Lewin Diaz Continues To Sizzle As Blue Wahoos Newcomer
June 23, 2019
Six seasons and six teams within the Minnesota Twins organization have provided Lewin Diaz a chance to make a steady progression.
Three games into his level climb with the Pensacola Blue Wahoos, Diaz has accelerated the impact.
Diaz, 22, a first baseman, signed by the Twins as a teenager in 2013 out of the Dominican Republic, continued showcasing his potential. He went 3-for-4 Saturday night with an RBI, during the Blue Wahoos 3-2 loss against the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville.
Diaz, a 6-foot-4, 225-pound player, has been a mid-season all-star the past three years, including the past two with the Fort Myers Miracle in the High-A Florida State League. He has shined since being promoted to the Blue Wahoos.
He’s produced seven hits in 13 at-bats for a .533 average with two doubles and three RBI.
And the one at-bat Diaz had Saturday when he didn’t produce a hit was just as impressive.
In the ninth inning, after Ben Rortvedt led off with a walk, Diaz worked a 3-2 count and fouled off four pitches against reliever Brett Graves before slashing a line drive into second baseman Justin Twine’s glove.
That became a defining moment in the game, especially with Rortvedt on second base after a throwing error on a pickoff attempt.
Caleb Hamilton followed Diaz by also working a 3-2 count against Graves before a swinging strikeout. Mark Contreras grounded out to end the game.
The Blue Wahoos (40-33, 2-1 second half) will get their second attempt to clinch the series on Sunday with Jorge Alcala (5-4) going against Jacksonville’s Cody Poteet in a 2:05 p.m. game in Jacksonville.
The teams will close out the series on Monday night (6:05 p.m.) and the Blue Wahoos will travel back to Pensacola to begin a nine-game homestand on Tuesday.
Saturday night, a crowd of 8,261 in Jacksonville watched a crisply-played game with strong pitching on both sides. The Jumbo Shrimp (30-43) had ace pitcher Sixto Sanchez, 20, the top prospect in the Miami Marlins organization and No. 27 overall by MLB Pipeline, deliver another quality outing.
Sanchez worked seven complete innings, yielding seven hits and two runs in the fourth inning. He struck out nine and did not allow a walk.
The Blue Wahoos’ Charlie Barnes worked into the fifth inning, allowing seven hits, two runs, no walks and six strikeouts.
In the fourth inning, the Blue Wahoos had their best at-bats against Sanchez. Travis Blankenhorn led off the inning with a single. Alex Kirilloff followed with a double to put runners on second and third.
With one out, Diaz singled to right field to score Blankenhorn. Hamilton followed with a single to score Kirilloff. But Sanchez ended the damage by striking out Contreras and Joe Cronin.
The Jumbo Shrimp tied the game in the fifth on three consecutive singles. After a wild pitch by Barnes put runners on second and third, Riley Mahan’s one-out single tied the game.
The Jumbo Shrimp scored the go-ahead run in the sixth inning when J.C. Milan homered off reliever Anthony Vizcaya.
A pivotal sequence happened in the top of the seventh after Cronin hit a one out triple. Michael Davis hit a fly out to right fielder Stone Garrett, whose throw to the plate nabbed Cronin who was trying to score on a sacrifice fly.
In the eighth, Kirilloff hit into an inning-ending double play and Jacksonville sealed the game in the ninth.
It was the first loss for fill-in manager Steve Singleton, the Blue Wahoos hitting coach, who is handling the managing duties this weekend while Ramon Borrego takes an extended vacation with his family in Fort Myers.
Borrego will join the team in Pensacola when the Blue Wahoos open a five-game series against the Biloxi Shuckers, the first half Southern League South Division champs.
Highway 4 Bridge Reduced To One Lane After State Inspection
June 22, 2019
After a state inspection this week, the Highway 4 bridge over Canoe Creek is down to one full lane.
Officials said a problem was found with one piling under the bridge, and it will be about a week before it is repaired. With the lane closure, officials said the bridge is safe for traffic.
The 225-foot long bridge between Bratt and Century averages over 1,000 vehicles per day. The county-owned bridge was constructed in 1942.
Pictured: The Highway 4 bridge over Canoe Creek Friday afternoon. NorthEscambia.com photos.
1st Day Of Summer: Century’s Splash Pad Not Working As Advertised
June 22, 2019
We stopped by the Town of Century’s splash pad Friday afternoon and found it was not working as advertised.
Friday was the first official day of summer and, with a heat advisory in effect, the most miserably hot day of the year so far. But at about 5:30 p.m., kids were unable to cool off at the splash pad because the water would not flow. The pad was damp where it had been working about a half hour before.
The town says the splash pad is open each day from 8 a.m. until 7 p.m.
But numerous parents have contacted NorthEscambia.com over the last few weeks to say the splash pad cuts off each day without fail at 5 p.m. We have reported it to town officials, and others say they have done the same.
Pictured: The Century splash pad on a very hot Friday, the first day of summer, at about 5:30 p.m. The splash pad was not working. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
DeSantis Signs $90 Billion Budget, Cuts $2.1 Million From Escambia Projects
June 22, 2019
Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the state budget on Friday.
Items cut from the over $90 billion budget included $2.1 million for two projects in Escambia County. DeSantis cut $600,000 toward improvements on West Cervantes Street and $1.5 million to be used toward the expansion of the ST Engineering Campus at the Pensacola International Airport.
The new fiscal year budget begins July 1 and represents a 2.5% increase over the current year.
The budget includes $21.8 billion for education. That’s up $783 million or about $243 per student. There is $37.7 billion for heath care, up $527 million.
Boil Water Notices Lifted For Central Water Works, Farm Hill Utilities, Town Of Jay Customers
June 22, 2019
Boil water notices have been lifted to Farm Hill Utilities, Central Water Works and Town of Jay customers.
The notices were issued earlier this week for:
Central Water Works after a water main break Wednesday morning at the intersection of Cox Road and Highway 29. The boil water advisory was for customers between Cox Road and Byrneville Road.
Farm Hill Utilities for Muscogee Road from Hicks Street to Stinnis Street. The notice was issued after water was turned off Monday night for an Escambia County project.
Town of Jay for the area of Highway 4, Highway 89 and Commerce Street. The notice was issued due to planned fire hydrant replacement Thursday night, but the maintenance did not occur as scheduled.
Escambia Unemployment Rate Increases Slightly
June 22, 2019
The latest job numbers released by the state Friday show a slight increase in the unemployment rate in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.
Escambia County’s unemployment increased slightly from 2.9 percent in April to 3.0 percent in May. There were 4,410 people were reported unemployed during the period. One year ago, unemployment in Escambia County was 3.3 percent.
Santa Rosa County’s unemployment rate increased from 2.7 percent in April to 2.8 percent in May. Santa Rosa County had a total of 2,267 persons still unemployed. The year-ago unemployment rate in Santa Rosa County was 3.1 percent.
Florida’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 3.4 percent in May 2019, down 0.1 percentage point from the revised April 2019 rate, and down 0.3 percentage point from a year ago. The U.S. unemployment rate was 3.6 percent in May.
The jobless numbers released by the state do not include persons that have given up on finding a job and are no longer reported as unemployed.
Escambia Man Convicted Of Murdering Mother Of His Child
June 22, 2019
An Escambia County jury found Henry Steiger guilty of second degree murder in the death of his girlfriend and mother of his child.
Steiger, 53, will be sentenced next month for the death of Cassandra Robinson. He faces up to life in prison.
Robinson’s body was found July 12, 2018, inside a 55-gallon drum inside a cargo trailer located on vacant lot. She went missing in February 2018 and was reported missing by her family in early June.
Prosecutors said Steiger murdered Robinson after their daughter’s first birthday party.
Dependable Dobnak Guides Blue Wahoos Past Jacksonville
June 22, 2019
Randy Dobnak had few college offers in high school and hasn’t been anointed among anyone’s list of top prospects.
But what he’s done is become the Pensacola Blue Wahoos most consistently effective pitcher.
Dobnak, 24, followed a season-best outing eight days ago with one better Friday night, after working seven complete innings and leading the Blue Wahoos to an 8-1 victory against the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp.
Amid a crowd of 7,351 at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville on a post-game fireworks night, Dobnak (3-0) sparkled by scattering seven hits, allowing no walks and striking out seven. In his previous start, he worked 6.2 innings at Blue Wahoos Stadium in a no-decision June 13 against the Tennessee Smokies.
The righthander shrugged off a booming, first-inning home run by Jumbo Shrimp second baseman Riley Mahan, to work in precision the rest of the game.
He had plenty of run support. Three Blue Wahoos had multiple hits, including newcomers Lewin Diaz and Aaron Whitefield, both of whom joined the team earlier this week on promotions from the Fort Myers Miracle, the Minnesota Twins’ High-A affiliate. The duo also had two RBI apiece Friday.
All of it equated into another enjoyable night for Steve Singleton, the Blue Wahoos hitting coach, who is the acting manager in this five-game series. Singleton is the substitute skipper while Ramon Borrego is on an extended vacation from the all-star break with his family.
The Minnesota Twins allow their minor league coaching staffs to take a five-day break during the season and Borrego chose to pair his vacation around the Southern League All-Star break. This is Singleton’s first time as a Double-A level manager.
The Blue Wahoos (40-32 overall, 2-0 second half) have responded for him in both games with strong pitching and timely hitting.
Borrego will be back when the Blue Wahoos begin a nine-game homestand on Tuesday night in Pensacola.
The Blue Wahoos took advantage of three Jacksonville errors, one apiece in the first three innings, to produce runs.
In the first inning, Travis Blankenhorn, who went 2-4 with two walks, led off by reaching on Mahan’s fielding error. He moved to second on a wild pitch, then to third on a ground out and scored on Diaz’ two-out single.
In the second inning, after two out, Joe Cronin singled and Blankenhorn walked. Alex Kirilloff, who rejoined the team Thursday after missing the last two weeks of the first-half schedule, produced an RBI single that became a two-run play after a fielding error.
Ben Rortvedt followed Kirilloff’s hit with a walk. Diaz and Whitefield then hit back-to-back, RBI singles to give the Blue Wahoos a 5-0 lead.
In the third inning, Jordan Gore reached on an error and scored on Blankenhorn’s two-out double. Blankenhorn had a second RBI in the fifth inning when he singled home Mark Contreras.
Whitefield, who finished 3-for-5, completed the scoring with an RBI double in the eighth inning.
Dobnak, meanwhile, retired the Jumbo Shrimp (29-43), the Miami Marlins affiliate, in three out succession during the second, fourth and fifth innings. He threw 91 pitchers in the seven-inning start, giving way to Tom Hackimer, who pitched the final two scoreless innings.
Dobnak grew up in Pittsburgh and played college ball at Alderson Broaddus (W.Va.) University, an NCAA Division II athletic member. The Twins signed him in August 2017 from an Independent League team in the United Shore Professional Baseball League, based in Michigan.
Since Dobnak rejoined the Blue Wahoos earlier this month, following four starts for the Rochester (N.Y.) Red Wings, the Twins’ Triple-A affiliate, he has come back even stronger.
In two starts, he’s worked 13.2 innings, allowing just two runs with 12 strikeouts and one walk.
The Blue Wahoos and Jumbo Shrimp will play the third game of their season Saturday night.
ECSO Seeking Missing Runaway Teen
June 21, 2019
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office is looking for a missing runaway teen last seen Friday morning.
Felicity Briann Jenkins, 14, was last seen about 1 a.m. in the 6300 block of Fairfield Drive. She is 5′2″ and around 115 pounds. If you know the whereabouts of Felicity Jenkins, call the ECSO at (850) 436-9620.
Escambia Commission Delays Hiring Company For EMS Staff Training
June 21, 2019
Escambia County will delay a decision on new EMS training until after the new county administrator is in place.
Last month, Escambia County Medical Director Dr. Rayme Edler asked the Escambia County Commission for an expedited purchase of training services for EMS hands-on training.
After advertising for training services, the county only receive two bids.
One proposal was from The Rescue Company 1, LLC, in the amount of $144,696.91, and the other from Emergency Educational Training Institute, Inc., in the amount of $243,250. Rescue 1 is not on the Florida Department of Health list of continuing education providers, but Emergency Educational Training Institute is an approved continuing education provider.
Citing that reason and other concerns, Commissioner Jeff Bergosh made a motion Thursday to hire Emergency Educational Training Institute, but that motion failed due to a lack of a second from another commissioner.
Commissioner Steven Barry said he would support the training if it’s supported by new County Administrator Janice Gilley after she starts work for the county on July 1.
“If Janice comes back and she brings it forward, I am going to support this. I want to be on the record saying I am going to support it. I just don’t think it is a rush procurement right now,” Commissioner Lumon May said.
The Florida Department of Health is currently investigating allegations involving the possible falsification of training certificates by Escambia EMS and Public Safety. The county commission has hired attorney Ann Bittinger of Jacksonville, who specializes in health care law, to represent five county employees in the Florida DOH investigation.
“….We’re going to spend a ton of money defending employees internally,” Commissioner Lumon May said Thursday. “Inside an organization, where else in America would you have a supervisor reprimanding their employees, and you’ve got to go to Jacksonville and hire outside counsel? I mean there’s something wrong. Fundamentally, the training is not going to fix that. You keep piling turds on top of turds, you’re going to continue to get turds. You’ve got to at some point straighten it all out.”
He said he would not be bullied into hiring a company to conduct EMS training and EMS will continue to operate.
“We’re not going to shut down. It was too me, it was the most horrific thing and propaganda to give to the citizens of Escambia County that our people are not qualified. They are well qualified,” May said. “They are saving lives every single day without this training.”
“I’m going to put you on the spot. Do we need this? Is this a must have?” Bergosh asked interim Public Safety Director John Dosh.
“Based upon the information I’ve been provided by the medical director, she would like to see this enhanced training,” Dosh said. “I’m not a doctor, so I can’t answer that question for you.”
