White Debuts, Wahoos Fall In Wild 10-Inning Finish
June 21, 2025
written by Willie Phaler
Even with a 3-2 loss in extra innings on Friday night, there was a special buzz around Blue Wahoos Stadium. With specialty jerseys and a beanie giveaway for Snowmageddon night, a capacity crowd filed in.
Oh yeah, and for the Double-A debut of the Marlins’ No.1 and MLB Pipeline’s 30th overall prospect, Thomas White.
With all of the hype surrounding the young right-hander’s Blue Wahoos debut, it was overshadowed by pure chaos in extra innings.
Heading into extras with the score at 1-1, there had already been nine unpredictable innings played. White and his counterpart, Brody Hopkins, both made early exits, and each team’s bullpen was lights out. To pair with on-the-fly bullpen pairings from each side, Pensacola manager Nelson Prada was ejected in the third inning, arguing a ball-in-play call with home plate umpire Jared Duerson.
In the top of the tenth, Montgomery took a two-run lead after a double from Matthew Etzel off of Will Kempner (L, 0-1), with Tatem Levins getting just under Ryan Ignoffo’s tag at the plate, infuriating the Blue Wahoos on the field and in the dugout. Following the play, multiple ejections ensued, including reliever Ricky DeVito in the bullpen and second baseman Cody Morissette.
The Blue Wahoos, fielding a makeshift defense that included Nathan Martorella moving from first to left field and Dalvy Rosario coming in to second from center field, escaped the top of the tenth. Martorella singled in Grant Richardson on the first pitch of the bottom half of the inning to cut the lead to 3-2.
The Blue Wahoos were able to load the bases with two outs, as Johnny Olmstead reached on a dropped third strike and Ignoffo reached on an infield single. The Biscuits let nothing more come from it, as Jackson Lancaster (S, 1) induced a ground ball to short from Dalvy Rosario to end the night.
White’s night began with an up-and-down first inning. After notching his first career Double-A strikeout against Homer Bush Jr. to lead off the night, he walked the next two hitters, along with a single to Matthew Etzel. White picked up two more punchouts, sitting down Colton Ledbetter and Tres Barrera to wiggle out of the self-induced jam, but not without racking up his pitch count to 37 in the first frame.
Montgomery continued to force White into elevating the pitch count, forcing an early exit. As the Massachusetts native was taken out at 2.2 IP, he allowed three hits, one earned run, four walks and four strikeouts in his first start at Double-A.
“It’s good to see that my stuff definitely does play,” White said. “I felt pretty comfortable, actually. I think there’s sometimes you just go out there and maybe you just don’t have it, whether something’s not clicking mechanically or just release point-wise.”
After the Biscuits pushed a run across against White in the third thanks to an infield single by Etzel, the Blue Wahoos tied things up at one with a bases-loaded walk. Montgomery starter Brody Hopkins walked four in the fourth, allowing Shane Sasaki to score to bring it to 1-1.
Alex Williams was a standout for the Pensacola bullpen as he shouldered the load for the staff. After White lasted only 2.2 IP while pushing his pitch count to 70, Williams provided 4.2 IP of shutout baseball. While allowing only two hits, the right-hander pushed his scoreless streak to 19.1 IP, tying Tim Adelman for the tenth-longest streak in franchise history.
The Biscuits found success in the bullpen, piecing together 5.0 shutout innings prior to Martorella’s RBI in the tenth against Lancaster. Dan Hammer, Keyshawn Askew and Trevor Martin (W, 3-1) put together this stretch that helped push the Biscuits to their third win of the week.
The Blue Wahoos and Biscuits will meet for the fifth game of a six-game series Saturday night, with Dax Fulton (3-4, 3.60 ERA) taking the mound for Pensacola while Ty Cummings (2-2, 3.07 ERA) will make his fifth start of the year for Montgomery.
WANT TO GO?
WHO: Montgomery Biscuits vs. Blue Wahoos
WHEN: Saturday and Sunday.
GAMETIMES: Saturday’s game starts at 6:05 p.m. The game on Sunday starts at 4:05 p.m.
WHERE: Blue Wahoos Stadium
FHP: Cantonment Man Charged With DUI After Fleeing From Trooper Twice
June 20, 2025
A 53-year-old Cantonment mans is accused of DUI and fleeing from a state trooper that pursued him twice.
Bruce Maurice Tucker was charged with DUI, fleeing and eluding, reckless driving, and resisting an officer. He was later released on an $8,000 bond.
The Florida Highway Patrol responded to a Cedar Point Road in Cantonment where they found Tucker passed out behind the wheel of his Chevrolet Silverado in the middle of the road with the engine running, according to an FHP report. The trooper activated his blue lights and woke Tucker up. He reported smelling alcohol on Tucker’s breath.
FHP said he refused to exit the vehicle and drove away, with the trooper in pursuit. He stopped a short distance later, before fleeing again with the trooper pursuing him to a yard. The trooper reported hitting a tree stump, disabling his cruiser with a bent rim and Tucker continued down the roadway.
Troopers later obtained video of the Chevy swerving in the road prior to it stopping on Cedar Point Road, and FHP identified Tucker as the driver.
Want To Play Molino Photo Bingo? Take These Photos, Join Library Group On Monday
June 20, 2025
Want to play Molino Photo Bingo?
The Molino Library Photography Club will meet at 2 p.m. on Monday, June 23 at the library.
Attendees are taking part in Molino Photo Bingo to learn and improve their skills. The bingo card is pictured above (click to enlarge) or click here for a pdf. It is not necessary to participate in the bingo to attend the meeting.
Club members learn about photography, whether using a simple a simple camera, a more professional DSLR, or a phone. The meeting is open to anyone, whether a beginner or pro.
Why Is The Power Going Off So Much In The Flomaton, McCall Area?
June 20, 2025
Residents in the Flomaton and McCall areas has reported to us that they are experience frequent power outages, and Southern Pine Electric Cooperative has explained why.
In the Flomaton, McCall, Keego, and Pineview areas, Southern Pine is in the process of upgrading the three-phase power distribution lines in the area, and contractors are doing the work while the lines are still energized.
“For their safety we have to set the breaker in the substation to open much faster. This will help keep the workers in a much more safe position just in case an accident occurs while they are working,” Southern Pine said. “One downside to this is, anytime there is an issue such as lightning or any other fault on the lines, it can cause the breaker in the substation to cut the power much faster than it normally would.”
The utility said the upgrades are designed to ultimately enhance system reliability.
NorthEscambia.com file photo.
Furious Wahoos Comeback Falls Short in 7-6 Loss To Montgomery Biscuits
June 20, 2025
written by Bill Vilona
Jake Buxton waited nearly two years for his pitching return with the Blue Wahoos.
Unfortunately for him, fate wasn’t kind.
Buxton, a righthander, had a scorching line drive ricochet off his side in the second inning, forcing him out of the game and igniting a big inning for the Montgomery Biscuits they carried into an eventual 7-6 victory Thursday against the Blue Wahoos.
But on this night when an impactful part of Pensacola’s pro baseball legacy was honored, the home team nearly pulled off the biggest comeback this season.
Taking on identity of the Pensacola Seagulls, the most renowned of the city’s former teams during the segregation era, a 7-0 deficit after two innings was whittled into a one-swing game after the seventh inning.
The game at Blue Wahoos Stadium, which honored Pensacola’s heritage on Juneteenth, started nearly an hour late, following a massive thunderstorm.
That was the first patch of rough luck to start Buxton’s night.
He yielded a pair of walks, then a two-run homer in the first inning. With two on, none out in second inning, Biscuits third baseman Willy Vasquez blasted a fastball that exited his bat at 112 mph, striking Buxton above his waist with no time to react.
He tried two warmup pitches, but it was quickly determined he could not continue. Buxton, 24, started just once before with the Blue Wahoos, back on Sept. 13, 2023 during the team’s final homestand. He was elevated Tuesday from the Beloit (Wisconsin) Sky Carp, where he pitched the entire 2024 season.
He was 3-2 with a 2.10 earned run average in eight appearances this season in Beloit.
When he exited Thursday, reliever Ricky DeVito was summoned from the dugout. He tried in about five minutes to rapidly get loose on the mound during an extended play stoppage, but he didn’t have his normal command.
His first pitch to shortstop Gregory Barrios was laced over first base inside the foul line for a run-scoring double. A sacrifice fly scored another run. DeVito then walked the bases loaded, gave up a two run single and uncorked a wild pitch for a 5-run inning and 7-0 Biscuits lead.
Nathan Martorella started the comeback with a solo homer in the fourth inning. The Blue Wahoos then took advantage of some sloppy defense by the Biscuits to score three runs in the sixth and two more in the seventh.
In the seventh, Shane Sasaki led off with a double, advanced on an infield single and scored on Kemp Alderman’s RBI ground out. A dropped pop up at third base enabled Martorella to reach base. Cody Morissette drove in the sixth run with an RBI.
But the Biscuits bullpen held on in the final two innings. Alderman hit a line out to right field to start the ninth. Martorella drew a walk, before a double play ended the game.
A good portion of Thursday’s crowd of 3,334 remained for post-game fireworks to honor the Juneteenth holiday.
The Blue Wahoos wore the replica white uniforms with blue piping, numbers and logo of Pensacola Seagulls, as part of The Nine Initiative in Minor League Baseball, which launched in 2022 by Major League Baseball to honor and celebrate the historic impact numerous African-American baseball pioneers made on the sport.
Nine is a reference to the No. 9 worn by legend Jackie Robinson while he played in the minor leagues, before breaking the game’s color barrier in 1947 in a historic way with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Robinson wore No. 42 through his decorated MLB career.
Though Robinson never played in Pensacola, he and his wife stayed overnight in Pensacola in 1946 on their way to spring training with the Dodgers organization.
The Seagulls were once a feeder team for the Negro Southern League, which had its final official season 74 years ago in 1951. In the Pensacola region, the Seagulls were the most prominent team of black players during the segregation era. They had a four-decade existence that ended as a local semi-pro team.
GAME NOTABLES
— Blue Wahoos outfielder Mark Coley II joined members of the Blue Wahoos front office staff, along with Kazoo, to participate in Pensacola’s Martin Luther King Parade downtown. The event on Juneteenth was originally scheduled on Martin Luther King Day in January, but that was the exact date of the historic 2025 snowfall in Pensacola.
F
— This was the fourth consecutive year the Blue Wahoos wore the Seagulls’ uniforms for a game. Part of Seagulls history included outfielder Johnny Joe Lewis, who became Pensacola’s first African-American player to play in Major League Baseball when he made his debut on April 14, 1964 with the St. Louis Cardinals.
Part of the team’s history occurred during an era where Pensacola had other black baseball teams called the Arthur Giants, the Pensacola Clowns, the Olive Braves and Pepsi-Cola Stars.
— On Friday, 20-year-old lefthander Thomas White, the Miami Marlins’ No. 1 prospect, makes his Double-A level debut on the mound with the Blue Wahoos in a game being offered for free on the MiLB TV network.
WANT TO GO?
WHO: Montgomery Biscuits vs. Blue Wahoos
WHEN: Friday Thru Sunday.
GAMETIMES: The games on Friday and Saturday all start at 6:05 p.m. The game on Sunday starts at 4:05 p.m.
Morristown Temporarily Reopened, But It Will Close Again Monday
June 20, 2025
Morristown Road, which was closed Tuesday, has temporarily reopened to all local traffic after recent roadway improvements. However, the road will close again briefly on Monday, June 23 for repaving. The road will reopen to all traffic once the paving is complete.
Residents will have access to their property. Signage will be placed at each end of the roadway to inform drivers of the closure.
On June 23, drivers should seek an alternate route until the roadway reopens. Drivers can utilize Dykestown Road to Ebenezer Church Road as a detour to the west and Shell Road to Nelsontown and Nelson Roads as a detour to the east.
Map courtesy Santa Rosa County.
Armed Felony Suspect Shot And Killed During Confrontation With Deputies At Escambia Arby’s
June 19, 2025
A fatal deputy-involved shooting occurred Thursday afternoon in Escambia County.
Shortly before 3 p.m., Escambia County Sheriff’s Office deputies received word that a 37-year-old male who was wanted for several felonies was observed at Arby’s on Highway 98
The ECSO said the felony warrants stemmed from an incident that took place on June 13 in which the 37-year-old male is alleged to have committed domestic battery strangulation, aggravated assault by holding a screwdriver to the victim’s throat, burglary, and grand theft.
“Deputies arrived and observed the 37-year-old male in the parking lot. Upon seeing the deputies, the suspect fled inside of the restaurant with deputies pursuing,” the ECSO said in a statement. “The suspect jumped the counter and struggled with a deputy before pushing the deputy to the ground. He then grabbed a large knife and confronted the three deputies who had also jumped the counter in pursuit. Deputies gave several commands to drop the knife. The suspect then began taking out several items from his pockets and tossing them about while keeping the knife in his hand. He ignored deputies’ commands to drop the knife and pleas from employees who were caught behind the counter. The suspect then turned and moved aggressively towards the deputies with the knife. The three deputies fired at the suspect, striking him several times. The suspect died at the scene.”
No deputies were injured during the incident. All three deputies that fired will be placed on paid administrative leave as is standard policy. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is conducting an independent investigation.
The suspect’s name has not been released.
NWS: Cantonment Had A (Really) Small Tornado on Tuesday
June 19, 2025
A brief, small, short-lived tornado moved through a Cantonment neighborhood late Tuesday morning, according to the National Weather Service in Mobile.
Between 11:41 and 11:42 a.m., the EF0 tornado traveled 0.14 miles (about 246 yards, or about the length of 2.5 football fields) through the Twins Pine Circle neighborhood. The tornado was just five yards wide with peak winds of 65 mph.
There was no serious damage reported.
According to NWS Mobile, there were no advisories or warnings in the Cantonment area at the time.
Pictured top: The NWS map of the tornado’s path. Pictured below: Radar images from 11:42 a.m. The close red and green on the lower image shows the rotation. NorthEscambia.com graphics, click to enlarge.
Cantonment Man Sentenced To 25 Years For 2023 Bowling Alley Shooting
June 19, 2025
A Cantonment man has been sentenced to 25 years on prison for a 2023 shooting outside a bowling alley.
Nicholas Vallia, 21, was found guilty by a jury of attempted second degree murder with a firearm, shooting into an occupied vehicle, and discharging a firearm from a vehicle.
Escambia County Judge Amy Brodersen sentenced Vallia on Wednesday to the minimum required 25 years on the attempted murder charge. He will get credit for 36 days served in the county jail. He was also ordered to pay restitution in an amount to be determined to the victim.
During an investigation into a shooting on Nine Mile Road that occurred on September 23, 2023, investigators determined that Vallia, who was 19 years old at the time, shot into a vehicle occupied by three high school teenagers, who had just left the Deluna Lanes Bowling Alley.
Prior to the shooting, the high school students and the Vallia and his friends exchanged insults in the bowling alley parking lot. As the high school students drove away from the bowling alley, Vallia got in his car and followed behind them, according to prosecutors. A short distance later, Vallia then fired his gun into the occupied vehicle. A bullet struck the driver in his left arm and then it traveled through his elbow and through his abdominal region. Vallia fled the scene. The victim was treated for his life-threatening injuries at Sacred Heart Hospital by a trauma team.
ECSO Communications Unit Is Re-accredited
June 19, 2025
This week, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office was awarded its first re-accreditation from the Florida Telecommunications Accreditation Commission in Orlando. The FTA consists of subject matter experts from across the state of Florida who unanimously voted for the re-accreditation of the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office Communication Center.
The efforts to achieve re-accredited status have taken place over the last three years. The ECSO said the Communications Unit was able to maintain compliance with all applicable mandatory standards during this time, ensuring the center was operating with industry-established best practices and serving the citizens of Escambia County with courtesy, integrity, and professionalism.