Walkoff Win For Blue Wahoos
April 29, 2024
written by Bill Vilona
The players raced from the dugout and a filled ballpark erupted in glee.
The Blue Wahoos couldn’t have dreamed a better ending to their only two-week homestand and one of their greatest Sunday crowd settings in franchise history.
Harrison Spohn’s bases-loaded ground ball found the right place, the throw home bounced away, and Jacob Berry scored as the Blue Wahoos pulled off a 3-2 walkoff win in 10 innings against the Biloxi Shuckers, affixing a bright bow on their fifth win in the week’s six-game series at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
“You just try to keep things simple,” said Spohn, who put the ball in play well enough that Shuckers shortstop Freddy Zamora had to make a tough throw. “When the game is on line, you just want to slow your heart rate down and just find some barrel and put the ball in play.”
That’s all it took. But that’s only part of the showcase this day became.
Nearly an hour before Sunday’s finale, the ticket line formed at the stadium box office. And it continued to swell. So much so, that more than 1,000 walk-up fans purchased tickets.
They combined with a massive turnout of school children and parents from the Blue Wahoos’ Kazoo Reading Program incentive where area kids could earn a free ticket by reading four books at their age level and get their teacher’s confirmation.
It created a spectacular crowd at the ballpark’s 5,038 capacity with kids filling the outfield berm area, the party decks jammed and the concourse area teeming with people.
“I think it’s the biggest Sunday crowd we’ve ever had,” said team president Jonathan Griffith.
The Blue Wahoos have now attracted capacity crowds in eight of their first 15 home games, including three straight capacity crowds to complete the weekend.
The hundreds of school children also created a special scene before the game when they paraded from the right field service entrance and did a lap around the field to build memories. There were also several large group outings for this gamef
The Blue Wahoos took a 1-0 lead without a hit in the first inning. Berry walked, moved around on a wild pitch and ground out, then scored on a second wild pitch from Shuckers’ starter Jacob Misiorowski.
Berry also had the game’s best defensive play. Playing in right field in this game, Berry threw out the Shuckers’ Ethan Murray, who had tagged up on a fly ball in the third inning that Berry played perfectly with a catch and throw to the plate to compete a double play.
The Shuckers then tied the game on a pair of hits and took a 2-1 lead in the fifth inning on an Ernesto Martinez towering home run into the berm.
After getting their first hit in the game on Cody Morissette’s fifth inning double, the Blue Wahoos kept the deficit at one run behind strong pitching and defense. In the eighth inning, Sean Roby led off with a single, then scored on Dalvy Rosario’s two-out single to tie the game.
In the top of the 10th, Blue Wahoos closer Austin Roberts pitched out of a two-on, none-out situation when first baseman Bennett Hostetler, converted from catcher, snared a line drive and stepped on first for a double play. Roberts then got Biloxi’s Mike Boeve to ground out to Hostetler to end the inning.
In the 10th, Berry started on second as the automatic runner. Roby singled to put runners on the corners. Morissette intentionally walked. Hostetler flied out. Spohn delivered and the celebration ensued.
GAME NOTABLES
— The Blue Wahoos’ April attendance finished at 63,195. It is the highest April attendance since 2014.
— Before the game, the Blue Wahoos players signed autographs for 30 minutes exclusively for season-ticket holders in a special event on home plate concourse area.
— Twelve different area schools from four counties had students at the game, part of the 30-plus schools the Blue Wahoos have visited since the winter in the Kazoo’s Reading Program.
— The Helen Caro Elementary School choir performed the National Anthem and a smaller chorus then entered the field to sing God Bless America in the seventh inning.
WHAT’S NEXT?
WHO: Blue Wahoos vs. Mississippi Braves
WHEN: Tuesday (April 30) Thru Sunday (May 5).
WHERE: Trustmark Park, Pearl, Miss.
Blue Wahoos End 4-Game Streak
April 28, 2024
written by Bill Vilona
The Blue Wahoos were unable Saturday to extend their week-long winning streak.
But the game wasn’t lacking for notable moments.
An overflow crowd, which packed the party decks and went rows deep on the concourse, saw the Biloxi Shuckers rally from a three-run deficit in the middle innings to produce a 4-3 victory at Blue Wahoos Stadium, ending Pensacola’s four-game win streak that was the longest of the early season.
Aside from that aspect, however, the crowd of 5,038 watched a 3-year-old boy who overcame a heart defect throw a ceremonial first pitch and an 8-year-old girl who survived a life-saving procedure take a “Home Run for Life” trip around bases.
It was that kind of special night, even without the desired scoreboard result.
The Blue Wahoos took an early lead in the game when loading the bases on consecutive singles by Zach Zubia and Sean Roby, plus a Cody Morissette fielder’s choice play with an error on a force out attempt.
Bennett Hostetler hit into a double play that scored Zubia, then a strikeout ended the inning.
In the third inning, Zubia hit a bases-loaded sacrifice fly to score Shane Sasaki, who led off with a single. Roby flew out to end that inning, and both of these early opportunities for big innings proved pivotal later in the game.
Morissette made it 3-1 in the fourth inning when he lined a home run inside the foul pole down the right line – a feat more pronounced with the wind blowing in from the bay at a brisk pace.
The Shuckers tied the game with a two-out rally in the sixth inning. They produced three consecutive doubles, the first two off Blue Wahoos starter M.D. Johnson, who otherwise had a solid night. He had two walks, three strikeouts and pitched out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the first inning with two big breaking pitches.
Reliever Jeff Lindgren relieved Johnson and yielded a two-strike double to Andy Yerzy that tied the game.
Back-to-back doubles in the ninth from Darrien Miller and Mike Boeve gave the Shuckers their first lead of the night. The Shuckers bullpen recorded four hitless innings from three relievers to seal the game. The Blue Wahoos’ Paul McIntosh went 2-for-4 as the team’s only multiple-hit batter Saturday on a night where Pensacola was held to six hits.
The teams will conclude this six-game homestand on Sunday with pregame activities and ceremonial first pitches starting at 3:45 and the actual game first pitch set for 4:05.
GAME NOTABLES
— Zara Spencer leaped onto home plate, excited for her “Home Run For Life” moment that thrilled the crowd. What seemed an earache worsened into an emergency room visit to the Studer Family Children’s Hospital at Sacred Heart. Physicians discovered she had a mastoiditis infection and an abscess on the brain. Zara was immediately rushed into surgery.
Nine days later, she was released and the life-saving procedure returned her life to normal. With family watching, the bubbly 9-year-old raced around the bases Saturday night in a heartwarming moment.
— On a busy Saturday with pregame activities, there were seven ceremonial first pitches, including a 3-year-old boy, Henderson Woods, who was born with a congenital heart defect. But he is now a normal toddler and had the crowd reacting his first pitch.
— Rachel Balkovec, the Miami Marlins new director of player development, addressed season-ticket holders in the first base lounge reserved for those with season tickets. She also took several questions from the audience. Balkovec, 36, an Omaha, Nebraska native, became in 2022 the first female manager of an affiliated MLB team when she managed the Tampa Tarpons, the New York Yankees Low-A affiliate in the Florida State League.
WANT TO GO?
WHO: Biloxi Shuckers vs. Blue Wahoos
WHEN: Sunday, 4:05 p.m.
WHERE: Blue Wahoos Stadium
Fitterer Produces His Best Start As Blue Wahoos Win Fourth Straight
April 27, 2024
Evan Fitterer had grinded through his first three starts this season.
Friday night, he shined.
After breezing through the first three innings without allowing a baserunner, Fitterer pitched out of a bases-loaded jam in the fourth and it proved pivotal in leading the Blue Wahoos to a 4-1 win Friday night against the Biloxi Shuckers, giving Pensacola a fourth straight victory and series-clinching outcome.
In a game played with the strongest winds this season – blowing in from right field off the bay at 15 mph – it breezed to completion in 2 hours, 26 minutes before a capacity crowd of 5,038 at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
“I feel like the confidence is up with everyone,” Fitterer said afterward. “Everyone is playing a little better and building off each other.”
It was Fitterer’s first win after two no decisions and a loss. Friday’s outing, a one-hitter in 5.2 innings with six strikeouts, no runs, reminded of many quality performances last season when he made 23 starts for the Blue Wahoos.
“It’s really good to get your first win of the year. It felt pretty good,” said Fitterer, 23, a Mission Viejo, California native. “I felt like I was locating the fastball pretty well. Throwing the changeup over the plate for the most part.
“I was working on the curve ball earlier in the week with the pitching coaches. I made some changes to that. I was little inconsistent there, but I’m really excited once I dialed that (pitch) in.”
The best curve ball he threw occurred in perhaps the biggest moment of the game. The Shuckers loaded the bases when Fitterer walked one batter and plunked shortstop Freddy Zamora – one of three times Zamora was hit by a pitch from two different Blue Wahoos hurlers.
“My confidence was still there,” Fitterer said. “Because to me, they had not shown they could still get to me yet. Bases loaded, or nobody on, I felt they still have to beat me, so I felt really good.”
It showed when Fitterer struck out Justin Dirden with a curveball and the Blue Wahoos carried a 4-0 lead into the ninth inning.
“That was one of the ones I threw right,” said Fitterer, a fifth-round pick by the Miami Marlins out of high school in 2019. “I’m like, I want to do that more often. That’s the one.
“I know I sprayed a few (other curve balls). I hit someone (Zamora) with it. If I get more consistent (with that pitch) I’d feel really confident.”
The Blue Wahoos took a 1-0 lead in the second inning when Shane Sasacki reached on a fielder’s choice and then stole second base. Sasaki had two hits in the game, scored three runs and had two stolen bases.
Harrison Spohn singled home Sasaki for the first run. Sasaki then scored in the fourth inning when Cody Morissette followed with a two out double.
In the sixth inning, Jacob Berry singled and scored on Sasaki’s double. Morissette’s second RBI single scored the fourth run.
In the ninth, Blue Wahoos closer Austin Roberts pitched out of a jam after the first two Shuckers batters reached on a hit by pitch and walk. But he struck out the final two batters after a balk plated a run to end the game with runners in scoring position.
WANT TO GO?
WHO: Biloxi Shuckers vs. Blue Wahoos
WHEN: Saturday, 6:05 p.m.
WHERE: Blue Wahoos Stadium
Battle Of Number Ones: 1A Northview Beats 5A Gulf Breeze 14-51A Northview Beats 5A Gulf Breeze 14-5
April 26, 2024
The 1A Northview Chiefs easily beat the 5A powerhouse Gulf Breeze Dolphins 15-5 Tuesday night in Bratt.
It was a battle of the number ones in their respective districts before district tournaments next week. Gulf Breeze is number one in 5A, and Northview is number one in 1A.
For a photo gallery, click here.
Jamison Gilman earned the win for the Lady Chiefs, allowing 10 hits and five runs (two earned) in five innings, striking out six and walking one. Mikayla McAnally took the save, allowing no hits and no runs while striking out three and walking one over two innings.
Gulf Breeze was first on the board with two singles in the top of the first inning.
Northview took the lead 3-2 in the bottom of the first, powered by a Chloe Ragsdale solo home run over the right field fence in her first at bat and a single from Riley Brooks.
Brooks, Ragsdale, McAnally, and Daviona Randolph each had multiple hits for Northview.
Avery Stuckey shined at the plate for Northview, going 3-4 with three RBIs.
Sitting at the top of 1A-District 1 Northview (20-3) will have a bye Monday in the quarter finals. Tuesday at 5 p.m., the Chiefs will host the winner of Monday’s game between Paxton and Central.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Jay Defeats Northview 7-2 (With Gallery)
April 26, 2024
The Jay Royals defeated the Northview Chiefs 7-2 Thursday night in Jay to end the regular season for both teams.
For a NorthEscambia.com photo gallery, click here.
Jackson Bridges was first on the mound for Northview, giving up seven hits and four runs in three innings, striking out none and walking two.
For Jay, Ethan McDonald surrendered three hits and two runs in four innings, striking out three and walking two. Jax Lowery went for three on the hill, giving up one run while striking out one and recording no hits and no walks.
Jax Lowery led Jay at the plate going 3-4, while Hayden Morris and Nick Baxley were 2-4.
At the top of the lineup, Grayden Sheffield was 3-3 to lead the Chiefs, and Bodiford was 1-3.
Both teams head into the 1A-District 1 tournament next week. No. 2 seed Jay (13-10) will sit out Monday with a bye, while No. 4 Northview (9-14) will host No. 5 Laurel Hill (8-11).
NorthEscambia.com photos, click here.
Blue Wahoos Power Past Shuckers For Third Straight Win
April 26, 2024
written by Bill Vilona
Much to his delight, Joe Mack has now impacted two teams before April is even complete.
Still in his first week with the Blue Wahoos, the 21-year-old catcher drove in three runs, highlighted by a two-run homer to straightaway center in the seventh inning, which proved decisive in Pensacola’s 6-5 victory Thursday night against the Biloxi Shuckers.
Taking on their alternate identity as the Pensacola Mullets, complete with uniforms and fan fun, it was a third straight win in as many games this week against the Shuckers (10-8), who started the week tied for the best start in the Southern League.
Mack, drafted by the Miami Marlins in the competitive balance portion of the 2021 MLB draft out of high school in New York, joined the Blue Wahoos (9-9) on Sunday from the Beloit Sky Carp – the Marlins’ High-A affiliate in Beloit, Wisconsin. He was batting .347 with 13 RBI and two homers, helping Beloit to a solid start.
This week, as members of the Marlins’ executive staff led by baseball operations president Peter Bendix were in town to check on the Blue Wahoos, they’ve seen Mack attack with offensive skills.
Rated No. 25 among the Marlins’ top organizational prospects, Mack now has five hits in the series with a homer and five RBI.
The towering, two-run homer that exited his bat at 106 mph and traveled 413 feet proved pivotal. The Shuckers dented Pensacola reliever Raffi Vizcaino for three consecutive hits and three runs in the ninth before Lincoln Henzman was summoned to get the final out and his first save.
But even that one was a loud out. The Shuckers’ Carlos Rodriguez laced a first pitch that third baseman Jacob Berry turned into a sensational game-ending grab to seal the win.
It was part of another big game for Berry, who has shown encouraging signs this week both with his bat and his glove. Berry hit a solo home run – a no doubt blast that traveled 447 feet out of the ball park and just inside the right field foul pole in the sixth inning. He also singled in the third inning.
The Mullets got their first three runs in the first inning. Tanner Allen led off with a double and scored when Paul McIntosh followed with a double. Mack then followed with a run-scoring single and scored on an error to give the Mullets at 3-0 lead.
Pensacola starter Valente Bellozo had a solid outing, working five innings, allowing four hits and two runs with seven strikeouts.
The series now shifts to the weekend on where the Blue Wahoos will try to get a series win with Evan Fitterer on the mound.
GAME NOTABLES
Peter Bendix, who was hired by the Marlins in November as president of baseball operations, reporting to team owner Bruce Sherman, visited with Blue Wahoos season ticket holders in the first base lounge. Bendix addressed a variety of topics and took questions from season ticket holders in a 30-minute session.
Several Blue Wahoos players worked Thursday morning on a community outreach project with Feeding The Gulf Coast at the non-profit organization warehouse location in East Milton.
WANT TO GO?
WHAT: Biloxi Shuckers vs. Blue Wahoos
WHEN: Friday, 6:05 p.m.
WHERE: Blue Wahoos Stadium
Blue Wahoos School Shuckers On Education Day
April 25, 2024
The Blue Wahoos created a textbook win Wednesday on Education Day.
With lefthander Luis Palacios delivering a turnaround performance, working six scoreless innings and allowing just two hits, the Blue Wahoos got enough timely hits and stellar relief pitching in a crisp 5-0 victory against the Biloxi Shuckers.
A crowd of 3,002, comprised mostly of elementary school students from schools across the region, enjoyed a special matinee game as the school calendar year winds down.
“With so many kids there, you want to make sure they have a good time and you do the best with yourself so they have a good experience,” said Palacios, 23, a Venezuela native, who is working to complete his own high school degree while learning English through the Miami Marlins education program for international players.
He spoke with aid from the Marlins’ Colleen Mitchell, the team’s director of player care and service.
“I’ve also returned to my high school studies with the goal of graduating by the end of year,” said Palacios, acquired by the Marlins as an International free agent in 2016. “So it was really special having all those kids (Wednesday) and having them enjoy watching what we do.”
After Biloxi’s second batter in the game, Mike Boeve, drove a pitch to the base of the right field wall that bounced free from right fielder Tanner Allen for a triple, Palacios settled into a groove. He retired the next 14 batters he faced in order and the Blue Wahoos built a 3-0 lead.
It was a far different outing for Palacios from his previous two starts, in which he allowed a combined 17 hits and 11 runs while being unable to get into the sixth inning.
“I feel really good,” he said afterward. “We worked and prepared for this and it’s always great when you’re able to execute the way you planned for.
“I think for me it’s always about maintaining a positive attitude and going out there and ready to attack batters and that is what I did today.”
At the plate, the Blue Wahoos (8-9) quickly got the schoolkids excited. Tanner Allen led off the first inning with a single. Paul McIntosh followed with a run- scoring double. Joe Mack, who just joined the team Sunday, delivered a run-scoring single.
In the third inning, Zach Zubia wowed the crowd with a booming home run over the left field wall. The ball traveled an estimated 407 feet and excited his bat at 104 mph.
In the eighth inning, Jacob Berry continued his progression with a leadoff double. Shane Sasaki walked and Cody Morissette hit a two-out, two-run single.
Three Blue Wahoos relievers followed Palacios as Matt Pushard, Adam Laskey and Austin Roberts followed with scoreless innings.
The series will now shift back to evening games as the Blue Wahoos take a 2-0 series lead against the Shuckers (10-8) into Thursday night’s game.
WANT TO GO?
WHAT: Biloxi Shuckers vs. Blue Wahoos
WHEN: Thursday, 6:05 p.m.
WHERE: Blue Wahoos Stadium
PROMOTION: Mullet Thursday. The Blue Wahoos will wear the Pensacola Mullets uniforms, taking on their alternate identity.
North Escambia Baseball Battle: Tate Gets Senior Night 8-4 Win Over Northview (With Gallery)
April 24, 2024
In the Baseball Battle for NorthEscambia, the Tate Aggies defeated the Northview Chiefs 8-4 in their first meeting in at least the last 20 years.
On senior night, Tate senior had a big day, going 3-3 including a double in the sixth inning.
Madox Land was 3-4, and Conner Hassell also had three hits for the Aggies.
For a photo gallery, click here.
The Tate pitching team of Nate Conners, Hayden St. Amant, Zane Warrington, Land and Neal Croom combined for the Aggies to allow two hits and four runs while striking out six and walking 11.
Jayden White took the loss for the Northview Chiefs, going three innings and giving up six runs and five hits while striking out one and walking one Aggie.
Dane King and Grayden Sheffield each had one hit and one RBI for Northview. Jase Portwood also drove in one run. Portwood was one the mound for two, allowing no hits, no runs, no strikeouts and walking one; and B Smith pitched one, surrendering three hits and two runs as he recorded no strikeouts and no walks.
Up next, Tate will take on Gulf Breeze at 7 p.m. Wednesday. Northview will round out their regular season in a big game at Jay at 6 p.m. Thursday.
Both teams were coming in with losses in their last game and have similar records as the regular season winds down this week. Following Tuesday’s game, 1A Northview is 9-13, and the 6A Aggies are 11-12.
Tuesday was senior night for the Tate Aggies, and they honored a big Class of 2024 before the game. Tate honored senior players Neal Croom III, Conner Hassell, Cole McNair, Gabe Patterson, Clif “Junebug” Quiggins, Trey Rebber, Hayden St. Amant, Ketch King, and Bray Touchstone. They also recognized senior managers Josh Murph and Jack Wallace.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Northview Lady Chiefs Beat Washington 19-2
April 24, 2024
Jamison Gilman drove in four tuns one four hits as the Northview Chiefs beat Washington 19-2 Tuesday in Pensacola.
Mikayla McAnally opened in the circle for the Chie’s, giving up one hit and no runs in two innings while striking out six and recording no walks. Daviona Randolph went two innings in relief, giving up two hits and two runs and she had three strikeouts and no walks.
Bailey Burkette and Braylen Shelley had two hits for the Lady Chiefs. Riley Brooks, Avery Stuckey, Kylee Langham, Mary Clayton Dawson and McAnally had one.
Northview will host Gulf Breeze Friday at 6 .
NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Tate Has Tough Time In Loss To Gulf Breeze (With Gallery)
April 24, 2024
The Tate Lady Aggies had a tough time Tuesday evening keeping up as they lost 13-0 to Gulf Breeze.
For a photo gallery, click here.
Jordan Smith took the loss for Tate, giving up four runs and six hits while striking out two and walking one. Peyton Womack went four innings in relief, surrendering five hits and nine runs while striking out two and walking seven.
The Lady Aggies had no hits and two walks on the evening.
Tate will regroup and look for a “W” Thursday at Choctaw,
In junior varsity action, Tate beat Gulf Breeze 10-2 Tuesday afternoon.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
