Wahoos Drop Pitcher’s Duel
April 5, 2014
In front of a second-straight sellout crowd of 5,038, the Tennessee Smokies defeated the Pensacola Blue Wahoos 1-0 Friday night at Pensacola Bayfront Stadium in Pensacola, Fla. The Blue Wahoos (1-1) mustered just four hits off the Smokies (1-1). Third baseman Kris Bryant’s seventh inning solo homerun proved to be the difference.
Cincinnati Reds’ RHP Jonathan Broxton started for the Wahoos and went one scoreless inning with a pair of strikeouts. The right-hander is scheduled to throw another inning tomorrow night.
RHP Daniel Corcino (0-1) pitched strong in relief with 6.0 IP giving up just 1 R/ER on a solo home run by third baseman Kris Bryant. Corcino added eight strikeouts and just two walks to his strong relief effort.
RHP Jamie Walczak pitched 1.2 IP giving up just one hit while allowing no runs and striking out three.
Third baseman Juan Silverio continued his strong start to the season going 1-for-3 with a single and a strikeout. Left fielder Donald Lutz got his first hit of the season; he went 1-for-3 at the plate.
The Smokies used three pitchers to shutout the Wahoos. RHP C.J. Edwards went 4.0 IP giving up just one hit and striking out four Wahoos. RHP P.J. Francescon (1-0) was strong in three innings of relief giving up just two hits while earning the win for the Smokies. RHP Armando Rivero came on to earn the two inning save giving up one hit and striking out four Blue Wahoos.
Kris Bryant again showed off his power going 1-for-4 and hitting the game-winning home run.
The Wahoos and Smokies square off again tomorrow at 6:30 p.m. for game three of their five-game series to start the season. Reds’ relief pitcher Jonathan Broxton is likely to go one inning to start the game tomorrow. The Reds’ number one rated prospect, RHP Robert Stephenson, will follow behind the rehab stint. The Smokies’ starter for tomorrow’s game has yet to be determined.
by Tommy Thrall
Pictured: The Blue Wahoos vs. the Tennessee Smokies Friday night in Pensacola. Photo by Tony Giberson/ Pensacola Blue Wahoos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
FWC Law Enforcement Report
April 5, 2014
Florida FWC Division of Law Enforcement reported the following activity during the weekend ending April 3:
Escambia County
Lieutenant Hahr was patrolling in the Perdido River Wildlife Management Area (WMA) at Fillingim Landing. He observed a man and woman who appeared to be arguing. When he approached them, he observed two open beers next to them on a picnic table. As he spoke to them about the alcohol violation, the woman kept trying to get his attention and was getting upset. After separating them, the woman told Lieutenant Hahr that she had swore out a warrant against the man and that she had been trying to get the attention of law enforcement so that he would be arrested. She stated that he had beaten her and that she was afraid for her life. Lieutenant Hahr confirmed the existence of a local warrant for battery (subsequent offense) and arrested the man. The woman was provided with information for obtaining a domestic violence injunction and the man was booked into jail.
Santa Rosa County
Officers Lewis and Clark were working in the Blackwater State Forest when Officer Lewis observed a woman approaching him that he had recently warned for possession of cannabis. When she saw him, she attempted to conceal a small handbag in her purse. Officer Lewis recognized her and the handbag. When she reached him, he asked her and her friend what they were doing and if she had anything illegal in her bag. She responded that she did have some “stuff” in her bag. She then admitted that she had some marijuana in the bag. Officer Lewis found a bag of cannabis and a drug pipe in the bag. He issued the woman a notice to appear for possession of not more than 20 grams of cannabis and possession of drug paraphernalia.
This report represents some events the FWC handled over the past week;however, it does not include all actions taken by the Division of Law Enforcement.
Florida Gov’t Weekly Roundup: Winners, Losers And The Waiting Game
April 5, 2014
With the 2014 session past the halfway mark, work for some Capitol insiders has only just begun.
It won’t be long before the pizza boxes start piling up outside offices where legislative budget writers and their staff — and the lobbyists looking to slip line items into the state’s $75 billion spending plan — are soon to be holed up as they iron out differences between the two chambers’ proposals.
But the budget won’t be the only focus during the second half of the session. It’s also “Hail Mary” time for players whose proposals are still in limbo.
The lights haven’t gone out yet on House Speaker Will Weatherford’s high-priority bill — already approved by his chamber — that would allow illegal immigrants who have attended at least four consecutive years of Florida schooling to pay in-state tuition rates at colleges and universities, up to four times cheaper than the rates most pay now. The Senate version (SB 1400) will get another committee hearing next week.
And parents of children with a severe form of epilepsy are keeping their fingers crossed while House and Senate leaders work out a deal regarding a strain of marijuana that doesn’t get users high but is believed to put an end to life-threatening seizures. House Judiciary Chairman Dennis Baxley, an Ocala Republican who has serious concerns with the proposal, agreed this week to give Rep. Matt Gaetz’s proposal (HB 843) a hearing. The plan has become a priority of Gaetz’s father, Senate President Don Gaetz, which almost certainly enhances its chances of survival.
Others are already celebrating at the midway mark. Gov. Rick Scott spent three days signing into law election-year measures that would help military veterans, cut costs for drivers and crack down on sexually violent predators.
Meanwhile, the gambling industry may be holding a wake. Despite some high-pressure lobbying, hefty campaign contributions and a big chunk of taxpayer change spent on a gambling study, Senate Gaming Committee Chairman Garrett Richter announced on the Senate floor Thursday that a sweeping gambling bill “isn’t in the cards” this year. There’s a bright spot on the horizon for lobbyists and the industry, however. Incoming Senate President Andy Gardiner, who was at the podium when Richter said his gambling plans didn’t pan out, promised that the chamber would deal with the issue next year.
But for the vast majority of those whose issues remain unresolved, game on.
SENATE FOLDS ON GAMBLING OVERHAUL
It wasn’t much of a surprise when Richter told the Senate he lacked the votes to advance a “big, huge proposed committee bill” that would have authorized two casino hotels in South Florida.
But Richter’s announcement on the floor officially confirmed weeks-long speculation that any gambling overhaul was dead this year.
“It has become increasingly apparent to me that, even on our committee, reaching consensus on a 400-page gaming reform bill just is not in the cards,” Richter, R-Naples, said. “We don’t have a consensus in the committee.”
Richter’s efforts became nearly Herculean after Weatherford laid out two requirements — a sealed deal between Scott and the Seminole Tribe of Florida and a constitutional amendment giving voters future say over gambling expansion — for passage of any gambling legislation.
Now, Scott holds the cards for any expansion as he renegotiates a $1 billion, five-year deal with the Seminoles set to expire in mid-2015.
The elements of any new deal hinge on the tribe’s exclusive rights to have certain games at its casinos, even if only in specific geographic areas, and revenue paid to the state. Federal law requires any revenue-sharing agreement with the state to include something of value for the tribe, and the feds have to sign off on any compact struck between Florida and the Seminoles. The state Legislature has to authorize the deal as well.
“I think we can reasonably expect an agreement soon that may significantly alter revenue-sharing or exclusivity provisions. If we put the gaming reform cart in front of the Seminole compact horse, we run the risk of getting policies at cross-purposes. The wiser course is to be patient and to address comprehensive gaming reform in the context of a compact ratification,” Richter said Thursday.
Gardiner, an Orlando Republican and gambling foe who will take over as president after the November elections, gave gambling lobbyists gathered in the Capitol’s fourth-floor rotunda hope, even as Richter dashed this year’s dreams.
Addressing Richter, Gardiner said that, although he disagreed with Richter on some gambling issues, work on the bill “allowed us to air that out in public and put everybody on notice that several of us will be here next year and we will be pursuing a gaming bill,” Gardiner said. “I look forward to being here next year and congratulating you on passing that gaming bill.”
HOUSE AND SENATE READY FOR BUDGET TALKS
The chambers on Thursday approved plans to spend about $75 billion in the budget year that begins July 1, setting up negotiations between the two sides over how much to devote to priorities ranging from education to child welfare to the environment.
“The differences aren’t as extraordinary as they have been in some years, so I don’t think we should have much difficulty getting to allocations relatively quickly,” said House Appropriations Chairman Seth McKeel, R-Lakeland.
Despite squabbling on both sides of the Capitol about elements of each proposal, the measures passed by lopsided margins. The House approved its $75.3 billion blueprint on a 100-16 vote, with most Democrats joining the Republican majority in voting for the bill. The Senate followed that up by almost unanimously passing its $74.9 billion budget, with the biggest dust-up centered on an effort to split up the joint College of Engineering operated by Florida A&M University and Florida State University.
The Senate budget already included $10 million for FSU to begin the planning and construction of an on-campus, stand-alone engineering school. An amendment authored by Sen. John Thrasher — a St. Augustine Republican widely believed to be a front-runner to become FSU’s next president — also put $3 million in operating funds behind the idea.
But black lawmakers said the proposal evoked memories of a painful time when the law school at historically black Florida A&M was shuttered in favor of a similar school at FSU.
“The fear of the (alumni) of Florida A&M University and many others in this state, particularly those of color, is that this is the beginning of the end of our institution,” said Sen. Arthenia Joyner, D-Tampa, one of the last graduates of the original FAMU law school. ” … I want to know that the lights won’t be dimmed and the door closed on the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering.”
Thrasher, who helped reopen the FAMU law school in 2000, said he hoped the proposal would strengthen FAMU’s program, in part by getting rid of a requirement that students at the school meet the same admissions requirements.
“If I thought for one second that this was not going to enhance the Florida A&M University engineering school, I wouldn’t do it,” he said before the amendment was approved on a voice vote.
SCOTT SIGNS HIGH-PROFILE BILLS
Scott signed three sets of bills this week, extending olive branches to at least two sets of constituents as he seeks re-election.
Flanked by military veterans in Panama City on Monday, Scott signed the “Florida GI Bill,” modeled after the World War II-era program and intended to make Florida the most military-friendly state in the nation.
The wide-ranging measure (HB 7015), rushed through the Legislature the first week of session as a priority of Weatherford and Gaetz, provides university tuition waivers for veterans, pays for military and guard base improvements, is aimed at increasing employment opportunities for veterans and allocates $1 million a year to market the Sunshine State to vets.
Scott tied his own experiences when leaving the U.S. Navy to wanting to support veterans and active duty service members.
“I remember when I got out of the Navy back in the early ’70s, it was not a good time to get out of the service in this country,” Scott said.”Our veterans were not respected; it was a tough time. We’re going to make sure that is this is the most military-friendly state for active-duty members, but also for all the veterans.”
During a ceremony Tuesday in the Capitol’s Cabinet meeting room that included sheriffs, prosecutors, lawmakers, sexual-assault victims and victims’ family members, Scott signed into law a suite of measures (SB 522, SB 524, SB 526 and SB 528) aimed at cracking down on sexually violent predators. Scott and other speakers said the bills will make Florida’s children safer.
Supporters hope the bills will prevent a repeat of incidents such as the kidnapping, rape and murder last year of 8-year-old Cherish Perrywinkle in Jacksonville, a case that drew widespread attention. A registered sex offender, Donald Smith, has been arrested in the case.
More broadly, supporters hope the legislation will address problems raised in an investigative report by the South Florida Sun Sentinel. The newspaper reported that the commitment of sexually violent predators under the state’s Jimmy Ryce Act had slowed to a crawl. Also, it found that since 1999, nearly 600 sexual predators had been released only to be convicted of new sex offenses — including more than 460 child molestations, 121 rapes and 14 murders.
The bills make numerous changes to the state’s criminal and civil-commitment laws. As an example, SB 526 would lead to mandatory minimum sentences of 50 years in prison for what are known as dangerous sexual felony offenders.
Scott capped the bill signings Wednesday with a politically-charged ceremony in the Capitol that had the tone of a campaign event even though it was on government property. Scott gave final approval to a measure (SB 156) that will roll back vehicle-registration fees that were increased in 2009 amid state budget woes.
Scott repeatedly noted that the unpopular fee increases were enacted under former Gov. Charlie Crist, who is seeking to unseat Scott during this November’s election.
“We’re going to right the wrong of this 2009 tax increase that Charlie Crist enacted,” Scott said.
One of Scott’s “critical” priorities for this spring’s legislative session, the reduction is expected to save Floridians between $20 and $25 per vehicle registration, with the total depending on the size of the vehicle.
Kevin Cate, a spokesman for Crist’s campaign, responded to Scott’s announcement by saying the “ridiculous press conference” exposed the current governor’s “political desperation.”
“Everyone knows that Charlie Crist signed one of the largest tax cuts (a property tax cut) in the history of Florida and was also forced to make tough decisions to prevent devastating blows to teachers, students, first responders, and our most vulnerable Floridians,” Cate said in an email.
STORY OF THE WEEK: Senate Gaming Committee Chairman Garrett Richter told the chamber he lacks the votes to get a comprehensive gambling package out of his committee and will not present the bill next week.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “The conference should be fantastic. It will either be really short or long and awesome, and I’m hoping for long and awesome. Both Hukill and I have the same machismo for the tasks we’ve had ahead of us this year, which was to cut taxes, so it ought to be fun either way, because the end result either way is a tax cut.” — House Finance & Tax Chairman Ritch Workman, R-Melbourne, on pending talks with Senate counterpart Dorothy Hukill, R-Port Orange.
Century, Pensacola Bicker Over Natural Gas Franchise; Pcola Energy Threatens To Cut Off Schools
April 4, 2014
Amid threats from Pensacola Energy to cut off natural gas service to 50 Bratt and Walnut Hill customers — including three schools, the Escambia County Commission has once again scheduled a public hearing to consider a new natural gas franchise ordinance for the Town of Century.
Century currently holds exclusive franchise rights from Escambia County to provide natural gas service from the Escambia River westward to almost the Perdido River and from the Alabama state line southward to near Bogia. The franchise area includes Century, Byrneville, Bratt, Oak Grove, Walnut Hill and McDavid.
The 50-year franchise was granted by the county in 1968 to the Town of Century (then known as the Town of South Flomaton) to provide natural gas services to the northernmost part of the county.
Pensacola Energy, formerly known as Energy Services of Pensacola, currently provides natural gas service to commercial customers in Bratt and Walnut Hill — within the Town of Century’s gas franchise area. Pensacola Energy provides natural gas to Ernest Ward Middle School and Escambia Grain in Walnut Hill, and Bratt Elementary and Northview High School in Bratt. They also provide natural gas service to an unknown number of residential customers near Kansas Road, Green Village Road and North Highway 99 in Bratt.
Thursday night, Pensacola Energy Director Don Suarez told the Escambia County Commission that adoption of the new franchise agreement as written would immediately cause his agency to stop gas delivery to the three schools and dozens of other customers and force Pensacola Energy to render its infrastructure unusable in the area.
“That’s not in the best interest of those customers, Pensacola Energy or Century,” Suarez said.
“My hope would be that the county would stay neutral and allow Century and Pensacola to work out their differences,” County Attorney Alison Rogers said, a sentiment echoed by Commissioners Steven Barry and Grover Robinson during the meeting.
Matt Dannheisser, legal counsel for the Town of Century, told commissioners Thursday morning that the commission’s vote to extend the franchise and whether or not Pensacola improperly served customers are two different issues. He said the Town of Century, if unable to resolve issues with Pensacola, has no intent of involving the county.
The commission voted to set an April 29 public hearing and vote on an ordinance providing the new, time-extended franchise agreement to Century in the same geographical area that has been in their territory since 1968.
Pictured top: A Pensacola Energy meter in front of Ernest Ward Middle School in Walnut Hill, inside the Town of Century gas franchise area. Pictured inset: Century engineer Dale Long, attorney Matt Dannheisser and Mayor Freddie McCall before the Escambia County Commission Thursday. Pictured below: The Town of Century’s gas franchise map (click to enlarge). NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Two Injured In Collision With Deer
April 4, 2014
Two people were injured in a pickup versus deer crash Thursday night near Bratt.
They reportedly hit the deer in the Chevrolet pickup truck during the eight o’clock hour near the intersection of Pine Barren Road and Hanks Road. They then drove to a residence on Pine Barren Road and Camp Road and called for an ambulance about an hour later.
The victims, ages 29 and 32, reportedly suffered facial lacerations. They were transported by Escambia County EMS to Jay Hospital.
The accident was investigated by the Florida Highway Patrol.
Commission Once Again Postpones Vote On New County Administrator
April 4, 2014
Escambia County still does not have a new administrator and any decision is going to be at least a week away.
The Escambia County Commission was set to pick an administrator Thursday night, but didn’t happen after Commissioner Luman May missed the meeting for a reason that was not immediately known. May likely holds the deciding vote between offering the job to Interim Administrator Larry Newsom and one of the five finalists picked by a search firm.
Commissioner Wilson Robertson made a motion Thursday to just scrap the entire hiring process to date and start over, but that motion failed 2-2.
“This is too serious for one-fifth of the county to not be represented in the vote,” Commissioner Gene Valentino said of May’s absence as commissioners voted 4-0 to postpone a vote on administrator candidates until a special meeting at 10 a.m. on April 10.
Company To Find Sign Sponsors For Blackwater Heritage Trail
April 4, 2014
A Fort Myers company has been hired to find sponsors to put up signs along some of Florida’s premier hiking trails including the Blackwater Heritage Trail.
Bikepath Country Florida will act as an “intermediary” on behalf of the state to seek corporate sponsors on seven state trails, the Department of Environmental Protection announced Thursday.
The contract is an offshoot of a 2012 law that supporters said would help cover or replace some of the estimated $1 million a year the state spends annually to provide upkeep on public trails. But when no sponsors bid last year to put up signs, the state turned to Bikepath.
Mara Burger, a spokeswoman for the DEP, said the state agency would have final say on the sponsors.
“Naturally, we seek family-friendly businesses whose logos and messages are in harmony with the mission of the Florida Park Service, which is to provide resource-based recreation while preserving, interpreting and restoring natural and cultural resources,” Burger wrote. “Companies that are parties to current litigation against the department or the state of Florida will not be considered.”
Sponsors would be allowed to place signs at trailheads or access points, with the signs no larger than 16 square feet at trailheads and 4 square feet at access points.
The contract allows Bikepath Country to find sponsors for the Blackwater Heritage Trail, Tallahassee-St. Marks Historic Railroad State Trail, Palatka-Lake Butler State Trail, Nature Coast State Trail, Withlacoochee State Trail, General James A. Van Fleet State Trail and the Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Trail.
According to the agreement, Bikepath would initially get to keep 50 percent of the gross revenue from each sponsorship contract. When the sponsorship proposal was debated during the 2011 and 2012 legislative sessions, opponents objected that the ads would become an intrusive distraction for people visiting pristine state lands.
by The News Service of Florida
House And Senate Pass Budgets, Get Ready For Talks
April 4, 2014
The House and Senate approved plans Thursday to spend about $75 billion in the budget year that begins July 1, setting up negotiations between the two sides over how much to devote to priorities ranging from education to child welfare to the environment.
Despite squabbling on both sides of the Capitol about elements of each proposal, the measures passed by lopsided margins. The House approved its $75.3 billion blueprint on a 100-16 vote, with most Democrats joining the Republican majority in voting for the bill. The Senate followed that up by almost unanimously passing its $74.9 billion budget, though the vote briefly caused murmuring about one supporter.
Leaders in both chambers said they should be able reach agreements on allocations — overall spending caps for broad areas of the budget — in the coming days and start scheduling meetings of joint House-Senate negotiation committees.
“The differences aren’t as extraordinary as they have been in some years, so I don’t think we should have much difficulty getting to allocations relatively quickly,” said House Appropriations Chairman Seth McKeel, R-Lakeland.
“My hope is that by the end of next week, we can actually get started on conference committees,” said Senate President Don Gaetz, R-Niceville.
In the House, most of the drama had long ago drained out of the debate over the plan. Rank-and-file Democrats lined up behind the budget — which increased funding for schools, child welfare and services for people with disabilities — even as their caucus leaders blasted it.
Republicans were quick to drive home the point.
“How can you not vote for a budget that takes care of our kids, our seniors and our disabled?” asked Rep. Matt Hudson, R-Naples.
But Democratic leaders said the budget didn’t go far enough because, among other things, it leaves out raises for state employees and relies on a windfall from local property taxes to help boost school funding to levels that still fall short of the all-time high for per-student spending.
“Clearly, this budget misses the mark and it has abandoned Florida’s middle class,” said Rep. Mark Pafford, D-West Palm Beach.
In the Senate, where budget votes in good times are often broadly bipartisan, there was even less resistance to the overall plan. But provisions that could lay the groundwork for splitting up a joint College of Engineering operated by Florida A&M University and Florida State University led to an emotional plea by supporters of FAMU to leave the school as is.
The Senate budget already included $10 million for FSU to begin the planning and construction of an on-campus, stand-alone engineering school. An amendment authored by Sen. John Thrasher — a St. Augustine Republican widely believed to be a front-runner to become FSU’s next president — also put $3 million in operating funds behind the idea.
But African-American lawmakers said the proposal raised memories of a painful time when the law school at historically black Florida A&M was shuttered in favor of a similar school at FSU.
“The fear of the (alumni) of Florida A&M University and many others in this state, particularly those of color, is that this is the beginning of the end of our institution,” said Sen. Arthenia Joyner, D-Tampa, one of the last graduates of the original FAMU law school. ” … I want to know that the lights won’t be dimmed and the door closed on the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering.”
Thrasher, who helped reopen the FAMU law school in 2000, said he hoped the proposal would strengthen FAMU’s program, in part by getting rid of a requirement that students at the school meet the same admissions requirements.
“If I thought for one second that this was not going to enhance the Florida A&M University engineering school, I wouldn’t do it,” he said.
The amendment was approved on a voice vote.
The Senate also eliminated a proposal to cut $3.5 million from state colleges’ four-year degree programs and funnel the money into state universities.
Senate Appropriations Chairman Joe Negron, R-Stuart, had pushed the provision because of concerns that state colleges, which are supposed to focus on two-year degrees, were beginning to duplicate the offerings of state universities.
But college presidents struck a deal with Negron to have the funding restored. In return, no new four-year programs for state colleges will be approved before June 2015.
The initial 38-2 tally on the overall budget caused a ripple across social media when questions were raised about whether Senate Majority Leader Lizbeth Benacquisto, who is running in a special election for a congressional seat in Southwest Florida, cast her own vote. Benacquisto, R-Fort Myers, had a campaign event in the district shortly after her vote was cast.
Thrasher, who also chairs the Senate Rules Committee, later said on the floor that Benacquisto’s button was pushed by mistake. The Senate agreed to delete her original vote for the budget; Thrasher said she would submit a vote after the roll call to the secretary of the Senate, as lawmakers are allowed to do when they miss votes.
by Brandon Larrabee The News Service of Florida
Aggies Beat Milton
April 4, 2014
The junior varsity Tate Aggies beat Milton Thursday 12-2. The JF Aggies will be in action again Friday at 7:00 as they host Navarre at 7:00.
In varsity action Thursday, Tate beat Milton 6-3.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Smith, click to enlarge.
Wahoos Come From Behind For 6-5 Opening Night Win
April 4, 2014
In front of a sellout crowd of 5,038, the Pensacola Blue Wahoos beat the Tennessee Smokies 6-5 Thursday on Opening Night at Pensacola Bayfront Stadium in Pensacola The Blue Wahoos (1-0) overcame a five-run deficit and scored two runs off a Brodie Greene single in the bottom of the 8th to take the lead for the first time. It was the second straight opening day win for the Blue Wahoos over the Smokies (0-1).
Cincinnati Reds RHP Mat Latos started for the Wahoos and went 4.0 IP and allowed 5 R/3 ER on 7 hits including a home run. The right-hander had 3 walks and struck out 3 in his rehab stint.
“My ego is a little bruised,” said Latos. “It is what it is. I feel great. The body of the knee feels good, the elbow feels good. That was the main concern, the elbow.”
RHP Carlos Contreras pitched strong in relief with 3.0 IP allowing no runs with 6 strikeouts. RHP Drew Hayes slammed the door on Tennessee with a perfect 9th inning to close the game out and earn his first save of the year.
Second baseman Brodie Greene went 1-for-4 with 2 RBI. Third baseman Juan Silverio went 2-for-4 with 2 doubles and scored the typing run in the bottom of the 8th. Reds rehabber Devin Mesoraco had a sacrifice fly for an RBI, as well.
Smokies’ RHP Dae-Eun Rhee pitched 4.0 IP and gave up 3 R/2 ER with 5 walks and 4 punch outs. RHP Tony Zych pitched 1 IP and earned the loss giving up 2 runs in the bottom of the 8th.
Kris Bryant went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run, a walk and a hit-by-pitch. Center fielder Zeke DeVoss had a triple and an RBI during his 2-for-5 performance.
The Wahoos and Smokies square off again tomorrow at 6:30 p.m. for game two of their five-game series to start the season. Reds’ relief pitcher Jonathan Broxton is likely to go one inning to start the game tomorrow. RHP Daniel Corcino will follow behind the rehab stint. The Smokies will counter with top pitching prospect RHP C.J. Edwards.
by Tommy Thrall
Pictured: The Pensacola Blue Wahoos win 6-5 vs. the Tennessee Smokies. Photos by Michael Spooneybarger/ Pensacola Blue Wahoos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
