Blue Wahoos’ Morissette Excites Family, Sellout Crowd In Win Over Lookouts
June 22, 2024
written by Bill Vilona
His grandparents and other relatives were waiting near home plate to embrace Cody Morissette following the Blue Wahoos’ 6-4 win Friday against the Chattanooga Lookouts.
The reunion was part of what had Morissette sporting a big grin.
The Blue Wahoos’ second baseman homered and tripled in his first two at-bats, a breakout kind of game that helped build a 6-0 lead in the third inning. The pitching staff did the rest to finish the game, even the series, and delight a sellout crowd (5,038) at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
“It’s always nice having (relatives in town). And to be able to perform like that, it’s always fun,” said Morissette, who drove in a pair of runs with his two big hits. “We had a lot of good at bats up and down the lineup and we’ve got to keep doing that moving forward.”
The Blue Wahoos’ lead happened quickly, nearly as fast as replica home jerseys were distributed on a Giveaway Friday, sponsored by Pepsi. Fans began waiting more than three hours before the game to receive one of the most-coveted giveaway items in recent team history.
The win pushed the Blue Wahoos (37-29) to eight games above .500 with the season’s first half ending on Sunday, but it failed to narrow the playoff-qualifying chase.
The Montgomery Biscuits pulled away from the Birmingham Barons in their game Friday, enabling the Biscuits to have two chances now at clinching the Southern League South Division first half race with a 1.5 game lead on Pensacola.
The Blue Wahoos won first half divisional races the past two seasons en route to reaching the championship series. No matter how the weekend ends, the Blue Wahoos have produced winning records in four of the five half-seasons in the past three years – not an easy feat with all the constant roster changes each time.
“I think (this first half) could have been better,” Morissette said. “But we are a scrappy group of guys and put ourselves in a position to have a chance at this.
“Our pitching staff has been lights out all year. You know, the bats have been unlucky at times, and we’re figuring it out as a lineup and that’s all we can do. To be one and a half games out with two games to go is the kind of baseball you want to play.
“So whether we win it or not, we’ve put ourselves in a position to play at a high level and try to win this first half.”
Facing Chattanooga starter Rhett Lowder – the Cincinnati Reds’ No. 1 rated prospect – the Blue Wahoos immediately jumped to a lead.
Paul McIntosh singled and Joe Mack walked with one out in the first inning. Nathan Martorella then laced a two-run double.
Morissette led off the second inning with a home run just over the wall into the right field berm. In the third inning, Mack led off with a homer against Lowder, then Jacob Berry followed with an RBI single and scored on Morissette’s triple.
“I’ve been just kind of working on my swing as of late,” Morissette said. “Baseball is a lot of ups and downs and just trying to stay loose, free and easy up there. (Friday) I felt that for the first time and was able to put the bat on the ball in some big situations.”
Blue Wahoos lefthander Cade Gibson, making his second start since joining the Blue Wahoos, worked into the fifth inning in a solid outing, allowing five hits, no walks and seven strikeouts. Chandler Jozwiak followed the next two innings to earn his third win.
Three more relievers followed. The Lookouts scored three runs in the ninth off Patrick Murphy, but he struck out Nick Northcut with two runners on base in the ninth to end the game.
Pensacola Catholic grad Donovan Benoit made his first appearance in the series for the Lookouts. He pitched a clean eighth inning with one strikeout and joined the handful of former Pensacola area players to play in Blue Wahoos Stadium for an opposing team.
The Blue Wahoos will try to take a lead in the series on Saturday with Luis Palacios on the mound in a game televised on Blab TV.
GAME NOTABLES
— Blue Wahoos players, including relievers Dale Stanovich and Kyle Crigger, who later made scoreless relief pitching appearances in Friday’s game, helped distribute the replica jerseys to the massive throng of fans entering the ballpark when gates opened in at 5 p.m.
The entire supply of 1,000 jerseys provided by sponsor Pepsi, were gone in seven minutes. That is an unofficial record for a giveaway item in Blue Wahoos franchise history. The first arriving fans were at the ballpark before 2:30, setting up folding chairs and outside of the main gate.
— Helping bolster the sellout crowd were 778 fans who were part of a wide variety of groups attending the game. There were more than a dozen groups attending the game on the party decks.
— Ryan Laskey, who worked as a Pensacola Air Traffic controller for the past 14 years, threw out a ceremonial first pitch. He is moving on to a new position out of the area.
WANT TO GO?
WHO: Chattanooga Lookouts vs. Blue Wahoos
WHEN: Saturday, 6:05 p.m.
WHERE: Blue Wahoos Stadium
Three Injured In Head-on Highway 97 Crash In Walnut Hill
June 21, 2024
Three people were injured in a headp-on crash Friday afternoon on Highway 97 in Walnut Hill, and state troopers say criminal charges are pending.
The Florida Highway Patrol said a northbound pickup truck driven by a 59-year old Pensacola man was traveling into the southbound lane, hitting another pickup head-on near the Walnut Hill Community Center.
Firefighters used the Jaws of Life to extricate the passenger in the northbound picku that was airlifted to Sacred Heart Hospital, as was the driver of the other pickup in second Airare medical helicopter. Both were from Camden, Alabama.
The driver of the southbound truck was transported by Escambia County EMS to an area hospital.
FHP said no one in the crash was wearing a seat belt.
The Walnut and McDavid stations of Escambia County Fire Rescue, Escambia and the Atmore Fire Department also responded, along with the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
Highway 97 was completely closed by the crash for about two hours.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Fire Damages Cantonment Home
June 21, 2024
Fire damaged a single family home in Cantonment late Thursday afternoon.
Escambia County Fire Rescue responded to the home on Quarters Road, just south of Booker Street, about 5:15 p.m. and arrived to find an active fire.
Initial reports indicated that the fire may have started in the kitchen of the small concrete block home and was quickly brought under control. There were no injuries reported.
The Cantonment, Beulah, Molino and Osceola stations of Escambia County Fire Rescue and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office were among those that responded.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
Tate High FFA Chapter Earns Numerous Awards And Honors At FFA State Convention
June 21, 2024
The Tate High School FFA chapter brought home numerous awards and honors from the 96th Annual Florida FFA State Convention & Expo in Orlando recently.
Tate attended with 34 FFA members, chapter advisors, administration, and FFA alumni. Members attended the convention, leadership student workshops, and career show.
Chapter delegates Lawson Theisen and Maegan Coleman and represented the chapter at the Florida FFA business session and District 1 meeting. Tate High Principal Laura Touchstone also attended the convention and shared in the chapter’s accomplishments for the week.
The chapter was received the following awards, honors and accolades::
Florida’s Finest – National Chapter Award – recognizes the top 10% of chapters that actively implement the mission and strategies of the National FFA organization as they emphasize three components: Growing leaders, building communities and strengthening agriculture while engaging the entire membership.
Florida’s Finest – Premier FFA Chapters – Recognizes superior achievement by FFA chapters as they engaged in agriculture and the FFA. Chapters must be proficient in alumni and community partnerships, financial planning, public relations and models of excellence FFA activities.
Advisor of the Year Finalist – Tate FFA advisor Melissa Gibbs was a top finalist for the Timothy Cribbs Advisor of the Year Award as it recognizes advisors who make a positive difference in the lives of their agricultural FFA members.
Honorary State FFA Degree – Richard Gibbs was chosen by the Florida FFA Association Board of Directors, officers and staff to receive the coveted Honorary State FFA Degree. Gibbs is a charter member of the Tate FFA Foundation and a 1954 Tate High School graduate and FFA member. The Honorary State FFA Degree is the highest honorary award presented by the Florida FFA organization. Its purpose is to recognize those individuals who have greatly contributed to the advancement of agricultural education and who have provided outstanding service to the FFA program.
American FFA Degree Candidates – As the highest degree achievable in the National FFA Organization, the American FFA Degree shows an FFA member’s dedication to his or her chapter and state FFA association. It demonstrates the effort FFA members apply toward their supervised agricultural experience and the outstanding leadership abilities and community involvement they exhibited through their FFA career. American FFA Degree recipients show promise for the future and have gone above and beyond to achieve excellence. Tate FFA recipients were Dawson Guy and Jaxson Stafford.
State FFA Degree Recipients – The State FFA Degree is the highest degree a state association can bestow upon a member. It is a step in the FFA degree system that encourages premier leadership, personal growth and achievement of career success. The degree is a high and rare honor, in which less than two percent of FFA members earn. It requires commitment and hard work to reach and attain this goal. The State FFA Degree is awarded to FFA members who have demonstrated the highest level of commitment to the Florida State FFA Association and made significant accomplishments in their Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAEs).
The following Tate students received the State FFA Degree.
- Sarah Alexander
- Wyatt Allen
- Ryan Grace
- Austin Manning
- Francis Martin
- Alexis Nelson
- Synoma Perea
- Brayden Touchstone
- Lyllian Warne
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Sing 2: Free Movie Night Friday In Molino Park
June 21, 2024
A free Movie in the Park will be held Friday night at the Molino Head Start.
Community Action Program Committee, Inc. will present “Sing 2″ at 6:30 p.m. Refreshments will be provided, and attendees are encouraged to bring a lawn chair.
The Molino Head Start program is located in the Molino Community Center at 6460 North Highway 95A.
Hot And Humid Into The Weekend
June 21, 2024
Here is your official North Escambia forecast:
Friday: Sunny, with a high near 92. East wind 5 to 10 mph.
Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 71. Northeast wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Saturday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Sunny, with a high near 93. Northeast wind around 5 mph becoming south in the afternoon.
Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 73. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Sunday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 94. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph in the afternoon.
Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 75. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph.
Monday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 94. West wind around 5 mph.
Monday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 75. Southwest wind around 5 mph.
Tuesday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 1pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 93. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Tuesday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 73.
Wednesday: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Mostly sunny, with a high near 90. Chance of precipitation is 70%.
Wednesday Night: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 74.
Thursday: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Mostly sunny, with a high near 90. Chance of precipitation is 70%.
Supervisor of Elections Disqualifies Supervisor of Elections Candidate Bruce Childers
June 21, 2024
The Escambia County Supervisor of Elections Office has disqualified GOP candidate Bruce Childers, who was running for Supervisor of Elections, according to a statement from that office late Thursday.
According to a statement from the Super of Election Office:
“Mr. Bruce Childers did not qualify as a candidate for the position of supervisor of elections. Mr. Childers’ full and public financial disclosure was not provided by close of qualifying, and Florida Statute §99.061(7)(a), requires a candidate qualifying for Constitutional office to provide a copy of the full and public financial disclosure Form 6 by the close of qualifying. The requirement is pursuant to the Florida Constitution and Florida’s election and ethics laws.
“The Escambia County Supervisor of Elections Office remains committed to ensuring the integrity of elections and maintaining compliance with the election laws of Florida.”
Childers, a local attorney, is the husband of Escambia County Comptroller and Clerk of the Court Pam Childers.
Without Childers in the race, incumbent Supervisor of Elections Robert Bender was automatically elected.
According to SOE records, the Childers’s campaign had $101,000 — a single $1,000 donation from a retired individual and $100,000 in loans to himself as of June 14. He had spent $42,362.97 including the $9,735.48 qualification fee, $4,027.49 for signs and $28,600 for Lamar Advertising billboards.
By June 14, Bender raised $21,450, and had spent $10,735.48 including consulting for $1,000 and the $9,735.48 qualifying fee.
Molino 6U All-Stars Win Gospel Projects World Series
June 21, 2024
The Molino 6U All-Stars won the Gospel Projects World Series this week.
The Gospel Projects World Series started in 1970 and Molino has never finished better in 6Uthan second back in 2019.
These are the same boys that won 5U last year, which also was a first for Molino at the 5U at Gospel Projects.
Molino defeated NEP Gold 31-22 for the championship.
Molino 6U All-Stars head coach is Tanner Brooks. Assistant coaches are Jason Chaney, Mark Cutler, Wesley Summerford, Brad Brooks, and Blake Schnyder.
Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Firefighters Respond To Report Of Smoke In Cantonment Dollar General
June 21, 2024
Escambia County Fire Rescue responded to a report of smoke in the building at a Cantonment Dollar General Thursday afternoon.
The report was made about 5 p.m. from the Dollar General at 111 South Highway 97 at Muscogee Road. Firefighters tracked the source of the smoke to an electrical problem with an HVAC unit.
There was no severe damage and no injuries reported.
NorthEscambia.com file photo.
‘Doc’ Johnson Just What Blue Wahoos Ordered in 2-0 Win
June 21, 2024
written by Bill Vilona
The Blue Wahoos resummoned their winning formula on Thursday night.
It was enough to keep them in a divisional playoff race.
As he’s so often done at home this year, righthander M.D. Johnson gave his teammates a big lift with five shutout innings prior to a brief rain delay, then the bullpen took over on Mullet Thursday for Pensacola’s 2-0 win against the Chattanooga Lookouts.
Taking on their alternate identity as the Mullets, the Blue Wahoos rebounded from two series-opening losses, including a 9-1 setback Wednesday at Blue Wahoos Stadium, to stay in contention in the Southern League South Division first half chase.
The win was vital, considering the Montgomery Biscuits won their second game this week against the Birmingham Barons – the North Division leader – to maintain a 1.5 game lead with three weekend games remaining.
“(Thursday) we played more like Blue Wahoos baseball,” said Johnson, who improved to 3-4 on the season and lowered his earned run average to 3.11. “We weren’t super tight. We weren’t trying to do everything so perfectly, because of what’s at stake. We just played the game that we’re all here trying to play.
“I think that, going forward, is what we need to carry on doing.”
All three of Johnson’s wins have come at home. He carried a mindset of blocking any thoughts of needing to carry the team in a must-win type of scenario.
“I didn’t think of it along the lines of that,” said Johnson, who allowed just three hits – matching his fewest this season – along with two walks and four strikeouts.
““Because as soon as you try to add that little bit of extra pressure, then you are going to try and nitpick things,” he said. “I went more along the lines of… we lost the first two games of the series, and it’s opening weekend. We are trying to get a win here to jump start the week, versus, ‘Oh we have to try and stay in the hunt.’ I don’t have to think about that.
“(Playoffs) will take of itself with us winning baseball games. I treated it like a normal start. We just lost two, I need to come in here and set the tone for the week. And I think I accomplished that.”
The Blue Wahoos scored both runs on home runs.
Catcher Joe Mack did it again, leading off the fourth inning with a solo shot over the right center berm. It was his team-high 11th homer of the season, his ninth in the past 20 games.
Cody Morissette followed a 21-minute rain delay in the bottom of the fifth inning by connecting on a 1-1 pitch for his fifth homer this season.
Those two swings became enough. The Blue Wahoos had just four hits. Mack had one of those with a first-inning single and Zach Zubia had the other.
That was enough offense for the Blue Wahoos bullpen to take over. Austin Roberts, the team’s saves leader, who was used Thursday as a middle reliever, worked the sixth and seventh in flawless fashion with four strikeouts to get his first hold of the season.
Raffi Vizcaíno earned his seventh save by working two scoreless innings. When he recorded his fourth strikeout to end the game, Vizcaíno leaped off the mound and showed joyous emotion after sealing a much needed win.
The Lookouts (19-47), who have the fewest wins in all levels of Minor League Baseball, have played solid baseball so far this week against the Blue Wahoos.
“The bullpen has been nails all year,” Johnson said. “They have been fantastic. If I can give us five to six innings… not just myself but the whole starting staff… if we can give them the lead after five to six innings of good quality baseball, it’s lights out.”
The series will continue on Friday with Cade Gibson making his first home start for the Blue Wahoos against Rhett Lowder, the Cincinnati Reds’ No. 1 prospect, who will entered with a 0-3 record Friday but is coming off a scoreless five innings in his last start.
GAME NOTABLES
— The rain delay began at 7:20 p.m. after the umpires called for the tarp to be put on the field. It was the first time in the Blue Wahoos’ 36 home games that weather has affected a game.
— The University of West Florida had a group outing on the Winn-Dixie party deck with 200-plus guests.
— The win pushed the team’s record to 5-2 wearing the Mullet uniforms and 27-1 when leading after seven innings.
WANT TO GO?
WHO: Chattanooga Lookouts vs. Blue Wahoos
WHEN: Friday, 6:05 p.m.
WHERE: Blue Wahoos Stadium