Wahoos Win 5th Series Of The Season
May 13, 2016
Pensacola Blue Wahoos first baseman Donald Lutz took out some of his frustrations at the plate against Chattanooga this series at AT&T Field.
Lutz went 2-4 and drove in three runs and stole a base, as Pensacola clinched the five-game series with a 5-4, victory Thursday that was delayed by rain an hour and 20 minutes in the bottom of the sixth inning.
The Blue Wahoos clinched the series to move to 5-2 this season. However, the Blue Wahoos are still chasing the Biloxi Shuckers, who over took them April 19. The Shuckers came from behind to beat the Jacksonville Suns, 8-6, Thursday and now are 21-12. Meanwhile, Pensacola improved to 21-13, a half-game behind the Shuckers.
In two games against Chattanooga this series, Lutz has feasted on the Lookouts pitchers going 4-8 with two doubles and raising his average to a season-high .200. Lutz, who is recovering from Tommy John surgery, has one homer and 11 runs batted in this season and it was his second three RBI game of the year.
He drove in the go-ahead runs in the fifth inning when he singled up the middle to score second baseman Zach Vincej and third baseman Alex Blandino, which put Pensacola on top, 4-1.
Chattanooga scored two in the bottom of the fifth inning to make it a 4-3 game. The No. 8 hitter Stuart Turner and the No. 9 hitter Shannon Wilkerson hit back-to-back solo shots to left field off of Pensacola starter Nick Travieso.
Pensacola added a run in the top of the sixth inning when Vincej hit a soft grounder to shortstop to score Blue Wahoos catcher Chad Wallach for a 5-3 lead.
Chattanooga went up, 1-0, in the first when Ryan Walker singled to center field to score Zach Granite.
The Blue Wahoos then came back to take the lead, 2-1, by scoring in the second and third innings. In the second, Wallach grounded into a double play that scored Pensacola right fielder Brandon Dixon. In the third inning, Lutz hit a sacrifice fly to center to score Vincej.
Pensacola starting pitcher Travieso, the Cincinnati Reds No. 7 prospect according to Baseball America, allowed three earned runs on five hits and three walks in 5.1 innings, while striking out five. In his longest outing of the season, he improved to 2-2 with a 5.96 ERA.
Bottom of the sixth inning Travieso struck out second baseman Levi Michael and then walked D.J. Hicks. As he was being replaced by Pensacola reliever Barrett Astin, it started to rain at about 8:30 p.m. and the game was finally resumed at 9:50 p.m. Thursday.
Pensacola shortstop Calten Daal went 1-4 to push his hitting streak to 11 games. He is hitting .425 (17-40) in 11 games.
In addition, Tony Renda, who batted leadoff and played left field, was 1-5 to extend his hitting streak to 11 games. His batting average is now .317 on the season.
Flomaton’s Andrew Cash Inks Baseball Scholarship With South Alabama
May 12, 2016
Flomaton High School senior Andrew Cash signed baseball scholarship with the University of South Alabama on Wednesday. He was a six year starter for the Flomaton High School baseball team. He played middle infield, center field, and pitcher during his time at Flomaton. He will likely play center fielder at USA.
He was also a four-year starter for Flomaton’s football team, beginning his career as a wide receiver/running back as a freshman, sophomore, and junior, and finishing his career as a quarterback as a senior, leading the canes to quarterfinal berth.
Pictured top: (standing, L-R) Athletic Director Scott Robinson, Head Baseball Coach Wes Sessions, brother Alex Cash, mother Debbie Cash, father Robert Cash, and Head Football Coach Doug Vickery, and (seated) Andrew Cash. Cash is pictured below with brother Alex, mother Debbie and father Robert. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Top High School Seniors Recognized At Senior Scholar Banquet
May 11, 2016
The top 213 senior student athletes from Escambia and Santa Rosa counties took part in a dinner and scholarship recognition program Tuesday night at Olive Baptist Church.
Tori Bindi from Gulf Breeze High and Nathan Andreo from Pace won the overall girls and male scholarships. The Pensacola Sports Foundation awarded these two individuals each with a $4,000 scholarship. Other awardees were Callan Taylor from Navarre (University of West Florida Scholarship), Kaci VanVoorhis from Pace and Cortavis Watts from Washington (Gary McAdams Memorial Scholarship), Trace Penton from Tate and Eliza Eligio from Pensacola High (Whataburger Scholarship), Chloe Dawson from Milton (Dr. Alec Kessler Memorial Scholarship), and Jerry Pollard, Pine Forest football coach and athletic director, won the RADM Kenneth L Shugart Jr. Award for his service and dedication to the community, sports, and youth.
Additionally, Pensacola State College awarded each individual sport winner with a scholarship. Newly added this year are scholarships awarded for both men’s and women’s lacrosse.
The individual sport winners are:
- Baseball — Evan Floyd, Pensacola Catholic
- Girls Basketball — Faithe Franklin, West Florida
- Boys Basketball — Bradley Proctor, Gulf Breeze
- Cheerleading — Brooke Vincent, Tate
- Boys Cross Country — Mitchell Brooks, West Florida
- Girls Cross Country — Jennifer Sublett, West Florida
- Football — Michael Sandle, Navarre
- Girls Golf — Abigail Herrmann, Pensacola Catholic
- Boys Golf — Michael Mann, Pensacola Catholic
- Boys Lacrosse — Hayden Broussard, Pensacola Catholic
- Girls Lacrosse — Brianna Sekul, Gulf Breeze
- Boys Soccer — Eric Masterson, Pensacola Catholic
- Girls Soccer — Gabrielle Dosev, Pensacola Catholic
- Softball — Callan Taylor, Navarre
- Boys Swimming — Michael Johnson, Pensacola High
- Girls Swimming — Peyton Parra, Washington
- Boys Tennis — Daniell Sullivan, Pensacola Catholic
- Girls Tennis — Emily Dawson, Washington
- Boys Track — Javen Jackson, West Florida Tech
- Girls Track — Lynn Arthur, West Florida Tech
- Volleyball — Kiley Brady, Pensacola Catholic
- Boys Weightlifting — Adrian Acevedo, Pace
- Girls Weightlifting — Olivia Brahms, Navarre
- Wrestling — Travis Thompson, Pace
The schools 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.
Pictured top: Brooke Vincent of Tate High School, Pensacola Sports cheerleading award winner. Pictured below: TV personality Dan Shugart presents the award named for his father, the RADM Kenneth L Shugart Jr. Award, to Jerry Pollard, Pine Forest football coach and athletic director. Pictured: Northview athletes Moriah McGahan, Bethany Reynolds, Coach Natalie Nall, Haylee Weaver and Savanna Roux at Tuesday night’s Pensacola Sports banquet at Olive Baptist Church. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Tate’s State Championship Hopes Ended By Creekside
May 11, 2016
The Tate Aggies had their hopes a state championship dashed Tuesday night as they were eliminated from the playoffs after a 6-2 loss to St. John’s Creekside
Creekside took an early lead with a single in the bottom of the first. The Aggies answered with a run in the top of the third, but Creekside followed with a run of their own in the inning. Both teams added a run in the firth, and Creekside surged in the bottom of the sixth inning with three runs.
For Tate, Reid Halfacre was 0-2 with a run, Trace Penton was 1-4, Brandon Fryman went 2-3, Cole Halfacre 2-4 with a RBI, Mason Land 1-4 with a RBI, Logan Blackmon and Hunter NeSmith were both 0-3, Logan McGuffey was 1-3 and Josh Kea went 1-3 with a run.
Penton was charged with the loss. He pitched 1.2 innings, walked three. struck out none and allowed three runs.
The Tate Aggies finished their season as regional runner-up with a 25-5 record.
Blue Wahoos Drop Game One To Lookouts
May 10, 2016
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos woes on the road continued Monday against the Chattanooga Lookouts who got 17 hits to roll to a, 12-3, victory at AT&T Field.
Pensacola fell to 7-9 on the road, while they are 11-4 at home. The Blue Wahoos are now 18-13 and in second place in the Southern League South Division. Meanwhile, Chattanooga improved to 14-17.
Chattanooga jumped on Pensacola starter Sal Romano in the third inning, scoring five runs and sending nine men to the plate. Romano, the No. 15 prospect in the Cincinnati Reds organization according to MLB.com, was rolling until then striking out three Lookout batters and allowing just one hit.
In all, Chattanooga scored seven runs on nine hits off of Romano in three innings. Romano fell to 1-2 with a 5.23 earned-run average.
D.J. Baxendale, a tenth round Minnesota Twins selection in 2012, threw seven innings, giving up three earned runs on five hits and three walks. Baxendale, who has played parts of four seasons in Double-A, improved to 2-4 with a 3.07 ERA.
Pensacola scored first when right fielder Brandon Dixon hit a sacrifice fly to center field that scored first baseman Kyle Parker in the second inning to put the Blue Wahoos on top, 1-0.
However, in the bottom of the third inning, Chattanooga got a double and four singles to go ahead, 5-1.
The Lookouts DH Travis Harrison singled to right field to score third baseman T.J. White, 1-0. First baseman D.J. Hicks then hit a liner to center field to drive in second baseman Ryan Walker and center fielder Shannon Wilkerson for a 3-1 lead. Chattanooga catcher Mitch Garver then drove in two more on a double to center field that scored Harrison and Hicks to go ahead 5-1.
Chattanooga scored two more off Romano in the fourth to take a 7-1 lead over Pensacola. Walker tripled to right field to drive in White and then Wilkerson singled to right to score Walker.
Pensacola did get two more runs back in the top of the sixth inning when Parker hit a sacrifice fly to center field to score left fielder Tony Renda and then second baseman Alex Blandino scored on a wild pitch by Chattanooga starter Baxendale to make the score, 7-3.
In the bottom of the seventh inning, Chattanooga’s Walker singled in Hicks and Garver. Wilkerson then singled up the middle to score White to put the Lookouts on top, 10-3.
Garver, who went 3-5 with two runs scored and four RBIs, completed Chattanooga’s scoring on a two-run smash to left center in the eighth inning for a 12-3 Lookout win.
Pensacola shortstop Calten Daal extended his hitting streak to nine games, going 1-2 with two walks. He is hitting .469.
Tony Renda went 1-4 and scored a run and extended his hitting streak to eight games. He’s hitting .305 for the Blue Wahoos this season.
Wahoos Gain Ground On First Place Biloxi
May 9, 2016
Kyle Parker found himself without a team when the Colorado Rockies released him on April 2. They didn’t want their first pick in the 2010 draft anymore.
But the Cincinnati Reds signed him April 25 and sent him to its Double-A affiliate the Pensacola Blue Wahoos.
In his second start, Parker hit two two-out singles to drive in a run each time and help his new team beat Biloxi, 5-0, in front of 4,414 Sunday at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
Parker, a first round draft pick in 2010 who has 64 games of big league experience in the last two years, said he was taken off guard by getting released.
“It caught me by surprise,” said Parker, who played quarterback for Clemson. “I knew somebody would give me a chance. I still have confidence in my abilities.”
Parker. playing right field. got his first hit, first RBI, first extra-base hit and first run scored on Sunday. He went 3-4 against Biloxi, after starting off the season 0-4.
Manager Pat Kelly likes Parker’s flexibility to play in the outfield and at first base. He knew of Parker because his son played with him in football camps.
“What a great addition,” Kelly said of Parker. “He’s a great athlete. He gives us another right-handed hitter in the middle of the line up, so we don’t have to bat (Phillip) Ervin fourth, we can move him up.”
The Blue Wahoos gained three games on Biloxi by winning the five game series, 4-1. The two teams that are vying for first place in the Southern League South are now 5-5 against each other this season. Pensacola is 18-12, while Biloxi is 18-11.
“It’s May we’re not competing in a pennant race yet,” Kelly said. “We’re going out to win every series. We wanted to gain ground on them and we’ve done that.”
Pensacola also got another good outing from southpaw prospect Amir Garrett, who pitched his third scoreless game in six starts. Garrett didn’t have his best stuff but worked six scoreless innings, giving up four hits, five walks and striking out six. The 6-foot-5 lefty is now 3-2 with a 1.26 earned-run average.
He also got help from the Pensacola relievers Matt Magill and Alejandro Chacin, who blanked Biloxi over the final three innings to help the Blue Wahoos record its third shutout of the season. Chacin earned his team-leading fifth save and has yet to allow a run in 11 appearances and 13 innings pitched.
The Pensacola pitching staff leads the Southern League with a 2.69 ERA, which is more than a half run better than the Mississippi Braves at 3.21.
Parker drove in his first two-out run when he hit a soft blooper to right field on a hit-and-run play that scored Pensacola left fielder Phillip Ervin in the first inning for a 1-0 Pensacola lead. Parker got his second two-out RBI when he hit a hard liner to left field that scored Blue Wahoos center fielder Beau Amaral that put Pensacola up, 4-0.
In the third inning, Pensacola second baseman Brandon Dixon clobbered a two-out, two-run homer to left that made it into the Pensacola Bay. His blast brought home Ervin and gave the Blue Wahoos a, 3-0 lead.
It was the Blue Wahoos sixth homer in its last eight games. Pensacola has smashed 13 homers since April 21.
Ervin, who scored two runs Sunday and singled in four at bats is now second in the Southern League in runs scored with 22, which is two behind the leader. Ervin has crossed the plate 13 times in his last 10 games.
Wahoos Take Series 4-3 Over Biloxi
May 7, 2016
With highly acclaimed pitching prospects Rookie Davis and Josh Hader on the hill, both offenses hoped they could save their best for last.
Pensacola pounced on the Biloxi bullpen and held off a late Shuckers rally to win 4-3 in front of a sellout crowd of 5,038 at Blue Wahoos Stadium. The Wahoos extended their winning streak to four games and have a chance to take first place in the Southern League South Division with a win Saturday.
The game lived up to the hype as a pitcher’s duel. Davis preserved his sub-1.00 earned run average, scattering a run on four hits over six innings, while Hader, Milwaukee’s No. 4 prospect according to MLB.com, struck out eight Wahoos in 5.2 innings. Alex Blandino knocked him out of the game with a double, forced a high throw from Shuckers catcher Jacob Nottingham to advance to third and scored on a wild pitch.
“I think Nottingham actually set him up,” Pensacola manager Pat Kelly said. “They had done it a couple of pitches before when Blandino had faked to break. I think Nottingham was hoping he’d run, but Alex was a good enough athlete to recognize on the long throw to second, he’s got a chance to go to third.”
The Wahoos put the game out of reach in the seventh as Tony Renda scored Joe Hudson on a triple to center field. Renda, batting .293 in 27 games with a team-leading 10 extra-base hits, credits his success to a simple approach.
“I’m working every day,” Renda said. “Nobody’s perfect, but I strive for perfection. I still haven’t had a perfect game, so I need to keep working toward it and go about my business the right way every day.”
Biloxi added intrigue with a late rally against Carlos Gonzalez, scoring two runs on three singles, before Alejandro Chacin struck out Brandon Macias and left the bases loaded.
“When we tacked on the two runs, it gave a little cushion to work with,” Kelly said. “Fortunately we had it, because we definitely needed it. Gonzalez has been so good, and they kind of seemed to find some holes.”
Pensacola Wins Second Straight Over Biloxi
May 6, 2016
Pensacola Blue Wahoos third baseman Eric Jagielo came to the plate with the bases loaded and two outs in an 0-20 slump and hitting .146.
All Jagielo did was launch a grand slam into the right field Hill-Kelly Dodge berm to lead the Blue Wahoos to its second straight victory, 8-1, over the Biloxi Shuckers in front of 4,065 at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
Jagielo, the Cincinnati Reds No. 14 prospect according to MLB.com, last got a hit 10 days ago on April 25 against the Jackson Generals.
His four RBIs were his first since he drove in two on April 11 against the Mississippi Braves in the Blue Wahoos home opener five-game series. Jagielo now has two homers and nine RBIs this season for Pensacola.
Jagielo, who was selected in the first round by the New York Yankees in the 2013 draft, played 58 games last year at Double-A before surgery to repair his right knee. The Yankees traded him to the Reds as part of the deal in December for closer Aroldis Chapman.
Jagielo said his talk with Hall of Fame shortstop Barry Larkin before the game and hitting a bucket of balls helped him get in a groove Thursday.
“It was good to get a little time to work on my swing, especially with a guy like Barry,” he said. “It’s cool to learn stuff from guys like him and then apply it to my game.”
Pensacola leads Biloxi 2-0 in this five-gamehome stand and now is 16-11 on the season. The first-place Shuckers fell to 17-9 with Pensacola one a 1.5 game back.
Just like the night before, Biloxi scored first when right fielder Brett Phillips scored from third on a passed ball that rolled to the backstop, putting the Shuckers up, 1-0. With runners on second and third and one out, Pensacola right-hander Jackson Stephens then struck out the next two batters to get out of the inning.
Blue Wahoos Stephens worked six innings and retired the last 10 batters he faced. He gave up one run that was unearned and struck out five. He improved to 2-2 on the season with a 3.95 ERA.
In addition, Stephens also got his first professional hit in his fifth season in the minors with a grounder to left field to lead off the second inning.
“The first inning he had that little blip but he really did a nice job,” said Pensacola manager Pat Kelly.
Pensacola’s relievers Matt Magill and Wandy Peralta then held Biloxi hitless over the final three innings and struck out six batters.
Kelly was also impressed by Magill, who pitched two innings and struck out three.
“Magill looked really impressive and had really good stuff,” Kelly said. “He had a really sharp slider tonight.”
Pensacola also got production from second baseman Alex Blandino, who was 0-15 in his last four games, striking out seven times.
He also spoke with Larkin about hitting Thursday before going out and clobbering his first home run of the year a solo homer to left field. Blandino also hit a double and single in four at bats, scoring two runs and knocking in three. The two talked about getting back to basics at the plate.
“Whenever you can speak to a Hall of Famer on a daily basis, you’re bound to get better,” Blandino said. “He always has good, positive things to say.”
Wahoos Beat Biloxi
May 5, 2016
The 6-foot-5, 260-pound right-handed Sal Romano looks like a menacing pitcher, especially when he throws a fastball in the mid- to upper-90s off the mound.
But believe it or not, his first Double-A victory came in his 12th start between last season and this season as the Pensacola Blue Wahoos rolled over Biloxi, 8-3, in the series opener Wednesday at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
Pensacola gained a game on Biloxi, improving to 15-11, while the first-place Shuckers dropped to 17-8.
Romano is now 1-1 in five starts this season with a 3.86 earned-run average. He gave up three runs, two earned, to Biloxi in the first inning and then settled down. He allowed five hits, two walks and struck out eight. Last year, for Pensacola the big righty was 0-4 in seven starts with a 10.96 ERA.
Pensacola manager Pat Kelly said the difference is a smarter Romano.
“We’re seeing his maturation,” Kelly said. “He started getting his curveball over the strike zone instead of burying it all the time. He’s still a thrower, though.”
Romano said he had to put the first inning out of his mind after walking to the dugout.
“My fellow staff and guys told me to leave it out there,” said Romano, who committed himself to becoming a Major League pitcher at 15 years old. “I said in my head, ‘Sal, let’s restart this.’”
And getting that first victory in the Southern League?
“Wins are wins, but obviously it’s nice to get one here in Double-A,” Romano said. “That is nice.”
In the first inning, Biloxi jumped out to a 3-0 lead when third baseman Javier Betancourt smashed a two-out, 3-2 pitch down the left field line clearing the bases for all three runs.
Pensacola came back, though, in the second inning when catcher Chad Wallach hit a two-run bomb over the left field fence with two outs that also scored shortstop Calten Daal. Daal, who was 3-4 and scored twice Wednesday, had got on base with a low line drive to left field to extend his hitting streak to seven games.
Wallach was also 3-4 and scored twice, hitting in the No. 8 spot in the lineup. He raised his average to .209 on the season and leads the team in walks with 13.
“It felt good,” said Wallach, who hit his second homer of the year. “I’ve been struggling a little bit, so it was nice to square up on the ball.”
Kelly said Wallach’s homer changed the complexion of the game.
“Wallach’s blow was big,” Kelly said. “The big key was Wallach getting that two-run home run. We didn’t have that three-run deficit.”
Blue Wahoos fans were being treated to a pitching duel when all of a sudden the force was with Pensacola hitters in the bottom of the fifth inning.
The flood of runs started with a dribbler by shortstop Calten Daal and ended with Pensacola sending all nine batters to the plate and scoring six runs on six hits to go up, 8-3.
The first five batters of the inning all got on base-on four singles and a fielder’s choice-against Adrian Houser, the Milwaukee Brewers No. 17 prospect according MLB.com. Houser struck out nine in four innings, retiring seven in a row at one point, but gave up seven earned runs on seven hits. Houser’s earned-run average jumped from 7.20 to 8.63, as he fell to 1-3 in five starts this season.
The biggest hit that inning came on a line drive triple by Phillip Ervin past a diving right fielder that cleared the loaded bases, giving Pensacola a 7-3 lead. Ervin then scored the final run of the game, when Biloxi catcher Jacob Nottingham dropped the ball trying to tag him out.
Ervin extended his hitting streak to seven games. In the last 11 games, after working with hitting coach Alex Pelaez, is 11-34 for a .294 average, with three home runs, 10 RBIs and 14 runs scored. He’s raised his average from .179 to .244.
Northview Track Team Members Place At Regionals; Headed To State
May 4, 2016
Fourteen Northview High School athletes recently competed in the 1A Regional Track Meet in Jacksonville.
The Chiefs’ Dezmine Moorer (pictured left) placed fourth in the 200 meters with a time of 23.00 to advance to the state meet this week. Also advancing to state are members of the Northview Girls 4×100 team — Myisha Syria, Celeste North, Audriene Odom and Crystal Douglas (pictured top) — who placed third with a time of 51.97.
Other results were as follows:
- Celeste North placed 10th in the 100 hurdles with a time of 18.65
- Kirsten White placed 13th in the 100 hurdles with at time of 19.54
- Audriene Odom placed 7th in the 100 meter dash with a time of 13.46
- Crystal Douglas placed 7th in the 200 meters with a time of 27.18
- Ziara Johnson placed 11th in the 300 hurdles with a time of 56.39
- Myshia Syria placed 12th in the 400 meters with a time of 1:08.30
- Girl’s 4X800 –placed 12 with a time of 12:09.37 – Autumn Albriton, Kirsten White, Moriah Mcgahan, & Savanna Roux
- Moriah McGahan placed 15th in the 800 meters with a time of 2:44.41
- Celeste North placed 12th in the high jump with the height of 4-02
- Dezmine Moorer placed 5th in the 100 meters with a time of 11.49
- Brandon Spencer placed 12th in the 100 meters with a time of 11.66
- Brandon Korinchak placed 10th in the 800 meters with a time of 2:13.92
- Brandon Korinchak placed 9th in the 1600 meters with a time of 4:56.11
- Brandon Spencer placed 6th in the 200 meters with a time of 23.57
- Lawrence Douglas placed 16th in the 400 meters with a time of 59.06
- Boy’s 4×400 –placed 8th with a time of 3:40.75- Brandon Korinchak, Lawrence Douglas, Brandon Spencer, & Ohijie Elliott
Team coaches are:
- Head Girl’s Coach- Natalie Nall
- Assistant Girl’s Coach- Michelle Peebles
- Head Boy’s Coach- Barbara Luker
- Assistant Boy’s Coach – Michael Crumm
The 1A state meet is this Friday and Saturday in Bradenton.
