The One With The Home Runs: Tate Destroys Escambia; Jay Tops Northview
April 16, 2025
In high school softball on Tuesday night, it was a night of home runs for the Tate Aggie as they beat Escambia, and Northview and Jay each recorded a home run as the Royals came out on top.
Tate 15, Escambia 1
The Tate High School Lady Aggies were on fire Tuesday night as they destroyed the Escambia Gators 15-1 in mercy-ruled five innings.
The hits just kept on coming from the Aggies. In the second inning, Jordyn Banks hit a grand slam to center field. Kara Wine homered to right field to score two runs, and Carlyn Ham hit a solo home run to center field. In the third inning, Madison Smilie hit ad solo home run to left field.
Peyton Womack earned the win for Tate. In five innings, she surrendered three hits and one fun, walking two and striking out five.
Carlyn Ham went 2-3 for Tate at bat.
In JV action for Tate, freshman Bailey Parden also knocked a homer on Tuesday.
Jay 5, Northview 3
The Northview Lady Chiefs fell to Jay 5-3 Tuesday night in Jay.
The night saw two home runs — a solo home run to left field from Jay’s Mylee Frazier in the bottom of the fourth inning and a solo homer to center field by Northview’s Avery Stuckey in the top of the firth.
Jamison Gilman pitched four innings for the Lady Chiefs, allowing two runs (one earned) and one hit while walking one and striking out two. Mikayla McAnally went two in the circle for Northview, allowing three runs and walking two and striking out four.
Layna Lowry went a complete seven innings for the Royals, surrendering three runs on eight hits in seven innings, walking three and striking out nine.
Addysen Bolen and Avery Stuckey both had two hits for Northview with one RBI each. Riley Brooks added one Chief RBI.
Mylee Frazier had three runs batted in for Jay as she went 1-2.
Northview will host Baker Thursday in a district matchup, and Jay will travel to Crestview.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Northview And Tate Fall In Baseball District Playoffs
April 16, 2025
Both the Northview Chiefs and the Tate Aggies fell Tuesday night in district playoff action.
Jay 2, Northview 1
Jackson Bridges went five and two-thirds innings for Northview, giving up two runs (one earned) on six hits, walking four and striking out three. Landon Golden started for Jay, surrendering five hits and one run in seven innings, striking out eight and recording one walk.
Brady Smith went 2-4 for Northview, and Jase Portwood had home RIB as he went 1-3.
Cam Pierce went 1-2 with one RBI for the Royals.
No. 1 Central and No. 2 Jay will play for the Rural District 1 Championship on Thursday at 7 p.m.
Crestview 11, Tate 4
In the 6A District 1 semifinals, the Tate Aggies fell 11-4 to Crestview.
Zane Warrington went five and two-thirds innings for Tate, allowing seven runs (five earned) on six hits while walking four and striking out six.
Kaleb Posta had three RBIs for Tate as he went 1-3. Taite Davis and Kaden Posta also had a hit apiece.
No. 3 Crestview will face No. 1 Pace on Wednesday for the district championship.
Vehicle Destroyed By Fire Outside Cantonment Dollar General
April 16, 2025
Fire destroyed a vehicle outside of a Cantonment Dollar General Store on Tuesday night.
The fire was reported in a parking area on the side of the Dollar General at 1429 South Highway 29 at Tate School Road.
There were no injuries reported and no major damage to the building. Upon arrival, Escambia Fire Rescue was able to quickly bring the fire under control.
There was no immediate word on the cause of the fire.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Barbour and submitted photos by Candace Huddleston, click to enlarge.
Blue Wahoos Blanked In Columbus Opener
April 16, 2025
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos began their road schedule with a loss on Tuesday night, falling 3-0 to the Columbus Clingstones in the first game at the newly-renovated Synovus Park.
In front of an eager sellout crowd of 5,041 fans, the Clingstones (5-4) christened their new home with a combined four-hit shutout of the Blue Wahoos (7-3). Starter Blake Burkhalter (W, 1-1) was the star, fanning eight batters over 5.2 innings and leaving six Pensacola runners on base to squander early threats.
Blue Wahoos starting pitcher Jacob Miller (L, 0-2) did his best to counter, becoming the first Pensacola pitcher to complete 6.0 innings this season, but surrendered a leadoff walk to second baseman David Fletcher in the third that came in to score on a subsequent wild pitch for the only offense the Clingstones would need.
Columbus added two more runs in the seventh with RBI singles from Carlos Rodriguez and Cal Conley against reliever Ricky DeVito, extending their lead to 3-0. They then handed things off to nine-time All-Star Craig Kimbrel, who struck out a pair in a scoreless eighth in front of the delighted crowd. Kimbrel, 36, was added to the Columbus roster on Monday in his attempt to return to the major leagues with the Atlanta Braves.
Hayden Harris (S, 1) finished off the Blue Wahoos in the ninth, ending a memorable night for the Columbus fans. Synovus Park, formerly named Golden Park and originally opened in 1926, underwent an extensive renovation to meet modern MiLB standards and lure a Double-A franchise back to town for the first time since 1990.
Blue Wahoos catcher Joe Mack collected the first hit in the stadium with a single in the first inning. Jared Serna extended his hitting streak to a team-high eight games with a single in the seventh. Mark Coley II made a sprawling catch in the left field corner in the bottom of the seventh and rob Adam Zebrowski of a potential two-run double.
The Blue Wahoos continue their series against the Clingstones on Wednesday night. First pitch from Synovus Park is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. ET/6:05 p.m. CT.
File photo.
Have You Seen The New FHP Corvette C8 Stingray?
April 16, 2025
The Florida Highway Patrol’s new sports car can go from 0-60 in 2.9 seconds and reach speeds up to 194mph.
Let’s say that again. 0-60 in 2.9 seconds.
It’s a 2023 Chevrolet Corvette C8 Stingray unveiled by the FHP on Tuesday. And no, it was not purchased with taxpayer dollars. The car was seized by the FHP in partnership with the Drug Enforcement Administration Task Force.
FHP said the Corvette “will be utilized to support the Florida Highway Patrol’s mission of keeping our roadways and highways safe”. It will also be used at outreach and educational events and in recruitment efforts.
You won’t likely see the car on the roads in Escambia County anytime soon. It’s stationed with Troop F in Fort Myers.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office also has seized Corvette. The ECSO 2016 Corvette Z06 C7 was a felony seizure from local drug dealers.
Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
West Roberts Road $4.6 Million Drainage, Widening Project Begins
April 15, 2025
An Escambia County $4.6 million West Roberts Road widening and drainage improvement project is now underway.
The widening and drainage improvements will be along a 1.75 mile stretch of West Roberts from the Highway 29 intersection west to the southernly turn to Sutton Place. The project intent is to widen the roadway to two 12-foot-wide travel lanes with 5-foot-wide shoulders from Pine Forest Road to Highway 29. The roadway from the southern turn to Pine Forest will be resurfaced and striped.
The $4,635,298.30 project funded the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) was awarded to contractor C.W. Roberts, Inc.
The county said access to adjacent properties will be maintained, although there may be short periods when a driveway or entrance is blocked.
Pictured: West Roberts Road near Stallion Road. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
IRS Tax Deadline Was Extended For All Florida Residents
April 15, 2025
Taxpayers in Florida have until May 1 to file with the IRS.
Due to hurricanes that hit the state last summer, the IRS extended the tax deadline for all Florida residents and businesses until May 1, 2025. That gives residents of Florida, and other states including Alabama, a couple more weeks to file beyond the traditional April 1 deadline.
The IRS extended the tax filing deadline to May 1, 2025, for all Florida residents and businesses due to hurricanes Debbie, Helene and Milton that hit the state in 2024.
The automatic deadline extensions apply to all Florida counties and cover individual, corporate, estate, trust, partnership, S corporation, gift, and generation-skipping transfer tax returns, along with other types of returns.
For more information from the IRS, click here.
NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
What Is Your Church Doing For Easter? Share Your Events With Our Readers
April 15, 2025
What is your church doing for Easter?
NorthEscambia.com will provide free promotion for churches in North Escambia or North Santa Rosa counties in Florida, or Atmore or Flomaton in Alabama. If your church is having a special Holy Week, Good Friday and/or Easter service, or any other special service or event like an egg hunt, let us know!
We will share your information with thousands of readers across the area. We will list the services on our Events page free of charge, and we’ll be publishing a special story before Good Friday. Please try to keep your announcement for our events page to 75 words or less.
Send your announcement to news@northescambia.com or click here for our contact page. We will also be happy to publish photos after your event; email the photos to news@northescambia.com.
Pictured top and below: An Easter morning “Sonrise Service” at Pensacola’s Maritime Stadium. NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
Northview Baseball Beats Laurel Hill 15-0 In First Round Of District Playoffs
April 15, 2025
The Northview Chiefs opened the district tournament with a 15-0 run-ruled shortened four inning win over the Laurel Hill Hoboes Monday afternoon in Baker.
Jayden White earned the win on the mound for Northview. He gave p one hit and no runs in three and two-thirds innings while walking one and striking out seven. Jackson Bridges pitched a perfect one-third of an inning in relief.
Kelan Jury, Braynt Mason, Jase Portwood, and Brady Smith each had two hits for the Chiefs. Jury and Mason had three RBIs each.
With the win, the No. 3 ranked Northview Chiefs (11-1) advance to the FHSAA Rural District 1 semifinals on Tuesday against No. 2 Jay (13-10) at 4 p.m.
NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Tate Lacrosse Slips To Gulf Breeze In District Semifinals
April 15, 2025
The Tate Aggies girls lacrosse team fell short 19-6 against No. 1 Gulf Breeze Monday in the semifinals of the 2A District 1 tournament.
The Aggies advanced in round one of the tournament with a 7-3 win over Milton.
Gulf Breeze will face Navarre on Thursday for the district championship.
NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.