Biloxi Beats Wahoos
April 28, 2015
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos may be 5-12 and in last place in the Southern League South Division early in the season but the players definitely do not feel like they are in the dog house yet.
Biloxi Shuckers righty Tyler Wagner hit a two-run home run to right field off of Blue Wahoos right fielder Jesse Winker’s glove in the fourth inning for a 4-2 lead and improved his record to 4-0 to become the Southern League’s first four-game winner. Biloxi (12-6) ended up winning its sixth game in eight contests against Pensacola, 8-2, in front of 3,439 fans during the overcast game.
Pensacola Manager Pat Kelly said he will remind his players that the season is 140 games long.
“It’s a long season and you can’t judge it by the first three weeks,” Kelly said. “Tonight we had a chance. It was 4-2 before we got blown out at the end of the game.”
Biloxi, which sits in first place in the South Division, scored four runs in the fourth and four more runs in the top of the ninth inning with four singles, walk and error.
Wagner, who is the Brewers’ No. 9 prospect according to Baseball America, lofted a deep fly ball that Winker almost caught after playing in on the pitcher. Wagner gave up two earned runs in five innings and struck out five for the win.
The Biloxi pitching staff—loaded with top Milwaukee prospects—entered the game with the fifth best earned run average in all of Minor League Baseball at 2.30.
Wagner had sat down seven Wahoos in a row before walking Winker and Sean Buckley with two outs in the third inning. Waldrop then laced a single to right to score Winker and Seth Mejias-Brean bounced a double over the right field wall to score Buckley for a 2-0 lead.
Blue Wahoos reliever Jacob Johnson said the club house remains positive, despite eight one-run losses, so far, this season. He pitched two innings of scoreless relief.
“I have complete confidence in this team that it’s going to click,” Johnson said. “All of our guys are too good.”
The fifth game of the six-game series with the Milwaukee Brewers Double-A affiliate Biloxi Shuckers is scheduled at 6:35 p.m. Tuesday.
No Injuries In Cantonment Crash
April 27, 2015
A driver found himself in a tight spot Monday morning in a traffic accident on Highway 95A in Cantonment, with his vehicle coming to rest between a tree, utility pole and a guy wire. The driver was not injured in mid-morning crash. NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Price, click to enlarge.
Century Man Charged With Attacking Girlfriend’s Car With Concrete Rabbit
April 27, 2015
A Century man is facing a felony weapons charge for allegedly attacking his girlfriend’s windshield with a concrete rabbit.
When deputies arrived at a disturbance on Hudson Hill Road, they found 19-year old Austin Mosley standing in the street and claiming that he had just been ran over by his 24-year old girlfriend. He told deputies that he had done nothing wrong.
About a half hour later, the girlfriend called deputies and reported that the couple had been in a verbal argument. When she got into her car, she claimed that Mosley jumped on the hood with a concrete rabbit yard decoration and threw it into the windshield, cracking the glass, before attempting to kick in the windshield. She told deputies the feared for her life and drove away, causing Mosley to fall off the car and into the street. A witness confirmed her story, according to an arrest report.
Later, at the victim’s residence, he allegedly caused a disturbance and threw a trash can into the victim’s windshield.
Mosley was treated by Escambia County EMS before being transported to the Escambia County Jail on a felony weapons offense of deadly missiles into a vehicle, criminal mischief property damage and trespassing. He remained in the Escambia County Jail early Monday with bond set at $13,000.
$17 Million In Property Taxes Unpaid, Due By Thursday
April 27, 2015
All 2014 unpaid real estate and tangible personal property taxes must be paid and receipted by close of business Thursday, April 30 to avoid being advertised as delinquent, according to Escambia County Tax Collector Janet Holley.
Over $17 million, about seven percent, of the Escambia County tax roll remains unpaid, according to Holley.
Online and drop box payments also may be made at the April rate by midnight April 30 but will not prevent advertising.
The list of delinquent tax accounts will be published in a legal ad and posted on the tax collector’s website on May 7.
Payments must be processed:
- In person at one of three branch offices by close of business on April 30;
- Through the call center (850) 438-6500 x3252 by close of business on April 30;
- On the website at www.escambiataxcollector.com by midnight April 30;
- Left in any of the 24-hour drop boxes available at all offices by midnight April 30.
All late payments will be returned for additional fees.
Offices are located at:
- Downtown, 213 Palafox Place
- Molino, 6440 Highway 95A, Suite A
- Marcus Pointe, 6451 North W Street
For more information, or to pay online, visit www.escambiataxcollector.com.
Town Allocates Funds To Spruce Up Century Business Center
April 27, 2015
The Town of Century is sprucing up their local business incubator, as plans will soon breathe new life into an old facility that’s sat empty and unused for years.
The former school complex on Pond Street was known as the “Habitat for Opportunity Building”, a rather awkward name, that the town council recently voted to rename the “Century Business Center” after approving a new strategic plan authored by the University of West Florida’s Haas Center.
Space in the center will be offered at $1 per year to the top two finishers in the Century Business Challenge. And an additional area will be used by an Americorp volunteer working for the town and by the Haas Center, and another office could be shared by community non-profits providing regular services such as the United Way or Northwest Florida Legal Services.
The town council recently voted to purchase carpet – an estimated cost of $3,000 to $3,500 – to be installed before business workshops are offered there beginning early next month by the Small Business Development Center at UWF. The council also voted to purchases desks and chairs for the facility, and inmate labor is being used by the town to spruce up around the Century Business Center.
Pictured: A room inside the Century Business Center (below). NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
New Members Inducted Into Northview High Beta Club
April 27, 2015
New members were recently inducted into the National Beta Club at Northview High School. The news members are:
- Autumn Albritton
- Alyssa Borelli
- Jewel Garner
- Emily Heard
- Adrian King
- Brandon Korinchak
- Mitchell Singleton
- Jessica Stacey
- Jada Tucker
- David Weber
- Hadley Woodfin
The National Beta Club’s purpose is “to promote the ideals of academic achievement, character, leadership and service among elementary and secondary school students.”
House Backs Evers Plan To Unbuckle Rural Letter Carriers
April 27, 2015
Despite safety concerns raised by some lawmakers, the House have given final approval to a bill by Sen. Greg. Evers that would exempt rural letter carriers from the state’s mandatory seat-belt law. House members voted 88-28 to approve the bill, which earlier passed the Senate and is ready to go to Gov. Rick Scott.
The bill would apply to rural letter carriers who often need to stretch across their front seats to reach for mailboxes.
But Rep. Irv Slosberg, a Boca Raton Democrat who was an outspoken opponent of the bill, argued that it could lead to requests from other groups, such as package-delivery services, for exemptions to seat-belt requirements.
Florida allows police to stop motorists for not wearing seat belts, a concept known as primary enforcement. “Primary enforcement is the law of the land, and I don’t think we should tinker with it,” Slosberg said.
by The News Service of Florida
Prayer And WD-40: 106-Year Old Hattie Schneider Passes Away
April 27, 2015
One of the North Escambia area’s oldest residents has passed way. Hattie Schneider of Molino turn 106 last March, giving credit for her long life to “prayer and WD-40″, and her trust in the Lord.
She is survived by several grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great grandchildren. Her husband passed away in 1989.
Her family and friends said they thank God everyday for blessing them with her, and she was a true inspiration to everyone.
Visitation for Hattie Gay Schneider will be this Wednesday, April 29, from 10-11 a.m. at Highland Baptist Church in Molino, with funeral services set for 11 a.m.
Blue Wahoos Split Doubleheader With Biloxi
April 27, 2015
A few days ago, reliever Layne Somsen learned he would get the start for the Pensacola Blue Wahoos against the Southern League South-leading Biloxi Shuckers.
His feeling? Relaxed.
Somsen threw five scoreless innings in the second game of Sunday’s doubleheader that Pensacola won, 2-1. Biloxi won the first game, 2-1, to split the day at Pensacola Bayfront Stadium.
Somsen pitched in front of a sellout crowd—the Blue Wahoos 109th in 210 home appearances and fifth sellout in its first six home appearances this season against the Shuckers.
Somsen laughed when asked if he has been miscast as a reliever during his professional career. He was a starter at South Dakota State when the Wahoos parent club Cincinnati Reds drafted him in 2013.
“You know, (starting) is a different mindset,” Somsen said. “You throw as many strikes as possible and go as far as possible. It’s a more relaxed feeling when you’re starting. In the bullpen, you try to go out there and blow guys away.”
Somsen started the game having pitched eight innings in three relief appearances, allowing one run and striking out 11 hitters. In Sunday’s start, he gave up two hits, a walk and struck out three in five innings.
Blue Wahoos Manager Pat Kelly laughed when asked if Somsen should be groomed as a starter, instead of a reliever. He likes Somsen’s curveball and cut fastballs.
“I think he’s a great swing man,” Kelly said. “He fits that role really good. He can do a lot of things with a baseball.”
The difference in the second game was a big two-out double down into the left field corner that came from pinch hitter Sean Buckley in the fifth inning that scored third baseman Ray Chang from second and put Pensacola ahead, 1-0. Ryan Wright, who went 3-7 Sunday, singled to right field to score Juan Silva for a 2-0 lead. Buckley was thrown out at the plate to end the inning.
In the first game, Buckley had the chance to tie or win the game with a two-out hit in the seventh inning but grounded out to short to end the first game of the doubleheader. In the second game with two outs, he smashed Shuckers’ Jacob Barnes curveball to left.
“You want to be aggressive and get a good pitch,” Buckley said. “Hopefully, I made up for” grounding out in the first game.
The Blue Wahoos had the tying and winning runs on third and second with two out against the Shuckers in the seventh and final inning of Sunday’s first game. But Buckley grounded out. He had tied the game, 1-1, when his single scored Ryan Wright from second base.
That was the first run in eight innings that the Blue Wahoos managed off of Biloxi righty Brooks Hall (3-0) this season. Hall came into the game holding right-handed batters to a .069 batting average but Pensacola hitters managed to go 4-16 or .250 against him. Hall gave up all seven hits in his six innings of work Sunday.
The fourth game of the six-game series with the Milwaukee Brewers Double-A affiliate Biloxi Shuckers is scheduled at 6:35 p.m. RHP Daniel Wright (0-2, 5.68) takes the mound for the Wahoos and is scheduled to be opposed by the Shuckers RHP Tyler Wagner (3-0, 1.59).
One Injured In Highway 97 Rollover Accident
April 26, 2015
One person was injured in a single vehicle rollover crash on Highway 97 Sunday afternoon.
The driver of a Chevrolet Avalanche was northbound on Highway 97 when he apparently ran off the shoulder of the road, over-corrected, crossed back over the highway and then flipped the vehicle numerous times into a muddy field.
The driver was transported by Atmore Ambulance to an area hospital injuries that were not considered life threatening.
The accident is under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol; further details have not yet been released. The Walnut Hill Station of Escambia Fire Rescue also responded to the crash.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
