Wahoos Win Over B’ham
September 5, 2016
This time it was Sebastian Elizalde who doubled in three runs with one out in the top of the ninth to deliver a second consecutive victory Sunday for the Pensacola Blue Wahoos in its last at bat against the Birmingham Barons.
This time, Pensacola won, 5-4, over Birmingham at Regions Field, after scoring four runs in the ninth on Saturday to beat the Barons 6-2. The Blue Wahoos have won four of the five games against the Barons with the final game at 12:30 p.m. Monday.
The Blue Wahoos entered the ninth inning Sunday, trailing 4-2, when pinch-hitter Phillip Ervin singled to third base to start the inning, catcher Joe Hudson hit a single back up the middle. They both moved up to second and third on a sacrifice bunt by center fielder Jeff Gelalich. Then Pensacola second baseman Alex Blandino walked to load the bases with one out.
That’s when Elizalde hit his bases clearing double on a fly ball to center field for the 5-4 lead. Elizalde went 2-5 with one run scored and three RBIs. In four games in the five game series against Birmingham, Elizalde is 10-20 or .500 with four runs scored, a double and six RBIs.
The 24-year-old left-handed hitter has had four-straight multi-hit games and now has 35 multi-hit games on the season to lead Pensacola, plus he leads the team with a .298 batting average.
Pensacola then brought in closer Alejandro Chacin, who was the only Blue Wahoos player named to the post season Southern League All-Star team, then sewed up the victory. Chacin earned his franchise record 30th save, striking out one in one inning of work. On the season, he has 75 strikeouts in 60.2 innings and is 5-2 with a 1.78 ERA.
Sal Romano, the hottest starter for Pensacola in the second half, tossed six innings giving up four runs on five hits and one walk. The Cincinnati Reds No. 17 ranked prospect had four strikeouts giving him 144 this season, which is good for second in the Southern League.
Meanwhile, Pensacola, which won the first half Southern League crown, improved to 39-30 (80-59) for second place during the second half, putting pressure on division leader Mississippi (39-28, 73-63) to beat the Biloxi Shuckers on Sunday.
Pensacola jumped out in front of Birmingham Sunday. Blue Wahoos shortsop Zach Vincej singled to center in the first inning to knock in Elizalde for a 1-0 lead. On the previous play, Pensacola center fielder Jeff Gelalich was thrown out at home when left fielder Brandon Dixon bounced back to Birmingham pitcher James Dykstra, who threw home to catcher Sean O’Connell to catch him.
With the bases loaded in the third inning and no outs, Vincej drove in his second run of the game for Pensacola when he grounded out to first, allowing second baseman Alex Blandino to score to put the Blue Wahoos up, 2-0.
Vincej was 2-5 with two runs batted in Sunday for his 27th multi-hit game of the season. He is also hot in the series against Birmingham, going 9-18 (.500) and two walks and driving in six runs for 47 RBIs this year.
However, Birmingham came back in the fourth inning when right fielder Keenyn Walker doubled, his 16th of the year, and scored when DH Courtney Hawkins hit a ground ball to third base. Barons left fielder Marcus Lemon singled to drive in Hawkins to tie the score, 2-2.
In the sixth inning, Birmingham then went ahead, 4-2, when first baseman Keon Barnum hit a sacrifice fly to left field that scored Barons second baseman Joey DeMichele. Lemon then hit a line drive single to center field to score Hawkins with Birmingham’s fourth run.
Meanwhile, Birmingham starter James Dykstra and reliever Colton Turner combined for five shutout innings. Turner pitched two scoreless innings, allowing no hits, while walking one and striking out three. Pensacola scored all three runs to win the game off of Barons closer Brian Clark.
UWF Football Rolls To Historic 45-0 Victory In Program Opener
September 4, 2016
The UWF football program got everything it could have asked for on Saturday in its first-ever intercollegiate game – 500 yards of total offense, a defensive shutout that held the opposition to 105 yards and a happy group of close to 200 Argonaut fans, including the university president.
UWF (1-0) got off to a slow start, failing to score on its first three possessions before a pair of 50-plus yard scoring drives to close the half put the Argonauts up for good.
Tim Bellinger scored from a yard out midway through the second quarter before Kaleb Nobles completed a 15-yard pass to Caleb Robinson just before the half ended.
Bellinger rushed 18 times for 101 yards and a pair of touchdowns to lead the UWF ground game, which finished with 288 yards and four scores.
The teams were set to start the second half but were sent back to the locker rooms when a lightning storm hovered over the area, forcing a 2 hour 15 minute delay.
When play resumed, the UWF offense went into overdrive, scoring on the team’s opening four possessions. Bellinger added crossed the goal line from two yards out, Austin Peffers drilled a 25-yard field goal, Daviante Sayles made the highlight play of the game when he hurdled an AMU linebacker at the 3-yard line and Ishmel Morrow caught an 8-yard pass from Nobles.
Chris Schwarz completed the scoring in the fourth quarter with a rushing TD from four yards.
Nobles finished the game with 235 yards passing on 21-of-29 and two TDs. He and fellow signal caller Grey Jackson combined for 236 yards passing and connected with nine different targets.
AMU (0-1) managed just 105 yards of offense and just two net yards rushing.
UWF will face Missouri S&T in its inaugural home game next Saturday. Kickoff at Blue Wahoos Stadium in downtown Pensacola is set for 6:00 p.m. Central time.
Blue Wahoos Score Four In Ninth To Top Birmingham
September 4, 2016
Jackson Stephens last start was, well, very un-Jackson Stephens like.
The Jacksonville Suns knocked him out of the game after 0.2 innings, scoring four runs on three hits and three walks. It was the 22-year-old right hander’s shortest start in his five-year minor league career.
He returned to the old Stephens with a quality start, throwing six innings and allowing two runs, one earned on eight hits, a walk and striking out seven.
Birmingham loaded the bases with no outs in the top of the sixth. Barons shortstop Trey Michalczewski singled to center, DH Eudy Pina earned an infield single to second base and first baseman Keon Barnum walked.
Birmingham catcher Chris O’Dowd then hit a ground ball to force out Barnum at second base. But Pensacola shortstop Zach Vincej committed a throwing error, his fifth error this season. Both Michalczewski and Pina scored on the play to put the Barons ahead, 2-0.
But Pensacola came right back in its next at bat in the top of the seventh to knot the game, 2-2. Blue Wahoos right fielder Sebastian Elizalde singled to center field with the bases loaded and two outs to score both Pensacola first baseman Eric Jagielo and right fielder Ronald Bueno.
In the eighth inning, Pensacola loaded the bases twice. With one out, Blue Wahoos third baseman Taylor Sparks was forced out at home for the second out. Bueno walked to load the bases again but Pensacola second baseman Alex Blandino grounded out to end the inning.
In the top of the ninth inning, the Blue Wahoos busted out with a four-run inning. Vincej singled to center with one out to drive in Elizalde to put Pensacola on top, 3-2. With the bases loaded, two more runs scored when catcher Chad Wallach grounded to Birmingham third baseman Marcus Lemon, who. threw the ball away. Both center fielder Brandon Dixon and Vincej scored to increase the Blue Wahoos lead to 5-2. Pensacola’s Jagielo then singled on a line drive to right field that drove in Sparks. Bueno then lifted a fly ball to Barons right fielder Keenyn Walker and Wallach tried to score but was thrown out at home.
Meanwhile, Evan Mitchell relieved Stephens and shutdown the Birmingham offense. He threw three hitless innings and struck out six. Mitchell, who was recently selected to represent the Cincinnati Reds in the Arizona Fall League, improved to 4-1 with a 2.70 ERA.
Pensacola benefited from the bats of Elizalde, Vincej and Jagielo. Elizalde was 4-5 with a run scored and two RBIs. He has 50 RBIs on the season and is hitting .296 on the year. He now leads the team with 34 multi-hit games.
Vincej also went 4-5 with one run and one RBI. He has 26 multi-hit games and lifted his average to .279.
Meanwhile, Jagielo got a hit in his fifth consecutive game, going 3-4 with a run scored and he drove in one.
The Mississippi Braves won their fifth straight game and remain in first place in the Southern League South Division. The Braves are 1.5 games in front of the Blue Wahoos in the second half of the season and would have to lose their last two games of the season, while Pensacola won their last two for the Blue Wahoos to add the second half title to its first half title.
Mississippi is 39-28 and 73-63 overall. Meanwhile, Pensacola is 38-30 in the second half and 79-59 overall.
Pensacola and Mississippi will play each other in the first round of the Southern League playoffs on Wednesday at Blue Wahoos Stadium. In the North Division, the playoffs match the Montgomery Biscuits, second half winners, against the Jackson Generals, first half winners.
Northview Battles To 21-14 Win Over Escambia Academy (With Gallery)
September 3, 2016
In a game that came down to a fourth quarter battle, the Northview Chiefs defeated the Escambia Academy Cougars 21-14 Friday night at Tommy Weaver Stadium in Bratt.
“It was a battle between two great football teams,” Northview head coach Derek Marshman said. “It was great football game, a fourth quarter football game up and down, back and fourth the entire time. It was a battle. There’s no other way to describe it. It was a battle.”
The Chiefs have now won two of three games this year, both of them second half shutouts.
For a photo gallery, click here
Luke Ward, freshman Jeremiah Woods, Hunter Edwards and Neikel Robinson were the Chiefs’ offensive standouts of the night, Marshman said.
“Jacob Weaver was just huge for us defensively,” he said. Weaver was injured during the game, suffering a shattered arm that will require surgery on Saturday. “He really holds it down for us in the middle. That was a big loss for us.”
Next week, the 1A Chiefs travel to take on the 6A Dolphins of Gulf Breeze.
“Next week it’s going to be the same mentality. They are a good football team; they area big school. But we can’t think of it that way. They will put 11 on the field; we have to put 11 on the field. I’ve heard they have the best quarterback in the area, but I’d argue with that with our guy,” Marshman said. “It’s going to be another battle.
For a photo gallery, click here. (Additional photos later this weekend from the bands, cheerleaders, mini-cheerleaders and more.)
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Tate Beats West Florida (With Photo Gallery)
September 3, 2016
For the third consecutive year, the Tate Aggies defeated the West Florida Jaguars Friday night.
West Florida jumped out to a 14-0 lead by the end of the first quarter. In the second, Tate’s Corey Moorer, a senior, scored the first of his three touchdowns with 8:29 to go in the half. Moorer added his second TD with 1:59 in the second to tie it up at 14-14.
The Aggies added another touchdown from Moorer with 39 second to go in the half for a 21-14 lead.
In the second half, the Aggies Ladarryl Paige scored twice in the third quarter for a 35-21 Aggie advantage headed into the fourth. Tate added one more touchdown with a quarterback keeper from Jake Henry with 9:30 to go in the ballgame.
The Tate Aggies will host West Gadsden next Friday night for homecoming.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
Friday Night Football Scores
September 3, 2016
Here is a look at final scores from tonight’s high school football games across the North Escambia area.
FLORIDA
Northview 21 Escambia Academy 14
Tate 42 West Florida 28
Resurrection Catholic 46 Jay 0
Pine Forest 46 Choctaw 10
Navarre 36 Washington 20
Niceville 30, Escambia 6
Pace 36 PHS 19
Gulf Breeze 36, Catholic 21
Milton 26 Lake Area New Tech 25 OT
Baker 21 Blountstown 18
South Walton 12 Walton 6
ALABAMA
Northview 21 Escambia Academy 14
Hillcrest Evergreen 19, Flomaton 13
UMS Wright 54 Escambia County 0
Thomasville 26 W.S. Neal 20
T.R. Miller 55 Cottage Hill Christian 27
Laurel Hill Defeats Northview (With Gallery)
September 2, 2016
Laurel Hill earned a 3-0 win over Northview Thursday evening in Bratt in varsity volleyball action.
Varsity 12-25, 17-25, 24-26 Laurel Hill wins
Laurel Hill also defeated Northview in junior varsity action.
JV 22-25, 25-22, 8-15 Laurel Hill wins
The Lady Chiefs are on the road next Tuesday against T.R. Miller, and back home next Thursday as they host Jay.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge
Wahoos Beat Birmingham
September 2, 2016
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos have won six of its last seven games and are just 1.5 games behind the Mississippi Braves in the race for the second half title in the Southern League South Division.
After beating the Birmingham Barons, 11-8, Thursday at Regions Field there are just four games left in the season for Pensacola to try and overtake the Braves.
Mississippi also won Thursday and is 37-28 in the second half, while Pensacola, which won the first half to qualify for the playoffs, is 36-30.
Both Pensacola and Birmingham slugged 15 hits in Thursday’s game that featured 19 combined runs. Six of the Blue Wahoos nine hitters had multi-hit games.
Blue Wahoos catcher Chad Wallach led the way going 3-5 with two runs scored. DH Brandon Dixon also continued his hot streak going 2-5 with a triple, his first of the year, and a double. He scored twice and drove in a run, his 65th of the season, which leads Pensacola.
The offensive outburst started when Dixon tripled to leadoff the second inning and scored when Pensacola third baseman Taylor Sparks grounded out to shortstop to put the Blue Wahoos ahead, 1-0. Pensacola went up, 3-0, when centerfield Jeff Gelalich doubled with two outs to score both Pensacola first baseman Eric Jagielo and Wallach.
Birmingham shortstop Trey Michalczewski’s doubled to left field in the third inning to drive in right fielder Keenyn Walker to pull the Barons within, 3-1. Birmingham DH Eudy Pina then grounded out to shortstop to allow shortstop Joey DeMichele to make the score, 3-2.
In the fourth inning, Birmingham went ahead, 6-3, when centerfield Hunter Jones singled to right field to drive in third baseman Ryan Leonards to knot the score, 3-3. Birmingham went ahead, 6-3, when left fielder Courtney Hawkins hit a two-out, three-run homer to left field that also brought in Jones and Walker.
In the top of the fifth inning, Zach Vincej lined a single to center field to drive in both second baseman Alex Blandino and left fielder Phillip Ervin to pull Pensacola within, 6-5, of the Barons.
Pensacola finally took the lead for good, 10-6, when it scored five runs in the top of the sixth inning with two outs. Ervin singled to right field to drive in Wallach and tie the game, 6-6. Right fielder Sebastian Elizalde singled to right field to score Alex Blandino and put Pensacola ahead, 7-6. Dixon then doubled, his 23rd of the season, to left field to score Ervin and put the Blue Wahoos up, 8-6. Vincej singled to right field to score both Elizalde and Dixon for a 10-6 Pensacola lead.
Pensacola added an insurance run when Gelalich hit a line drive to right field for a solo homer, his second of the season, in the seventh inning to put the Blue Wahoos up, 11-6.
Birmingham did get the run back in the bottom of the seventh when right fielder Keon Barnum hit a solo shot to right center field to make it a 11-7 game in Pensacola’s favor.
Hawkins then hit a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the eighth to score Jones for the final run of the game but the Barons still trailed Pensacola, 11-8.
Cheerleaders Selling Smoked Boston Butts
September 1, 2016
Five Ernest Ward Middle School UCA All American cheerleaders are raising funds to cheer in this year’s Thanksgiving parade at Disney in Orlando.
They are selling smoked Boston butts for $35. They can be picked up at the Bradberry Ballpark in Walnut Hill on Saturday, September 3 from noon until 1 p.m. To order, call (850) 292-7972.
Wahoos Drop Series Finale To Jacksonville Sons
September 1, 2016
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos head into its last five games Thursday against the Birmingham Barons, chasing the Mississippi Braves for the Southern League South Division second half title.
After winning the first four games of the series against visiting Jacksonville, the Suns picked up a win in the finale, 4-1, in front of 4,277 at Blue Wahoos Stadium. Pensacola reached 302,340 in attendance for the season, which is the fifth straight year it surpassed 300,000 since its inaugural year in 2012.
Pensacola, which already captured the first half winning a franchise record 41 games, is 1.5 games behind Mississippi, which defeated the Chattanooga Lookouts, 6-2. The Braves are 36-28 (70-63), while Pensacola dropped to 35-30 (76-58).
Blue Wahoos manager Pat Kelly congratulated the Blue Wahoos fans and its front office on drawing more than 300,000 fans for five consecutive seasons.
“That’s a great accomplishment,” Kelly said. “Usually, you have a honeymoon period because it’s the new thing in town. This has been great.”
The highlight for Pensacola fans besides the attendance was Pensacola second baseman Brandon Dixon hitting a bullet over the right field fence in the sixth inning for his second homer in the five-game series.
The solo shot was his 16th of the season, which is fourth in the Southern League. With five games left in the season, Dixon is one behind the franchise record of 17 homers clobbered by outfielder Juan Duran in 2014.
Kelly said Dixon, who went 3-4 and is hitting .373 in August to lift his season average to .265, liked watching the home run rocket over the right field fence. He’s also liked being able to play Dixon in all three outfield positions and second and first base.
“That’s a great sign, if he can hit a ball to right field like that,” Kelly said.
Pensacola Blue Wahoos starter Nick Travieso started the game out strong walking one to start the game and then retiring the next six batters with two strikeouts.
However, the Jacksonville Suns scored four runs on five hits and a walk, sending all nine batters to the plate. The first two runs scored when Jacksonville left fielder Austin Dean doubled into the left field corner. Suns second baseman Derek Dietrich, doing a MLB rehab, scored when center fielder Kenny Wilson grounded out to second. Jacksonville first baseman Chris Curley then singled to left field to score third baseman Brian Anderson to put the Suns up, 4-0.
Travieso developed bronchitis and has had trouble breathing. He stopped the game with two outs in the fourth inning and threw a warm up pitch for Pensacola manager Pat Kelly, pitching coach Danny Darwin and trainer Tyler Moos. He then struck out Dietrich to end the inning.
“He couldn’t catch his breath and panicked a little bit,” Kelly said. “We got him to relax. “He just had that one bad inning.”
Travieso, who struck out seven over six innings, lost the game, dropping to 4-7 with a 4.10 ERA. He last won July 8 against the Mobile BayBears when he threw a two hitter in six scoreless innings.
Kelly said he’s been resting his starters the past two weeks in preparation for the playoffs. He said he will make adjustments in the last series of the season against Birmingham to get ready.
“If we win (the division) great, if not we at least get the first two games at home,” Kelly said. “To me, this is the time to ramp up and get ready for the playoffs.”