejia (W, 2-0), who was roughed up by the Blue Wahoos in Pensacola on Opening Night a month ago, looked much sharper in his second turn against a similar lineup. The righty allowed two hits over 7.0 scoreless innings, striking out seven and walking only one.
M.D. Johnson (L, 0-3) took the tough-luck loss, turning in his best start of the season only to be failed by defensive miscues behind him. The righty went a season-high 6.1 innings, allowing only two unearned runs on five hits while striking out six.
The only runs of the game were scored by Mississippi in the second, capitalizing on an earlier fielding error by second baseman Cody Morissette to take a 2-0 lead on a Javier Valdes two-run single.
The Blue Wahoos had opportunities late, but went 0-for-8 with men in scoring position. Domingo Gonzalez (S, 2), who took the loss for the Braves in Wednesday’s extra-inning Pensacola win, bounced back by escaping a jam in the eighth and earning a four-out save.
With the loss, Pensacola manager Kevin Randel remains at 218 managerial wins at the helm of the Blue Wahoos. His next victory will make him the winningest manager in franchise history.
The Blue Wahoos wrap up their series and road trip against the Braves on Sunday afternoon. First pitch from Trustmark Park is scheduled for 2:05 p.m.
Fitterer Fantastic In 3-1 Wahoos Win
May 4, 2024
Written by Erik Bremer
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos beat the Mississippi Braves 3-1 on Friday night on the strength of a dominant pitching performance from Evan Fitterer.
Fitterer (W, 2-1) completed 7.0 innings for the first time in his Double-A career and allowed only three hits, scattering two singles and a double in a scoreless start. The righty took a no-hitter into the fifth inning for the second start in a row, and got 13 of his 21 outs on the ground.
The Blue Wahoos jumped on Mississippi starter JJ Niekro (L, 1-3) right away in the first inning, scoring all three of their runs with a trio of two-out hits. After Tanner Allen’s leadoff double, Joe Mack brought him home with a double of his own for a 1-0 lead. Bennett Hostetler and Sean Roby followed with RBI singles to give Pensacola a 3-0 edge.
The Braves pitching staff allowed only one hit after the first inning, but Fitterer was razor-sharp. Faced with a jam with runners at the corners and two outs in the seventh, the righty struck out Geraldo Quintero to end his night on a high note.
Austin Roberts (S, 5) allowed an unearned run in the ninth, but locked down his fifth save in as many tries with a hitless frame.
The game was played in a brisk 2 hours and 7 minutes, and marked the 218th managerial win of Kevin Randel’s career to tie Pat Kelly for the most in Blue Wahoos history.
Randel will go for the record as the Blue Wahoos continue their series against the Braves on Saturday evening. First pitch from Trustmark Park is scheduled for 6:05 p.m.
Jay Edges Northview 7-6 For District Softball Title (With Photo Gallery)
May 3, 2024
The Jay Lady Royals won the District 1-1A championship 7-6 over Northview in a close matchup at Central in Allentown.
The cross-River rivals played to a 6-6 tie in the top of the seventh when Brooklyn Sorrell scored the game-winning run on a single.
For a photo gallery, click to enlarge.
The Royals were first on the scoreboard with a three-run homer from Morgan Barrow.
The Chiefs’ Chloe Ragsdale had a home run to right field to score two runs in the bottom of the fourth.
Ragsdale was 2-4 on the night with two runs and two RBIs; and Mary Clayton Dawson was 2-3 3 with two RBIs to lead Northview at the plate. Jamison Gilman was 2-4 with two runs.
Avery Stuckey, Makayla Golson, Kylee Langham, and Mikayla McAnnally each added one hit for Northview.
Brooklyn Sorrells, Brett Watson, Kaylee Gilbreath, Kylei Martinez, Barrow, and Ella Nelson each added a hit for the Royals.
Jamison Gilman went three and a third innings for Northview, surrendering three hits and two runs as she walked one and had three strikeouts. Mikayla McAnally opened for three and two-thirds innings, allowing three hits and give runs while striking out three and walking two.
Layna Lowery earned the win for Jay in four innings, allowing 10 hits and six runs while striking out two and walking four. Caden Carroll was in the circle for three innings with no hits, no hits, no walks and one strikeout.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Jay Downs Northview 5-0 For District Baseball Championship
May 3, 2024
After four-and-a-half scoreless innings, the Jay Royals had five runs in the bottom of the fifth for a 5-0 District 1-1A championship win over the Northview Chiefs.
Jackson Bridges went six innings for the Chiefs, giving up five runs and six hits while striking out two and walking two.
Landon Golden earned the win for the Royals, surrendering three hits and no runs in seven innings, recording six strikeouts, and walking none.
Robbie Bodiford, Brady Smith, and Jase Portwood each had a hit for Northview.
Ethan McDonald went 2- with two RBIs and a run to lead the Royals at the Plate.
NorthEscambia.com file photo.
Pace Takes District Softball Crown With Win Over Tate (With Gallery)
May 3, 2024
The Pace Patriots won the District 1-6A championship with a 16-0 shutout of the Tate Lady Aggies Thursday in Pace.
The Aggies just could not recover after the Patriots had 13 runs on nine hits in the second inning.
For a photo gallery, click here.
Kata Balagbagan took the loss for Tate. She went one inning, surrendering two hits and three runs while striking out one and walking none. Jordan Smith pitched two thirds of an inning, giving up eight hits and 11 runs while walking two and striking out zero. Peyton Womack went for one-third of an inning in the circle, giving up two hits and three runs while walking three.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
