Pinch-Hit Stevens Homer Sends Wahoos To 5-3 Loss
August 24, 2024
written by Erik Bremer
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos continued their late-game struggles on Friday night, falling 5-3 to the Tennessee Smokies.
Leading 3-2 with two outs in the eighth, Justin King (L, 2-1) surrendered a long three-run homer to pinch hitter Felix Stevens that sent the Blue Wahoos to their fourth consecutive loss.
With the loss, the Blue Wahoos trail the Biloxi Shuckers in the fight for a playoff spot by 2.5 games with 20 to play, pending the results of Biloxi’s game in Birmingham.
The Blue Wahoos took a 1-0 lead in the third on Jakob Marsee’s seventh homer of the season, a solo shot off Tennessee starter Jimmy Endersby. The Smokies answered back with two of their own against Pensacola starter Jacob Miller in the bottom half of the inning, turning a Fabian Pertuz RBI double and Cole Roederer RBI single into a 2-1 advantage.
Miller worked 5.0 innings in his fourth career Double-A start, allowing two runs on four hits and striking out three.
Pensacola used some small ball to tie the game 2-2 in the sixth, as Johnny Olmstead drew a leadoff walk against Ben Leeper before advancing to second on a balk and scoring on a two-out RBI single from Graham Pauley.
In the seventh, Nathan Martorella gave the Blue Wahoos a 3-2 lead with a solo homer to right field. Shane Sasaki followed with a single, but was stranded at second base as Zac Leigh (W, 1-2) got the final two outs of the inning.
After two effective innings of relief from Woo-Suk Go, the Blue Wahoos turned to Justin King in the eighth. A leadoff walk was followed by a Pablo Aliendo fly ball into shallow right field, dropped by Shane Sasaki on a running attempt and ruled a bloop single. King bounced back with a pair of strikeouts, but Stevens was called upon to pinch hit and blasted a 435-foot three-run homer just fair above the left field foul pole to put Tennessee in front for good.
Blake Weiman (S, 5) worked a quiet ninth to lock down the win for the Smokies.
Pensacola has now dropped 9 of their past 11 games, including three losses in which they led after their eighth-inning at-bat.
The Blue Wahoos continue their series against the Smokies on Saturday. First pitch from Smokies Stadium is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. CT.
Florida Silver Alert Canceled After Missing Escambia County Man Located
August 24, 2024
UPDATE: Charles Gould has been located, according to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
A Florida Silver Alert has been issued Friday night for a missing Escambia County man.
Charles Carroll Gould, 78, was last seen near Pale Moon Drive in the Perdido area.
He was driving a silver 2024 BMW convertible with Florida tag number N411CG. He may be traveling eastbound on I-10.
He was wearing khaki pants and was carrying a black bag. He is 5’10”, 180 pounds, has grey hair and blue eyes.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office said he made be in need of medical attention. Anyone with information is asked to call the ECSO at (850) 436-9620 or 911.
No Injuries In Morning Cantonment Rollover Crash
August 23, 2024
There were no injuries in an early morning rollover crash Friday in Cantonment.
The crash was reported about 5:30 a.m. at the intersection of Highway 29 and Well Line Road.
The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating and has not released details.
Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Habitual Felon Gets 25 Years For Stealing Travel And Construction Trailers From Walnut Hill
August 23, 2024
A Pensacola man is headed to prison for the theft of a travel trailer and a construction company’s trailer from Walnut Hill.
Thursday, Judge John F. Simon Jr. sentenced Damien Matthew Lopez, now 43, to 25 years in state prison as a habitual felony offender for grand theft of a motor vehicle, grand theft from $20,000 to $100,000 and grand theft from $10,000 to $20,000.
During a June trial, the stat argued that Lopez has demonstrated an inability to live in society without violating the law. Lopez’s criminal record includes 53 previous convictions, 32 of which were felonies.
A 2018 Forest River travel trailer was reported stolen March 16. 2023, from Highway 97 just south of Ernest Ward Middle School. The same day, a 20-foot enclosed construction trailer was stolen from a business on South Highway 99 at Highway 97, about a half mile from where the travel trailer was stolen.
The construction trailer was valued at $15,000 and contained construction tools and equipment valued at $40,000.
A few days later, Escambia County Sheriff’s Office investigators were made aware of evidence showing a white SUV pulling the travel trailer at the intersection of Highway 29 and Highway 97. Using a tag number from the SUV, they were able to trace the vehicle to an address on Bradley Street in Pensacola.
Deputies found the enclosed trailer at the Bradley Street address. They said it was freshly painted, but the Walnut Hill business’ logo was still visible through the paint. Investigators executed a search warrant on O’Daniel Drive in Pensacola where Lopez and numerous tools belonging to the Walnut Hill company were located, according to an arrest report. Additional stolen items were recovered from an address on Highway 297A.
Lopez allegedly sold the travel trailer to another individual for $500. At last report, the travel trailer has not been recovered.
Northview High Students Awarded Construction Career Days Scholarships
August 23, 2024
Northview High School students received 11 of 17 Construction Career Days awarded scholarships.
The scholarships were awarded following the Contraction Career Days last spring.
The students named this week were:
$2,000 Scholarships
- Sarah Bailey
- Kendal Beasley
- Colton Criswell
- Carsyn Dortch
- Braden Glick
- Ava Gurganus
- Lauren Stinson
- Mandell Smith
$500 Scholarships
- Gabriella Burkland
- Abbie Hardy
- Darrin Leatherberry
The scholarship fund was established to assist high school graduates enrolling in college, trade/vocational education programs, or those entering directly into the workforce.
During Construction Career Days, over 1,300 high school students were treated to an interactive look into the transportation industry during the fourth annual event.
Students had the opportunity to operate heavy equipment and learn about bridge inspections, paving, concrete, traffic control, engineering, and more. Students were also introduced to a multitude of career paths available in the transportation, structural, engineering, and building industries, and were able to interact with representatives from the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), as well as various engineering firms, and contractors looking to hire in the Northwest Florida area.
Ascend Cares, Community Members Lend A Hand With 10,000 Pound Cantonment Food Giveaway
August 23, 2024
Community members and volunteers from Ascend Cares assisted the Cantonment Improvement Committee with a 10,000 pound good giveaway this week in Cantonment.
A smaller food distribution is held every Tuesday at 3 p.m. at Carver Park at 208 Webb Street. A larger 10,000 pound food giveaway is typically held on the third Tuesday of the month.
There is a maximum of three people per vehicle that can receive a box, and each person must have their ID. People should line up their vehicles, single file on Webb Street facing north; food is loaded into vehicles.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Bonus Photos: Tate Cheerleaders, Fans And More
August 23, 2024
Here are bonus photos from last Friday Tate vs. Pine Forest Jamboree at Pete Gindl Stadium in Cantonment.
For photos and a game story, click here.
(Our apologies for the delayed posting of this gallery due to circumstances beyond our control and our election coverage this week.)
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Walks Haunt Wahoos in 7-3 Loss to Smokies
August 23, 2024
written by Erik Bremer
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos dropped their third in a row to the Tennessee Smokies on Thursday night, falling by a 7-3 final.
With the loss, the Blue Wahoos trail the Biloxi Shuckers in the fight for a playoff spot by 1.5 games with 21 to play, pending the results of Biloxi’s game in Birmingham.
The Smokies jumped ahead early, scoring four runs in the first inning to take the lead for good. Blue Wahoos Evan Fitterer (L, 6-5) walked four men and allowed four runs in just 0.1 innings, departing with 34 pitches thrown after a two-run single from Fabian Pertuz.
Adam Laskey kept the game within reach for the Blue Wahoos with 3.2 scoreless innings of relief, but the Pensacola offense didn’t activate until the late innings. Smokies starter Chris Kachmar (W, 7-3) worked 5.0 scoreless innings to earn the win.
Trailing 6-0 in the seventh, the Blue Wahoos pushed a pair of runs across with a Harrison Spohn RBI groundout and Jakob Marsee RBI single. They were poised to chip away even more in the eighth, drawing four walks against Daniel Missaki to force in a run and draw the score to 6-3, but Blake Whitney (S, 5) coaxed an inning-ending double play with the bases loaded to end the threat.
After Pertuz hit a solo homer in the eighth against Dale Stanavich, capping a four-RBI night, Whitney returned for the ninth to seal the Smokies win.
The Blue Wahoos continue their series against the Smokies on Friday. First pitch from Smokies Stadium is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. CT.
Water Restored At Ransom Middle School
August 22, 2024
Ransom Middle School was without water due to a water main break for portion of Thursday morning.
The Escambia County School district said water service was restored by about noon. Portable toilets were brought to the school and bottled water was available during the service outage. Service was resorted by noon.
The Emerald Coast Utilities Authorities said there was a water main break on Highway 297A near Sherrilane Drive that has been repaired. The school was notified by ECUA directly, and under 50 impacted residences in the area received door hanger or phone notifications.
Update: Century Boil Water Notice Lifted
August 22, 2024
UPDATE: The boil water notice was lifted just before 5 p.m. on Thursday, August 22.
Previous story:
The entire town of Century remains under a boil water notice that was issued Sunday morning, but Mayor Luis Gomez, Jr. hopes that precautionary advisory will be lifted today or at worst on Friday.
A significant portion of the town of Century was without water for most of Sunday following water main break about 4:30 a.m. in front of Bondurant Ace Hardware at 8511 North Century Boulevard. An automated system notified the mayor by 5:30 p.m. and crers were at work by 6 a.m. They worked until about 9:45 p.m. to complete repairs.
Gomez said Wednesday night the town replaced several feet of a large 6-inch pipe that broke as the result of what he called an Act of God.
“We did the boil water notice out of precaution to make sure nobody got sick or had any kind of contamination in their water,” he said.
For more photos, click to enlarge.
The town is awaiting the results of bacteriological testing to give the all clear and lift the advisory. In the meantime, the the town advises that all water used for drinking, cooking, making ice, brushing teeth, or washing dishes be brought to a rolling boil for at least a minute, or that bottled water be used.
“Use your bes water before boiling water,” Gomez said.
As soon as the town notified NorthEsambia.com that the boil water notice is lifted, we will update this story.
Due to the water main break, the Whataburger restaurant on North Century Boulevard closed Sunday. It has since reopened.
Two Town of Century employees were injured, one of them seriously, during the repair process when the hole in which they were working at least partially collapsed.
Pictured: Repairs to a broken water main Sunday afternoon on North Century Boulevard. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
