Free Sports Physicals Offered For High School Athletes
April 6, 2025
Free sports physicals will be offered for local high school student athletes ahead of summer sports.
The free physicals will be held April 10 and April 15 from 3-6 p.m. at Grace Care Medical at 4929 Mobile Highway in Pensacola. The physical is for high school athletes that need their FHSAA participation physical evaluation form completed.
To schedule the free physical, call (850) 960-7971.
Alderman’s Grand Slam Powers Blue Wahoos Past Biloxi
April 6, 2025
As the selected player of the game, Kemp Alderman received the customary water bucket dousing by his Blue Wahoos teammates. Two games into this season, it’s the only chill the former Ole Miss star has experienced.
Just as Alderman did in October at the Arizona Fall League, he’s stirred a buzz. After three hits on Friday, he delivered the big hit on Saturday with a grand slam into a forceful wind blowing in from left field off the water, powering the Blue Wahoos to a 7-1 victory against the Biloxi Shuckers before a capacity crowd of 5,038 at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
How fitting, right?
The rapidly played game, completed in 2 hours, 13 minutes, led right into the first post-game fireworks show of the season.
Under these wind conditions, it was going to take a rocket to get a ball out of this ballpark the past two days. On a fastball he saw with the bases loaded in the fifth inning, Alderman barreled it just right. The pitch exited at 104 mph – just enough to clear the left-center fence.
The home run turned the game from a 3-0 lead into a far more comfortable zip code. Alderman has now collected four hits, scored three runs, and stolen a base in two games while reaching base five times.
Alderman, 22, a Mississippi native, helped the Ole Miss Rebels to their dramatic triumph in the 2022 College World Series championship series. He was chosen in the second round by the Miami Marlins in the 2023 Draft and has risen to be ranked as the No. 11 overall prospect in the organization.
Once again, the Blue Wahoos’ pitching was the main narrative. Starter Evan Fitterer carried a strong spring training into his first season start. With his breaking pitches on point and his fastball well-located, Fitterer faced just one batter above the minimum in his five innings.
He allowed one hit, one walk, struck out six, and yielded only two fly-ball outs. Of his 64 pitches, 44 were strikes.
The two relievers who followed, Adam Laskey and Tristian Stevens, were sharp as well. Laskey worked three innings, allowing two hits and the lone Biloxi run, but did not allow a walk and struck out three batters. Stevens finished the game in the ninth.
These teams will finish their three-game series Sunday at 1:05 p.m. – the first of four early Sunday starts on the home schedule – with the Blue Wahoos sending Dax Fulton to the mound to make his first start since 2023. He missed last season recovering from elbow surgery.
The Blue Wahoos had runners on base in each of the first five innings. They got a pair of runs in the second inning off Biloxi starter Nate Peterson. Dalvy Rosario doubled with one out. Johnny Olmstead reached on an error. Cody Morissette’s hard groundout enabled Rosario to score. Harrison Spohn then hit a two-out RBI single.
The Blue Wahoos blew open the game in the fifth when Olmstead led off with a single, Morissette followed with a walk, and Spohn singled. Jared Serna’s RBI single made it 3-0. With one out, Alderman connected in a big way for Pensacola’s first home run of the season and first grand slam since last July.
Olmstead then made a season-highlight defensive play in this second game of the year. He made a full-extension leaping dive in the seventh inning to rob Biloxi’s Eric Brown Jr. of a hit with a runner on base. It elicited a standing ovation.
GAME NOTABLES
- Home games have produced a winning tradition in Blue Wahoos history. Last season their home record of 35-34 marked their eighth consecutive season with a winning home record.
- Emerald Coast Okinawa Drum Group, based in Niceville, which promotes Okinawan culture, performed outside the main gate prior to Saturday’s game.
WANT TO GO?
WHAT: Blue Wahoos Season-Opening Weekend Series
WHO: Biloxi Shuckers vs. Blue Wahoos
WHEN: Sunday, 1:05 p.m.
One Injured When RV T-Bones Car In Century
April 5, 2025
One person was injured when a large recreational vehicle T-boned a Kia sedan Friday night in Century.
It happened on North Century Boulevard between West Highway 4 and Hudson Hill Road just before 8 p.m.
According to witnesses, the Kia pulled onto Highway 29 and into the path of the southbound RV. The RV pushed the Kia for several hundred feet before coming to a complete stop.
The driver of the KIA was transported to an area hospital by Escambia County EMS with injuries that were not considered life threatening.
The occupants of the RV — two adults and two children from the Atlanta area — were not injured.
The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating. The Century Station of Escambia County Fire Rescue and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office also responded to the crash, which closed one southbound lane of North Century Boulevard for well over two hours.
NorthEscambia.co photos, click to enlarge.
Tate Showband Members Receive Superiors At State Solo And Ensemble
April 5, 2025
Several members of the Tate High School Showband of the South received a superior rating for their performance at the State Solo and Ensemble last weekend in Tallahassee.
Senior:
- Jax Hardnack
- Brooklyn Summerlin
Junior:
- Carter Hayden
Freshman:
- Mason Soto
- Kendra McDonald
- Gracie Ferlo
- Jaren Ridgon
Not pictured: Jax Hardnack and Brooklyn Summerlin. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Tate Lady Aggies Get Walk-Off Win Over West Florida
April 5, 2025
The Tate Lady Aggies secured a 5-4 walk-off home run win over the West Florida Jaguars Friday night in the annual Strike Out Cancer game at Tate.
(We will have complete coverage and photos of the Strike Out Cancer events and game action coming up on Sunday morning.)
The Lady Aggies were down 4-3 in the bottom of the eighth inning when Kara Wine slammed a homer to center field to score two runs.
Tate’s scoring also began with a home run — a solo homer from Kaylie Mitchell to center field.
Jordan Smith earned the win for Tate as she surrendered six hits and three runs (two earned) in a complete game eight innings while walking two and striking out four.
Kara Wine recorded two RBIs, and she went 2-3 on the night. Peyton Womack went 2-4.
In junior varsity action, Tate beat West Florida 8-1.
Up next for the Aggies is a home game ast South Warren on Monday and Gulf Breeze on Thursday. First pitch is 6:30 p.m. for both games.
(We will have complete coverage and photos of the Strike Out Cancer portion of the game coming up on Sunday morning.)
Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Escambia Woman Charged With 20 Counts Of Child Porn Possession
April 5, 2025
A 46-year-old Escambia County woman has been charged with 20 counts of child porn possession.
Danielle Marie Ballard was booked into the Escambia County Jail where she’s being held with bond set $1 million.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office investigation into Ballard began after a Crime Stoppers tip received in February alleged that she was in possession of child porn files.
Deputies contacted he at her home, and she allowed a deputy to do a preliminary search of her laptop. According to an arrest report, the deputy found about 50 images of child porn, including some images that were of children as young as toddlers.
The porn images were found in a folder on the laptop where it appeared the trash bin had accidentally been moved, according to the ECSO report.
Ballard “became hysterical and repeatedly asked if she was going to jail,” the report states. She then confessed, according to the report, that “she had an interest” in child porn and state that she had been viewing and receiving child porn for five years.
Central Water Water Works Says Over 1,000 Customer Bills Were Apparently Lost In The Mail
April 5, 2025
Over 1,000 Central Water Works customers may not have received their bills this month after the bills were apparently lost in the mail.
The utility says the customer bills were taken to the McDavid Post Office for processing on March 25, and they were sent from there to the main Pensacola post office on Jordan Street. But Central now says that they don’t believe any of the bills were ever delivered to customers, and as of Friday afternoon they have received no explanation from the post office.
Central customers can call the office to find out the amount they owe this month, or register for their online billing system here. The online site will allow customers to view their bills back to January 2024, but the site is not yet set to take online payments. Online payments should be made available beginning in June.
Navarre Falls To Northview Softball, Tate Baseball On Friday Night
April 5, 2025
SOFTBALL
Northview 3, Navarre 2
Coming off a big district win 9-4 over Jay Thursday night, the Northview Lady Chiefs added another one to the win column with a 3-2 defeat of the 1A Navarre Friday night in Bratt.
Mikayla McAnally earned the win for Northview, surrendering five hits and two runs (one earneed) in seven innings, walking three and striking out three.
Aubrey Hadley, Addysen Bolen, and Daviona Randolph each had two hits for the Chiefs. Riley Brooks, Aubrey Hadley, and Addysen Bolen each had one RBI for Northview.
The Lady Chiefs will have two road games next week — Tuesday at Gulf Breeze and Thursday at West Florida.
BASEBALL
Tate 5, Navarre 1
The Tate Aggies beat Navarre 5-1 Friday night at Navarre.
Tatite Davis hit a two-run homer in the top of the fourth for the Aggies to led Tate with two RBIs as he went 2-4 for the night. Nathan Ozuna and Cal Foxworth also had two hits each for the Aggies.
Keelan Beasley earned the win for the Aggies. he allowed four hits and one unearned run while striking out five and walking two over six innings. Nathan Connors threw one no-hit, no run inning for Tate in relief.
Blue Wahoos Win Season Opener 4-0 Over Biloxi
April 5, 2025
Robby Snelling made his prior Opening Day start a couple years ago, but not in a packed stadium or this kind of level.
“I’m looking forward to being in a great atmosphere,” said Snelling, earlier in the week before the Blue Wahoos’ first practice.
Friday night, he delivered a memorable impression.
Snelling, only 21 years old but already one of the Miami Marlins’ top-rated prospects, tossed a five-inning, two-hit gem to set a tone that was followed by the Pensacola bullpen in a 4-0 victory against the Biloxi Shuckers that delighted a sellout crowd of 5,038 at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
The season-opening win, crisply played in 2 hours and 35 minutes, gave Blue Wahoos new manager Nelson Prada a win in his Double-A managerial debut. Prada is coming off a special time in guiding Spain to the championship round of the World Baseball Classic in February.
Snelling, a 6-foot-3 lefthander from Reno, Nevada, who pitched in several Major League spring training games for the Marlins, flashed the same kind of quality stuff he’s showed since being acquired by the Marlins in a trade last July. He was drafted in 2022 by the San Diego Padres in the competitive balance portion of the first round.
After giving up a first-inning single to the second batter he faced – Biloxi’s star prospect Cooper Pratt — Snelling faced just two more batters above the minimum in his five-inning quality start. He struck out five and did not issue a walk.
Pratt, rated No. 2 in the Milwaukee Brewers organization, was thrown out on a terrific play by Blue Wahoos centerfielder Shane Saski, as Pratt tried to stretch the hit into a double.
From that point, the Shuckers got only two more baserunners against Snelling. Three relievers followed Snelling and they were all outstanding.
Zach McCambley, one of the veteran returnees, tossed 2.0 scoreless innings with four strikeouts. Newcomer Lane Ramsey pitched a scoreless eighth inning and closer Josh Ekness finished the game with a 97-mph fastball for a game-ending strikeout.
The game featured outstanding defense on both sides. The Shuckers threw two Blue Wahoos runners out at the plate, including a terrific relay throw that got catcher Joe Mack out on a diving slide attempting to score on a Kemp Alderman double.
It was a big night at the plate for Alderman, a former Ole Miss star, who went 3-for-4 with two runs scored. The same for Nathan Martorella, who went 3-for-4 with two RBI. This duo accounted for six of the Blue Wahoos’ eight hits.
The Blue Wahoos broke through with three runs in the fourth inning. After Martorella drove home Alderman with the game’s first run, the Blue Wahoos loaded the bases and drew back-to-back RBI walks from Cody Morissette and Sasaki. Morissette walked three times in the game.
After Mack was thrown out at the plate in the seventh inning, Martorella drove home Alderman a second time to make it 4-0.
The teams will continue the three-game season opening series on Saturday night, the first post-game fireworks night of the season, in a 6:05 game featuring Blue Wahoos returning pitcher Evan Fitterer on the mound against the Shuckers Nate Peterson.
GAME NOTABLES
In starting their 13th season in club history, the Blue Wahoos are now 9-4 in openers. This was their sixth Opening Night win in the nine years they’ve started the season at home.
These teams will play 27 times this season, the most meetings of any Blue Wahoos opponent.
WANT TO GO?
WHAT: Blue Wahoos Season-Opening Series
WHO: Biloxi Shuckers vs. Blue Wahoos
WHEN: Saturday, 6:05 p.m.
Is Costco Still Planning A Nine Mile Road Store? Apparently, As New Plans Are Filed
April 4, 2025
Is Costco still considering a store on Nine Mile Road?
It certainly looks that way.
Tampa-based Thomas Engineering filed plans with Escambia County Development Review Committee (DRC) for the store at 225 East Nine Mile Road back in June of last year. Then, in response to DRC feedback, updated plans were filed in late October 2024.
Since that time, the proposal has not gone before the DRC for consideration. Without a development order, the project can’t move forward.
What’s new?
About a week ago, Thomas Engineering filed new site construction site drawings for the Nine Mile Road Costco. A DRC hearing has not yet been scheduled but could be forthcoming soon.
How long does it take to build a Costco?
The architectural firm MG2, which has partnered with Costco for 30 years on over 780 locations, says it takes under four months to build a new store.
“Costco Wholesale has set the bar by creating and maintaining the platinum standard in optimized rollouts: It takes just 110 days from the time construction begins to the moment doors open to their members” MG2 said. That means a new Pensacola Costco, if approved, could easily open by the end of the year.
What do the newly filed plans show?
The latest plans filed last week with Escambia County show the 172,580 square foot Costco retail store with a gas station and 835 parking spaces at 225 East Nine Mile Road, at the corner of East Nine Mile Road and Chemstrand Road. That’s the site of the current Planet Fitness and a former Kmart store. It’s several parcels totaling just under 22 acres.
The plans show the existing Dairy Queen, Sam’s Seafood Restaurant and Wells Fargo to remain, with a Costco gas station constructed between Sam’s Seafood and Wells Fargo in an area that is currently a parking area for the old shopping center. The current Planet Fitness building will be demolished to make room for the new Costco if it’s approved.
What is currently the nearest to Pensacola?
The nearest currently open Costco to Pensacola is in Mobile, Alabama.
How much is a Costco membership?
Membership is required for in-store shoppers at Costco. Members must be 16 or older to apply. The pharmacy is open to anyone, regardless of membership.
Costco offers two levels of membership for individuals or businesses:
Executive $130 annually
- Annual 2% Reward
- Costco Services Discounts
- Shop Online and in Warehouses
- Includes 2 Membership Cards
- 100% Satisfaction Guarantee
Gold Star $65 annually
- Shop Online and in Warehouses
- Includes 2 Membership Cards
- 100% Satisfaction Guarantee
Businesses can purchase either level to purchase items for resale or add additional people at $65 each.
