Three In A Row: Wahoos Beat Chattanooga
July 12, 2017
Pensacola Blue Wahoos starting pitcher called his nine strikeouts against the first 10 Chattanooga Lookouts batters “just another game.” But to all the other onlookers Tuesday at Blue Wahoos Stadium, his performance was impressive.
The 22-year-old right hander struck out a career-high 11 batters and the left fielder Tyler Goeddel hit a clutch bases-loaded double to left field as Pensacola rallied to beat Chattanooga for the second straight game.
Coming into the four-game series, Pensacola, the South Division first half champions, were 1-9 against Chattanooga, the North Division first half champions. The Blue Wahoos now lead the series, 2-1.
Pat Kelly said he was disappointed Lopez failed to get the victory. Instead, reliever Geoff Broussard got the victory striking out two in his one scoreless inning of relief to improve to 3-1 with a 3.58 ERA.
“It’s a shame he didn’t get the win,” Kelly said. “He really pitched exceptional, especially against that club. He dominated them. That was fun to see.”
Lopez said he has worked with pitching coach Danny Darwin to tweak his mechanics.
“I threw every pitch for a strike,” Lopez said. “I was just pounding the zone. I’ve turned things around a little bit.”
That’s an understatement. Lopez had a no-hitter through the first 4.2 innings before right fielder Max Murphy, playing his fourth game for the Lookouts, smacked his first Double-A homer just over the right field fence on a curveball.
Lopez tied his career-high of 10 strikeouts in the sixth inning when the hurler got Chattanooga first baseman Jonathan Rodriguez out to end the inning. He then set a new career-high of 11 when he struck out the Lookouts leadoff batter in the seventh, DH Andy Wilkins.
Lopez gave up just three hits and a walk. It’s his second strong outing in a row, after throwing eight scoreless innings in his previous start against the Biloxi Shuckers.
He credited Pensacola catcher Joe Hudson for his performances in both games, who directed Lopez to pound hitters inside, throw his breaking balls and elevate the ball in the strike zone.
“I love it,” Lopez said. “We’re on the same page. I trust him to watch the hitters for things I don’t pick up.”
Trailing, 1-0, Pensacola loaded the bases with one out to start the eighth inning. That’s when Chattanooga manager Jake Mauer called for his left-handed reliever Randy Rosario to face leadoff hitter Goeddel, who doubled in center fielder Gabriel Guerrero and right fielder Aristides Aquino to put Pensacola ahead, 2-1. Second baseman Josh VanMeter then hit a grounder to Chattanooga second baseman Ryan Walker who threw it past catcher Carlos Paulino to allow both shortstop Blake Trahan and Goeddel to score for a 4-1 Blue Wahoos lead.
Pensacola turned to Zack Weiss for the second straight game in the ninth inning and the right-handed closer earned his fourth save in five opportunities.
“We’re testing him,” Kelly said. “We’re testing his elbow to see how it feels. I think his stuff was better tonight (Tuesday). It’s a really good sign that he is able to go back-to-back.”
Meanwhile, Chattanooga starter Fernando Romero, who MLBPipeline.com ranks as the No. 4 prospect for the Minnesota Twins, worked five scoreless innings, allowed two hits, walked one and struck out five before turning the game over to Lookouts reliever Ryan Eades.
Former NBA Coach To Lead Bratt Basketball Camp This Week
July 11, 2017
The First Baptist Church of Bratt will host a basketball camp this week with a former NBA, college and high school coach.
The camp for children ages 8-14 will be held July 12-14 from 9 a.m. until noon at the church. Coach Roger Dutremble of Global Sports Outreach will teach kids the fundamentals of basketball and Biblical awareness.
Dutremble is a a retired coach and member of the International Basketball Hall of Fame. He career includes coaching at every level from high school to the NBA, and into international arenas, with a lifetime coaching record of 687-117 and seven national championships. He was selected “Coach of the Year” six times, and served as national team head coach to Belgium, Scotland, and Jordan. He was an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Lakers, serving under Paul Westhead and Pat Riley, from 1979-83 and helping the team to three NBA championships with players like Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
The cost is $45 per student with a limited number of scholarships available. The funds are used exclusively to purchase shoes and basketballs for needy children in other countries where Dutremble conducts camps.
The First Baptist Church of Bratt is located on Highway 4 just west of Northview High School.
Pictured: Students that participated in a previous basketball camp at the First Baptist Church of Bratt. Inset: Coach Roger Dutremble of Global Sports Outreach. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Register Now For Tate Youth Football Camp
July 11, 2017
A Tate Youth Football Camp will be held 5-8 p.m. July 17-19 at Pete Gindl Stadium.
The camp will be directed by Tate football coaching staff with assistance from Tate football players. It is an opportunity for youth to work on fundamentals, practice agility, run through drills and learn about being part of a team. No football equipment will be needed. Cleats are recommended, but not required.
The camp fee is $65 preregister online at tatehighfootball.com or $75 first day of camp (checks made payable to Tate Quarterback Club). Each camper will receive a camp t-shirt, daily snack and drink and a pizza party at the end of camp.
To download a camp brochure and registration form, click here (pdf).
Wahoos Top Chattanooga
July 11, 2017
In his fourth game with Pensacola, Nick Longhi knocked a high, deep game-winning three-run home run in the sixth inning that gave the Pensacola Blue Wahoos a, 3-2, victory Monday over the Chattanooga Lookouts in front of 3,689 at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
Te first baseman was happy to beat the Blue Wahoos nemesis. Pensacola, the first half South Division champions, are now 2-10 against Chattanooga, the first half North Division champions.
“I thought if it doesn’t get out, something’s wrong,” Longhi said. “I’m pretty excited about it. It feels great to do that in a new environment.”
Longhi came over from the Red Sox Double-A affiliate the Portland Sea Dogs where he had six homers, 33 RBIs and was hitting .262. He was ranked as the Red Sox’s ninth best prospect according to MLBPipeline.com. For Double-A Pensacola, he has one home run six RBIs and is batting .273.
Blue Wahoos manager Pat Kelly is excited about the Reds picking up Longhi, who he said is fitting in. Longhi admitted, too, that his new teammates have welcomed him. Kelly said he knew Longhi would be a good addition, after hearing about him play in high school in Venice.
“Nick is athletic enough he can play both left or right field,” Kelly said. “What a beautiful swing he’s got. He has always been a really good hitter.”
Besides Longhi’s clutch homer, Pensacola’s bullpen came through Monday. Blue Wahoos relievers Robert Stock, Carlos Gonzalez and Zack Weiss combined for five scoreless innings and didn’t allow a hit to Chattanooga, putting just two Lookouts on base on walks. The trio struck out five.
Stock pitched three innings, allowing one walk and striking out four, and improved to 5-1 with a 2.79 ERA this season for Pensacola.
“To me the key to the game was Robert Stock,” Kelly said, who also credited Gonzalez and Weiss. “That’s a nice one-two punch.”
Chattanooga threatened to tie the game in the eighth when shortstop Ryan Walker earned a leadoff walk, stole second base and reached third on a wild pitch with two outs. But Gonzalez struck out Andy Wilkins for his second K of the inning.
Pensacola started Rookie Davis, who made his second start for the Blue Wahoos after injuring his back and not playing for 47 days. The 24-year-old right hander, who started the season in the Cincinnati Reds starting rotation, didn’t allow a hit to Chattanooga through the first three innings.
However, Lookouts first baseman Andy Wilkins ripped a line drive to right field for a double to lead off the fourth inning. Chattanooga third baseman T.J. White came up next and ended a 4-30 slump with a long home run to left center, his fifth of the year, giving the Lookouts a 2-0 lead.
Davis worked four innings, gave up two runs on two hits, walked three and struck out two, and threw 71 pitches. He is 0-0 with a 5.00 ERA for Pensacola.
“I thought he struggled a little bit,” Kelly said of Davis, who is limited to 75 pitches by the organization. “He was battling himself which is part of the process of coming back.”
Davis admitted he was happy to be back playing in Pensacola, but was more critical of his performance than Kelly.
“I felt like I was fighting myself the whole game,” he said. “I know it’s only my second game back and I have to be patient with myself. I’m more critical on myself than I should be but to get back to where I want to be, I have to be hard on myself.”
For the Reds, Davis posted a 1-2 record with a 7.58 ERA in five starts and was sent down to the Triple-A Louisville Bats where he made two more starts before getting injured.
Amir Garrett, Sal Romano, Jackson Stephenson and Davis have all made their Major League debuts with the Reds this year after they all pitched in the Blue Wahoos starting rotation last year.
That comes as no surprise to Davis, who reported the 2016 Blue Wahoos rotation, including Nick Travieso, are good friends.
“It wasn’t surprising at all,” Davis said. “We knew it was just a matter of who would get there first. It was something we all knew was going to happen. A few of us thought it would happen last year. All camp, we were determined to make the club.”
Meanwhile, Chattanooga starting pitcher Dereck Rodriguez earned his first loss in five starts in Double-A, falling to 3-1 on the year with a 3.77 ERA. Rodriguez is the son of former Major League catcher Ivan Rodriguez, who was elected to the Hall of Fame this year.
Pensacola improved to 9-9 in the second half in the South Division and 49-39 overall. The Lookouts fell to 14-4 in the second half in the North Division and 56-32 on the season.
Cantonment Cowboys Football Registration Each Monday Evening
July 10, 2017
Cantonment Cowboys football is holding registration every Monday at the Cantonment Ballpark, 651 Well Line Road, from 5:30 until 7 p.m. The registration fee is $135 for ages 5-14. For more information, contact the Cantonment Cowboys on Facebook. Courtesy photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Blue Wahoos Drop to Chattanooga, 5-1
July 10, 2017
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos fell to 1-10 this season against its nemesis, the Chattanooga Lookouts, which has the best record in the Southern League.
Chattanooga padded its lead in the eighth inning with two runs on a bases-loaded walk and bases-loaded wild pitch to continue its domination of Pensacola, winning, 5-1, in the opener of the four-game series Sunday in front of 3,778 at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
The Lookouts improved to 14-3 in the second half in the North Division and 56-31 on the season, both of which lead the Southern League.
Pensacola dropped to 8-9 in the second half in the South Division and 48-39 overall.
Blue Wahoos starting pitcher Deck McGuire’s scoreless inning streak ended at 23.1 innings when Chattanooga first baseman Andy Wilkins doubled over the head of Blue Wahoos left fielder Tyler Goeddel in the third inning to drive in center fielder LaMonte Wade. The Lookouts took a 2-0 lead when third baseman T.J. White grounded out to shortstop, allowing DH Jonathan Rodriguez to score from third base.
Blue Wahoos McGuire gave up a double on a one hopper off the right field wall to Wade and a sizzling line drive single to center field to Rodriguez in the fifth inning. But the 6-foot-6 righty then got a strikeout and two fly outs to leave the Chattanooga runners stranded at second and third.
Pensacola manager Pat Kelly said he liked that McGuire kept Chattanooga from scoring.
“I thought he battled,” Kelly said. “He didn’t have his best stuff. He gave up a lot of extra-base hits. But he kept them off the board and gave us a chance.”
McGuire earned the loss and is 8-6 this season with a 2.78 ERA. He gave up two runs on nine hits, including four doubles, and walked one.
Pensacola second baseman Shed Long drilled a line drive down the right field line for a triple that drove in DH Nick Longhi to cut Chattanooga’s lead to, 2-1, in the fifth inning.
But Chattanooga scored two runs in the eighth inning to go ahead, 4-1. The Lookouts White scored when Pensacola reliever Alex Powers walked No. 9 hitter, catcher Dan Rohlfing. The second run scored when Pensacola reliever Brennan Bernardino struck out shortstop Ryan Walker for the third out but the strikeout pitch skirted by Blue Wahoos catcher Joe Hudson, who had no play, allowing right fielder Max Murphy to score.
Kelly said that Chattanooga has just given Pensacola fits, sweeping them in the first five-game series.
“They are a really good team,” he said. “They have strong pitching, speed, power in the middle of the lineup. They got about everything you could want.”
Chattanooga Kohl Stewart, the Minnesota Twins first round selection in 2013, has not had a losing decision since April 24. He worked six innings Sunday, giving up one run on three hits and a walk and striking out six. At one point, he retired 10 Blue Wahoos in a row.
“He had good stuff,” Kelly said of the Minnesota Twins eighth ranked prospect. “He had late action on his fastball. We weren’t getting good swings on him.”
Biloxi Rallies Over Pensacola
July 9, 2017
The Biloxi Shuckers rallied for seven runs in the bottom of the eighth inning Saturday to overcome the Pensacola Blue Wahoos, 11-6, at MGM Park.
Pensacola entered the eighth inning ahead, 6-4, and got the first two outs of the inning before the Shuckers mounted their comeback. Biloxi sent 11 batters to the plate and earned four hits, two walks, a hit batter and one error.
Biloxi second baseman Wendell Rijo and pinch hitter Javier Betancourt scored the first two runs of the inning when center fielder Johnny Davis singled them both in to tie the score, 6-6. Shuckers right fielder Michael Choice doubled in two runs when Betancourt and Davis scored to go up, 8-6. The final three runs scored when left fielder Clint Coulter smashed a three-run homer to left field, his 10th this season, that scored Choice and catcher Jacob Nottingham to make the score, 11-6.
Pensacola relievers Zack Weiss and Brennan Bernardino pitched the eighth. Weiss gave up six runs, one earned, and got the loss, while Bernardino gave up one run on the homer to Coulter.
The rally spoiled a good start by Pensacola, which had a six-run inning of its own in the fifth inning that gave them a 6-1 lead.
Blue Wahoos pitcher Keury Mella doubled to drive in the first two runs in the fifth. Third baseman Josh VanMeter singled to score Mella. First baseman Nick Longhi, who the Cincinnati Reds picked up from the Boston Red Sox seven days ago, doubled to center field with the bases loaded in his first start for the Blue Wahoos to drive in left fielder Tyler Goeddel, VanMeter and center fielder Gabriel Guerrero.
Pensacola starter Keury Mella gave up just one run in the first five innings but then gave up three in the sixth inning that pulled Biloxi within, 6-4. Mella gave up hits to the first three batters he faced in the sixth inning, including Dustin DeMuth’s two-run homer, his fifth of the season.
Mella ended up scattering eight hits and one walk over five innings and giving up four runs, while striking out five.
Biloxi relievers Jorge Lopez and Matt Ramsey held the Blue Wahoos hitless and scoreless over the last three innings and combined to strike out four. Lopez got both victories in relief against Pensacola in the series and is 5-6 this season.
Wahoos Win Second Straight Over Biloxi
July 8, 2017
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos added third baseman Nick Senzel and first baseman Gavin LaValley to its rosters to start the second half of the Southern League season.
All they’ve done since coming up from High-A Daytona Tortugas is deliver clutch hits for the Blue Wahoos, including each smashing solo shots in a 3-1 victory Friday over the Biloxi Shuckers at MGM Park. The victory captured the series for Pensacola, 3-1, with the fifth game set for 6:35 p.m. Saturday.
Senzel’s line drive over the left field wall was his second for Pensacola in 15 games. It gave Pensacola a, 2-1, lead in the sixth inning. The Cincinnati Reds first round pick in 2016 and top-rated prospect has now hit in nine straight games, including 10 of his last 11.
LaValley’s deep fly ball to left center field in the ninth inning was his third for Pensacola and the 18th this year. Ranked the No. 26 Reds prospect, he has hit in seven of his last 10 games.
Meanwhile, four Pensacola pitchers combined to work nine innings and allowed one run to Biloxi on six hits, one walk and 10 strikeouts. The Blue Wahoos bullpen combined to throw 6.2 scoreless innings.
Blue Wahoos right-handed starter Austin Ross pitched the first 2.1 innings and allowed the single run by the Shuckers before coming out of the game for Blue Wahoos reliever Robert Stock.
The 25-year-old Stock tossed 3.1 scoreless innings, gave up one hit and struck out four. Geoff Broussard relieved him with 2.1 scoreless innings, one hit and a strikeout. Closing out the game with his third save for Pensacola was Carlos Gonzalez who walked one and struck out two in one inning of relief.
On the mound for Biloxi was the Milwaukee Brewers No. 19 ranked prospect, righty Freddy Peralta. Peralta, who was starting his third game in Double-A, threw six innings, allowing two runs on five hits, a walk and he struck out eight. He is now 1-1 with a 3.68 ERA.
Biloxi’s only run of the game came when second baseman Wendell Rijo doubled in first baseman Dustin DeMuth in the second inning.
Pensacola is now 8-7 and a half game behind the South Division leader the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, whose game was postponed Friday because of bad weather. Pensacola is 48-37 overall.
Wahoos Top Biloxi
July 7, 2017
Pensacola Blue Wahoos pitcher Jose Lopez threw his best game of the season, tossing eight scoreless innings, allowing three hits, walking one and striking out seven.
Behind Lopez’s career-high eight innings, Pensacola defeated the Biloxi Shuckers , 2-0, at MGM Park. It was the ninth shutout win of the season for the Blue Wahoos, which have a Southern League-leading 3.01 ERA.
Drafted in the sixth round of the 2014 draft by the Cincinnati Reds, Lopez was promoted to Pensacola May 30 from High-A Daytona Tortugas. He has made five starts and two relief appearances since then in his first year in Double-A.
Lopez had five strikeouts in the first four innings and retired the last eight batters he faced.
The 22-year-old right-hander rebounded from giving up six runs on six hits and five walks in four innings in his last start against the Montgomery Biscuits. He is now 3-1 with a 3.86 ERA.
Pensacola reliever Zack Weiss threw one inning of relief and struck out two batters and now has two saves since rejoining the Blue Wahoos on June 30.
The Blue Wahoos scored its two runs on right fielder Gabriel Guerrero’s solo shot on a line drive to left field in the second inning. It was the 23-year-old Guerrero’s first homer of the season. However, the 6-foot-3 Guerrero, who leads the team with a .276 batting average, has displayed power, winning the Southern League All-Star Homerun Derby with 29 homers total.
In the fourth inning, Pensacola scored on back-to-back doubles by third baseman Nick Senzel and first baseman Gavin LaValley to go ahead, 2-0.
LaValley now has two homers 11 RBIs, five doubles and .280 batting average in 14 games with Pensacola. Senzel, the Cincinnati Reds top prospect, has knocked one homer, nine RBIs, two doubles and is batting .313. Both were called up on June 28 from Daytona and have batted third and fourth in Pensacola’s lineup since then.
Northview Cheerleaders Earn Awards, Honors At Auburn Camp
July 6, 2017
The Northview High School cheerleaders recently attended camp at Auburn University.
The cheerleaders competed into two areas on their final day of camp and won first place in the medium division for their “extreme routine” and received a “Superior Squad” award.
Throughout the week Northview received the spirit stick each night (four times) and blue and gold ribbons for each evaluation. Other personal awards included two “pin it forward” awards to Cloe Smith and Dalton Hamilton for outstanding attitudes, enthusiasm and work ethic. Two of the Northview cheerleaders — Gabrielle Kline and Bailey Spann — were named All-American.
Hamilton, as mascot “Big Weave”, also won first place in the mascot dance off, a leadership award and second place camp mascot.
The Northview High School cheerleaders are: Bailee Hinote, Anna Nelson, Celeste North, Bailey Spann, Shelby Bashore, Hannah Ellis, Gabrielle Kline, Jessie McCall, Olivia Seals, Madison Sherouse, Madicyn Bell, Karlee Criswell, Ashlan Harigel, Cloe Smith and Bailey Van Pelt, in addition to mascot Dalton Hamilton.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
