Florida Average Gas Prices Decline Slightly After Drop In Oil Prices
July 29, 2024
Florida gas prices rose 11 cents early last week reaching $3.55 per gallon. The state average then reversed course, declining 7 cents during the past four days. On Sunday, the state average was $3.40 per gallon. That’s about 3 cents more than a week ago.
“Gas prices could move even lower, after a big drop in oil prices last week,” said Mark Jenkins, spokesman, AAA – The Auto Club Group. “Recent fuel reports show China’s crude oil imports are declining. This has driven prices lower, on concerns that global fuel demand is softening.”
The average price per gallon in Escambia County was $3.11. Sunday night, a low of $2.89 was available at several Pensacola stations, including on Pine Forest Road, Kenmore Road and Mobile Highway. In North Escambia, Sunday night’s low price was $2.99 at stations on South Highway 29.
In early July, the U.S. price for crude traded at around $83 per barrel. Oil has since declined a total of 8% through the past three weeks. The biggest weekly drop occurred last week. Oil prices fell nearly $3 per barrel (4%). Friday’s closing price was $77.16 a barrel. Oil hasn’t traded this low since the first week of June. During that time, the average gas price in Florida was around $3.30 a gallon.
Blue Wahoos Drop Homestand Finale, Split Series With Shuckers
July 29, 2024
written by Bill Vilona
The Blue Wahoos wrapped up their second longest stretch of home games, which featured some big crowds, breakthrough events and cooperative weather during the nine-game period.
On the field, however, the Blue Wahoos wished for a few more wins.
After taking three of the first four games against the Biloxi Shuckers, the weekend and homestand ended in a glum way in a 6-1 loss Sunday before 3,987 fans at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
It earned the Shuckers (47-47 overall, 17-10 in second half) a split in the series, following their 8-4 win Saturday night. Sunday’s win also enabled Biloxi to split the second half matchups (6-6) against the Blue Wahoos (52-43, 14-13) – a tiebreaker the Blue Wahoos missed claiming if the teams tie in a second-half divisional race.
When the Blue Wahoos next return home, it will be mid-August, following a back-to-back set of road trips beginning on Tuesday against the Chattanooga Lookouts, followed by the last-ever trip to Trustmark Park to play the Mississippi Braves. The M-Braves are moving to Columbus, Georgia following this season.
In going 3-6 at home the past two weeks, a familiar theme emerged. The Blue Wahoos lacked big innings and extra-base hits with runners on base.
Sunday, the Blue Wahoos left 11 runners on base and produced just five hits.
Patrick Monteverde delivered a quality start, working six innings and allowing just two earned runs with four strikeouts. He absorbed a hard-luck loss.
Meanwhile, the Shuckers’ Jacob Misiorowski, the Milwaukee Brewers No. 2 rated prospect whose status is rising, made his second start of the week, checking the Blue Wahoos on just one hit with three strikeouts, three walks in 3.2 innings.
The Shuckers took a 2-0 lead in the fourth inning on a bloop single and a wild pitch.
The Blue Wahoos missed a big chance in the fifth inning when loading the bases with one out. Shuckers reliever Will Childers then got Joe Mack to hit a slow roller back toward the mound for an easy force-out at the plate, and Jacob Berry popped out to end the inning.
Paul McIntosh drove home the Blue Wahoos’ lone run in the seventh with his two-out single that scored Jakob Marsee, who had reached on a walk.
The Shuckers broke open the game with a 4-run rally in the ninth, taking advantage of a fielding error and walk to string together hits against Blue Wahoos reliever Woo Suk-Go, who has struggled since joining the team.
WHAT’S NEXT?
WHO: Blue Wahoos vs. Chattanooga Lookouts
WHEN: Tuesday Thru Sunday (Aug. 4)
WHERE: AT&T Field, Chattanooga, Tennessee.
FOLLOWING WEEK: The Blue Wahoos will then travel to face the Mississippi Braves in Pearl, Miss. from Aug. 6-Aug. 11.
Blue Wahoos Fall Behind Early, Drop Saturday’s Game To Shuckers
July 28, 2024
written by Bill Vilona
The first three runs the Biloxi Shuckers scored Saturday occurred on a grounder that hit an umpire, a just-missed double play, and a full-swing slow roller that stayed inside the third base line.
That third inning proved an omen of the night for the Blue Wahoos.
The Shuckers ballooned their 3-0 lead into a 8-4 victory, making postgame fireworks the biggest thrill for the usual sellout Saturday crowd of 5,038 at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
It was the third time in five games this week against Biloxi with an 8-4 final score. This time, however, the Shuckers stayed on top after taking a 7-1 lead into the seventh inning stretch.
The Blue Wahoos created their one moment of intrigue in that at-bat. They scored runs when Jacob Berry led off with a double. Nathan Martorella walked. Shane Sasaki followed with an RBI double.
A wild pitch scored Martorella. Dalvy Rosario’s sacrifice fly scored Sasaki and suddenly it was a 3-run deficit. The inning ended with Jakob Marsee at third when Zach Zubia struck out.
The Blue Wahoos did not get a baserunner in the final two innings.
But the crowd remained as Blue Wahoos popular emcee “Downtown Dave” Presnell proclaimed, “Blue Wahoos fans, we didn’t win the game, but we’ll win the fireworks.”
The Blue Wahoos (52-42 overall, 14-12 second half) will get a second chance in Sunday’s series finale at 4:05 p.m. to win this homestand series against the Shuckers (46-47, 16-10).
Saturday, besides some unfortunate bounces, they faced a strong outing from Biloxi righthanded starter Logan Henderson, rated the No. 16 prospect in the Milwaukee Brewers organization. Henderson (5-2, 3.38 ERA), worked six innings, allowing just three hits, one run, and striking out six.
The Blue Wahoos’ lone run off Henderson was Joe Mack’s 16th home run to lead off the fourth inning. It was his 14th homer since May 28.
Blue Wahoos starter Jeff Lindgren, who lasted just four innings, may have gotten out of the third inning without much damage if not for tough luck. With one out, a hard grounder hit by Brock Wilson hit the base umpire’s leg, causing the play to be ruled a single with a run scored.
It could have been a double play. The next batter, Ernesto Martinez Jr., then beat the relay throw to fend off a double play and score another run. Eric Brown Jr. then had a slow grounder stay fair inside the third base line for another RBI hit.
The Shuckers then blew out the game with Xavier Warren’s two-run homer off Lindgren in the fourth inning and Lamar Sparks’ 2-run homer off Anderson Pilar in the fifth.
Sunday’s game will be the Blue Wahoos’ final game this season against Biloxi. The Blue Wahoos have controlled the series with a 15-7 record, but only hold a 6-5 edge in the second half. A win in the finale would give the Blue Wahoos a tie-breaker advantage should the two teams tie for the second half division win and playoff spot.
WANT TO GO?
WHO: Biloxi Shuckers vs. Blue Wahoos
WHEN: Sunday, 4:05 p.m.
WHERE: Blue Wahoos Stadium
Spohn Delivers 3 RBIs As Blue Wahoos Delight With Win Against Shuckers
July 27, 2024
written by Bill Vilona
Harrison Spohn was just trying to continue his baseball career two years ago, following five collegiate seasons and a long-shot opportunity as an undrafted free agent.
“I don’t take any of this for granted,” said Spohn, the Blue Wahoos’ starting shortstop, who played at California Baptist before accepting a chance in the Miami Marlins minor league system. “It’s been a dream come true.”
Another special memory occurred Friday night when Spohn drove went drove home three runs on two singles, leading the Blue Wahoos to an 8-4 victory against the Biloxi Shuckers in front of a sellout crowd (5,038) at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
The score matched the Blue Wahoos’ victory Tuesday in the series opener. But this one had a different feel.
The Blue Wahoos at the plate produced seven hits, reached six other times on walks and struck out just six times. They seized control early with a 4-run second inning.
After Joe Mack was hit by a pitch and Nathan Martorella – the star of Thursday’s win – reached on a fielder’s choice, Sean Roby then walked to load the bases. Dalvy Rosario’s infield chopper scored Mack, then Spohn followed with a two-run double. Shane Sasaki completed the rally with an RBI single.
Eight of the nine batters in the lineup reached base in a game where the Blue Wahoos opened a 7-1 lead in the fifth inning and got their normal boost from the bullpen to finish the game.
“It was good to get going in that second inning,” Spohn said.It continued in the fifth inning when Jacob Berry’s 2-run single completed 3-run rally. Paul McIntosh started with an RBI single that scored Sasaki.
On the mound, Blue Wahoos starter Paul Campbell was designated for a limited outing, as he recovers from an injury. His last start was June 8. He was strong on Friday night, allowing no hits in his three innings and retiring nine of the 10 batters he faced.
Adam Laskey worked the next four innings, allowing three runs, followed by Woo-Suk Go, who pitched a scoreless eighth and Raffi Vizcaíno, who finished in the ninth.
The Blue Wahoos (52-41 overall) are now 15-6 this season against the Shuckers.
The Blue Wahoos will now try to claim the series on Saturday against the Shuckers
The Blue Wahoos will send righthander Jeff Lindgren (1-1, 4.21 ERA) on the mound. The Shuckers will throw right-hander Logan Henderson (4-2, 3.71). Pregame activities begin at 5:45 to include ceremonial first pitches. The actual game first pitch is at 6:05 p.m.
After Friday’s home game, the Blue Wahoos now have 20 home games remaining in the regular season. They are 28-21 this season at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
Martorella’s Clutch Hit Ignites Blue Wahoos Walk-Off Win
July 26, 2024
written by Bill Vilona
The Blue Wahoos’ game-winning celebration went all the way into right field.
Nathan Martorella was thrilled to run that far in jubilation.
Inserted two innings earlier as a pinch-hitter, Martorella broke through his recent struggles to deliver a two out, bases-loaded single in the 11th inning that capped a two-run rally and lifted the Blue Wahoos to a much-enjoyed 4-3 walk-off victory Thursday against the Biloxi Shuckers.
With about half the original crowd remaining at Blue Wahoos Stadium, Martorella reacted the split-second he connected on a slider, low-and-away, from Shuckers closer Justin Yeager and sent it opposite field into left-center for the game-winner.
It happened on a night when Pensacola (51- 40 overall) took on its alternate identity as the Pensacola Mullets on “Mullet Thursday” – a switch that has them 7-2 this season in those Thursday uniforms.
Biloxi (45-46), the second-half divisional leader, had taken a 3-2 lead in the top of the 11th on a leadoff single from Lamar Sparks, scoring placement runner Dylan O’Rae. But Blue Wahoos reliever Tyler Eckberg retired the next three batters. That proved pivotal.
The Blue Wahoos loaded the bases with one out on singles from Paul McIntosh and Jacob Berry. Shane Sasaki, who led the way in Tuesday’s win against Biloxi, worked his way from an 0-2 count into a game-tying walk.
After Cody Morissette struck out swinging, Martorella delivered. He had been 1-for-9 this series, but on a tough pitch to hit, he produced an emphatic result.
This game started out with a double no-hitter into the sixth inning.
In the bottom of the sixth, the Blue Wahoos broke through against Shuckers starter Shane Smith. With two outs, Jakob Marsee walked. Zach Zubia broke up the Smith’s no-hitter with a double off the left field wall. McIntosh followed with a 2-run single.
Blue Wahoos starter Jonathan Bermúdez lost his no-hitter in the seventh inning after walking the first two batters and giving up an RBI double to Sparks for the Shuckers’ first run. Sparks then tied the game in the eighth on a sacrifice fly.
It was a tough no-decision for Bermúdez, who finished with a one-hitter in 6.1 innings with three strikeouts and five walks. Three of those walks, however, occurred in the seventh inning as he just missed the strike zone on several pitches.
The Blue Wahoos were unable to deliver a game-winner after their closer, Austin Roberts, twice had scoreless innings in the ninth and 10th.
But when Martorella singled, his teammates raced from the dugout as he rounded first and turned right, going into the outfield where he was doused with ice water.
It continued Pensacola’s noteworthy success in these kind of games with eight wins in nine extra-inning games.
McIntosh was the Blue Wahoos’ lone multi-hit batter, going 2-for-5 to boost his average to .250.
The fourth game of the series will be Friday at 6:05 p.m.
Blue Wahoos Blanked By Strong Pitching As Shuckers Even Series
July 25, 2024
written Bill Vilona
In Bradley Blalock’s three previous starts against the Blue Wahoos, the righthander didn’t make it past the third inning.
He crafted a far different impression Wednesday.
Blalock worked into the sixth inning, allowing just four hits, as the Biloxi Shuckers picked up a 3-0 win against the Blue Wahoos in the second game of this week-long series at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
A crowd of 4,203, the second-largest Wednesday crowd this season, stayed through the game to see the final mid-week, summer fireworks show.
The display was the game’s highlight for the home crowd.
The Blue Wahoos had baserunners in six of the nine innings, but were unable to string together hits or produce an extra-base hit among the five hits in the game.
Three Shuckers relievers held the Blue Wahoos to one hit and combined for five strikeouts as Biloxi (45-45, 15-8 in second half) evened their overall record and won for only the second time this year in Pensacola.
The Blue Wahoos (50-41, 12-11) were shutout for the ninth time this season.
Leadoff batter Jakob Marsee had the team’s best night at the plate. He reached base three times with a walk and two singles and had three stolen bases – a team high this season.
Blue Wahoos starter Tristan Stevens, making his first home start, absorbed the loss after working five innings, allowing seven hits with four strikeouts and no walks.
The Shuckers got all the runs they needed when Ernesto Martinez singled, Connor Scott doubled and Casey Martin hit a two-out, two-run single off Stevens in the second inning. Lamar Sparks then doubled home Martinez, who had doubled in the fourth inning for the other run.
Blalock, originally drafted by the Boston Red Sox, is the Milwaukee Brewers No. 17 overall prospect as rated by MLB pipeline. He pitched one inning in relief for the Brewers in June. He made his 16th start for Biloxi on Wednesday.
The teams will continue their series on Thursday, a Mullet Thursday, with the Blue Wahoos’ Jonathan Bermúdez on the mound.
WANT TO GO?
WHO: Biloxi Shuckers vs. Blue Wahoos
WHEN: Thursday, 6:05 p.m.
WHERE: Blue Wahoos Stadium
Tate Aggies Volleyball Attends Florida Gators Camp
July 24, 2024
The Tate High School volleyball team recently attended a volleyball camp with the University of Florida Gators in Gainesville. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Blue Wahoos Seize Big Inning, Sink Shuckers To End Four-Game Slide
July 24, 2024
written by Bill Vilona
The Blue Wahoos shook off recent struggles to begin a new week in a big way.
Taking advantage of erratic pitching, the Blue Wahoos seized the game with a five-run fourth inning and cruised to an 8-4 win Tuesday night against the Biloxi Shuckers to open their week-long homestand at Blue Wahoos Stadium with a good feeling.
The Blue Wahoos led 8-0 into the ninth. They broke open the game in the fifth by scoring their first three runs without putting a ball in play to score. It was a welcome boost to end a four-game losing streak that began with a loss July 14 before the All-Star Break.
“We tried to flush last week as much as possible,” said right fielder Shane Sasaki, who reached base three times and helped to ignite the five-run rally. “Starting off this week with a win is good for the clubhouse. The vibes are always high when we win.
“We still stick together when we lose, but it’s a lot easier to carry that momentum, getting that first win out of the way… And it we just look forward to the next game.”
The Blue Wahoos got the first run in the third inning when Jakob Marsee produced a one-out double, then stole third and scored on throwing error.
In the fifth, they erupted against starter Jacob Misiorowski, the Milwaukee Brewers’ No. 2 prospect, who has faced the Blue Wahoos five previous times this season.
After Nathan Martorella led off the fifth with a single and Sasaki walked, Misiorowski went awry with pitch command. With one out and the bases loaded, he plunked Marsee to force in the second run, then gave up a wild pitch to score another run and walked in a third run. Paul McIntosh and Jacob Berry then followed with RBI singles before a double play ended the inning.
“When things aren’t going your way, it is really tough to scratch runs,” said Sasaki, who returned to the Blue Wahoos last Friday after missing 62 games with an injury.
“And I know everybody in the lineup was really focused on manufacturing runs somehow,” he said. “We don’t need that one big hit sometimes and just like (Tuesday) we stayed ready, tough at-bats and good things happen from that.”
Good things have happened to the Blue Wahoos (50-40 overall, 12-10 in second half) this season when facing Biloxi. This was their 13th win against the Shuckers (44-44, 14-7), who entered this week with the best second-half record in the league.
McIntosh smashed a two-run homer in the sixth inning, his eighth of the year, that enabled him to tie Griffin Conine for most runs scored (125) in Blue Wahoos franchise history.
The Shuckers got four runs in the ninth off Anderson Pilar before he ended the game and the team could enjoy their first home win since July 3, when they beat Montgomery to win that shortened home series before a 16-day gap between home games.
GAME NOTABLES
— This week’s series is the final meeting between these teams in 2024. The Blue Wahoos are now 13-5 against the Shuckers this season, including 6-1 at home… This year, the Blue Wahoos play the Shuckers less times than other division foes Montgomery and the Mississippi Braves.
WANT TO GO?
WHO: Biloxi Shuckers vs. Blue Wahoos
WHEN: Wednesday, 6:05 p.m.
North Escambia Athletes Place In USA Volleyball Beach National Championships
July 23, 2024
Three athletes from North Escambia participated in the 2024 USA Volleyball Beach National Championships Sunday in Fort Lauderdale.
Hartlie Bowman of Molino, who attends Beulah Academy of Science, and her partner Lily Hassell of Gulf breeze places first in the 12U bracket.
Emma Bowman of Molino, who attends Northview High School, and her partner Jayla Templeman from Beulah, who attends Tate High School, finished tied for fifth place in 14U.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
New Name, Same Fish: Largemouth Bass Are Now Florida Bass
July 23, 2024
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says genetics studies confirmed what many anglers and biologists have believed for a long time – Florida bass are special.
Florida’s most popular freshwater game fish has a new name. The American Fisheries Society established the Florida bass as a separate species from the largemouth bass. This means that in most of Florida what was known as a largemouth bass is now called a Florida bass.
The name change will affect how the fish is referred to in regulations and other communications. However, it will not affect anglers fishing for this iconic freshwater sport fish.
According to the recent research publication by Yale University, the study used advanced genetic analysis and determined Florida bass to be its own species. The research also identified the range of Florida bass to be larger than once believed, including not only Florida, but also parts of Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina.
The scientific names of these two bass also changed. Largemouth bass, previously Micropterus salmoides, is now the scientific name for Florida bass. Largemouth bass are now Micropterus nigricans.