Bleday Drills Walk-Off Double In 13th Inning Marathon Victory
August 19, 2021
JJ Bleday lined an RBI double off the right-field wall in the bottom of the 13th off J.T. Hintzen (L, 4-2), which gave the Wahoos a 4-3 win on Wednesday night at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
After both teams scored in the 10th inning, both Biloxi and Pensacola squandered an abundance of chances before Bleday’s game-winning one-out double. In the 11th, the Blue Wahoos had runners and first and second with nobody out. However, Hintzen—who was in his first inning of work—struck out the following three batters in a row to end the inning.
After Alberto Guerrero pitched a scoreless 12th inning, the Blue Wahoos again failed to take advantage of the runner beginning on second. Pensacola had a failed bunt attempt before a line out and a ground ended their chances in the inning. Meanwhile, Biloxi quite literally ran themselves out of the inning in the top of the 13th. After a leadoff single from David Hamilton set up the Shuckers with runners on first and third and nobody out, the Shuckers ran into a bizarre double play.
With Hamilton running on the pitch, Mitch Longo hit a shallow fly to left field that was not deep enough to score Korry Howell from third base. Apparently, Hamilton on his was to second touched the bag, but failed to re-touch second base on his way to first. After an appeal, Hamilton was ruled out, which left only Howell at third with two outs. Guillen got a groundout to third on the next pitch, which set up the Wahoos for the walk-off in thr 13th.
None of the would have been possible had it not been for Brian Navarreto. In the bottom of the ninth inning, the Blue Wahoos were trailing 2-1 with Zack Brown on the mound for Biloxi. After a leadoff walk to Jerar Encarnacion, Pensacola had the winning run in Navarreto at the plate. Unfortunately, Encarnacion was thrown out trying to steal second just a few pitched prior to Navarreto belting a home run to left, which only tied the game at 2-2. Prior to the ninth, the Wahoos had only scored in the first after Bleday doubled, Peyton Burdick singled, and Griffin Conine hit into a double play, which brought home Bleday.
Max Meyer made his 17th start of the year for the Blue Wahoos and allowed two runs in six innings. Meyer walked only one batter and struck out four, and only required 58 pitches to get through six innings. His ERA in now down to 1.97, which is the lowest in all of professional baseball.
The bullpen was sensation again for Pensacola. Andrew McInvale continued to shine in his newly rediscovered form. The right-hander worked 1.1 innings and struck out four. Jefry Yan also pitched 1.2 innings of shutout ball for Pensacola. Guerrero turned in a season-long three innings without allowing a hit and allowed only one unearned run in the top of the 10th inning while striking out five. Alexander Guillen (W, 1-1) pitched the thirteenth, earning his first win as a Blue Wahoo.
Eight Arrested, Two Wanted For Catalytic Converter Thefts In Escambia County
August 18, 2021
Eight people have been arrested, and at least two more are wanted, in connection with the theft of about 50 catalytic converter thefts.
The 10 suspects were identified over the past eight months.
Those arrested are:
– Kevin Duane Opry, 36, Pensacola
– Edward Edward Boyd, 53, Pensacola
– Kerry Eugene Dickerson, 32, Pensacola
– Jared Gabriel Dragon, 21, homeless
– Da’Kurynin Jasean Powers, 27, Pensacola
– Richard George Holt, 52, Milton
– Joseph Wilson, 41, Cantonment
– Charles Kettering, 44, Cantonment
The two suspects still wanted are:
- Ana Marie Redd-Manulat, 30
- Michael Griffin, Jr., 23
“The number of reported catalytic converter thefts is over 300. Thieves crawl under vehicles and cut out the catalytic converter,” the ECSO said. “This has become a serious issue, and with the volume of reports, the ECSO anticipates more arrests and additional charges.”
Anyone with information is asked to call the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9620 or Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP.
‘I Died Doing Something Meaningful’ – Gold Star Mom Reflects On 10th Anniversary Of The Death Of LCpl. Travis M. Nelson In Afghanistan
August 18, 2021
Today marks the 10 year anniversary of the death of local LCpl. Travis M. Nelson, who gave his life in Afghanistan on August 18, 2011.
Tuesday evening, Gold Star Mom Beckie Nelson spoke with NorthEscambia.com about the last 10 years, her son’s sacrifice in Afghanistan and the Taliban’s recent takeover.
I Died Doing Something Meaningful.
And she shared with us a short, simple note LCpl Travis Nelson left behind in his field book just in case he did not return.
“Dear friends & family, If your reading this it seems I didn’t get to come home. I love each and every one of you and I want you to know I have no regrets. I died doing something meaningful.”
He died a few short weeks after writing that note.
Beckie Nelson clings to those words that provided her peace and understanding.
“We received Travis’ belongings weeks after the funeral. The emotions we felt as we opened the trunk are unexplainable. Still in disbelief, our hearts still in pieces, it was gut wrenching to say the least. When I saw this page I closed the book, laid down on his bed with it in my arms and I actually slept for the first time in weeks.”
Not For Nothing.
“It was years before I opened it again and even now as I see it, and with the crisis in Afghanistan today, it’s like I know without a doubt his sacrifice, his loyalty to his Marine brothers and their mission, was ‘not for nothing’. It was a huge ’something’ to Travis and those beside him.”
“I have such mixed emotions. We’ve known that we had to bring our troops home; that was inevitable. They had to come home,” she said. “I do feel bad about the administration now and the way it was handled, pulling them out without a plan. It’s just such a hard time right now.”
“It’s not for nothing. They did what they went there to do in training the Afghan people to hold their own. For Travis and others, it was their loyalty to country and service. I felt like his mission, their mission, accomplished so much. I definitely don’t think it was in vain.”
Growing Up With A Promise To His Mother
A young Travis Nelson grew up in Bratt, just two doors down from the modern day Travis M. Nelson Park that was named in his memory about a year after its 2010 opening.
He would play on those very grounds, shooting his BB gun and riding his go cart. His first love in his young life was fishing. At four years old, he would spend hours with relatives fishing on the Escambia River. No matter how old he got, he never gave up the love for a fishing pole and hook. He also loved playing baseball at Northwest Escambia’s Bradberry Park in Walnut Hill.
On Sept., 11, 2001, Travis Nelson was nine years old when America was attacked. He was not playing; he was fixated on the news.
And he made a promise that day. The kind of promise to a mother than a young man will do anything to uphold.
“I’ll never forget him saying ‘Momma, I will protect you. I will be soldier’,” Beckie Nelson said.
The family last saw Travis on July 13, 2011, as he deployed for Afghanistan. Their last phone conversation was Monday, August, 15, 2011, as he requested items for a care package.
That care package was still sitting by the front door three days later. It never made it to the mail.
August 18, 2011.
It was about noon on Thursday, August 18, 2011, at the Nelson home in Bratt.
An American flag fluttered in the breeze on the porch.
And three men in military uniforms stood at the door. Beckie Nelson knew what that meant.
“I just screamed and said no,” she said. “I just went to my knees and said don’t let them come in. I knew right away that he was gone.”
My Biggest Fear
The next day, Beckie Nelson sat in the middle of her bed with a laptop, reading the scores of reader comments on a NorthEscambia.com story about Travis Nelson’s death.
“He really was our hero,” she said, clutching a 5×7 photo of her son.
“I didn’t think I could see past that day. I felt like it would always be that day. I didn’t imagine that I could ever talk about it,” she said Tuesday evening. “But I can, and it has to do with the support groups, the military support groups, and the community support.”
She was remarkably strong as she talked about the heart wrenching pain of that day.
But during our interview, her voice broke.
“My biggest fear,” she said before pausing. “My biggest fear was that Travis would be forgotten. I was scared I was going to forget.”
A Fallen Marine Returns.
LCpl. Travis M. Nelson was never forgotten.
The rain poured down at Pensacola Naval Air Station August 24, 2011, as Nelson’s body arrived on the final leg of his journey home.
Outside the main gate of Pensacola NAS, people gathered to pay their respects to the young soldier. The rain did not send them running; they stood silently — many holding American flags — as the hearse carrying an American hero departed on a 55-mile journey to Atmore.
Along the way, some of Pensacola’s busiest roadways came to a complete standstill as the motorcade passed. Many motorists stood outside their vehicles and paid their respects.
In Walnut Hill, just a few miles from Nelson’s boyhood home in Bratt, the motorcade slowed as it approached Ernest Ward Middle School. Nelson was a Golden Eagle, attending Ernest Ward in the sixth and seventh grades.
Hundreds of Ernest Ward Middle School students and teachers dressed in red, white and blue lined Highway 97, American flags in hand, waiting for the arrival of the motorcade.
Several of Nelson’s middle school teachers were among the crowd that suddenly grew silent as the first sirens could be heard. As the procession passed, the students stood with their hands over their hearts, waving Old Glory. The thunder of 127 Patriot Guard motorcycle riders vibrated the ground and echoed across the country fields near the school.
Six Florida Highway Patrol trooper vehicles led the hearse past the school. Many students and teachers broke down in tears at the sight of a flag draped coffin. Others cried as they made eye contact with Nelson’s parents and their daughter — who was a sixth grader at Ernest Ward at the time.
“I look back at those pictures now,” Beckie Nelson said Tuesday evening. “Those pictures from the middle school. It meant so much. Those kids are now fathers, mothers, some are now serving in the military.”
My Travis.
“Travis knew at nine years old that nothing was going to hold him back. That was his heart’s desire,” Beckie Nelson said 10 years later. “That’s what he wanted to do with his life.”
“God had a greater plan for my Travis.”
Above: NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Two Facing Charges After Fleeing Driver Crashes Into Deputy’s Vehicle On West Roberts Road
August 18, 2021
Two people are facing charges after a vehicle fled from deputies Tuesday afternoon and later crashed into an unmarked sheriff’s cruiser.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office attempted to stop a vehicle but the driver fled. About 3:45 p.m., the vehicle was located in the area of West Roberts Road. The driver attempted to flee again, according to the Florida Highway Patrol, and struck the unmarked ECSO unit at West Roberts Road and Millet Circle.
“When he came out (of Millet Circle), he ran a stop sign and struck an unmarked,” ECSO Commander Andrew Hobbs said. “A large amount of marijuana was found in the vehicle.”
Driver Shernard Laron Johnson, 23, was charged with fleeing and eluding with willful disregard for public safety, possession of marijuana with the intent to sell, possession of drug paraphernalia and numerous other traffic violations. He was booked into the Escambia County Jail with bond set at $23,000.
The passenger, 18-year old Kadrian Deshon Mathis, was charged with possession of marijuana with the intent to sell and possession of drug paraphernalia. His bond was set at $6,000.
There were no injuries reported.
Pictured top: A suspect is taken into custody after a vehicle crashed into an unmarked Escambia County Sheriff’s Office unit Tuesday afternoon on West Roberts Road. Pictured below: The ECSO said a “large amount” of marijuana was found in the suspect vehicle after the crash. Reader submitted and NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
This Year’s Jay Peanut Festival Has Been Canceled Due To COVID-19 Concerns
August 18, 2021
The Jay Peanut Festival has been canceled again this year due to COVID-19 concerns.
The Gabbert family made the announcement Tuesday due to concerns over the coronavirus.
“It makes us sad. This is a bad time in history and we pray that we all come out of this in one piece, and soon. We pray that we can have the Peanut Festival in October 2022,” the family said in statement.
“There is no way that we can limit how many people come; it being an outside show with free admission and parking. We can’t control whether people wear a mask or not, or if they get the COVID-19 shot or not. We do not know of any other way to handle this problem,” they stated.
The annual festival was also canceled last year due to the pandemic.
The Jay Peanut Festival dates back to 1990 when the Gabberts started the event in memory of their daughter, Melissa, a 19-year-old who died earlier that year from cancer.
The Jay Peanut Festival at the Gabbert Farm has been a fall tradition on the Gulf Coast, showcasing the history, agriculture, food and fun of Santa Rosa County. What started as a chance for local kids and farmers to show off their best of the season has become an annual event covering 15 acres and drawing about 70,000 people to the Gabbert farm.
The event included tours of the 1930s Farm Museum, food booths, dozens of arts and crafts vendors, pony rides, games and fun. The Jay Peanut Festival was also a chance to try all varieties of peanuts – boiled, green, fried, candied and more.
NorthEscambia.com file photos.
Man Tried To Lure Juveniles Into Vehicle At An Escambia County Park
August 18, 2021
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office said two juveniles reported that a man tried to lure them into a vehicle at a park.
An individual driving a newer model sports car approached the juveniles at a park on Quina Way in the Brentwood area. He told them if they got inside the vehicle, they would receive money, ECSO said. The juveniles declined the offer and ran away from the park.
The individual was described as a black male with a short haircut and no facial hair. He was wearing an orange shirt. Deputies searched the area, but were unable to locate the individual or his vehicle.
Anyone with information or that is approached by this vehicle is asked to call the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9620 or 911 for an emergency.
File photo.
Escambia, Alabama, Man Charged With Trying To Meet Child For Sex. Deputies Were Waiting Instead.
August 18, 2021
An Escambia County, Alabama, man thought he was going to meet a 16-year old for sex, but he was meet by law enforcement.
Blake Thomas Martin, 45, was charged with electronic solicitation of a child, traveling to meet a child for an unlawful sex act, unlawful possession of a controlled substance, possession of marijuana second degree and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Escambia County (AL) Sheriff Heath Jackson said investigators assigned to the Internet Crimes Against Children Task force received text messages that were meant for an underage child, leading to the undercover operation.
Martin “sent messages asking for sex and even stated that he knew it was illegal to have sex with someone under 16 years old,” said Jackson. “Investigators, posing as the child, agreed to Martins’ request for sex. Martin came to the agreed location and was arrested by investigators immediately.”
A search of Martin’s pockets found three condoms, a breath mint, one Viagra, one oxycodone pill and marijuana, according to the sheriff’s office. A subsequent search warrant executed at Martin’s residence on Keego Road resulted in the seizure of methamphetamine and electronic devices.
Martin remained in the Escambia County (AL) Detention Center with bond set at a half million dollars.
EREC Line Crews Help With Power Restoration After Tropical Storm Fred
August 18, 2021
Line crews from Escambia River Electric Cooperative departed before daybreak Tuesday to assist following Tropical Storm Fred.
They worked to help West Florida Electric Cooperative in Calhoun, Florida, restore power to thousands. West Florida Electric reported 10,000 customers without power Monday night. By 10 p.m. Tuesday, all but 814 had been restored.
EREC crew members are Tony Moody, Gary McCaskill, Jonathon Tutt, Tyler Prescott, Brandon Smith and Kyle Strickling.
West Florida Electric and EREC are both served by the same power supplier, PowerSouth Energy Cooperative.
Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Blue Wahoos Get Series Opening Win Over Shuckers
August 18, 2021
The Wahoos fended off a late comeback-bid from the Biloxi Shuckers to win Tuesday’s series opener 2-1 at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
Leading 2-0 in the top of the eighth, turned a two-out error into a potential game-tying rally. After Galli Cribbs mishandled Alexander Palma’s groundball, Andrew Nardi walked back-to-back batters, which loaded the bases for Biloxi. That forced the Wahoos to bring in their closer, Colton Hock (S, 14), for a four-out save. The Shuckers brought in Chad Spanberger to pinch-hit (creating a right-on-left matchup), and he was able to draw a walk, which brought home Hayden Cantrelle (pinch-ran for Palma).
Fortunately for the Wahoos, Hock induced an inning-ending groundout from Gabe Holt to end the threat for the Shuckers. In the top of the ninth, Hock worked around a two-out single from Mitch Longo to close out the game and his 14th save of the year.
Kyle Nicolas (W, 2-0) did much of the heavy lifting for Pensacola to begin the game. The right-hander pitched five shutout innings and allowed three hits and four walks while striking out seven. In three starts at Blue Wahoos Stadium, Nicolas has pitched 15 shutout innings and has allowed a total of five hits, 11 walks, and has struck out 23.
Offensively, Pensacola took the lead in the third inning after Cribbs doubled and later scored on an RBI single from Peyton Burdick. The Wahoos doubled their edge in the fifth inning, when Burdick reached on an error and scored on JJ Bleday’s team-leading 17th double of the year. Chris Chinea also turned in a multi-hit performance with his 2-for-2 night that included a walk.
The home stand continues tomorrow night with RHP Max Meyer (6-1, 2.00) toeing the slab for Pensacola. Biloxi will send RHP Noah Zavolas (4-6, 5.01) to oppose him. Meyer in five previous starts against the Shuckers 3-0 with a 0.37 ERA (1 ER / 24.1 IP).
Flomaton’s Hurricane Lake Closed Due To Alligator
August 17, 2021
Hurricane Lake in Flomaton is closed due to an alligator in the lake.
Town officials said the gates to the lake and the walking trail around it are closed until further notice. The rest of the park remains open.
Hurricane Lake will remain closed until the alligator is removed in the next few days.
Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.