Wahoos Pound Biscuits 9-3
June 22, 2013
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos used a 15-hit attack to blast the Montgomery Biscuits 9-3 on Friday night at Riverwalk Stadium. Every member of the Wahoos lineup smacked at least one base hit in tying a franchise-high with the 15 base knocks.
Pensacola gave up an early run in the first inning but the offense turned the deficit into a lead in the top of the third against Montgomery starter Enny Romero (6-3). With the bases loaded, Yorman Rodriguez drew a walk to tie the game and was followed by Travis Mattair’s RBI single and Marquez Smith’s RBI fielder’s choice to push Pensacola in front 3-1.
The Biscuits quickly tied it in the last of the third on an RBI triple from Kevin Kiermaier, who then scored on a groundout from Robby Price to knot the game at three. That was the last rally Montgomery would muster against Wahoos starter Daniel Renken (2-5) who settled down to retire 10 straight from the third through the sixth inning.
Meanwhile, the Wahoos’ bats erupted to score in three straight innings from the fifth through the seventh. In the fifth, Mattair belted a solo homer out of the park to left field, his team-high eighth of the season, to give Pensacola a 4-3 lead. Mattair ended up going 3-for-4 on the night with two runs scored and two RBI.
An inning later, Matt Kennelly drove home Ryan LaMarre with a double and came around to score on a sac fly by Corey Wimberly to make it 6-3. Kennelly established a new career high with four hits on the night, scoring two runs and driving in one.
In the seventh inning, the first two Wahoos reached in front of Smith who smashed a two-run double down the left field line to give Pensacola a five-run advantage. Smith drove home three runs to increase his total to four in his five games with Pensacola.
The Wahoos added another run in the top of the ninth inning as Wimberly reached on a fielding error by first baseman Cameron Seitzer, allowing LaMarre to score to make the final margin 9-3.
Renken picked up his first win since April 8, his first start of the year, with six innings of work, allowing three runs on five hits while striking out six. Trevor Bell and Chris Manno combined to throw three scoreless innings out of the pen to nail down the win.
Romero took just his second loss in the last two months, both of which have come against Pensacola. He gave up four runs on six hits in five innings. Pensacola peppered the Biscuits bullpen for five runs on nine hits in four innings.
The Wahoos look to take the series on Saturday night behind Shaun Ellis (2-1, 3.38). Montgomery will counter with Victor Mateo (2-7, 6.51). First pitch from Riverwalk Stadium is scheduled for 6:35 p.m.
story by Kevin Burke
Weekend Gardening: Tomato Pests
June 22, 2013
June is prime time for growing tomatoes here in Escambia County, but it’s also the best time to see a lot of pests in tomatoes that can totally ruin a crop. To help you figure out what’s “bugging” your tomatoes, here’s a quick rundown of some of the pests that you might see in your garden.
Silverleaf Whitefly
The adult silverleaf whitefly is small, approximately 1/16 of an inch in length, and has powdery white wings held tent-like while at rest over a yellow body. Whiteflies are usually found on the undersides of leaves. Eggs, which are yellow and football-shaped, are attached upright by a tiny stalk inserted into the lower leaf surface.
A mobile first instar (growth stage), or crawler stage, hatches from the egg and settles on the leaf. It then develops through immobile second, third, and fourth instars which look like semi-transparent, flat, oval scales. The fourth instar or “pupa” is more yellow and more easily seen without the aid of a hand lens, and typically has very distinct eyespots, and is referred to as a “red-eyed nymph.”
As the plant grows, leaves bearing the maturing nymphs are found lower down on the plant, so older nymphs can be found by looking at older leaves. Whiteflies ingest sap from the plant vascular system (phloem) through stylets similar to those of aphids and, like aphids, process a relatively large volume of plant sap by excreting excess liquid in the form of a sugary substance called honeydew. The honeydew will result in sooty mold—a black, powdery looking substance that reduces photosynthesis in the leaves. Sometimes the nymphs will feed on the fruit and that will cause white tissue on the inside of the fruit walls.
Aphids
Aphids are soft-bodied, sucking insects that can rapidly colonize plants due to their short life cycle.
Adults are delicate, pear- or spindle-shaped insects with a posterior pair of tubes (cornicles), which project upward and backward from the end of the abdomen and which are used for excreting a defensive fluid. In Florida, winged and wingless forms are all female and give birth to living young (nymphs). Nymphs are smaller but otherwise similar in appearance to wingless adults, which they become in 7 to 10 days.
Heavy aphid infestations may cause stunting and leaf distortion. Feeding on blossoms reduces fruit set. Sooty mold will grow on the honeydew that the aphids excrete. Aphids may also spread plant viruses.
Brown and Green Stink Bugs and Leaf-footed bugs
Like aphids and whiteflies, true bugs are sucking insects. True bugs can be recognized by their front wings, which are leathery close to the body but membrane-like at the tips.
Nymphs resemble adults in shape but are often colored differently and do not have fully developed wings. Stink bugs are green or brown shield-shaped bugs 1/2 to 2/3 of an inch long. Eggs are barrel-shaped and found on the undersides of leaves in masses of 10 to 50.
Leaf-footed bugs are dark-colored true bugs with parallel sides. Eggs are metallic and ovate but somewhat flattened laterally and laid in clusters. Some leaf-footed bugs lay their eggs end-to-end in a single row or chain along a stem or leaf midrib. Nymphs are oblong in shape and red in color, especially on the abdomen.
Nymphs and adults of both stink bugs and leaf-footed bugs suck juices from green fruit leaving a puncture which later may become surrounded by a discolored zone due to invasion of secondary pathogens. Stink bug feeding punctures are often surrounded with a lightened, sometimes depressed, blotch beneath the fruit surface caused by the removal of cell contents and the enzymes injected by the bug. Leaf-footed punctures may cause fruit to become distorted as they enlarge.
Tomato Hornworm
There are many caterpillars that can feed on tomatoes but the tomato hornworm can strip a plant of leaves in a few days.
The adult moth is large with mottled brown forewings that are longer than the lighter brown hind wings. The sides of the abdomen have five yellow spots on the sides. The female moth will lay eggs on the upper and lower surfaces of leaves. The adult moths are nectar feeders on many flowers and may be seen in the early evening around gardens and flowers.
The emerging caterpillars will feed on leaves and go through several molts as they develop into large green caterpillars with a black ‘horn’ on the tip of the abdomen. Caterpillars are also identified by the white or yellow ‘V’ marks on the sides of the abdomen. When it is time to pupate, the caterpillars drop to the soil and make a cell for changing to the adult moth. The pupa is reddish brown and has a loop structure at the head that contains the mouthparts. There are normally two generations of tomato hornworm a year and as late summer arrives, the hornworm goes through a resting phase.
Other plants in the tomato family can be eaten by tomato hornworms but tomatoes are the favorite in our area. The caterpillars will eat entire leaves and initially work their down on the plant, eating leaves, blossoms, and even green fruit. Because they blend in with green foliage, a homeowner will often overlook the caterpillar despite its large size.
Hornworm does have natural enemies so be cautious before reaching for the insecticide. They can also be easily handpicked and destroyed after you find them.
For further information, contact the Escambia County Extension office, (850) 475-5230.
HAM Operators To Hold Emergency Communications Field Day
June 22, 2013
The Five Flags Amateur Radio Association will be holding a public demonstration of backup Emergency Communications at the Ensley Fire Station this weekend. The event will start at 1 p.m. on Saturday and will last for 24 hours.
The public will have a chance to meet with Escambia County Ham radio operators and learn about the amateur radio service. Hams across the country will be holding public demonstrations of emergency communications abilities in an annual event called “Field Day”. The public is invited to see Ham radio’s new capabilities and learn how to obtain a FCC radio license before the next disaster strikes.
The Ensley Fire Station is located at 8634 Pensacola Boulevard.
Two Critically Injured In Olive Road Crash
June 22, 2013
Two people were seriously injured in a wreck about 3:45 Friday afternoon at the intersection of Scenic Highway and East Olive Road. Two people involved in the crash were transported by Escambia County EMS as “trauma alerts”. The accident remains under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol. Further details have not been released. Submitted photo by Doug Fortune for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Ernest Ward ‘Ag Building’ Demolished To Make Room For New School
June 21, 2013
Visible progress towards the construction of a new Ernest Ward Middle School in Walnut Hill became evident Thursday.
The “Ag Building”, constructed in 1954, was mostly demolished Thursday. Covered walkways have also been removed between the main building and the school gym. During the remainder of the summer, temporary portable buildings will be moved in, and a mobile home and a few portables will be moved.
The new $16.5 million, 115,202 square foot building is being designed by Sam Marshall Architects of Pensacola, while Greenhut Construction Company of Pensacola will provide “Construction Management at Risk Services” — the overall planning, coordination and control of the project from beginning to completion.
The school is expected to open in the fall of 2016. The current main school building will be demolished after the completion of the new school.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
File photos of the “Ag Building” at Ernest Ward Middle School:
Escambia Commission Taking Over The County Jail From The Sheriff
June 21, 2013
The Escambia County Commission voted 4-1 Thursday night to take control of the Escambia County Jail effective October 1.
The dissenting vote was cast by Commissioner Luman May.
A battle of sorts erupted between the commission and Sheriff David Morgan after a U.S. Department of Justice found the jail was understaffed and provided inadequate services in some area. Morgan asked for more money, and commissioners balked at the idea of a tax increase to fund the jail.
Morgan fired off a letter to commissioners telling them that the jail was theirs on September 1. Commissioners decided to assume control on October 1 as fiscal year begins and to allow more time to plan the transition.
Currently, there’s a July 10 deadline to resolve the problems to DOJ’s satisfaction.
But County Attorney Alison Rogers said the county will ask for more time to comply, and she believes a multi-year plan to bring the jail into compliance will work as long as the county makes a diligent effort toward compliance with the DOJ findings.
Local, Statewide Housing Markets Experience Upswing
June 21, 2013
Florida’s housing market continued its upswing in May, as did the local housing market in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.
Single family home sales were up nearly 25 percent in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties, while the median sales price increased 5.4 percent to $154,000. Townhouse an condo sales in the two county area were up 3.6 percent, with the average price down 12 percent to $280,000.
Statewide closed sales of existing single-family homes totaled 22,375 in May, up 18.7 percent compared to the year-ago figure, according to data from Florida Realtors. The statewide median sales price for single-family existing homes last month was $171,000, up 15.9 percent from the previous year.
Townhouse and condo sales were up 11.5 percent statewide, with an average media price at $128,000, up 13 percent over the previous year.
“Home sales continue to increase, it’s taking less time for sales to close, and median sales prices are on the rise,” said 2013 Florida Realtors President Dean Asher, broker-owner with Don Asher & Associates Inc. in Orlando. “This is the 17th month in a row that we’ve seen the statewide median sales prices increase year-over-year for both single-family homes and for townhome-condo properties.”
One Killed In Escambia Crash
June 21, 2013
One person was killed in a three vehicle crash at noon Thursday on Barrancas Avenue.
The Florida Highway Patrol said the fatality, 79-year old Charles C. Smoote,was a passenger in a 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt driven by 28-year old Michael A. Smoote of Pensacola. A second passenger, 71-year old Eunice P. Smoote of Pensacola, was seriously injured.
The FHP has not released details on happened in the accident.
Also injured were 26-year old Ruelas A. Braulio of Pensacola, who was driving a 2009 Infinity G37, and a passenger in the vehicle, 29-year old Kimberly McClain of Pensacola. The driver of a third vehicle, John H. Hinman of Birmingham, was not injured.
The accident remains under investigation by the FHP.
Louis Street Railroad Crossing To Close For Repairs
June 21, 2013
The railroad crossing on Louis Street in Cantonment will be closed for repairs next week.
Louis Street between Muscogee Road and Washington Street will be closed for railroad crossing repairs from 8 a.m. Monday, June 24 until 4 p.m. on Tuesday, June 25.
The crossing was the site of a minor low speed train derailment on Wednesday.
Pictured top: A low speed train derailment Wednesday morning at Louis Street in Cantonment. NorthEscambia.com photo by Kristi Smith, click to enlarge.
Local Soldier’s Body Returned Home From Afghanistan
June 21, 2013
The body of a local solider who died in Afghanistan arrived in Pensacola on Thursday.
Staff Sgt. Jesse Thomas, 31, was killed June 10 while serving in Helmand Province, but the Department of Defense has not released exactly what happened. Thomas is a Pensacola native, joining the Army after graduating from Pensacola High School.
Friends and family gathered Thursday as members of the Patriot Guard stood at attention on the tarmac at the Pensacola airport. The Patriot Guard escorted the flag-draped coffin to Joe Morris and Son Funeral Home.
Funeral services for Staff Sgt. Jesse Thomas will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday at East Hill Church of God in Christ at 400 East Jordan Street. Visitation will precede the service at noon.
After a procession escorted by the Patriot Guard, burial will follow at the Barrancas National Cemetery.
Pictured top: The flag-draped coffin of Staff Sgt. Jesse Thomas arrives in Pensacola on Thursday. Reader submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.