Wahoos Shutout Chattanooga
June 30, 2016
Someone forgot to tell Tyler Mahle that the hitters in Double-A are better than the ones he dominated in Single-A.
Seemingly without a hitch, Mahle has made the mid-season jump to the Pensacola Blue Wahoos from the High-A Daytona Tortugas, so far.
In his Blue Wahoos Stadium debut, the 21-year-old Mahle showed he belongs here by throwing five scoreless innings, striking out eight, including four in a row, and pitching his way out of two bases-loaded jams.
His poise helped Pensacola win the opener of the five game series against Chattanooga, shutting them out, 3-0, in front of the Blue Wahoos 19th sellout crowd of 5,038 Wednesday.
“There’s not a huge difference but they will make you pay if you make a mistake,” Mahle said of Southern League hitters. “They’re a little more selective. They know what they want to hit. I just trust my stuff and throw strikes.”
Pensacola manager Pat Kelly has followed Mahle, who’s ranked the Cincinnati Reds No. 10 prospect and won the Chief Bender Award as the Reds Minor League Player of the Year last season.
“He’s been a real good pitcher. All the way through the minor leagues he has been effective,” Kelly said. “He got into a couple of jams but he did a great of pitching out of them.”
The right hander, selected in round seven of the 2013 draft, struck out four in a row and dug himself out of a two-out, bases loaded jam in the fourth inning by striking out Chattanooga first baseman D.J. Hicks on a 92 mph fastball.
In the fifth inning, the Lookouts loaded the bases with no outs but Mahle then forced leadoff hitter Zach Granite to fly out to right field and struck out both second baseman Ryan Walker and right fielder Daniel Palka, who leads the Southern League in homeruns (19) and is tied for first in RBIs (59).
His strikeout of Palka was a key point in the game. Palka was 5-17 with one home run and three RBIs in the teams’ first meeting in May. He went 1-3 with a walk Wednesday.
“I saw his bat speed and didn’t want him to run into a fastball,” Mahle said. “They had a good idea how to pitch him since he hit us pretty well last time.”
Mahle ended up working five scoreless innings, allowing four hits, walking two and striking out eight. He’s now 2-0 with a 2.70 ERA. In his two starts, Mahle has racked up 16 strikeouts in 10 innings pitched in his two starts for the Blue Wahoos. On the season, he has 92 strikeouts in 89.1 innings this season between Daytona and Pensacola.
In the first half of the 2016 season with Daytona, Mahle dominated hitters, just like he has so far in Pensacola. He allowed opponents to hit just .206 against him for the Tortugas. It included a complete game, no-hitter June 13 against Jupiter Hammerheads. He was 8-3 with a 2.50 ERA and led the Florida State League in strikeouts with 76 and innings pitched with 79.1.
Pensacola scored first when first baseman Ray Chang hit a sharp two-out line drive single to left field and then shortstop Zach Vincej followed with a double down the left field line to score Chang from first to put the Blue Wahoos up, 1-0.
Pensacola scored two more times in the fifth inning to go ahead, 3-0.
Blue Wahoos left fielder Phillip Ervin hit a screamer that went through the shortstop’s legs. Ervin swiped second for his 23 steal of the season and advanced to third when the catcher’s throw rolled into centerfield. He then scored on a wild pitch by Chattanooga starter David Hurlbut to make it a, 2-0, game.
With two outs, Brandon Dixon smacked a line drive single to left field and was driven in by Taylor Sparks triple into the right field corner to increase Pensacola’s lead to 3-0.
Ervin got on base all four times Wednesday on a double, two walks and an error. His pinch hit grand slam in the Southern League All-Star game June 21 has helped increase his confidence at the plate, he said.
“Step one is to get a hit like that to get you back on top,” Ervin said. “It felt good. It was a confidence booster to get on base all four times on hits, walks or errors.”
Pensacola also showed off some spectacular defense. Blue Wahoos center fielder Brandon Dixon chased down a liner by Chattanooga DH Stuart Turner in the right-center gap threw it to second baseman Alex Blandino, who turned and threw a bullet home to catcher Joe Hudson to get Lookouts shortstop Leo Reginatto out at home plate.
Hudson also threw out two Chattanooga base runners trying to steal second base.
“Blandino threw a tremendous relay throw to get the guy out at the plate,” Kelly said. “We depend on our pitching and defense.”
One Serious After Highway 29 Rollover Crash In Cantonment
June 29, 2016
Three people, including a toddler, were injured in a single vehicle rollover Tuesday evening on Highway 29 near Neal Road in Cantonment.
The driver was trapped in the vehicle and extricated by first responders. The toddler was reported to be properly restrained and suffered only minor injuries. One person was transported by Escambia County EMS in serious condition; two others, including the toddler, were taken to the hospital by private vehicle.
The accident remains under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol; further details have not yet been released.
Pictured top and below: Firefighters use the Jaws of Life to free a victim in Cantonment crash Tuesday evening. NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
Escambia Man Gets 30 Years For Attempted Murder
June 29, 2016
An Escambia County man is headed to prison for attempted murder.
Roger Marion Lofton was sentenced Tuesday by Circuit Judge Scott Duncan to 30 years in state prison as a habitual felony offender. Has was previously convicted of second degree murder by an Escambia County jury.
On May 17, 2015, Roger Lofton shot Richard Anthony Booth multiple times at a residence on Bayliss Court. Booth suffered gunshot wounds to his chin and his left arm.Lofton fled the area and was arrested two days later in Bonifay.
Ron Paul Endorses North Escambia Native Rebekah Bydlak For Congress
June 29, 2016
North Escambia native Rebekah Johansen Bydlak has been endorsed by former presidential candidate and U.S. Rep. Ron Paul.
“I am pleased to endorse Rebekah Bydlak for Congress,” Paul said, “Rebekah’s commitment to, and experience in advancing, the principles of liberty show that she is the type of leader the GOP, Florida, and the country need.”
“I am thrilled and honored to be endorsed by the godfather of the Tea Party,” Bydlak said, “Ron Paul’s name has become synonymous with the defense of the Constitution and reducing the size of government.”
“For years, he fought the good fight in Washington D.C. against career politicians and unconstitutional government overreach, and I am proud to have his support,” she added.
Bydlak would make history if she is successful in the August 30 Republican primary as the first female to represent Florida’s 1st District and youngest-ever elected woman in Congress.
Bydlak, a Cantonment resident and native of McDavid in North Escambia, is a former Florida state chair of Young Americans for Liberty, the youth organization that began as an outgrowth of Paul’s 2008 presidential bid. She has also served as director of outreach for the Coalition to Reduce Spending, an advocacy organization dedicated to reducing spending and debt.
She is a graduate of Pensacola State College and the University of West Florida. She holds a master’s degree in political science and public administration from UWF.
Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Flomaton Opens New Municipal Complex (With Gallery)
June 29, 2016
A ribbon cutting was held Tuesday for the new Flomaton Municipal Complex, replacing a city hall building that was overrun with mold.
About two years ago, the then-town hall was closed due to mold, and offices such as the town clerk, police department, and utilities scattered to other locations around town.
“We are extremely proud of this new facility,” Flomaton Mayor Dewey Bondurant said.
The new building is located on Ringold Stret at the site of the old town hall. The modern building cost the town about a half million dollars.
For a photo gallery, click here.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Three Escape Serious Injury In Backwoods Road Crash
June 29, 2016
There were no serious injuries when two vehicles wrecked Tuesday evening on Backwoods Road near Century. A pickup truck and a passenger car collided about 7:10 p.m. in a curve on the dirt road. The driver of the pickup, the driver of the car and a passenger in the car all refused medical treatment.
The accident is under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol. Details have not been released.
The Century Station of Escambia Fire Rescue, Escambia County EMS and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office also responded to the crash.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
MESS Hall Presents Science In The Summer Programs At The Library
June 29, 2016
The Pensacola MESS Hall presented four weeks of Science in the Summer programs at each branch of the West Florida Library. Student learned about electricity and magnetism through hands-on activities and experiments like building an electrical circuit and observing the affects of magnets on different materials.
The Pensacola MESS Hall is a hands on science museum located in downtown Pensacola. Visitors enjoy exploring math, engineering, science, and stuff with an ever-changing menu of mess kits, activities and exhibits
Pictured: The final Pensacola MESS HALL Science in the Summer program Tuesday evening at the Century Branch Library. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Florida Confirms First Zika Related Birth
June 29, 2016
Florida has its first confirmed case of an infant born with Zika-related microcephaly, a birth defect in which babies are born with abnormally small heads and incomplete brain development.
The Florida Department of Health announced Tuesday that the mother had contracted the mosquito-borne virus while in Haiti. The mother traveled to Florida to give birth, officials said.
Gov. Rick Scott, who met with health officials in Palm Beach County on Tuesday, used the news of the state’s first Zika-related birth to press the federal government for more support. Scott planned to attend a second roundtable discussion regarding Zika at the Duval County Department of Health in Jacksonville Tuesday afternoon.
“Now that a baby has been born in our state with adverse impacts from Zika, it is clear that every available resource is needed to prevent local transmissions in our state,” Scott said in a press release. According to state health officials, babies with microcephaly often have a range of problems including developmental delay, intellectual disability, problems with movement and balance, hearing loss and vision problems.
Scott on Tuesday also asked the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to host a conference call with Florida health care professionals to discuss the neurological impacts of Zika and how the virus impacts new and expecting moms.
Last week, Scott issued an executive order to pump $26.2 million into the fight against the Zika virus. Scott directed state Surgeon General Celeste Philip to oversee distribution of the money to county health departments, local mosquito districts and laboratories for training, mosquito surveillance, and the purchase of Zika prevention kits from the CDC. Scott asked President Barack Obama on June 1 to use his presidential authority to release federal funds to fight Zika.
The president sought $1.9 billion in Zika-related funding from Congress, but the House and Senate have been divided on how much to allocate to combat the disease. The House, which initially offered $622 million, on Thursday approved a measure matching the Senate’s $1.1 billion funding proposal.
But Democrats and the White House appeared to balk at the House plan, which included provisions unrelated to fighting Zika.
by The News Service of Florida
Library Accepting Blood Donations For Fines
June 29, 2016
The West Florida Public Libraries is now accept blood in lieu of library fines.
The library will waive fines up to $50 for participating patron in exchange for the cardholder donating blood, or making a good-faith effort to donate, at blood drives held at the West Florida Public Libraries. A blood drive was held Tuesday at the main library; blood drives will be held once at each library branch during the next year.
The blood donation credit will only apply to fines, not replacement charges for lost materials. If a patron wishes to donate their credit to another individual or family, the library will honor this request. But library patrons will not be allowed to accumulate credit on their account.
A blood drive at a different library location every two months, rotating to each of the library branches in Escambia County. Donors will also receive a free t-shirt and a special edit “I Blood for Books” library card.
Pictured: The first blood drive in lieu of library fines was held Tuesday at the Main Library in Pensacola. Courtesy photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
No Injuries In Wreck Involving TV News Crew
June 29, 2016
There were no serious injuries in a two vehicle crash Tuesday on Highway 29 at Byrneville Road.
A woman reportedly pulled her vehicle from Byrnevlle Road into the path of a vehicle occupied by a TV news crew that was northbound on Highway 29. The TV station vehicle was struck in the side rear, causing the driver to lose control, leave the roadway and strike a culvert before the vehicle went airborne for a short distance.
The accident was investigated by the Florida Highway Patrol; further details have not yet been released.
Reader submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.