Northview Beats Blacksher
August 26, 2017
The Northview Chiefs opened their 2017 regular season at home with a 14-7 win over the J.U. Blacksher Bulldogs.
“It was a hard fought physical game. Two physical football teams, two disciplined football teams, two hard-nosed football teams,” Northview head coach Dereck Marshman said. “It really came down to we just had a six minute ball possession drive. Defense played lights out, offense was just a step or two away from really blowing this thing out. We had a touchdown on a string and it was out of his hands and they picked it off and returned it and that’s what they scored on. We had two hard-nosed football teams, two physical football teams, two young football teams that fought to the end.”
For a photo gallery, click here.
Marshman said he was mostly pleased with Northview’s performance Friday night in Bratt.
“I think (we need to improve on) just execution of little things, like I said we dropped a pass, we ran wrong a couple of times, but overall we’ve just got to continue improving each week on all our positions.”
After a back and forth battle the teams remained scoreless until the second quarter when the Chiefs scored on a four-yard run from Seth Killam. With a 2-point conversion pass to Tim Bush, Northview was up 8-0 heading into half time.
Then with 3:33 to go in the third quarter, Killiam was in from 33 yards out to make it 14-0. Blacksher answered with a touchdown for a 14-7 score. The Chiefs ended the game with a drive that lasted just over six minutes to end the game.
Next week at 7:00, the Northview Chiefs will host the Escambia Academy Cougars from just up the road in Canoe, AL.
“Next week is going to be a big game, Marshman said. “I haven’t really thought about it yet. They run a good program over there. It’s going to be challenging. They have great skilled athletes so we will have to see how we respond to that.”
For a photo gallery, click here. Cheerleader and band photos will be published by Monday.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Tate Aggies Roll Over Choctaw
August 26, 2017
The Tate Aggies beat Choctaw on the road Friday night, 49-21.
Choctaw took an early 7-0 lead with a touchdown on their opening drive. But the Aggies answered quickly with a touchdown from Shermari Jones to make it 7-7.
Junior quarterback Hunter Riggan found Alex Jones with a touchdown pass from near midfield, 14-7 Aggies. After another TD for a 21-7 score, Riggan was in on a QB-keeper for a 28-7 Aggie advantage. Tate advanced to 35-7 with a touchdown pass to senior Alex Young.
Up 42-21 at the half, Tate pulled most starters out in the second half as they went on to earn a solid 49-21 win.
Riggan had 252 offensive yards in the first half with 71 rushing for two touchdowns and 181 yards in the air for two more touchdowns.
The Aggies (1-0) will take on West Florida next Friday night at 7:00 at the Jaguars’ home turf at Woodham Middle School.
High School Football Scores
August 26, 2017
Here are area high school football scores:
Thursday, August 24
West Florida 42 Escambia 20
Friday, August 25
FLORIDA
Northview 14 J.U. Blacksher 7 [Read more...]
Tate 49 Choctaw 21 [Read more...]
Flomaton 36 Jay 7
Pine Forest 41, Pensacola 0
Washington 46, Milton 25
Navarre 56, Catholic 35
Gulf Breeze 36, Pascagoula 0
Fort Walton Beach 31, Pace 27
ALABAMA
Flomaton 36 Jay 7
B.C. Rain (Mobile) 34 Escambia County (Atmore) 18
Escambia Academy 42 Resurrection Catholic 21
TR Miller 41 Washington County 0
WS Neal 21 South Choctaw 6
NorthEscambia.com file photo.
Wahoos Lose One-Run Game To Jackson
August 25, 2017
Down one run to the Jackson Generals, the Pensacola Blue Wahoos had runners in scoring position in both the eighth and ninth innings but failed to advance them home.
Pensacola starter Jose Reyes gave up just two hits to Jackson but both led to runs and the Generals defeated the Blue Wahoos, 2-1, in front of 4,010 at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
The final game of the series Friday decides which team wins it, and Pensacola is seeking its 400th win in the franchise’s six-year history. The Blue Wahoos have won eight of 11 homestands this season.
“We’ve played well the whole series but a couple of one-run losses have been the difference,” said Blue Wahoos manager Pat Kelly.
Pensacola fell to 20-27 in one-run games this season.
Jackson scored first in the second inning when right fielder Kelly Dugan belted a line drive solo home run to left center. His 13th homer of the season gave the Generals a 1-0 lead.
In the third inning, Jackson added another run to go ahead, 2-0, when shortstop Vladimir Frias walked, stole second base and scored on a ground ball up the middle by center fielder Victor Reyes.
Pensacola got on the scoreboard in the sixth inning when left fielder Gabriel Guerrero, who won the All-Star Home Run Derby, smashed his seventh homer of the year to deep right center with two outs to trail Jackson, 2-1. All his homers have come in the second half.
Guerrero extended his franchise record for hits to 132 and is batting .284 on the year.
“That’s a long way in this ballpark,” Kelly said. “He’s hit the ball hard all year. I don’t think he’s changed his swing at all.”
In the eighth inning, Pensacola had runners on first and third with Jackson reliever Andury Acevedo walking two and throwing a wild pitch but he got Guerrero to ground out into a double play to end the scoring threat.
In the ninth, again the Blue Wahoos put runners on first and second with one out but Jackson reliever Joey Krehbiel struck out Pensacola right fielder Aristides Aquino and catcher Chad Tromp popped up to first base to end the inning and earn his third save.
“We had good chances with good RBI guys at the plate,” Kelly said. “They just made good pitches.”
Both starters bounced back from poor outings in their previous starts. The Mississippi Braves knocked Reyes out of the game after three innings when he gave up three runs on seven hits and two walks. Against Jackson, the Blue Wahoos righty worked six innings giving up two runs on two hits and two walks, while striking out five.
Reyes benefited from the Blue Wahoos defense turning two double plays that helped him face one over the minimum 12 batters in his last three innings.
Meanwhile, Alex Young lasted five innings, giving up seven runs, three earned on nine hits and two walks, while striking out six against the Biloxi Shuckers. However, the southpaw worked six innings Thursday against Pensacola and gave up one run on five hits and a walk and struck out six.
After giving up two singles in the first inning, Young with the help of a double play and a pick off got the next 15 Blue Wahoos batters out before Guerrero tagged him in the sixth.
The Blue Wahoos are in the hunt this season to win the Southern Division for a Southern League record fifth straight time at 28-31 and just 4.5 games behind the front-runner Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, who Pensacola plays to end the season.
Photos courtesy Barrett McClean Photography/Blue Wahoos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlage.
Wahoos Take Series Lead Over The Generals
August 24, 2017
Pensacola catcher Joe Hudson admittedly has struggled at the plate this season but drilled a two-out, two-run double to left field to help the Blue Wahoos rally for a 4-3 lead in the fourth inning.
Hudson’s clutch hit and the Pensacola bullpen led the Blue Wahoos to a 9-3 victory Wednesday over the Jackson Generals at Blue Wahoos Stadium. Pensacola leads the series, 2-1.
Hudson knows hitting .177 is not what he wanted to do this season. But the 26-year-old catcher is 5-for-11, or .455, against the Generals pitching this year.
“Getting a hit is a blessing for a guy like me,” Hudson said. “Taking care of the pitchers is the main take away for me.”
Pensacola manager Pat Kelly said Hudson’s average is deceiving.
“Joe has had some big hits for us,” he said. “He’s hit very well against Jackson.”
Jackson starter Frank Duncan was three outs shy of a nine-inning no-hitter in his last game against the Biloxi Shuckers. The big right hander then had a perfect game for 3.1 innings Wednesday against Pensacola.
“I was just hoping we didn’t get no-hit,” Kelly said.
That’s when the Blue Wahoos, trailing Jackson, 3-0, rallied for four runs in the fourth inning.
Pensacola center fielder broke up Duncan’s perfect game with a hard-hit line drive to center field. With the bases loaded and one out, first baseman Gavin LaValley smoked a grounder that bounced off the third base umpire, scoring Guerrero with Pensacola’s first run.
Blue Wahoos right fielder Aristides Aquino hit a bouncer to Jackson shortstop Galli Cribbs who tagged left fielder Josh VanMeter for the second out of the inning and fired to first but Aquino beat the throw. Senzel scored on the play and Pensacola trailed Jackson, 3-2.
With runners on first and second, Hudson doubled in both LaValley and Aquino to complete the comeback, giving Pensacola a 4-3 lead.
Jackson had jumped on Pensacola starter Austin Ross in the second inning, scoring three runs to go ahead, 3-0. It seemed like an insurmountable lead with Pensacola averaging 1.75 runs in its previous four games.
Ross is slowly returning to form after spending a month on the disabled list for shoulder tightness. In four starts the right hander has pitched 14.2 innings, allowed six earned runs, walked two for a 3.68 ERA and earned the win Wednesday. On the season, the 28-year-old improved to 8-0 with a 1.81 ERA, which leads the Southern League.
The franchise record is Tony Cingrani’s 2.12 ERA in Pensacola’s first season in 2012.
Kelly said he is still treating Ross as a rehab pitcher.
“We were concerned in that second inning about overextending him,” Kelly said. “His experience really helped out. He was one out away from finishing the fifth and getting the win.”
The first three Jackson batters reached base in the second inning when right fielder Kelly Dugan lined a single to center field. Jackson second baseman Vladimir Frias doubled off the wall in right center. And then, Generals shortstop Galli Cribbs, hitting 8th in the batting order and batting .197 on the season, doubled into the left field corner to score both Dugan and Frias. Cribbs then scored the third run for Jackson on a sacrifice fly by center fielder Emilio Bonifacio.
But relievers Robert Stock, Nefi Ogando and Andrew McKirahan combined to toss 4.1 scoreless innings on threeX hits, no walks and oneX strikeout.
Also leading Pensacola’s nine-run parade was Gavin LaValley, who had his first four-RBI game in Double-A, going 3-4 with a double and scoring a run. LaValley has three other four-RBI games in and a career high five RBIs on Sept. 4, 2016.
Additionally, Blue Wahoos center fielder Gabriel Guerrero increased his franchise record for hits to 131, going 2-5 with a double, run scored and RBI. Ryan LaMarre owned the record with 127 in 2012.
Hudson, who played for Pensacola last season, really wants another crack at playing in the playoffs.
“We’ve established a precedent of winning here in Pensacola,” Hudson said. “It’s hard playing regular season games when we know already we’re in the playoffs. Last year was a sour ending. I thought we were better than that Mississippi (Braves) team.”
Pensacola tied the Tennessee Smokies for the Southern League record of winning four straight halves. Tennessee did it from 2009 to 2011. The Blue Wahoos are in the hunt this season to win the Southern Division a fifth straight time at 28-30 and just 3.5 games behind the front-runner Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp.
Kelly is already resting up his everyday players and arranging his rotation so Deck McGuire, Jose Lopez and Ross can pitch the first three games of the Southern Division playoffs.
“We’ve had a big turnover player wise, but we’ve had good pitching and play good defense. We haven’t been an offensive juggernaut any of the past three years.”
Wahoos Lose To Jackson
August 23, 2017
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos let a game slip away when Jackson Generals left fielder Jamie Westbrook crushed a homer into Pensacola Bay in the eighth inning.
The game-winning home run gave the Generals a, 3-2, victory over Pensacola, which fell to 20-26 on the season in one-run games.
Pensacola had chances to add more runs Tuesday in the second, third and eighth innings but left six runners on base and went 0-6 with runners in scoring position.
After scoring 8.5 runs a game and hitting .294 during its five-game win streak, the Blue Wahoos have scored seven runs in its last four games.
“If I knew that I wouldn’t be managing in Double-A,” said Pensacola manager Pat Kelly when asked about the Blue Wahoos offense. “We jumped on them early but didn’t do anything after that.”
Pensacola third baseman Nick Senzel broke his 1-for-14 slump by hitting a high fly ball that barely sailed over the right field fence into Hill-Kelly Hill with second baseman Arismendy Alcantara on base to give the Blue Wahoos a 2-0 lead.
The 22-year-old, who was the second overall pick in the 2016 draft by the Cincinnati Reds, has belted 10 homers in the second half for the Blue Wahoos.
Pensacola drew 3,567 fans to Tuesday’s game at Blue Wahoos Stadium. The ballclub has 14 sellouts of 5,038 this season and has reached 267,230 total fans for the year.
To keep its streak alive of drawing more than 300,000 fans a season since its inaugural year in 2012, Pensacola must average about 4,100 fans in the last eight games of its current 10-game homestand.
Also in the crowd Tuesday was Hall of Fame coach Tony La Russa, the Arizona Diamondbacks chief baseball analyst. Jackson is the Diamondbacks Double-A affiliate. La Russa and Walt Jocketty, the Cincinnati Reds executive advisor to the CEO, took in the game together.
Kelly said he admires La Russa, the third winningest coach in baseball history, four-time manager of the year and three-time World Series champion. Kelly credits La Russa, then a White Sox manager, for advising him to take a pitching coach position with organization’s rookie league team in 1984.
“I’ve always looked up to him,” said Kelly, who has taken Pensacola to the playoffs three straight seasons. “I’ve read all his books and used some of his philosophies and incorporated them into my strategies.”
Kelly is trying to manage the Blue Wahoos to win its fifth straight half, which would be a Southern League record. Under Kelly, Pensacola is now tied with the Tennessee Smokies, which won four straight halves between 2009 and 2011.
The Blue Wahoos dropped to 27-30 in the second half and are 3.5 games out of first place in the Southern Division behind the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp. Jackson improved to 26-31 in the Northern Division
After the Blue Wahoos took the early lead, Jackson came right back to tie the game. Generals right fielder Kelly Dugan ripped a double over the center fielder’s head to drive in Jackson catcher Michael Perez to trail Pensacola, 2-1.
The Generals tied the game up, 2-2, in the fourth inning when shortstop Vladimir Frias smacked a hard liner into center field with two out to drive in Westbrook. Westbrook was 2-4 with two runs scored, a solo home run and RBI.
Meanwhile, in his last outing against the Mississippi Braves, Pensacola right-hander Keury Mella snapped a streak of 10 starts without a win. He failed to get his first win in 12 starts at home Tuesday but threw a season-high 103 pitches and gave the Blue Wahoos six strong innings. Mella, 3-10 with a 4.69 ERA, allowed two runs on five hits, three walks and tied his season-high with seven strikeouts — three Ks came in the fourth inning.
Wahoos Overcome Jackson 3-1
August 22, 2017
Pensacola Blue Wahoos left fielder Josh VanMeter seems automatic with runners in scoring position.
The 22-year-old came to the plate Monday with the bases loaded and one out in the eighth inning and drilled a ground ball into left field to drive in two runs, giving Pensacola a, 3-1, victory against the Jackson Generals at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
VanMeter’s game-winning single drove in second baseman Arismendy Alcantara and right fielder Gabriel Guerrero. Additionally, he is now 3-for-7 or .429 with the bases loaded with 10 RBIs.
Pensacola manager Pat Kelly liked VanMeter’s chances at the plate in that situation.
“I can’t think of a better guy to come up in that situation,” Kelly said. “Even lefty on lefty he got a fastball and pulled it. That was beautiful.”
The win was the first in the five-game series against Jackson and its last 10-games at home.
“Everyone dreams of being in that situation,” VanMeter said. “Those situations are always fun for sure. We know we’re in the playoffs but we’re still competing. We ultimately want to win the second half. Hopefully, we can make it five.”
Pensacola, which won the first half Southern Division crown, and the Tennessee Smokies are the only two teams in Southern League history to win four halves in a row. Tennessee did it between 2009 and 2011.
With Monday’s win, the Blue Wahoos improved to 27-29 in the second half and are 2.5 games out of first place behind the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp. Jackson fell to 25-31 in the Northern Division.
Pensacola right fielder Gabriel Guerrero crushed a bomb to left field to put the Blue Wahoos on the scoreboard first in the third inning, 1-0. It was his sixth homer this season. Plus, Guerrero went 2-2 with two walks and two runs scored for his 39th multi-hit game of the season.
Jackson tied the score, 1-1, when left fielder Jamie Westbrook, who walked to lead off the fifth inning, scored on a Vladimir Frias sacrifice fly to center field. With two outs, Jackson starting pitcher Joel Payamps hit a long fly ball to the warning track in the right center gap that Pensacola’s Guerrero chased down to prevent Generals right fielder Kelly Dugan from scoring from second.
Meanwhile, in his last five starts, Deck McGuire has chased his career-high 10 wins. But the seven-year minor league veteran left after seven innings Monday with the game tied, 1-1. His record remained stuck at 9-8 with a Southern League leading 2.63 ERA.
“It doesn’t matter as long as we win the game I don’t care who gets the win,” McGuire said.
The 2010 first round draft pick allowed one run on five hits, walked one and struck out six.
This season, McGuire also leads the Southern League in innings pitched with 157.1, is tied for first with 155 strikeouts and second with opponents batting .207 against him. It has led to a resurgence in his professional career.
“The biggest thing for me is being more consistent,” McGuire said. “I’m having a lot of fun. Hopefully, I’ll be in the big leagues one day.”
It also consoles Kelly to know McGuire will pitch every fifth day in Pensacola’s rotation.
“We know every fifth day he’s a guy who is going to get a ton of innings for you,” Kelly said. “He’s going to have 27 or 28 starts for us and he has taken advantage of it.”
Pensacola reliever Carlos Gonzalez got the last three outs for his fifth save in seven opportunities. In his previous three games, he was 0-1 pitching 2.1 innings, giving up two runs on three hits and two walks and striking out one.
Jackson starting pitcher Joel Payamps worked six innings and allowed one run on four hits and two walks and struck out five.
Photos courtesy Barrett McClean Photography/Blue Wahoos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Mississippi Downs Wahoos 3-2 On Walk-off Single
August 21, 2017
Thanks to first baseman Gavin LaValley, the Pensacola Blue Wahoos tied the game 2-2 in the top of the ninth inning.
LaValley smacked a sacrifice fly to left field to bring in right fielder Gabriel Guerrero but the Mississippi Braves loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning and shortstop Dylan Moore delivered a single to right field that scored pinch runner Joey Meneses to give the Braves a, 3-2, victory Sunday at Trustmark Park.
Pensacola won the five-game series, 3-2.
The Blue Wahoos fell to 26-29 in the second half in the Southern Division and the first half champions are 66-59 overall this season. Meanwhile, Mississippi improved to 16-37 in the second half and 50-73 overall.
For the second game in a row, Pensacola’s bats betrayed them. They were hitting .294 and averaging 8.5 runs a game but only earned four hits Sunday, after earning three the day before.
Mississippi righty Wes Parsons threw seven scoreless innings, allowing three hits, a walk and striking out six Pensacola batters.
The Braves led 2-0 when he left the game scoring a run in the second inning when second baseman Travis Demeritte doubled, his 17th of the year, to score left fielder Jared James, who had hit his sixth triple of the season, which tied him for third in the Southern League.
In the sixth inning, Mississippi scored the second time when third baseman Austin Riley singled on a ground ball to center field that drove in right fielder Tyler Neslony.
Pensacola finally scored in the eighth inning when second baseman Alberti Chavez grounded into a double play that scored center fielder Jonathan Reynoso from third base to pull the Blue Wahoos within, 2-1.
Starting for Pensacola Sunday was right-hander Jose Lopez who pitched six innings, allowed two runs on five hits and no walks and struck out six. He didn’t factor in the decision and is 7-1 with a 2.50 ERA.
Pensacola closer Zack Weiss, who has nine saves for Pensacola, blew his third save opportunity and earned the loss to fall to 2-3 with a 3.93 ERA. He gave up two hits and walked one in 0.2 innings of relief.
Wahoos Lose 4-0 To Mississippi
August 20, 2017
During its past six games, the Pensacola Blue Wahoos averaged 8.5 runs a game, scoring 11 twice, and hit .294 as a team.
But its five game winning streak ended Saturday, thanks to Mississippi Braves right-hander Touki Toussaint, who shut them out over seven innings allowing just two hits, walking two and striking out nine. The former first round pick in 2014 by the Arizona Diamondbacks led Mississippi to a, 4-0, victory Saturday over Pensacola at Trustmark Park.
It was the 13th game that the Blue Wahoos were shutout this season.
Pensacola was 3-29 at the plate in the game against Mississippi, with shortstop Blake Trahan smacking a double and third baseman Nick Senzel and catcher Chad Tromp each hitting singles. It was the 13th game that the Blue Wahoos were shutout this season.
Toussaint earned his first Double-A win and is 1-3 in four starts with a 2.05 ERA. The Atlanta Braves No. 15 prospect according to MLBPipeline.com retired 10 of the first 11 batters he faced and benefitted from a double play.
Trahan was the only Blue Wahoos hitter that Toussaint allowed to reach second base in the game when he hit his 15th double of the year to lead off the sixth inning.
Pensacola had already beaten Mississippi’s Kolby Allard, the No. 3 pitching prospect, and Mike Soroka, the No. 5 pitching prospect in the Braves organization
Mississippi scored three runs in the third inning to go ahead, 3-0, with two of those knocked in by catcher Alex Jackson when his single to left field drove in both left fielder Tyler Neslony and shortstop Dylan Moore. Right fielder Connor Joe then drove in third baseman Austin Riley on a line drive single to Pensacola center fielder Gabriel Guerrero, who gunned down Jackson at the plate.
Moore crushed a homer to centerfield, his sixth of the year, in the seventh inning to give the Braves a 4-0 lead.
Pensacola starter Jesus Reyes was replaced after three innings, giving up three runs on seven hits, two walks and six strikeouts. He fell to 1-3 with a 3.22 ERA.
Pensacola fell to 26-28 in the second half in the Southern Division and the first half champions are 66-58 overall on the season. Meanwhile, Mississippi improved to 15-37 in the second half and 49-73 overall.
Friday Night Football Finals
August 19, 2017
Here are final scores from the varsity portion of play from off classics in Florida last, plus one Alabama AISA score:
FLORIDA
- Vernon 21, Northview 6
- Tate 27, Pensacola High 3
- West Florida 18, Pine Forest 6
- Washington 10, Crestview 10
- Escambia 14, Catholic 13
- Baker 28 Jay 7 Varsity
ALABAMA
- Escambia Academy 39, Abbeville 18
