Blue Wahoos Fall 9-4 To Mississippi Braves
June 3, 2021
A few days earlier, Mississippi Braves acclaimed catcher Shea Langeliers was named the Double-A South player of the week for past performance.
He followed Wednesday with a one-night show at the Blue Wahoos expense.
Langeliers, the No. 9 overall pick in the 2019 draft, flashed his Major League potential in a powerful way by going 4-for-5 and blasting three home runs in the M-Braves 9-4 win against Pensacola at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
Langeliers, who is considered among the top catchers in all levels of Minor League Baseball, helped the M-Braves race to a 4-0 lead after three innings. He then played a role as Mississippi answered a Blue Wahoos rally in the fourth with a combined five runs in the middle innings.
Most of the crowd of 4,109, however, stayed to enjoy the first Wednesday night fireworks show of the season.
That was part of the School’s Out Summer Bash, which included a lemonade and watermelon stand as fans entered the ballpark, then an inflatable obstacle challenge for kids in the right field party deck. It was part of a family style party night with other activities at the ballpark.
Before the game, the Blue Wahoos paid tribute to baseball icon Lou Gehrig with a video presentation on the first MLB Lou Gehrig Day.
The team also honored the memory of Jimmy Calhoun, a Cantonment native who passed away in 2018 with the same disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), commonly know as Lou Gehrig’s disease, which claimed the life of the New York Yankees Hall of Famer in 1941 when he was 37-years-old.
Once the game began, Langeliers took charge, clubbing a two-out solo homer in the first inning. His next time up, the Keller, Texas native sent a rocket over the left-center wall to lead off the third inning. He is ranked the Braves’ No. 3 prospect by MLB Pipeline.com, following a star collegiate career at Baylor.
It was part of a tough night for Blue Wahoos starter Brandon Leibrandt, who gave up seven runs on 11 hits in four innings. After having two previous solid outings, this one became his roughest this season.
The Blue Wahoos (16-10) cut the M-Braves (13-13) lead in half on second baseman Riley Mahan’s two out, two run single in the fourth inning.
But in the fifth, the M-Braves chased Leibrandt with three consecutive hits to start the inning, including back-to-back doubles, as part of a three-run inning.
Trailing 9-2 in the ninth, the Blue Wahoos kept battling in the final at-bat, highlighted by Mahan’s 13-pitch at-bat when he fouled off eight pitches around a 3-2 count, then singled.
Tristan Pompey followed with a two-run triple before the M-Braves summoned Chris Nunn to end the game on two strikeouts.
The teams combined for 27 hits, but only three walks and neither team made an error.
The Blue Wahoos were led by Pompey, who went 3-for-4. Mahan, and JJ Bleday each had two hits. The series is tied at 1-1 heading into the final four games beginning Thursday.
by Bill Vilona, Blue Wahoos senior writer
South Carolina Man Charged With Robbery Of Cantonment Dollar General
June 3, 2021
Matthew Allen Harvey, 36, of Timmonsville, South Carolina, was charged with one count of felony robbery with no weapon.
Harvey walked through the Dollar General on Pine Forest Road near Highway 297A and placed several items on the counter at the front register. He allegedly told the clerk to ring up the items before instructing exactly how to open the cash register, according to an arrest report.
The clerk said after she opened the register, Harvey place his hand in his pocket and told her to give him the money in the cash register, but not any $1 bills or change. He left with the money in a plastic bag but left the merchandise behind.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office reporting finding two fingerprints from Harvey on a bottle of Gain dishwashing liquid he placed on the counter. Investigators also determined he had previous knowledge and experience operating a cash register during his former employment as the manager of a Best Way Grocery Store in Hemmingway, South Carolina, enabling him to tell the clerk exactly what to do.
The robbery took place April 25, 2019. Harvey was arrested Tuesday on an outstanding warrant and remained in the Escambia County Jail Thursday morning with bond set at $10,000.
Escaped Inmate Steals Animal Control Truck, Hits Employee, Wrecks During Chase
June 2, 2021
An inmate is back in custody after stealing an animal control truck, striking an employee, and leading police on a chase that ended with a five-vehicle wreck.
The work release inmate was identified as 39-year old Candace Lane Garcia of Cantonment , who was arrested in April for a probation violation, resisting arrest, and fraud for giving a false identification to a law enforcement officer. She is expected to face additional charges for the escape and chase.
At about 10:15 a.m. Wednesday, Garcia took the animal control truck from the shelter on Fairfield Drive and hit an employee as she fled, according to authorities.
“An Animal Welfare employee was struck by the vehicle and is currently being assessed,” Escambia County spokesperson Laura Coale said.
The stolen animal control truck was pursued by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office and Pensacola Police Department. Garcia wrecked at North Davis Highway and Brent Lane, with four other vehicles involved in the crash. One person was injured and transported to a local hospital.
Garcia was taken into custody following the crash.
A dog that was in the animal control truck is okay, Coale said, and was returned to the shelter.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
Man Wanted For Violent Felonies Found Hiding Out In Cottage Hill Woods
June 2, 2021
A man wanted on several violent felony charges was found hiding out in a wooded area in Cottage Hill.
Ronald Howard Pinyan III, 33, was charged with felony aggravated battery using a deadly weapon, domestic battery by strangulation, felony battery, misdemeanor battery, simple assault criminal mischief with property damage, obstructing justice by preventing communication with a law enforcement officer, felony possession of a controlled substance without a prescription, providing a false name to a law enforcement officer, and violation of probation on a previous possession of a controlled substance charge.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office responded to the intersection of Cottage Hill Road and Virecent Road where a man was seen walking into the woods with a fishing pole. After being ordered out of the woods, Pinyan, refused to provide his name but was later identified on scene. A small glass jar containing methamphetamine was found in his pocket, and a credit union debit card belonging to another person was found his wallet, according to an ECSO report.
Pinyan was wanted on outstanding warrants from three previous incidents:
In February 2020, Pinyan’s girlfriend of over a year reported he hit her in the face with a bat and choked her until she could not breathe, according to an arrest report. Deputies were unable to locate him at the time.
In June 2020, Pinyan’s girlfriend told deputies he woke up from a nap and “went nuts,” screaming and threatening to kill her before striking her repeatedly. He said he would take her behind a building, bash her head in and slit her throat, the report states. According to the victim’s statements to deputies, Pinyan said, he had nothing to lose and “told her til death do them part.”
By August 2020, Pinyan was living with a friend in a trailer park off Nine Mile Road. The two got into an argument, and Pinyan was asked to leave. Pinyan threatened violence against the victim, grabbing his phone and breaking it, preventing him from calling law enforcement, the report continues. Pinyan then struck the victim repeatedly over his face, back and neck.
He remained in the Escambia County Jail Wednesday morning without bond.
Gulf Power: We Are Prepared For An Active Hurricane Season
June 2, 2021
June 1 marked the beginning of the Atlantic hurricane season, and Gulf Power says they are prepared.
As part of Florida Power & Light Company, preparing for hurricane season is a year-round process for Gulf Power, including an annual intensive weeklong drill involving thousands of employees throughout the state. The company also invests in continuously improving the energy grid to make it stronger, smarter and more storm-resilient, which results in better reliability for customers in both good weather and bad.
“As we saw last year during Hurricane Sally, a storm can change course at any time, and we must all be ready for whatever comes our way,” said Mike Spoor, vice president of Gulf Power. “That’s why we prepare throughout the year, leverage technology and learn from previous storms so that we can continue to make improvements. Every Gulf Power employee has a storm assignment and we work hard to make sure we are ready to be there for our customers when they need us most. We urge our customers to use this time to prepare as well.”
Between 2020-22, Gulf Power is investing nearly $250 million in storm hardening and reliability improvement efforts that help to reduce the frequency and duration of outages in good weather and bad: Long-term storm hardening efforts include replacing wooden transmission structures with concrete or steel; hardening the distribution main power lines to extreme wind loading criteria; and the undergrounding of certain lines, a process that will go beyond 2022.
Reliability improvements underway include the installation of automated lateral switches and other smart devices to create additional self-healing networks, assessing the condition of power lines and other infrastructure using drones, clearing vegetation and continuing to work with FPL to implement best practices to improve the customer experience.
4-Year Old Airlifted To Hospital After Near Drowning Near Walnut Hill
June 2, 2021
A 4-year old boy was airlifted to a Pensacola hospital after a near-drowning near Walnut Hill Tuesday evening.
The child was found in unresponsive in a pool at a home on Rockaway Creek Road just south of the state line about 6:40 p.m., according to Escambia County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Melanie Peterson. He was flown to Sacred Heart Hospital by MedStar Air Care 2. An update on his condition was not immediately available.
The ECSO is investigating.
The Walnut Hill Station of Escambia Fire Rescue, Escambia County EMS and the Atmore Fire Department also responded.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Health Department Expands COVID-19 Vaccine Walk-In Hours, Community Health Offers Two Clinics
June 2, 2021
The Florida Department of Health in Escambia County (FDOH-Escambia) has expanded walk-in hours for their COVID-19 vaccine clinic. Walk-ins are welcome Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 1295 West Fairfield Drive. Same-day appointments can be made by calling (850) 595-6554. Questions can be directed to FDOH-Escambia’s COVID-19 phone line at (850) 595-6500, option 6.
Community Health Northwest Florida will vaccination clinics on Thursday, June 3 from 8 a.m. until 1 p.m. and Friday, June 4 from 8 a.m until 3 p.m. at 2315 Jackson Street. For more information, call (850) 439-3358.
Strong Pitching, Timely Hitting Lead Blue Wahoos To 4-3 Win Over Mississippi
June 2, 2021
Devin Hairston joined the Blue Wahoos less than two weeks ago with a focused mission.
It has shown every game since.
Hairston again delivered in a clutch situation with a tie-breaking single in the eighth inning Tuesday night to lead the Blue Wahoos into a 4-3 victory against the Mississippi Braves in the series-opening game at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
The win was the Blue Wahoos (16-9) ninth in their past 11 games.
It included another sensational outing from starting pitcher Jake Eder, who has been one of the best in all levels of minor league baseball the first month of the season.
“It is just the process,” said Hairston, a sixth-round pick out of Louisville in 2017 by the Milwaukee Brewers and signed in January by the Miami Marlins as a free agent. “I have lot of intent behind the work I am doing and it seems to be working.
“So me and (Wahoos hitting coach) Scott Seabol formulate a game plan and try to execute it.”
That became the case when Hairston, who went 2-for-4 Tuesday, stepped to the plate with runners on first and second. He smashed a one-strike changeup into the right field gap, scoring Demetrius Sims with the eventual-game winning run.
In the ninth, Blue Wahoos closer Colton Hock earned his sixth save and the team’s sixth win in the last seven home games.
“My approach usually stays the same in those situations. It’s a big situation so I tried to calm down a little bit and I was really trying to put the ball in the outfield,” said Hairston, whose .341 batting average since joining the Blue Wahoos leads Double-A in that period.
“First pitch breaking ball, I took it pretty well. I thought they might come back with it, so I was able to put in the outfield and Sims did the rest.”
It was another late-inning rally for the Blue Wahoos, who have made this habit-forming.
“It doesn’t matter who is at the plate, I feel like top the bottom, anybody can get the job done at every given moment,” Hairston said. “We have lot of belief, not only in ourselves but in each other. Nobody has too much stress in the batter’s box can get the job done.
“Good hitting is contagious and I feel we have a lot of guys that are hitting the ball well.”
On the mound, Eder continued the kind of performance he’s shown this month. His only run allowed was an opposite-field homer by the M-Braves’ CJ Alexander in the third inning. It was only the second run Eder – a former Vanderbilt star reliever – has allowed as starter.
He finished with eight strikeouts and just one walk. He began the game with an 0.46 ERA that was second-best in all levels of the minor leagues.
Jose Mesa Jr. relieved Eder after he struck out the first two batters in the fifth inning. Mesa Jr. worked through the seventh and was followed by Dylan Bice, who earned his second win with a clean eighth inning.
“It takes a lot of stress off the hitters to know we might only need two or three runs over the course of a game to get a win,” said Hairston. “It is awesome to know when we get that run in the bottom of the eighth that we have someone who is going to come in top of the ninth to close the door.”
The Blue Wahoos’ got their first run on a second-inning single from Riley Mahan. They retook the lead in the fourth on Lorenzo Hampton’s blast into the water beyond left field. Hampton is the son of former Florida Gators and Miami Dolphins running back Lorenzo Hampton Sr.
After the M-Braves took the lead with a pair of unearned runs in the seventh, the Blue Wahoos tied the game in the bottom of the eighth on JJ Bleday’s RBI double. Bleday, the Marlins’ top pick in 2019, had two hits and a walk in his night at the plate with his former high school coach at Panama City Mosley in attendance.
The teams will continue their six-game series Wednesday with the first mid-week, school’s out fireworks show following the game.
by Bill Vilona, Blue Washoo senior writer.
Century Charter Review Committee Sets Meeting Days For Remainder Of Fiscal Year
June 2, 2021
The Century Charter Review Committee has set meeting dates for the remainder of the fiscal year.
The committee will meet June 10, July 15, August 19 and September 23 at the Century Community Center on West Highway 4 at Industrial Boulevard at 5:30 p.m. The meetings are open to the public.
The Century Charter Review Committee is working to revamp the town’s charter, the document that provides overall governance for the town. It has not been updated in about 40 years.
Man Struck And Killed By Train In Ensley
June 1, 2021
Nine Mile Road was closed for hours Tuesday after unidentified man was struck and killed by a train during the predawn hours.
The man was struck about 3:20 a.m. at the Ensley Street crossing south of Nine Mile Road. The stopped train also blocked the Nine Mile Road crossing east of Highway 29 as the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office conducted the death investigation.
Further details were not released.
NorthEscambia.com file photo.