Wahoos Beat Barons 13-12 In 12-Inning Marathon
August 15, 2022
T
he Pensacola Blue Wahoos played one of the most memorable games in team history on Sunday night, scoring four runs in the bottom of the 12th inning to walk off the Birmingham Barons 13-12.
With Birmingham’s bullpen exhausted, Davis Bradshaw capped the 12th inning by reaching on a walk-off error from shortstop Moises Castillo to score the Norel González from third with the winning run. The rally came against knuckleballing position player J.J. Muno (L, 0-1) after the Barons had scored three in the top of the 12th inning against Sean Reynolds (W, 2-0).
After a 55-minute weather delay, the Blue Wahoos and Barons got underway for their series finale with Marlins rehabber Trevor Rogers on the mound. The lefty went 4.2 innings, allowing five runs on seven hits.
Birmingham’s D.J. Burt got the scoring started in the third with a solo homer, but Pensacola answered with four runs in the home half of the inning thanks to a solo homer from Thomas Jones and a two-run blast from González. The Barons answered back with three runs in the fourth to tie the game on the strength of a Castillo RBI double and Burt RBI single.
Raudy Read put the Barons ahead 5-4 in the fifth with a sacrifice fly, but the Blue Wahoos charged back in their half of the inning on a three-run double from Cobie Fletcher-Vance. Barons homers from Evan Skoug and Jose Rodriguez gave Birmingham an 8-7 edge in the sixth before Bubba Hollins lifted a game-tying sacrifice fly in the bottom of the inning.
An Oscar Colas solo homer put the Barons ahead once more in the seventh, but Hollins delivered again with an RBI single in the bottom of the eighth to bring home Nasim Nuñez to tie the game 9-9. José Devers tried to score from second on the Hollins single, but left fielder Craig Dedelow threw him out at the plate to preserve the tie game.
Dylan Bice threw a perfect top of the ninth, and the Blue Wahoos had Edgar Navarro on the ropes in the bottom of the inning as they loaded the bases with no outs. Navarro retired the next three batters, leaving the winning run at third and forcing extra innings.
Bice continued his stellar relief in the 10th and 11th, striking out six over 3.0 perfect innings while stranding the placed runners in both extra frames, but Pensacola was unable to score in their halves of the innings.
Reynolds allowed three runs in the top of the 12th on singles from Dedelow and Castillo, but the Blue Wahoos had arrived at the end of the Birmingham bullpen. Muno, a position player with eight prior pitching appearances, was tasked with protecting the 12-9 Barons lead. Singles from Jan Mercado, Devers and González tied the game before Muno got a pair of outs. With the bases loaded and two outs, Bradshaw hit a chopper to short that drew an off-target throw from Castillo to end the game.
At 4 hours and 14 minutes, it was the longest game of the year for Pensacola. Their 13 runs also marked a season high as they won their ninth walk-off of the season.
After an off day on Monday, the Blue Wahoos begin a six-game road series against the Mississippi Braves on Tuesday.
Conine Blasts Two Homers As Blue Wahoos Cruise To 10-2 Win
August 14, 2022
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos put together a team effort on “Do-It-Yourself Jersey Night,” defeating the Birmingham Barons 10-2 in front of a sellout crowd on Saturday.
Griffin Conine hit a pair of home runs, Will Banfield hit his first at the Double-A level, and Cobie Fletcher-Vance went 4-for-5 for Pensacola’s most lopsided win in more than two months.
Birmingham’s Jose Rodriguez blasted the first pitch of the game for a solo homer to put the Barons ahead 1-0, but Pensacola starter Patrick Monteverde settled in from there. The lefty allowed two runs over 4.2 innings, striking out seven in his second Double-A start.
Conine answered back immediately in the bottom of the first with his 18th home run of the season against Barons starter Garrett Davila (L, 5-4) to give the Blue Wahoos a 2-1 edge. A Banfield sacrifice fly in the third stretched the Pensacola lead to 3-1.
J.J. Muno hit an RBI single against Monteverde in the fifth to draw the Barons to within a run, but Justin Evans (W, 1-0) entered in relief to prevent further damage. Evans retired all seven men he faced, and Conine’s second homer of the night in the bottom of the fifth stretched the Pensacola advantage back to a pair of runs at 4-2.
Pensacola broke the game open in the seventh inning, scoring six runs on only three hits to take a 10-2 lead that would hold for the final score. Banfield launched a two-run homer, a pair of runs scored on a throwing error from Rodriguez, and Fletcher-Vance capped his four-hit night with a two-run single.
The Birmingham bats were kept completely quiet for the back half of the ballgame, as Evans and Josh Simpson combined to retire all 13 men they faced. Thomas Jones contributed defensively, robbing Oscar Colas of a home run with a leaping catch at the center field wall in the sixth.
The Blue Wahoos wrap up their series against the Barons on Sunday.
by Erik Bremer, Pensacola Blue Wahoos
Photo Gallery: Northview’s Meet The Chiefs (And The Blackcats)
August 13, 2022
Northview High School held “Meet the Chiefs” before a large crowd Friday evening.
Fans were introduced to the Northview Chiefs football team, cheerleaders and Tribal Beat band. The football teams and cheerleaders from the Northwest Escambia Chiefs and Century Blackcats were also introduced.
Tip: If you are looking for your favorite Chief of Blackcat in the photo gallery, the photos are presented in the same order as the program.
For a photo gallery click or tap here.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
McCambley Shines, Nuñez Delivers In 6-3 Wahoos Win
August 13, 2022
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos won their second game in a row over the Birmingham Barons on Friday night, as Zach McCambley and Nasim Nuñez led the way in a 6-3 victory.
McCambley (W, 6-7) struck out 10 batters over 6.0 one-run innings, biding his time until the Blue Wahoos exploded for four runs in the bottom of the sixth to swing the game in their favor.
The Blue Wahoos and Barons traded zeroes until the fifth inning, when Evan Skoug hit a solo homer to put Birmingham ahead 1-0. Pensacola finally broke through against Barons starter Emilio Vargas (L, 1-5) in the sixth, as Griffin Conine doubled and Will Banfield singled before J.D. Osborne tied the game with an RBI single to left field.
Banfield scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch from reliever Taylor Broadway, and Nuñez capped the big inning with a two-out, two-run single to put Pensacola ahead 4-1.
In the seventh, Jose Rodriguez got the Barons within a run at 4-3 with a two-run homer against Eli Villalobos. Pensacola answered back in the bottom of the eighth, however, as Will Banfield led off the frame with his fourth hit of the night and Thomas Jones brought him home with an RBI triple. Jones scored on a wild pitch from Vince Vannelle to extend the Blue Wahoos lead to 6-3.
In the ninth, Sean Reynolds (S, 2) walked the first two batters but struck out the next three to earn the save.
The Blue Wahoos continue their series against the Barons on Saturday.
by Erik Bremer, Pensacola Blue Wahoos
Private Donor Contributes $20,000 To Tate Quarterback Club
August 12, 2022
A private, unnamed donor contributed $20,000 this week to the Tate High School Quarterback Club.
“To say we are thankful would be an understatement,” the QB Club said in a social media post. “You believe in us and for that we are thankful!”
The Tate Quarterback Club supports the Tate High School Aggies football program.
King, Devers Drive Blue Wahoos T o 5-4 Victory Over Birmingham
August 12, 2022
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos got a solid start from Zach King and a 4-RBI game from José Devers in a 5-4 win over the Birmingham Barons on Thursday night.
King (W, 1-3) turned in a quality start, allowing only one run in 6.0 innings, to earn his first Double-A win as the Blue Wahoos continued their dominance over the North Division. They are now 24-9 against opponents from the North, including an 18-3 record at home.
Devers got the scoring started right away in the first, lifting an opposite-field three-run homer to left field against Scott Blewett (L, 6-6). Devers added an RBI single in the fourth, giving him his second 4-RBI game in the past week after a nearly identical performance last Friday in Montgomery.
King worked out of trouble early in his start, as the Barons put their leadoff man at second base in each of their first four innings. Only once did the runner come home, as Raudy Read brought in Jose Rodriguez with an RBI single in the third inning.
Pensacola added an insurance run in the sixth on an RBI single from Cobie Fletcher-Vance, and they would end up needing it. Birmingham’s Oscar Colas hit a three-run homer in the eighth against Robinson Martínez to draw the score to 5-4 before Dylan Bice (S, 2) ended the threat and earned a four-out save.
The Blue Wahoos continue their series against the Barons on Friday
by Erik Bremer, The Pensacola Blue Wahoos
Barons Exact Revenge With Late 5-2 Win Over Blue Wahoos
August 11, 2022
One night after rallying late to steal a win from the Birmingham Barons, the Pensacola Blue Wahoos suffered a similar fate on Wednesday in a 5-2 defeat.
Marlins rehabber Tommy Nance pitched 2.0 scoreless innings in relief for Pensacola, but three late Birmingham runs helped the Barons even up the series one game apiece.
J.J. Muno put Birmingham ahead 2-0 in the second inning with a two-run homer against Pensacola spot starter Jefry Yan. The Blue Wahoos couldn’t solve Barons starter Sean Burke, who delivered 5.0 scoreless innings, but kept the game within reach thanks to effective relief from Tyler Mitzel and Nance.
In the bottom of the seventh, the Blue Wahoos tied the game 2-2 thanks to a walk, a catcher’s interference call, a throwing error and a safety squeeze bunt from Thomas Jones against Luke Shilling (W, 1-0). Just moments later, the Barons took a 3-2 lead in the eighth as Andrew McInvale (L, 2-2) uncorked a wild pitch to score Oscar Colas from third base.
In the ninth, the Barons got a pair of insurance runs on a Jose Rodriguez double, Raudy Read sacrifice fly and a solo homer from Colas against Josh Simpson. Theo Denlinger (S, 5) got the final six outs to earn the save.
The Blue Wahoos continue their series against the Barons on Thursday.
by Erik Bremer, Pensacola Blue Wahoos
Devers Caps Comeback For 5-4 Wahoos Walk-off Win
August 10, 2022
With two outs and two strikes in the bottom of the ninth, José Devers hit a two-run single to send the Pensacola Blue Wahoos to a 5-4 walk-off win over the Birmingham Barons on Tuesday night.
After the Barons jumped ahead 4-2 in the top of the ninth with a two-run Ian Dawkins homer against Sean Reynolds (W, 1-0), the Blue Wahoos rallied back with a fielding error and three walks against Edgar Navarro (L, 2-1) before Devers ended the game with his walk-off single. The win marked Pensacola’s eighth walk-off victory of the season, and their first since June 16.
Trevor Rogers, a 2021 NL All-Star with the Marlins, made a rehab start for Pensacola in his return from a back injury. The lefty went 3.1 innings, allowing a pair of runs, one earned, and striking out five. Barons catcher Raudy Read touched him for a solo homer in the first and an RBI double in the third to put Birmingham ahead 2-0.
After being stymied for five innings against Barons starter Matt Thompson, the Blue Wahoos tied things up in the sixth on a Nasim Nuñez RBI double and Griffin Conine RBI single. Effective relief from Justin Evans, Zack Leban and Eli Villalobos kept the game tied 2-2 until the ninth, when Dawkins put the Barons ahead with his home run.
With one out in the ninth, Will Banfield reached on an error before the next three batters coaxed walks against Navarro. Marcus Chiu’s bases-loaded walk drew the deficit to 4-3, but Taylor Broadway entered to strike out J.D. Orr and get ahead 0-2 on Devers. The second baseman coaxed the count full before delivering a walk-off, two-run single to right field.
The Blue Wahoos continue their series against the Barons on Wednesday.
by Eric Bremer, Pensacola Blue Wahoos
Vernon High Head Football Coach Killed In Tragic Boating Accident
August 8, 2022
Trey Pike, Vernon High School athletic director and football coach, was killed in a boating accident over the weekend.
Pike’s 21-foot boat struck an electrical tower abutment in North Bay, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. The boat was discovered early Sunday morning, but it was not known if the accident occurred late Saturday night or early Sunday morning.
There were no other passengers on the boat.
Pike was just recently named as the new head coach of the Vernon Yellow Jackets. He had served two years as an assistant coach at Vernon after teaching and coaching at Holmes County High and an Asheville, Alabama, school.
The accident happened in North Bay, near the Highway 77 Bailey Bridge at Lynn Haven — nearly 30 miles south of Vernon.
Photo: Trey Pike, Vernon High School athletic director and football coach, was killed in a boating accident over the weekend.. Photo courtesy Vernon High School Athletics for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
UWF Football Serves Up Meals At Waterfront Rescue Mission
August 8, 2022
The University of West Florida football team spent time recently giving back at the Waterfront Rescue Mission.
Team members washed dishes, helped prepare food, served breakfast and lunch, and spent time fellowshipping with Waterfront clients.
The UWF football season kicks off September 3 as they host Warner.
Photos for NorthEsambia.com, click to enlarge.
