Bratt Basketball Camp Begins Monday With Former NBA Coach
July 6, 2014
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 7-11 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.
“We are fortunate to get someone of Coach Roger’s talents and achievements to head up this camp” said First Baptist Bratt Student Pastor Tim Hawsey. “He has a unique ability to deal with children, and his love for them is evident.” This is the third year the church has offered this camp.
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 Detremble conducts camps.
For more information, contact Hawsey at (850) 327-6529, church secretary Sherrye Gilman at (850) 327-6529 or stop by the church 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.
Comeback Falls Short As BayBears Best Wahoos 6-4 In Mobile
July 6, 2014
The Mobile BayBears were able to take advantage of three Blue Wahoos errors over the first three innings on their way to a 6-4 win over Pensacola on Saturday night in Mobile. Despite taking the loss, Wahoos starter Jon Moscot (L, 4-8) went the distance shutting out the BayBears over his final five innings and he retired the final eight batters he faced.
The BayBears did all of their damage over the first three innings. They scored four runs in the third which was capped off by a two-run home run from Mark Thomas.
Pensacola was held hitless through five innings before Brodie Greene delivered the Blue Wahoos first hit, a leadoff single in the sixth inning. Kyle Waldrop got the Wahoos on the scoreboard with a two-run home run in the seventh inning, his first home run since joining the Blue Wahoos at the all-star break. Seth Mejias-Brean doubled home two more in the eighth to cut the deficit to 6-4. His double knocked the BayBears starter, Bradin Hagens (W, 7-3), from the game and closed out the scoring.
The Blue Wahoos put the tying run on base in the ninth but couldn’t score against Mobile reliever Seth Simmons (S, 1). Hagens earned the win with 7.1 innings allowing 4 R/ER on seven hits with four strikeouts. Moscot finished the game after getting charged with 6 R/4 ER in 8.0 innings allowing just one walk with three strikeouts.
Waldrop paced the Wahoos offensively with a pair of hits, both extra-base hits. He hit a double in the ninth after his seventh inning home run. Ryan Wright also had a pair of hits, both singles.
Pensacola will try to get back on track Sunday with RHP Tim Adleman (2-3, 3.48) getting the start for the Blue Wahoos against the Diamondbacks top rated prospect RHP Archie Bradley (0-0, 1.23). First pitch is set for 5:05 p.m. at Hank Aaron Stadium in Mobile.
by Tommy Thrall
Wahoos Drop Bay To Bay Series Opener 6-2 To The BayBears
July 5, 2014
The Mobile BayBears bested the Pensacola the Blue Wahoos 6-2 Friday night. The BayBears scored five runs over the first two innings against Blue Wahoos starter Daniel Corcino to cruise to victory in the opener of the second installment of the Bay-to-Bay Series.
Mobile used six hits, three walks and one Blue Wahoos error to plate three runs in the first and second innings. Pensacola was held to just four hits in the game, but one was a two-run home run from Travis Mattair in the seventh inning. It was his first home run since June 5 at Montgomery.
The Blue Wahoos bullpen was strong again working a combined 1.2 scoreless innings. The only base runners that James Walczak and Fabien Williamson allowed were a pair of walks. Blue Wahoos relievers have now worked 17 consecutive scoreless innings dating back to Tuesday, July 1.
Corcino (L, 7-7) settled down after the second. He was finished after 5.1 inning having allowed 6 R/4 ER on seven hits with four walks and four strikeouts. BayBears starter Eric Brooks (W, 1-0) baffled Blue Wahoos hitters for 5.0 innings. He earned the win after allowing just two hits with five strikeouts.
The series continues on Saturday with RHP Jon Moscot (4-7, 3.08) set to start for the Blue Wahoos against BayBears RHP Archie Bradley (0-0, 1.23). First pitch is set for 6:05 p.m. from Hank Aaron Stadium in Mobile.
by Tommy Thrall
Pensacola Blue Wahoos Win Second Straight Over Jacksonville 3-2
July 4, 2014
The packed Pensacola Bayfront Stadium came to see fireworks and, boy, did they.
Not only did they watch a spectacular 17-minute explosion of color in the night sky but they experienced former Gulf Breeze High School pitcher Ben Lively’s explosive fastball strike out seven Jacksonville Sun batters and an electrifying walk off home run deep to right field by Jesse Winker – his second walk off in a row.
What a difference on the mound it was for Lively in his second start at home in front of an announced 5,038 crowd that looked much larger with even every inch of the grass in the Hill Kelly Hill behind right centerfield taken.
The crowd was into every pitch and play made by the Blue Wahoos, who suited up in patriotic uniforms with stripes and stars, and their new red, white and blue hat with the Wahoos logo in a star.
Lively’s Double-A debut at home was his shortest outing of the year at 3.2 innings, with 52 of his 98 pitches thrown for strikes.
But it was all forgotten Thursday when the hometown prospect, recorded 7 Ks in six innings, allowing just two runs.
Lively’s total this season now stands at 115 Ks, which are second best in the Cincinnati Reds organization. Only Reds starter Johnny Cueto has more with 130. He is also second among all minor league pitchers, trailing only Aaron Blair, who has 117 playing at the A level.
“I was a lot more settled down,” said Lively, who entered the game with hitters batting .194 against him.
Wahoos manager Delino DeShields was pleased, too.
“He didn’t lose his composure,” he said. “His focus was a lot better tonight.”
Although he was happy with his pitching performance, Lively was even more excited about his double. It was his first professional hit and his first hit since he played at Gulf Breeze High School. He launched a line drive over the right fielder that scored Kyle Waldrop. Waldrop had led off the inning with a double off the base of the leftfield wall, sliding head first into second base.
“The hit pumped me up a little bit,” Lively said.
Lively, who already has a jersey out with the number 35 that he wore in his first start, then scored when Yorman Rodriguez followed him with a line drive down the left field line, tying it up at 2 apiece. It stayed that way until “Walk-Off” Winker came to the plate in the ninth inning.
Lively was icing his arm in the club house when he saw Winker lift the ball deep to right field. He quickly jumped up, threw on clothes and gave Winker the first of three shaving cream pies to the face, not to mention a cooler full of ice-cold Gatorade in front of the dugout. Winker, who has a seven-game hitting streak, enjoyed it, spreading his arms open and letting it shower him.
It ended a five-game homestand in which Winker was named to the Sirius XM All-Star Futures game played on Sunday, July 13, his first Double-A home run and then back-to-back walk offs. His one Wednesday night was on a single in the 15th inning.
“It’s very cool. One of the best baseball weeks I can remember,” said Winker, who still had shaving cream covering his head. “As soon as I hit it I thought, ‘Oh, that could go.”
Wahoos manager Delino DeShields was smiling after Thursday’s game. DeShields hasn’t been too happy with Pensacola’s record now at 6-9 in the second half, after a last place finish in the first half.
“That was fun tonight and it didn’t take 15 innings,” he said.
DeShields noted that Winker is 20 and the youngest player on the team.
“He’s a very confident young man,” DeShields said. “He’s growing up. He’s not a big leaguer yet but he will be one day. He’s always dangerous.”
DeShields also praised Drew Hayes, who pitched two scoreless innings of middle relief and struck out three.
“Our bullpen did a solid job tonight,” he said. “I’m looking forward to seeing these guys pitch.”
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos, the Double-A affiliated of the Cincinnati Reds, travel to play Arizona Diamondbacks Double-A affiliate the Mobile BayBears in a five-game series that gets underway at 7:05 p.m. Friday. RHP Daniel Corcino (7-6, 4.50) takes the mound for the Wahoos and is scheduled to be opposed by the BayBears RHP Justin Fitzgerald (7-1, 4.04).
by Tommy Thrall
Lady Astros Win The Firecracker Classic
July 3, 2014
The Lady Astros softball team won the Firecracker Classic tournament at Exchange Park recently, topping about a dozen other teams from Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana.
The Lady Astros got off to a rough start, dropping a couple in pool play, but came back to sweep five in row.
Coach Donnie Nicholson said the team was at their best both offensively and defensively, along with top notch pitching. The tournament team batting average came in around .450, scoring 47 runs while holding opposing teams to 17 runs.
Team members are from Jay, West Florida, Pine Forest, Gulf Breeze and Northview High Schools. They include: Briana Morgan, Jibrasha Moore, Gracie Kilcrease, Farrah Nicholas, Megan Freemon, Sydney Wright, Brooke Lauber, Dana Blackmon, Emily Loring, Briana Rogers, Rebecca Mejia, Kaley Workmon and Hannah Ging. Coaches are Nicholson and Kathy Blackmon.
Pictured: The Lady Astros (top, L-R) Briana Morgan, Jibrasha Moore, Gracie Kilcrease, Farrah Nicholas, Megan Freemon and Sydney Wright, (bottom, L-R) Brooke Lauber, Dana Blackmon, Emily Loring, Briana Rogers and Rebecca Mejia. Not Pictured are Kaley Workmon and Hannah Ging, and coaches Donnie Nicholson and Kathy Blackmon. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Pensacola Outlasts Jacksonville To Win 4-3 In 15 Innings
July 3, 2014
It was the most innings – 15 – and the longest game – 4 hours and 29 minutes – for the Pensacola Blue Wahoos this season.
After all the other Double-A baseball games had finished across the nation Wednesday, the Wahoos finally put the Jacksonville Suns away when left fielder Jesse Winker smacked a walk-off single to left field that scored shortstop Brodie Greene from second for a 4-3 victory at Pensacola Bayfront Stadium.
The fans who remained in the stands jumped to their feet on Winker’s hit. Winker was immediately mobbed around second base by his ecstatic teammates, who were happy to win and snap a three game losing streak.
“I didn’t want it to go any further,” said Winker, who was called up from High-A Bakersfield during the Southern League All-Star break June 17 and got his first Wahoos home run the night before. “To get a walk-off anything feels great.”
Pensacola improved to 5-2 in extra inning games this year and it was the Wahoos third walk-off hit of the season. The longest game in Pensacola history was a 16-inning, 5-hour affair in a home game Aug. 10, 2013 against Jacksonville that the Wahoos lost, 8-6.
One of the other Wahoos stars of the game was relief pitcher Tim Adleman who threw four scoreless innings and struck out four batters to up his record to 2-3 on the season. It was Adelman’s longest outing of the season but with the heart of Jacksonville’s order coming up in the top of the 15th inning, he struck out the Suns’ best hitter J.T. Realmuto on a 92 mph fastball. An out later, he struck out Jacksonville’s Joe Benson, who had hit his sixth homer of the season earlier in the game, on a 91 mph fastball.
Adleman said he was in an aggressive mind set, knowing that manager Delino DeShields was going to leave the relief pitcher in as long as possible. He knows the bullpen has been a sore point this season but threw 10 scoreless innings tonight, giving up just five hits and striking out nine batters.
“We can’t control what has happened in the past,” said Adleman, as Winker gave him a shaving cream pie in the face. “We have to put our best on the line and give our team a chance to win.”
Adleman credited newly added catcher Lou Marson, who has played in the big leagues with the Cleveland Indians and Philadelphia Phillies, for helping the bullpen stay focused Wednesday.
“He called a great game tonight,” he said. “He has a great resume and a lot of experience. Nothing against our other two catchers but I think he will help us turn the tide.”
Pensacola also got strong relief pitching from Fabian Williamson, who has not allowed a run in last 7 innings and has lowered his ERA to 2.05 ERA in his last 19 appearances since April.
“Our bullpen was really good tonight,” DeShields said after the game. “I hope it gives them a little optimism. We have a lot of baseball left and need them to come through.”
Pensacola tied the score at 3 in the sixth inning when Seth Mejias-Brean hit a chopper past a diving shortstop to score Ryan Wright. Wright had led off the inning with a double off the left field wall for his sixth double in his last 10 hits.
The Blue Wahoos then had chances to win in the seventh and eighth inning but failed both times, having a runner get thrown out at home and then leaving the bases loaded in the eighth inning.
The finale of the five-game series with Miami Marlins Double-A affiliate the Jacksonville Suns gets underway at 6:30 p.m. Thursday. RHP Ben Lively (0-1, 2.89) takes the mound for the Wahoos and is scheduled to be opposed by the Suns RHP Jose Urena (6-6, 4.33).
Pensacola Blue Wahoos Drop Third Straight To Jacksonville, 4-3
July 2, 2014
Pensacola Blue Wahoos Jesse Winker saved a run in the fifth inning by throwing out a runner with a 300-foot laser beam to catcher Ross Perez at home.
Winker then smashed his first Double-A homer with a 410-foot shot to centerfield in the eighth inning that pulled Pensacola within a run of the Jacksonville Suns, 4-3, on Tuesday night at Pensacola Bayfront Stadium.
In the end, Pensacola dropped its third straight game to the Suns by that same score. The one-run loss makes the Wahoos 13-19 on the season in those tight games.
Winker, who’s now on a five-game hitting streak, said he remains confident at the plate, despite his .209 batting average in 12 games since being called up from High-A Bakersfield Blaze. In Bakersfield, he had hit .311 with eight home runs and 41 RBI.
“I’m trying to go to the plate every time and put a good swing on the ball,” Winker said. “The ball seems to be finding the barrel right now and eventually I hope it finds the gaps and finds the holes.”
Winker, who is the Cincinnati Reds No. 4 prospect, was recently chosen to play in the 16th annual SiriusXM All-Star Futures game for the U.S. team against the World team. Wahoos pitcher Robert Stephenson made the team, too, that will be played at 4 p.m. Sunday, July 13 at Target Field as part of Taco Bell All-Star Sunday and air live on television on MLB Network and MLB.com.
“It’s a true honor to get to represent the Reds and the U.S.,” Winker said. “It’s a big honor. But I’m hoping we win a lot before I leave for the game. We could easily be 9-4, instead of 4-9. It’s too early in the second half, though, to get frustrated. I feel we’ll make a good push and storm the bay.”
Blue Wahoos manager Delino DeShields said he hopes Winker’s solo blast boosts his confidence.
“He really swung the bat tonight,” DeShields said. “He caught that Gulf breeze up there.”
DeShields also praised Wahoos starting pitcher Michael Lorenzen, who threw six innings and gave up two unearned runs, while striking out five. The two runs scored after an error by shortstop Deven Lohman.
The Suns Austin Nola, who has a 13-game hitting streak, hit a triple to the right center gap that scored two runs. However, Lorenzen left with a 2-2 tie after Perez’s double in the fourth inning scored two runs.
“(Lorenzen) was solid tonight,” DeShields said. “He should have had a shutout. That was one of his better efforts on the season.”
The fourth game of the five-game series with Miami Marlins Double-A affiliate the Jacksonville Suns gets underway at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday. RHP Robert Stephenson (3-6, 4.17) takes the mound for the Wahoos and is scheduled to be opposed by the Suns LHP Justin Nicolino (7-2, 3.07).
by Tommy Thrall
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos lost to the Jacksonville Suns 3-4 at Pensacola Bayfront Stadium Tuesday. Photos by Michael Spooneybarger/ Pensacola Blue Wahoos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Celebrate Freedom 5K, One Mile Fun Run Planned For July 4 In Jay
July 1, 2014
The 15th Annual Celebrate Freedom 5K will be held Friday, July 4 in Jay.
The race starts and finishes at the Jay City Park. It is a scenic course through the neighboring countryside and looping around the Jay Elementary and Jay High school campuses. The last half of the course is run on a paved road that splits cotton and peanut fields on both sides. The course is basically flat and makes for fast times.
Trophies will be awarded to the top three finishers in each of 32 age groups. Overall awards will be given to the top male/female open runners, master runners, grand master runners, and senior grand master runners. There will be awards for the top three male/female walkers and wheelchair participants in the 5K and mile runs. T-shirts are guaranteed to the first 70 runners who register.
After the race, watermelon and refreshments will be served to all participants.
Race day is Friday, July 4 at 8 a.m. at the Jay City Park, 5259 Booker Lane. Entry fee is $20 in advance, $25 day of race. The One Mile Fun Run entry fee is $10. Late registration and pick-up will begin at 6:30 a.m. on race day at Jay City Park.
To register online click here. Or for a printable registration form, click here. Proceeds go towards next year’s race.
For directions or more information, contact Matt Dobson at (850) 217-2603 or (850) 675-6474 or email rmdobson@liberty.edu.
Bizarre Play Helps Jacksonville Down Pensacola’s Blue Wahoos
July 1, 2014
Pensacola Blue Wahoos catcher and clean up hitter Ross Perez hit .356 in June. Lead off hitter Yorman Rodriguez is batting .356 in the past 12 games.
And the five position players called up from High-A Bakersfield after the June 17 Southern League All-Star break (Kyle Waldrop, Seth Mejias-Brean, Marquez Smith, Jesse Winker and Ryan Wright) were a combined 10 for 22, a .454 clip Monday night.
“Our offense this year in my mind has played good,” Wahoos manager DeShields said. “We’ve scored runs and at one point we were hitting the highest in the league. Those things don’t go together. We’ve played a lot better than our record.”
Still, despite collecting 16 hits and six runs the Wahoos dropped their second straight game to the Jacksonville Suns Monday night, losing 8-6.
One could only wonder what would have happened, if not for a bizzare ruling by the umpire crew in the sixth inning.
Wahoos pinch hitter Juan Duran hit a rocket in the air that appeared to glance off pitcher Jay Rogers’ ankle and ricochet into Jacksonville third baseman Terrence Dayleg’s glove – never touching the ground. Dayleg threw Duran out at first to complete the play and Pensacola’s Jesse Winker scored from third, cutting the Jacksonville lead, 8-4. Third base umpire J.J. January ruled Penacola’s Ryan Wright safe at third and the play was dead.
But then the umpires reconvened and homeplate umpire Matt Pridemore, who was filling in for Jeremy Riggs who suffered a concussion Sunday from a foul ball off his mask, decided instead that Dayleg caught the ball in the air. So, he called Winker out after the Suns threw the ball to third base during the umpires’ discussion. The over turning of the call from a run scored and two out to a double play that took a Wahoos run off the scoreboard, ended the inning and stopping Pensacola from adding one run or more. Jacksonville remained ahead, 8-3.
DeShields was thrown out of the game for arguing the reversed call and threw his helmet on the ground in anger. He was still seething after the game and said he had never seen a call like it before.
“I don’t get real aggravated most of the time but I had had enough,” he explained. “It was a messed up play.”
DeShields argued the play was dead and the Pensacola runners should have been allowed to return to second and third base with two out.
Perez called the umpire’s over ruling “really weird.”
“That was a big situation for us,” said Perez, who scored two runs, doubled and knocked in a run. “If the ball goes through there two runs could have scored. I think we’ll be good at the end of the season.”
Perez said he is more confident than ever at bat and credits his coaches after his hot-hitting June.
“I’ve never felt like I’m feeling right now,” he said. “I’m very comfortable at home plate. When you work hard good things come out.”
The third game of the five-game series with Miami Marlins Double-A affiliate the Jacksonville Suns gets underway at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday. RHP Michael Lorenzen (4-4, 2.63) takes the mound for the Wahoos and is scheduled to be opposed by the Suns LHP Justin Nicolino (7-2, 3.07).
by Tommy Thrall
Jacksonville Takes Opener 12-6 Over The Blue Wahoos
June 30, 2014
On Sunday at the Pensacola Blue Wahoos baseball game, fans had lots of fun for the first five innings.
Ryan Wright hit his first Double-A home run, which cleared the left field fence and put Pensacola ahead, 6-5, in the bottom of the fifth inning. It was also the second baseman’s first hit at home, after going hitless during his first five-game homestand at Pensacola. However, he’s hitting .300 (6-20) since then.
However, in Jacksonville’s very next at bat the Suns scored six runs off three Blue Wahoos pitchers to go ahead, 11-6, on their way to a 12-6 victory in the opener of a five-game series at Pensacola Bayfront Stadium. Alfredo Silverio led off the big inning for the Suns with a home run.
The big hitter Sunday, though, for Pensacola was first baseman Marquez Smith. Smith hit a two-run home run, doubled in another run and walked in four at bats. It was Smith’s first home run this season, too, in a Blue Wahoos uniform after getting called up from High-A Bakersfield.
Smith said the homer to deep right center felt good after starting his stint with two hits in his first 18 at bats.
“It’s definitely good to get on the right track,” Smith said. “I was glad today to get some hits.”
Delino DeShields said that he would like to get the same production from Smith that Bakersfield got in the first half of the season. There Smith hit .298 with 15 homers and 67 RBI in 68 games.
“I’m hoping he will produce for us while he’s here,” DeShields said. “He is an older player. It gets tougher when you get older.”
The 29-year-old Smith was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in 2007 out of Clemson University and has played 737 games in the minors, including 2,615 at bats. He also has played 14 games in the Major Leagues, including 13 with the Cubs in 2011.
“I’ve been doing it for a long time and been lucky enough to still have a jersey on my back,” said Smith, who was born in Panama City down the coast from Pensacola. “I’m still having fun playing the game, so you can’t beat that.”
The second game of the five-game series with Miami Marlins Double-A affiliate the Jacksonville Suns gets underway at 6:30 p.m. Monday. RHP Jon Moscot (4-6, 2.83) takes the mound for the Wahoos and is scheduled to be opposed by the Suns RHP Jay Rogers (2-2, 4.81).
by Tommy Thrall