Suns Shut Down Wahoos 2-1
July 17, 2012
Jacksonville starting pitcher Graham Taylor held the Blue Wahoos to just three hits in six shutout innings of work, while catcher Kyle Skipworth launched his eighth homer of the year in the sixth, as the Suns defeated Pensacola 2-1 on Monday night at Pensacola Bayfront Stadium.
With the victory, Jacksonville improved to an 11-14 record in the second half and take a 2-1 lead in the series, while Pensacola fell to 15-10 since the league’s All-Star Break.
Taylor (6.0 IP, 3 H, 4 SO) held the Fish bats quiet throughout his six solid frames, yielding just three hits while fanning four to earn the win and bump his season tally to 5-8. Relievers Joshua Schmidt (1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 2 SO) and A.J. Ramos (1.0 IP, 1 SO) each fired a scoreless inning of relief in support of Taylor, with Schmidt notching his seventh hold and Ramos his 11th save. Pensacola starter J.C. Sulbaran (4.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 4 SO) suffered the loss to fall to 6-7 on the year.
Jacksonville struck first in the third for the early 1-0 lead. Taylor began the frame with a leadoff single to left before LF Jake Smolinski walked and SS Chris Gutierrez singled to load the bases for 3B Paul Gran. With a full count, Gran took the payoff pitch outside for ball four to bring home Taylor and push the Suns ahead. Jacksonville would then double their advantage in the sixth when Skipworth launched his eighth home run of the year over the right field fence.
Pensacola would then plate their lone score in the following frame thanks to a longball of their own. 1B Beau Mills mashed the 1-0 pitch to deep right field, putting the scoreboard in jeopardy for his seventh homer of the year. It was the second roundtripper in as many nights for Mills, and his fifth in the month of July.
Taylor (2-2, 1 R) and Gutierrez (2-4, 1 BB) each collected a pair of hits for the Suns in the win, while Mills (2-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI) was the lone Blue Wahoos batter to record a multi-hit effort. Taylor had come into the contest hitless in his first 18 at bats this year before reaching on singles in both appearances Monday night.
Jacksonville and Pensacola will meet Tuesday night for the final time this year, with first pitch set for 7:00 p.m. at the bayfront stadium. The Fish are slated to send RHP Wirfin Obispo to the mound for the series finale, while the Suns are expected to give the nod to RHP Matthew Neil.
By Andrew Green
Photo by Chris Nelson for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Surveillance Photos Released From Hwy 29 Tom Thumb Robbery
July 16, 2012
Surveillance photos have been released from an early Sunday morning armed robbery at a Highway 29 convenience store.
The Tom Thumb store at Highway 29 and Roberts Road was robbed at gunpoint about 5:30 a.m. The suspect was described as a black male wearing a black and white checkered hoodie.
Deputies said the armed man demanded money, the clerk complied and the suspect fled the store.
There were no injuries reported.
The first Escambia County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrived at the store within about two minutes. The deputies quickly established a perimeter around the store, and a K-9 was called to assist in the search for the suspect.
Anyone with information about the robbery is asked to call the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9620 or Gulf Coast Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP.
Cantonment Man Trapped Under Flipped Jeep
July 16, 2012
Two people were injured when they flipped their Jeep Sunday evening on a Cantonment dirt road, trapping one man underneath.
The accident happened about 6:40 in the 1500 block of Becks Lake Road, about 2.5 miles east of Highway 29.
The Florida Highway Patrol said 44-year old David W. Oglesby of Cantonment lost control, flipped his 1976 Jeep and struck a tree. He was thrown and pinned underneath the vehicle.
Oglesby was airlifted by LifeFlight to Sacred Heart Hospital in critical condition. His passenger, 51-year old Catherine Peterson of Cantonment, was transported by ambulance to Sacred Heart Hospital with minor injuries. Neither person was wearing a seat belt, according to FHP.
Pictured above and below: A Cantonment man was trapped under a flipped Jeep Sunday evening in Cantonment. Pictured inset: A man was airlifted by Lifeflight from a golf course on Highway 29 in Cantonment. Reader submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Escambia Deputy Injured In Fight
July 16, 2012
An Escambia County deputy is recovering after being injured in a fight Saturday night on Pensacola Beach.
Deputy Terry Hammock responded to the area of Via De Luna and Calle Traviesa to investigate a suspicious vehicle. He made contact with the driver, who was speaking irrationally and could not answer the deputy’s questions. The driver was unable to provide identification or name the owner the vehicle.
The driver was later identified as 34-year old Richard Leland Massey of Milton.
Massey resisted Hammock’s commands and began to fight with the deputy, the Sheriff’s Office said. Hammock was able to hold Massey on the ground until other officers could arrive to assist him.
Hammock received minor injuries during the altercation and was transported to a local hospital for treatment. The Sheriff’s Office said Sunday afternoon that his condition was not known.
Massey was charged with resisting an officer with violence and booked into the Escambia County Jail. He was later released on a $5,000 bond.
Go Little Chiefs: Northview Plans Mini Cheerleading Clinic
July 16, 2012
The Northview High School cheerleaders will host a mini cheerleading camp for children age 4 through the eighth grade.
The camp will be held from 3 until 5 p.m. on July 25, July 26 and August 2.
The cost will be $30 for camp and $10 for a shirt. The shirts will be slightly different than last year’s, but will not be required. Registration begins at 2:30 on July 25.
Camp attendees will learn chants, cheers, stunts and a dance. Refreshments will be be provided. Parents are invited to see their child’s performance on August 2, and they will also perform at the first home Northview Chiefs football game. A review session date will be scheduled prior to the football game performance.
For more information, contact Megan or Tammy at (850) 327-6681 or any Northview cheerleader.
Pictured: Northview High mini cheerleaders perform last football season. NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
Firefighters, Late EMT Nathan Berry Honored
July 16, 2012
First responders in Escambia County, Ala., honored their own last week during their annual appreciation banquet.
Among those honored were 22-year old EMT Nathan Berry who was killed in an off-duty traffic accident south of Jay last month. The award was accepted by his wife, Tiffany Berry.
Berry, a certified firefighter and paramedic, dedicated his life to serving the public in emergency services. He was a former employee of Atmore Ambulance and was currently a supervisor for Lifeguard EMS in Santa Rosa County. He was a volunteer member of the Friendship Volunteer Fire Department near Flomaton, and was a firefighter for Escambia County Fire Rescue’s Century Station.
During the event, Allan Rice, executive director of the Alabama Fire Collage, spoke on the reality of disasters and the importance of readiness.
Pictured: (L-R) EMS Person of the Year the late Nathan Berry accepted by his wife Tiffany, Career Firefighter of the Year Daniel Love, Atmore Fire Department; Male Firefighter of the Year Christopher Burch, Appleton VFD; and Female Firefighter of the Year Cindy Jackson, McCall VFD. Photo by Emilie Mims for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Swimming Lessons Available
July 16, 2012
The registration for the final session of swimming lessons at Tom Byrne Park in Atmore is in progress and will continue until classes are filled.
Classes are offered Monday through Friday for one hour each day. Classes are held at 9, 10 and 11 a.m. Classes are also available on Tuesday and Thursday nights from 5:15 until 6:45.
The cost is $35 per student per class. Please contact Austin Rogers at (251) 368-8280 during pool hours.
Man Charged With Five Felonies For Selling Stolen Jewelry
July 16, 2012
A Cantonment man was charged with allegedly stealing over $4,000 worth of jewelry from a local home.
Matthew Michael Barker, 25, was charged with felony grand theft, two felony counts of giving a false statement and two felony counts of dealing in stolen property. He remained in the Escambia County Jail Monday morning with bond set at $45,000.
The victim reported that she had discovered a golf tennis bracelet with diamonds worth $3,500, a men’s gold bracelet worth $400 and a pendant worth about $200 were missing from her jewelry box.
She told deputies that her son said that Barker, his friend, had recently spent time at the residence and was known to regularly sell gold and silver items to gold dealers in Pensacola.
Deputies reported that they discovered Barker had sold the jewelry at American Gold Parties on West Nine Mile Road.
Weekend Photos: Blue Angels
July 16, 2012
This weekend was the annual Blue Angels show at Pensacola Beach, and NorthEscambia.com had dozens of photos — including fly along photos from inside one of the F/18 Hornets.
Click a link for a gallery:
Blue Angels Saturday Show Gallery 1 (Ditto Gorme)
Blue Angels Saturday Show Gallery 2 (Terry Emmons)
Fly Along With The Blues (US Navy)
Blue Angels Friday Practice (Raja Atalla)
Pictured top: The Blue Angels please the crowd Saturday at Pensacola Beach. Pictured below: “Ernie”, a C-130 filling in for the famous Fat Albert, approaches Pensacola Beach. Photos by Ditto Gorme for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Republicans, Democrats Both Claim Victory In Voter Database Clash
July 16, 2012
Republicans and Democrats alike declared at least a qualified victory after the federal government agreed Saturday to allow Florida to access the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements, or SAVE, database in its drive to remove suspected non-citizens from the voting rolls.
Republican Party of Florida Chairman Lenny Curry issued a statement saying the federal government had essentially capitulated to the state.
“The only thing that overshadows this victory is the reality that our federal government spent nearly a year blocking efforts to ensure election laws are followed,” Curry said in a statement issued Saturday evening.
But Democratic Congressman Ted Deutch, speaking shortly before the Democrats’ annual Jefferson Jackson fundraising dinner, said the requirement that state officials submit individual identifiers required to use the SAVE database could curb Gov. Rick Scott’s sweep of the voting rolls.
Deutch said fewer than the 180,000 names that the state initially identified as suspected non-citizens would likely be reviewed.
“This is a check on the governor, finally,” Deutch said. “And now we have to just demand transparency going forward, so that this system that [Scott] now utilizes is done in accordance with the way that is established.”
By The News Service of Florida