Wahoos Beat The Shuckers
May 16, 2018
Aristides Aquino belted a pair of home runs to help the Blue Wahoos even the series against the Biloxi Shuckers with a 10-8 win.
Pensacola and Biloxi traded runs in the first inning and Aquino put the Blue Wahoos back in front with a solo home run on the first pitch of the second inning. The Blue Wahoos rallied for three runs in the third to go up 5-1. The first three hitters reached with singles before Brian O’Grady ripped an RBI double down the right field line. Daniel Sweet scored the third run of the frame on a ground out from Nick Longhi.
After the Shuckers cut the score to 5-4, the Blue Wahoos rallied again with four runs in the top of the sixth. Aquino struck again with a two-run shot after Longhi led off with a single. After Shed Long singled home Chris Okey, Luis Gonzalez belted a ground rule double to score Long and cap the four-run sixth and stretch the lead to 9-4.
Pensacola picked up a valuable insurance run in the eighth inning to briefly make it 10-5 before Biloxi responded with a pair of runs in the bottom of the inning. The Shuckers got a run and brought the tying run to the plate in the bottom of the ninth inning, but Carlos Navas got Jake Hager to fly out in foul territory down the right field line to end the game.
Vladimir Gutierrez pitched 4.1 innings in the start for Pensacola. He allowed four runs on six hits with a season-high eight strikeouts. Gutierrez took a no-decision with Rafael De Paula (W, 1-3) getting the win with two innings pitched in relief. Adrian Houser (L, 0-1) gave up five runs (4 ER) on seven hits with three strikeouts.
Pensacola looks for its third series win of the season. RHP Wyatt Strahan (4-2, 6.75) will get the start for the Blue Wahoos against Shuckers LHP Kodi Medeiros (3-1, 3.34).
Century Little League Receives $3,000 Donation (With 8U Game Photos)
May 15, 2018
The Pensacola Sports Association made a $3,000 contribution to Century Little League.
The check was presented Monday between games at Showalter Park.
Pensacola Sports is a private not-for-profit agency primarily funded from revenues generated from membership and events. The group’s focus is education, inspiration and participation in various team, individual, amateur and professional sports activities.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Tryouts Set For Northview Summer Softball
May 15, 2018
Northview High School will hold summer ball tryouts Wednesday and Thursday for girls interested in playing softball. Incoming ninth graders through the twelfth grade are eligible. Tryouts will be held on the softball field at 3:45 p.m. For more information, contact Coach Holland at (850) 327-6681.
Eighth Inning Homer Sinks Wahoos, 4-1
May 15, 2018
Jake Gatewood belted a three-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning to give the Shuckers a 4-1 lead, and eventual win over the Blue Wahoos Monday night at MGM Park.
Anthony DeSclafani and Michael Lorenzen made Major League rehab appearances ahead of Jesus Reyes, the Blue Wahoos scheduled starter. Both dazzled starting with three perfect innings from DeSclafani. He struck out four. The game started with rain falling, and after back to back strikeouts in the bottom of the first the game was delayed for 21 minutes. DeSclafani returned after the delay without any issues.
Lorenzen pitched his scheduled one inning and worked around a leadoff single in the fourth. He struck out one without a walk and left the game scoreless.
Shed Long broke the scoreless tie with a leadoff home run in the sixth inning. Biloxi took advantage of a pair of errors to tie the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the seventh. Then in the eighth inning, Reyes issued a one-out walk to Corey Ray who advanced to second on a wild pitch. After a shallow fly out, the Blue Wahoos intentionally walked Lucas Erceg to set up a right on right matchup with Jake Gatewood. Gatewood launched a line drive home run just inside the left field foul pole which proved to be the difference in the game.
Reyes (L, 0-7) finished the final four innings and was charged with four runs, three earned, with three walks and four strikeouts.
Shuckers starter Zack Brown took a no decision after seven strong innings. He allowed just one run on three walks and five strikeouts. Quentin Torres-Costa (W, 1-0) got the win after working a scoreless eighth inning. Southern League Saves leader Nate Griep (S, 15) finished the game with a 1-2-3 ninth to nail down the win and give Biloxi a 2-1 edge in the series.
Pensacola will look to even the series on Tuesday night. The Blue Wahoos will send RHP Vladimir Gutierrez (1-5, 5.45) to the mound against Shuckers RHP Adrian Houser (0-0, 4.34).
Five-Run Sixth Lifts Wahoos Past Shuckers, 6-4
May 14, 2018
The Blue Wahoos scored five-unanswered runs in the top of the sixth inning to blast their way past the Biloxi Shucker 6-4 on Sunday afternoon at MGM Park.
Shed Long gave the Blue Wahoos an early lead with his third home run of the season, a solo shot in the third inning. Biloxi answered quickly with four runs over the next two innings. In the fourth, a single and hit by pitch set up Jake Gatewood’s two-run double to put the Shuckers up 2-1. Milwaukee Brewers top prospect Corey Ray belted a two-run, two-out home run in the fifth to make it 4-1 before the Wahoos rallied.
Pensacola answered in a big way in the sixth inning. Reliever Josh Uhen (L, 0-2) retired two of the first-three batters he faced before getting ambushed. Aristides Aquino led the charge with a two-run home run to left field. Brian O’Grady followed with a double to right-center field, and scored a batter later on Cassidy Brown’s first double-a hit. Brown came home with C.J. McElroy when Wahoos starting pitcher Keury Mella (W, 4-1) ripped a double to left field.
Mella was solid on the mound too. He was charged with just two earned runs, four total, over seven innings. He added seven strikeouts without a walk to earn the win. Robinson Leyer (S, 1) closed the door with two scoreless innings for the save to secure the win.
The teams meet in game three of the five-game series Monday night. Anthony DeSclafani is scheduled to join the Blue Wahoos on a Major League rehab assignment and get the start. He hasn’t pitched in a Major League game since 2016. Also expected to pitch is former Blue Wahoo Michael Lorenzen, also on a rehab assignment. The Shuckers will counter with RHP Zack Brown (2-0, 3.18).
Tate High Cheerleaders Host Universal Stunt Clinic
May 13, 2018
The Tate High School cheerleaders hosted an Universal Cheerleaders Association Student Clinic Saturday. The UCA Staffers taught new skills and techniques to the programs that attended. Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Tate’s Jacob Nowling Signs With Division II Carson-Newman For Football, Fishing
May 12, 2018
Jacob Nowling, a fourth generation Tate High School Aggie, has signed to play football with Division II, Southern Atlantic Conference powerhouse Carson-Newman University in Jefferson City, TN.
Nowling started playing football with the Cantonment Cowboys at age six.. He was coached by Jason Lassiter, Tim Barnes and Keith Moore in his early years. After joining the Aggies football team as a freshman, Nowling was coached and mentored by Coach Lindsey and Coach Williamson. Nowling was the starting center for the Aggies varsity team during both his junior and senior years.
While at Tate, he was also a member of the wrestling team, Tate FFA and Tate Veterinary Science Academy.
Nowling has also signed with Carson-Newman to be a member of the Eagle Angler Collegiate Fishing Team. He will pursue a degree in business. He said he is looking forward to the challenge of competing at the next level.
Wahoos Beat Birmingham In Series Finale
May 12, 2018
It looked like a long night was in store for Wyatt Strahan (W, 4-2) after the Barons scored four runs in the first two innings of the game. Instead, Strahan turned in one of his best starts of the year as the Wahoos came from behind to win Friday’s finale 6-4 at Regions Field.
The Barons’ start to the game was a microcosm of the entire series between these two teams. In the first inning, the Barons jumped ahead on a two-run home run from Zack Collins, and immediately doubled their lead in the second when Keon Barnum launched a two-run shot of his own. That marked Birmingham’s 21st home run against the Wahoos throughout the 10 games, which is exactly half of the total home runs allowed by Blue Wahoos pitching this season (42.)
But after those two innings, Strahan slammed the door shut on the hosts for the rest of his outing. The USC graduate retired 17 of the final 18 Barons before he was lifted, having completed seven strong innings for his longest outing of the season. He also did not walk a batter for the first time this season and struck out four.
After Taylor Sparks chipped in a solo home run in the second inning to put the Pensacola on the board, the Wahoos scored three runs in the fifth inning to tie the game at 4-4.
After an error and a walk, Shed Long laced a two-run triple off Barons starter Ian Clarkin (L, 3-4), and then scored on Luis Gonzalez’s RBI groundout. In the following inning, Gavin LaValley walked and then scored after Aristides Aquino crushed his third home run of the season to give the Wahoos a 6-4 lead. Pensacola tacked on a precious insurance run in the ninth inning after C.J. McElroy singled, stole a base, advanced on a passed ball, and scored on Gonzalez’s infield single to short.
The bullpen had to withstand some late-inning pressure from the Barons but held on to close out the win for the visitors. Carlos Navas hurled a scoreless eighth inning, which extended his team-best scoreless-inning streak to 9.2 innings. Alex Powers then entered the game in the ninth but was chased from the game after loading the bases and allowing a two-out single to Ryan Brett, which cut the Wahoos lead down to 7-6. Jody Davis then brought in Rafael De Paula (S, 2) to secure the final out, and after De Paula walked Collins to load the bases, he got Chicago White Sox top prospect, Eloy Jimenez to ground into a fielder’s choice to end the game.
Pensacola will continue their road trip with a five-game series against the first-place Biloxi Shuckers. Last season the Wahoos won 11 of their 20 matchups against the Milwaukee Brewers Double-A affiliate; however, the Shuckers will enter play 11 games above .500. Daniel Wright (2-1, 6.42) will take the hill for the Blue Wahoos in search of his first win since April 16th. He will be opposed by Thomas Jankins (5-1, 3.63), who suffered his first loss of the year in his last outing.
Top High School Athletes Recognized At Senior Scholar Banquet
May 11, 2018
The top senior student-athletes in each sport from Escambia and Santa Rosa County schools were honored at Pensacola Sport’s 2018 Annual Senior Scholar Athlete Banquet.
Stanley Dorion, Pensacola High School and Ellen Floyd from Catholic, won the overall male and female scholarships, respectively. The Pensacola Sports Foundation awarded each of them a $4,000 scholarship. Other awardees were Luke Racine from Tate High School (University of West Florida Scholarship), Jordan Mann from Milton High School (Gary McAdams Memorial Scholarship), Heidi Vega from Pensacola High School and Matthew Blalock from Tate High School (Whataburger Books Scholarship), Mary Middleton from Pensacola Catholic (Dr. Alec Kessler Memorial Scholarship) and Jacob Adler from Pensacola High ( Papa Jay Memorial Scholarship).
Additionally, Pensacola State College awarded 24 individual sport winners with a scholarship:
- Baseball — Bennett Shell – Pace
- Girls Basketball — Sadie Nix – Gulf Breeze
- Boys Basketball — Luke Stringfellow – Catholic
- Cheerleading — Jescie Roberts – Jay
- Boys Cross Country — Ryan Von Brock – Gulf Breeze
- Girls Cross Country — Ana Rodriguez – Gulf Breeze.
- Football — Darrell Hixon – Navarre
- Girls Golf — Frances McKernan – Catholic
- Boys Golf — Ty Aulger – West Florida High
- Boys Lacrosse — Jake Molina – Gulf Breeze
- Girls Lacrosse — Sara White – Pensacola High
- Boys Soccer — Justin Schubeck – West Florida High
- Girls Soccer — Carleigh Baerresen – Milton
- Softball — Megan Robertson – Milton.
- Boys Swimming — Coulson Barfield – Booker T. Washington
- Girls Swimming — Meghan Doyle – Booker T. Washington
- Boys Tennis — Michael Ennis – Pace
- Girls Tennis — Elizabeth Nowak – Catholic
- Boys Track — Keyshawn Helton – West Florida High
- Girls Track — Gabrielle Fountain – Pine Forest
- Volleyball — Dina Razek – Pensacola High
- Boys Weightlifting — Patrick Richardson – Catholic
- Girls Weightlifting — Haylee Watson – Jay
- Wrestling — Mathew Blalock – Tate
Schools in both Escambia and Santa Rosa nominate their senior athletes for each sport and submit the paperwork to Pensacola Sports. A selection committee made of educators, community leaders, and Pensacola Sports board members reviews the anonymous applications and select the best person’s credentials for each sport. Those are the individual sport winners. Then they select the overall male and female winners from the individual sport winners.
Tate’s Taylor Rouchon Signs Full Cheerleading Scholarship With Coastal Alabama
May 10, 2018
Tate High School’s Taylor Rouchon signed a full cheerleading scholarship to Coastal Alabama Community College on Wednesday. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
