Jay Lady Royals Win 1A State Softball Championship
May 26, 2022
The Jay Lady Royals won the FHSAA 1A state softball championship Wednesday evening.
The Lady Royals beat Fort White 6-5 in Clermont, Florida. It was Jay’s fifth trip to the championship game in the past 10 years, and their first win in that decade.
Mattie Cochran was in the circle for Jay, giving up four runs and four hits in five innings while striking out two. Alayna Lowery threw two innings, allowing six hits and one run while striking out three.
Lowery had an over the wall home run in the fourth inning for Jay, her 14th for the season.
Lowery and Cochran led the Royals at the plate with two hits each. Ella Nelson, Brooklyn Sorrells, Kaylee Gilbreath and Bailey Lopez each added one hit.
The Lady Royals ended the season at 22-5 with 17 straight wins. And some really nice hardware for the trophy case.
Pérez Cruises In 10-2 Blue Wahoos Win
May 26, 2022
Eury Pérez collected his first professional quality start, scattering three singles over 6.0 scoreless innings, as the Pensacola Blue Wahoos defeated the Mississippi Braves 10-2 on Wednesday night.
Pérez (W, 2-1) took advantage of ample run support, including a six-run fifth inning, as he completed six innings for the first time in his career.
The Blue Wahoos got out to an early 2-0 lead in the second against Mississippi starter Freddy Tarnok (L, 1-1), beginning the inning with three straight hits. A Cobie Fletcher-Vance single was followed by a Bubba Hollins double and a J.D. Orr RBI single to get the first run on the board, and Thomas Jones lifted a sacrifice fly to center field to bring home the second run.
The game was broken open in the fifth inning against Tarnok and A.J. Puckett, as Troy Johnston capped a three-hit night with a two-run single to extend the lead to 4-0. Paul McIntosh and Fletcher-Vance hit back-to-back doubles over the head of right fielder Jacob Pearson to bring home three more runs, ultimately stretching the lead to 8-0.
Pérez finished strong, retiring his final five batters, to finish at 82 pitches. His five strikeouts on the night put him at 50 for the season, placing him in a tie atop the Southern League leaderboard.
Andrew McInvale allowed two Mississippi runs in the eighth inning in his season debut, but the Blue Wahoos added two more runs in the eighth on a Victor Victor Mesa RBI single and throwing error to seal their most lopsided win of the season.
With the victory, the Blue Wahoos’ division lead has grown to 3.5 games over Mississippi and Biloxi with 28 to play in the first half.
The Blue Wahoos continue their series against the Mississippi Braves on Thursday.
by Erik Bremer, Pensacola Blue Wahoos
Jay Lady Royals Win State Semifinal; Play For State Championship On Wednesday
May 25, 2022
The Jay Lady Royals defeated Liberty County 3-2 Tuesday afternoon in Clermont in the 1A state softball semifinal.
Alayna Lowery led the Lady Royals in the circle, allowing five hits and two runs in five innings while striking out five and walking one.
Lowery, Caitlyn Gavin, Mattie Cochran, Kassidy Nevels, Ella Nelson, Brett Watson, and Kaylee Gilbreath each had one hit for Jay. Mattie Coleman pitched two innings, giving up no hits and no runs while striking out three.
The Lady Royals move on to the FHSAA 1A state championship game Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. EDT. They will face Fort White.
Braves Snap Blue Wahoos’ Winning Streak At Seven
May 25, 2022
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos got a stellar start from Jeff Lindgren, but saw their seven-game winning streak come to an end with a 5-2 loss to the Mississippi Braves on Tuesday night.
Lindgren allowed only one hit over 6.0 scoreless innings, striking out four batters and facing only one over the minimum.
The Blue Wahoos, playing for the first time in six days, turned a leadoff double from Luis Aviles Jr. into the game’s first run in the third inning thanks to an RBI single from Griffin Conine. That lead held through the middle innings, but Mississippi starter Alan Rangel kept the Blue Wahoos from adding any more.
In the seventh, the Blue Wahoos’ usually dependable bullpen had an off night. Josh Simpson, who entered with 18.2 scoreless innings to start his season, allowed a single and a pair of walks to load the bases before Riley Delgado hit a two-out, two-run single to put the Braves in front 2-1.
J.D. Orr led off the bottom of the seventh with a walk, and swiped second and third base on consecutive pitches before coming home on a sacrifice fly from José Devers to tie the game 2-2. The Blue Wahoos got a leadoff walk in the eighth against Justin Yeager (W, 1-0), but left him aboard to send the game to the ninth still tied.
In the ninth, Anthony Maldonado (L, 1-2) issued back-to-back leadoff walks before Jacob Pearson hit a go-ahead RBI double off the right field wall. Andrew Moritz followed with a two-run single past a drawn-in infield to extend the Mississippi lead to 5-2. Justin Maese (S, 
worked a perfect bottom of the ninth to lock down the save.
The Blue Wahoos’ seven-game winning streak, their longest streak since 2018, came to a close as their division lead shrank to 2.5 games with 29 to play in the first half.
The Blue Wahoos continue their series against the Mississippi Braves on Wednesday.
by Erik Bremer, Pensacola Blue Wahoos
Tate Aggies Get Spring Game Win Over W.S. Neal
May 24, 2022
The Tate Aggies defeated W.S. Neal 31-12 in their Spring Game at Pete Gindl Stadium.
If you are ready for some more Aggie football, you’ll have to wait until August and even longer for action at home. Tate will open the 2022 season August 26 with three straight weeks of road games at Catholic, Pine Forest and Pensacola. The first home game will be September 9 as Tate hosts the Northview Chiefs.
For more Tate spring game photos, click or tap here.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Jennifer Repine, click to enlarge.
Tate High Cheerleader Kyndell Ammons Signs With Troy
May 23, 2022
Tate High School senior Kyndell Ammons has signed with Troy University. Ammons was a member of both of Tate’s state championship cheer teams. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Dirt Sharks Youth Mountain Bike Club Wrap Up Successful Season (With Gallery)
May 20, 2022
The Gulf Coast Composite Mountain Bike Club, The Dirt Sharks, have wrapped up a successful season.
The Dirt Sharks finished seventh overall at the Alabama State Championship in Anniston out of 23 Division 2 teams.
For a photo gallery, click here.
The Dirt Sharks are part of the Alabama Interscholastic Cycling League, which is composed of 34 teams and over 700 student athletes from across Alabama, Southern Mississippi, and the Florida panhandle.
During the season, Ransom Middle School student Eli Forehand won the 8th Grade Boys State Championship; he was the point leader for four out of five races during the season.
Three area athletes were awarded coveted spots in the league’s Varsity category.
Sophomores Avery Strother, Kayla Liles, and Landon Forehand competed against the very best in the league throughout the season. These riders finished the season with top 10 rankings. Avery and Kayla finished ninth and tenth in varsity girls, while Landon finished tenth in varsity boys.
Ransom Middle’s Branden Ruiz finished ninth in the sixth grade boys division.
The 2022 Dirt Sharks consisted of 21 student athletes from grades 6-11 along with the support of 10 coaches. Organizers said the Dirt Sharks culture is one of family centered fun that consists of camping, team dinners, and organized rides for everyone. No cycling experience is required, and racing is not an expectation to join. The certified coaching leadership will teach the fundamental biking skills to the athletes and coaches. Parents are highly encouraged to participate, either as coaches or as volunteers.
For more information, contact club director Brett Liles at gulfcoastcomposite@gmail.com.
Tate Aggies Spring Game Is Friday Versus W.S. Neal
May 19, 2022
Are you ready for some Aggies football?
The Tate High School Aggies will host the W.S. Neal Eagles Friday night in a spring game.
Gates open at 5 p.m., and the Showband marches in at 6 p.m. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. in Pete Gindl Stadium.
There will be three food trucks to choose from.
Admission is $7, and parking is $2.
Tickets must be purchased on GoFan.
Blue Wahoos Cruise To Seventh Consecutive Win
May 19, 2022
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos didn’t let a pair of off days disrupt their winning streak, as they defeated the Montgomery Biscuits 7-1 on Wednesday night for their seventh win in a row.
Cody Mincey (W, 3-1) received his third straight winning decision, allowing only one run on six hits over 5.0 innings.
Montgomery, playing with only 20 players on their active roster after Tuesday’s game was postponed due to health and safety protocols, got length out of starter Zack Trageton (L, 0-2). The righty pitched into the sixth inning, though a persistent effort from the Blue Wahoos offense kept the momentum on Pensacola’s side.
In the third inning, the Blue Wahoos scored three runs to take an early lead. J.D. Orr reached on a bunt single in his 2022 Double-A debut, then scored on a Luis Aviles Jr. RBI single. José Devers, also newly added to the Pensacola roster, lined a double to right-center before Griffin Conine brought home a run with an RBI groundout. With runners at the corners, Paul McIntosh broke from first and got in a rundown to allow Devers to score from third and give the Blue Wahoos a 3-0 advantage.
Aviles hit a solo homer, his fourth of the year, in the fifth inning. Cobie Fletcher-Vance hit an RBI single in the sixth, and McIntosh brought home a pair of insurance runs with a double in the ninth.
Mincey handed things off to the Pensacola bullpen in the sixth, and Anthony Maldonado, Jefry Yan and Josh Simpson combined to strike out 10 Montgomery batters over 4.0 scoreless innings. For Simpson, his 18.2 consecutive scoreless innings marks the longest active streak in the minors.
The Blue Wahoos have now won seven in a row, their longest streak since 2018, and lead the South Division by 2.5 games after Biloxi’s loss to Mississippi.
The Blue Wahoos continue their series against the Montgomery Biscuits on Thursday.
by Erik Bremer, Pensacola Blue Wahoos
Jay Lady Royals Headed To 1A Final Four
May 18, 2022
The Jay Lady Royals are returning to the 1A Final Four for the second straight year. Jay beat Paxton 3-0 Tuesday night in Jay for the 1A regional championship.
Mattie Cochran earned the win for Jay in the circle. In seven innings, she allowed two hits and no runs while striking out three and walking none.
Alayna Lowery led the Royals in the plate, going 3-3 with two RBIs and two runs. She knocked in her 13th home run of the season, a new school record.
Jay (20-5) will ride a 16-game winning streak into the state semifinals May 24 against Liberty County (17-13) at Legends Way Ball Fields in Clermont.
NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.