Biloxi Snaps Pensacola’s Winning Streak
July 12, 2016
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos had runners on second and third with two outs and already has a franchise record eight walk-offs this season.
“You almost expect it,” Pensacola manager Pat Kelly said. “Now we’re going to get a hit here and at least tie it up.”
But the Biloxi Shuckers hung on for a 3-1 victory Monday over Pensacola in front of 3,848 at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
Shortstop Zach Vincej started the bottom of the ninth inning with a single on a ground ball to left field. Joe Hudson hit a ball back up the middle that the shortstop dove and knocked down and Pensacola had runners on first and second with one out. But center fielder Jeff Gelalich hit a dribbler to first base forcing out Hudson at second.
Biloxi turned to newly acquired relief pitcher Tayler Scott who came in and went 3-2 count on Alex Blandino and struck him out to end the game.
Biloxi scored two runs in the seventh inning when second baseman Javier Betancourt doubled off of Pensacola reliever Barrett Astin on a grounder down the third base line into the left field corner that scored both catcher Jacob Nottingham and third baseman Gabriel Noriega to put the Shuckers ahead, 3-1.
Biloxi scored first when shortstop Angel Ortega smacked his first Double-A home run and second of the season in the fourth inning to put the Shuckers up, 1-0.
Pensacola tied the score, 1-1, in the fifth inning when left fielder Phillip Ervin drew a bases loaded walk that forced in Joe Hudson, who had doubled.
Blue Wahoos Jackson Stephens became the third starter in a row to last into the seventh inning, retiring eight in a row twice.
Stephens gave way to Astin after working 6.2 innings. Stephens struck out two and left runners on first and second base that Betancourt drove in. It was a hard luck loss for Stephens, who gave up five hits, no walks, three earned runs and struck out five in his outing. He fell to 6-7 on the season with a 3.44 ERA.
“Stephens has a nice four-pitch mix,” Kelly said. “He’s got a good feeling for pitching.”
Meanwhile, Biloxi pitcher Wei-Chung Wang threw six innings, allowing four hits, walking three, walking in one run and striking out four. In his last six starts, Wang is 2-1 with a 1.71 ERA. On the season he is 3-4 with a 3.54 ERA.
The Blue Wahoos had chances to score more runs but were 0-6 with runners in scoring position and stranded seven runners on base.
Blandino doubled to start the game but then got caught trying to steal third. In the fifth inning, first baseman Ray Chang got thrown out at home. Again in the seventh, Pensacola had runners on second and third with two outs but Phillip Ervin was robbed of a hit by a Biloxi’s leaping catch by its shortstop Ortega.
Pensacola and Biloxi, who battled it out for the first half title before the Blue Wahoos won it, are evenly matched. In three series, Pensacola has a 7-6 edge and is up 2-1 this series.
The Blue Wahoos dropped to 8-10 in the second half and 49-39 on the season in the Southern League South Division. Meanwhile, the Shuckers improved to 6-12 and 45-42.
Prison Inmate Escapes From Work Release Program
July 11, 2016
UPDATE: THIS INMATE HAS BEEN RECAPTURED. Click here for details.
A prison inmate escaped from the Atmore Work Release program about 7:30 this morning, according to the Alabama Department of Corrections.
Authorities are searching for 37-year old Javarus Ridgeway. He was serving a 20-year sentence for a 1998 robbery conviction in Mobile County.
Ridgeway is described as a black male about five-feet, six-inches tall, 156 pounds with black hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing his state issued white shirt and pants.
Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to call their local law enforcement agency or 911.
State Line Mobile Home Fire Likely Work Of An Arsonist
July 11, 2016
A late Sunday night mobile home fire just north of the Alabama/Florida state line is being investigated as arson.
Flomaton Fire Chief Steve Stanton said a larger model truck, possible a Ford F250 or F350 was seen driving away from the unoccupied mobile home on Old Fannie Road near Welka Road as flames erupted just after 10 p.m. The mobile home, Stanton said, had been empty since it was damaged in a tornado on February 15.
Stanton said the Alabama State Fire Marshal’s Office will investigate the exact origin of the fire.
There were no injuries reported.
The Flomaton, Friendship and Lambeth volunteer fire departments from Alabama and the Century Station of Escambia Fire Rescue responded to the blaze, along with Escambia County (FL) EMS.
Photos by Courtney Rabon for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Coming Down Piece By Piece: Tornado Damaged Historic Century Methodist Church
July 11, 2016
The tornado damaged 114-year old Century United Methodist Church is coming down, board by board, piece by piece. — a process that has been going for weeks.
“It’s being dismantled, not demolished,” Rev. Janet Lee told NorthEscambia.com last month. “The hope is that there is enough wood there that is good enough to use in some way when we rebuild.”
The church will be rebuilt on the same spot, right next door to the town’s Baptist church on Church Street. Church members are currently meeting in a house across the street that is owned by the church.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
PBA Calls For New Union Election For Corrections Officers
July 11, 2016
A battle over which union should represent the state’s corrections officers moved to a new phase Friday, with the Florida Police Benevolent Association requesting an election against the Teamsters. The PBA, which was ousted by the Teamsters as the officers’ representative in 2011, filed an election petition containing more than 6,000 signatures with the Florida Public Employees Relations Committee.
“In a matter of just six weeks, we collected more than enough petitions from officers in every corner of the state,” said Matt Puckett, executive director of the PBA, in a statement announcing the move. “They expressed frustration with the Teamsters’ lack of leadership and poor organization.”
The battle comes as the Department of Corrections has struggled to cope with reports of inmate deaths and brutality by prison guards, allegations of cover-ups and corruption, and low morale and high turnover among workers.
Since her appointment more than a year ago, Corrections Secretary Julie Jones — the fifth agency chief in six years — has continued the housecleaning crusade launched by her predecessor, Michael Crews.
Corrections officers have also done without pay raises over the last several years, something that helped lead to the PBA’s defeat in 2011 after 30 years of the group representing the state’s prison and probation officers.
by The News Service of Florida
Housing Rehabilitation Program Assistance In Century On Friday
July 11, 2016
Staff from the town of Century and the Escambia County Neighborhood Enterprise Division will be at the Century Town Hall, located at 7995 N. Century Blvd., on Friday, July 15 from 1-3 pm. to take or complete applications for housing rehabilitation programs for citizens in the town of Century and unincorporated areas affected by the Century tornado on Feb. 15. Applicants must make an appointment by calling (850) 994-0081 for town of Century residents or (850) 595-3011 for unincorporated Escambia County residents. Walk-ins may not be able to be accommodated. Additional hours may be made available depending on demand.
Applicants must bring a social security card for all household members and a picture ID for all household members over 18. Additionally, applicants should bring the following current information with them as applicable:
• Three most recent pay stubs
• Social security award letter
• Retirement/pension statement
• Unemployment statement
• Child support/alimony verification
• Current bank statements
• Current mortgage statement
• Current insurance statement
• Utility bill
• Any other documentation related to income being received by any member of a household
Programs available include the county’s SHIP rehabilitation programs. Income limits apply and the property must be owner occupied and current on property taxes to receive assistance. For more information, call the Neighborhood Enterprise Division at (850) 595-0022.
NorthEscambia.com file photo.
FDOT: Rights Of Way Wrong For Political Signs
July 11, 2016
As election season gears up across Northwest Florida, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) is reminding all citizens that state law prohibits political signs on state right of way.
In Section 479.11(8), Florida Statutes provide that no signs shall be erected, used, operated, or maintained on the right of way of any highway on the State Highway System.
Political signs placed on state right of way will be removed by FDOT staff and placed at one of the department’s operations centers. FDOT personnel will make reasonable attempts to preserve campaign signs that are taken down and to provide campaign offices an opportunity to claim the signs.
The roadway right of way includes the roadway surface, concrete or grassy median, intersections, entrance and exit ramps, and a strip of land, usually bordering either side of the road, which is reserved for shoulders, drainage ditches, sidewalks, traffic signs/signals, fencing, electrical traffic signal control boxes, utility lines and future road expansion.
Improperly located signs on state right of way poses a traffic safety hazard that can distract motorists or block their view, endanger the safety of individuals who are erecting signs along busy highways and present obstacles to crews who maintain roadways.
Chance Of Rain Tonight
July 11, 2016
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Monday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 10pm. Partly cloudy, with a low around 74. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm after midnight.
Tuesday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 92. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph in the morning.
Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 74. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm after midnight.
Wednesday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 91. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph in the afternoon.
Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 75. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm after midnight.
Thursday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 92. Calm wind becoming southwest around 5 mph in the afternoon.
Thursday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 75. Southwest wind around 5 mph.
Friday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 91.
Friday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 74.
Saturday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 91.
Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 74.
Sunday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 91.
Wahoos Win Over The Shuckers
July 11, 2016
Pensacola Blue Wahoos first baseman Eric Jagielo has struggled at the plate all year but he never stopped working on his swing.
It paid off Sunday when Jagielo hit a rocket over the head of Biloxi center fielder Brett Phillips for a walk-off single that scored Blue Wahoos shortstop Zach Vincej for a 4-3 Pensacola victory over the Shuckers in front of 3,451 at Pensacola Blue Wahoos Stadium.
Jagielo said he has worked with hitting coach Alex Pelaez and has made his swing more compact. His average has steadily risen from .146 on May 9 to .208 Sunday, which is his highest average this year for the former first round pick in 2013.
The hot-hitting Jagielo, who has played 13 games at first base after playing the position just three times before coming to the Cincinnati Reds organization, also hit his second homer in three games on Saturday. Jagielo has six homers and 21 RBIs this season.
“I’m getting back to where I was last year,” said Jagielo, who was an All-Star in his last three minor league seasons in the New York Yankees organization. “I’m hitting pitches I was missing before.”
It was Pensacola’s third straight victory and the Blue Wahoos’ eighth walk-off hit this season — a franchise record. Jagielo also had Pensacola’s last walk-off, or “Wahoo Way” as the team has dubbed it, came on Father’s Day June 19 when he singled down the line to drive in Pensacola utility player Brandon Dixon for a 2-1 victory over the Mobile BayBears.
Pensacola manager Pat Kelly likes that his hitters made the most of their opportunities Sunday. The Blue Wahoos are now 8-9 in the second half and 49-38 on the season in the Southern League South Division.
“It’s not the way we planned it, but it’s nice getting a victory in the end,” Kelly said. “The only shame is that Rookie Davis doesn’t get a W out of it.”
The Blue Wahoos also tied another less desirable franchise record Sunday by striking out 18 times in a game. The last time Pensacola had that many was June 9 in a 14-inning game against the Jackson Generals.
Davis admitted he was looking to redeem himself. Davis lasted two innings, giving up seven runs, four earned on nine hits, walked one and had no strike outs in his last start against Mobile.
Sunday, he became the third Blue Wahoos starter to pitch into the seventh inning in the last 35 games. in June and July. The last two came back-to-back after righty Tyler Mahle went seven Saturday.
Davis pitched seven strong innings. He shutout Biloxi on six hits and struck out five, lowering his ERA to 2.84.
“It was a big difference from the last game,” Davis said. “I tried to come out and pitch aggressively.”
You can’t blame Biloxi right hander Taylor Jungmann, the 12th pick overall in the 2011 draft, if he didn’t want to face Pensacola on Sunday. He had faced Pensacola three times in his career and was 0-1 with a 7.71 ERA, giving up 12 earned runs in 14 innings.
Although, Biloxi’s Jungmann gave up three runs on six hits in 4.2 innings Sunday before being pulled with men on first and third, he did strike out a career-high 12 Blue Wahoos, including eight of the first nine outs.
Pensacola tagged Jungmann — who got blistered by Major League and Triple-A hitters for more than nine runs per game — for two runs in the third inning. Blue Wahoos center fielder Brandon Dixon doubled in the left center gap to score Davis and second baseman Alex Blandino for a 2-0 Pensacola lead.
Blue Wahoos Vincej hit a long fly ball off the wall for a triple to start the fourth inning. Pensacola left fielder Juan Duran then drove Vincej in to put the Blue Wahoos up, 3-0, with a deep sacrifice fly to right field that didn’t even draw a throw from the Biloxi outfielder.
Vincej went 3-4 with a triple and double, scored twice and stole his fifth base of the year. He is now 16-42 or .381 in his last 11 games and is hitting .276 on the season.
In the ninth inning, though, Biloxi pinch hitter Johnny Davis tied the game, 3-3, with a leadoff home run to right field. It was his first career home run in fourth professional season.
Biloxi had pulled within one run, 3-2, when third baseman Gabriel Noriega smacked a single up the middle that scored Phillips. Biloxi second baseman Chris McFarland then hit a chopper in front of the plate that Blue Wahoos catcher Joe Hudson decided to throw to first base and let Shuckers left fielder Garrett Cooper score.
That’s when Jagielo delivered his second Wahoo Way this season, driving in Vincej who had doubled in the ninth.
“He’s a big time player,” Davis said of his teammate. “Some guys want to step away in that situation but he’s not one of them. He’s been working hard since the first day of the first half.”
Florida Lawmakers Seek Expanded Hate Crime Coverage For Police, Fire
July 11, 2016
Two Republican lawmakers called Friday for expanding Florida’s hate-crimes law to include attacks on police officers and firefighters.
The proposal by state Rep. Dennis Baxley, R-Ocala, and state Rep. Neil Combee, R-Polk City, came the day after five law-enforcement officers in Dallas were fatally shot and seven others were wounded. The Texas attack occurred during a demonstration protesting shootings of black men by police in Louisiana and Minnesota.
Florida’s hate-crimes law increases penalties if offenses are based on factors such as race, religion, sexual orientation or mental or physical disability.
Baxley, who is running this year for a Central Florida Senate seat, announced in a news release that he and Combee would seek in 2017 to expand the hate-crimes law to address offenses against police officers and firefighters. Similar proposals were filed during the 2016 legislative session but did not reach the House or Senate floors.
“Law enforcement officers hold the fabric of our society together,” Baxley said in the news release. “An attack on them is an attack on our tradition of ordered liberty, and we must do everything possible to hold individuals who do them harm accountable.”
by The News Service of Florida
Pictured: Flowers outside Dallas Police Headquarters. Courtesy photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.