Blue Wahoos’ Season Ends 10-3; Smokies Win Southern League Championship
September 27, 2023
The Blue Wahoos’ acclaim-filled 2023 season, which included several club records, ended Tuesday one last feat short of complete.
Unable to contain the Tennessee Smokies’ power-laden lineup, Pensacola’s quest to repeat as Southern League champions was dashed in the Smokies’ 10-3 win to sweep the short series at Blue Wahoos Stadium and claim their first league title in 45 years.
A year after the Blue Wahoos celebrated on the field at Smokies Stadium in Kodak, Tennessee to produce their first outright championship, the Smokies got their turn in Pensacola.
After the Blue Wahoos’ Nasim Nuñez lined out for the final out Tuesday, a sensational leaping catch by Smokies second baseman Matt Shaw – the Chicago Cubs’ top pick of the 2023 Draft just three months ago – the players rushed from the visitors dugout.
They took a picture in front of the pitcher’s mound, then huddled in the dugout for simultaneous sprays of champagne before carrying the party into the visitors clubhouse.
Tennessee won the first game 8-4 Sunday with a similar hitting show. The Smokies’ bats stayed hot after the bus ride to the Gulf Coast. In both games in this best-of-three series, they jumped to an early inning lead and kept expanding it.
The last time Tennessee hoisted a championship trophy, the 1978 team was named the Knoxville Sox, the affiliation was with the Chicago White Sox and Tony La Russa was manager, before his Hall of Fame managerial career in Major League Baseball.
It was a long time coming for the Smokies and they lingered on the field to savor it.
But the Blue Wahoos had a season to remember as well.
Their 79-57 record in the regular season was the best winning percentage (.581) in the team’s 11-season history. It included a franchise record 10-game winning streak.
The team set club records in seven offensive categories, including batting average (.250) and home runs (163) — the seventh-most homers in league history.
But against the Smokies this year, the Blue Wahoos ran into a formidable foe.
The Smokies began the post-season with 14 of the Chicago Cubs’ top 30 prospects – many of whom were added in the final month of the season. That talent was reflected in how they swept two playoff series, outscoring Chattanooga and Pensacola by a combined 26-9.
Tuesday night, Smokies starting pitcher Cade Horton was as dominant as advertised. The Cubs’ No. 2 overall prospect, their top draft pick in the 2022 MLB Draft from the Oklahoma Sooners, twirled five strong innings to pick up his second postseason win.
The 22-year-old righthander, who started the 2022 season as the Sooners’ third baseman before leading Oklahoma to a runner-up finish as pitcher in the College World Series, continued his strong season.
He gave up just one hit and one run with three walks and four strikeouts in five innings. Horton is a finalist for the Minor League Baseball pitching prospect of the year.
After Blue Wahoos starter Luis Palacios retired the Smokies lineup in order in the first inning, he was hit hard the rest of way. It was reminiscent of Sunday’s first game, when Evan Fitterer struggled with location and the Smokies pounced for big hits and rallies for a quick knockout.
Palacios, who had been strong in the last several starts, including a playoff win last week against Montgomery, lasted only three innings, giving up six hits and four runs. The biggest blow was a 3-run homer in the third inning by B.J. Murray after the Blue Wahoos had tied the game on a sacrifice fly by Norel González in the second inning.
Murray’s homer left the bat looking like the a flyout, but with the wind blowing out to right field, the ball carried over the wall and the hit triggered more run production the next several innings.
Five Blue Wahoos relievers followed. The Smokies blew open the game in the sixth inning, getting four runs against Dylan Bice and from that point the outcome seemed a formality.
The Smokies had 13 hits, including five for extra bases. The Blue Wahoos had just four hits in the game.
Many of the fans stayed and clapped as the players left the dugout and began the off-season. The focus now shifts to spring training in February and the 2024 season, which begins at home on April 5 against the Mississippi Braves.
by Bill Vilona
SEC Soccer Championship Returning To Ashton Brosnaham; Tickets On Sale Now
September 27, 2023
Several nationally-ranked Southeastern Conference soccer teams will be competing for the SEC Championship title from Sunday, Oct. 29, through Sunday, Nov. 5, at Ashton Brosnaham Soccer Complex off East 10 Mile Road.
Tickets are on sale at secticketoffice.com All-tournament passes are $40. Individual session tickets for first-round, quarterfinals and semifinals are $12 for adults and $7 for students/military. Tickets for the championship game on Sunday, Nov. 5, are $17 for adults and $12 for students/military. Taxes and service fees are included in the listed ticket prices. Kids 12 and under wearing a soccer jersey get in free with a paying adult on Sunday, Oct. 29, and on Tuesday, Oct. 31. A clear bag policy is in effect for this event. Free admission for children 4 and under at all games. Tournament pass sales end at 11:59pm on Oct. 27.
Join in the fun on Championship game day, Nov. 5, at the free Fan Fest from 11 a.m. until halftime of the championship game. There will be music, food trucks and interactive activities for all ages to enjoy.
This is the second year that Escambia County will host the tournament, setting SEC records for attendance. Ashton Brosnaham is scheduled to host through 2024 with an option to extend the agreement through 2026.
“We are thankful to Escambia County and Pensacola Sports for providing a tremendous venue to conduct our SEC Soccer Championship,” said SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey. “Their commitment to this event promises to provide lasting memories for our student-athletes and an outstanding experience for SEC soccer fans from across the region.”
Over the last six years, the SEC has earned 44 NCAA Tournament bids – an average of more than seven per year – with all 14 member institutions making at least two appearances during that span. Eight different SEC teams have advanced to the Round of 16 since 2013 and the league has placed teams in the NCAA quarterfinals in each of the last nine seasons.
Pictured: SEC soccer championship action in 2022 as Ole Miss shut out LSU and Mississippi State beat Texas A&M. NorthEscambia.com photos by William Reynolds, click to enlarge.
Man Brandishing Gun Arrested In The Middle Of Davis Highway
September 26, 2023
A man was arrested after allegedly brandishing a gun in the middle of Davis Highway Monday afternoon.
It happened on Davis Highway near Atwood Drive, just north of I-10, shortly after 5 p.m.
Erwin Morales-Perez, 32, was charged with improper exhibition of a firearm, disturbing the peace, possession of a controlled substance without a prescription and using a firearm under the influence. He remained in jail with bond set at $8,000.
Someone reported that Morales-Perez ran out of a nearby wooded area while claiming that someone was chasing him, and they reported hearing shots fired.
An armed Morales-Perez was taken into custody by multiple Escambia County Sheriff’s Office deputies in the middle of Davis Highway without incident.
Pictured top: A man identified as Erwin Morales-Perez can be seen on the left in a white shirt with his hands up as deputies approach. Image courtesy Josh Torres for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Cantonment Man Charged With Bank Fraud, Grand Theft
September 26, 2023
A Cantonment man is charged with multiple felonies after allegedly depositing a counterfeit check and subsequently making withdrawals.
Travis Marchey Butler, Jr., 21, was charged with six felonies — bank fraud, grand theft, forgery, criminal use of personally identifiable information, uttering forged instrument, and using a two-way communications device to commit a felony. He was released on a $60,000 bond.
Butler allegedly deposited a counterfeit check at Gulf Winds Credit Union in the amount of $5,802.40 by mobile deposit and later withdrew $500 from an ATM, according to an arrest report. Authorities said he also made cash withdrawals of $200 and $400 from an ATM at a Cantonment Tom Thumb.
New 146 Lot Subdivision Planned For Highway 29, Quintette Road
September 26, 2023
A new 146 lot subdivision is proposed for the area of Quinette Road and Highway 29.
“Carrington Valley” would be located on 145.6 acres that front both Highway 29 and Quintette Road.
The development is being proposed by David W. Fitzpatrick for single family homes, according to Escambia County Development Review Committee (DRC) documents.
The proposal is in the initial staff internal review phase of the DRC process and has not yet been set for a public meeting.
This development is not related to a 134 lot subdivision proposed just to the south. Read more: New 134 Lot Subdivision Planned For Highway 29 Near Pinoak Lane
NorthEscambia.com graphics.
How Is The Air Quality? Find Out With New Escambia Monitoring Network
September 26, 2023
Escambia County’s Natural Resources Management department has launched a new air quality monitoring network with 12 air quality stations throughout the county. Each reports conditions in real-time, allowing citizens to make better-informed decisions for daily activities.
Visit MyEscambia.com/airquality to view the network.
Air quality monitoring provides the public with measurements of pollutant concentration levels in the ambient air, the portion of the atmosphere near ground level and external to buildings or other structures. Through the monitoring network, Escambia County provides the public with data on particle pollution, particulate matter, ozone and other parameters at each station.
Air quality stations report live current conditions from the following locations in Escambia County:
- Cantonment – Road Department, 601 Highway 297A
- ECFR - Molino Fire Station, 1459 Molino Road
- Century – Lake Stone Campground, 801 Highway 4
- Walnut Hill Community Center – 7850 Highway 97
- Beulah – Equestrian Center: 7750 Mobile Highway
- East Hill – Zamora Square: East Yonge Street
- Ferry Pass – Regency Park: 8245 Fathom Road
- Marie K. Young Wedgewood Community Center – 6405 Wagner Road
- Brownsville Community Center – 3200 West. Desoto Street
- Southwest Escambia Sports Complex – 2020 Bauer Road
- Perdido Key Fire Station – 15500 Perdido Key Drive
- Pensacola Beach – 25 Via de Luna Drive
New Program Will Provide Supplies For Escambia Teachers
September 26, 2023
A new Escambia County Public Schools program called “Tools for Teachers” aims to provide teachers the tools they need in the classroom without spending their personal money.
Teachers were surveyed to determine classroom supplies on which they spend their own money, and those items will be stocked in the store. The warehouse will order and stock the supplies, and package and deliver them to individual teachers at their schools. The Foundation will raise the funds through grants, donations and in-kind donations of products to stock the store.
More than half of the teachers surveyed spend over $400 per year on classroom supplies. This partnership will stock teachers’ top 12 most needed items, both traditional supplies and items such as healthy snacks, ziplock bags and bandaids.
“The Foundation is so excited about this new program supporting teachers. In partnership with the Escambia County Public Schools Warehouse, we have been working on this project for over a year, with a goal of supplying teachers with the items they most often spend their own money to purchase,” said ECPS Foundation Executive Director Jo McArthur. “With our launch, we will send supplies to all of our new teachers, helping them to be equipped with the supplies they need in their classrooms. We all know that teachers are hard working, dedicated and always go the extra mile. Our wish is to help ease their load financially through the ‘Tools for Teachers’ program.”
On October 1, ‘Tools for Teachers’ will roll out to 175 new teachers with an initial box of supplies. In January, teachers at high-need schools will be added. By next summer, the goal is to have all 2,700 teachers in the program
A prominent Pensacola business man, who wishes to remain anonymous, made a $50,000 contribution to launch the program.
The Foundation has three grant applications out that will provide additional funding. In addition to the access to free supplies, the program will get a lot more for its money, as the warehouse orders in bulk, and prices are typically less than one third of the retail price for each item.
Gomez, Cunningham Want To Keep Seats; Still Time To Qualify For Century Council, Mayor
September 26, 2023
The interim mayor and an interim council member were the only individuals to qualify Monday for an upcoming special election in Century.
Luis Gomez, Jr. qualified to see the office of mayor, and Henry Cunningham qualified for town council.
Candidates may still qualify for either seat from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Supervisor of Elections Office at 213 Palafox Place in Pensacola on Tuesday, September 26 or Wednesday, September 27.
Gomez was recently appointed interim mayor after the resignation of Ben Boutwell, and Cunningham was appointed on an interim basis to the council seat vacated by Gomez.
Pictured top: Luis Gomez, Jr. (left) and Henry Cunningham. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
After Game 1 Loss, Blue Wahoos Seek To Repeat Past In Championship Series
September 26, 2023
After Sunday’s opening-game loss, the Blue Wahoos now hope to repeat their comeback from a year ago in the Southern League Championship Series.
But it’s going to take another impressive turnaround.
The Tennessee Smokies produced a quick knockout in Game One, scoring eight runs in the first three innings, including a 5-run third inning, powering their way to an 8-4 win at Smokies Stadium in Kodak, Tennessee, located near Knoxville.
It’s now a do-or-die scenario for the Blue Wahoos when the second game occurs Tuesday night at Blue Wahoos Stadium. A third game, if necessary, in the short series will be Wednesday in Pensacola. The Blue Wahoos traveled all night Sunday back to Pensacola and the series has an off-day Monday.
This is a rematch of the 2022 SLCS and the Blue Wahoos do have history and home field on their side. The Blue Wahoos dropped the first game in Pensacola last year, then won twice on the road against the Smokies to claim their first outright Southern League title.
The Smokies, the Chicago Cubs affiliate, are seeking their first outright championship in 45 years as a minor league franchise. They shared the 2004 Southern League title with the Mobile BayBears when the playoffs were cancelled due to Hurricane Ivan.
When the Smokies won in 1978, Hall of Fame manager Tony La Russa was the Tennessee skipper and the team was called the Knoxville Sox as the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox.
The Blue Wahoos, who went 7-4 in the regular-season matchups against Tennessee, are trying to become only the seventh team in Southern League history to win back-to-back titles.
That quest got off to a rocky start Sunday. Blue Wahoos starter Evan Fitterer struggled from the outset. He allowed leadoff batters to reach in the three innings he worked and couldn’t find a groove with his pitch command, which is something that has hurt him in recent starts.
He plunked Smokies’ leadoff batter Matt Shaw, the Cubs’ No. 1 draft pick in July, to start his outing. He then gave up a run-scoring double to BJ Murray, followed by a single to the third batter, Owen Caissie.
Fitterer then got a double-play ball that scored Tennessee’s second run, but helped him out of the inning. The scenario repeated in the second inning with a leadoff walk allowed, followed by a run scoring double by Ezequiel Pagan.
The Blue Wahoos bullpen was warming up in the third inning when Fitterer gave up another leadoff walk, a single and an RBI double by Haydn McGeary. Reliever Breidy Encarnacion was summoned with one out in the inning and he struggled as well.
After a walk to load the bases, Encarnacion hit the next batter to force home a run, then yielded consecutive RBI on a sacrifice fly and two singles to complete the explosive rally.
From that point, the Blue Wahoos relief corps of Jonathan Bermudez, Matt Pushard, Chandler Jozwiak and Caleb Wurster combined on five shutout innings.
Blue Wahoos shortstop Nasim Nunez drove in the team’s first run in the third inning on a sacrifice fly. He also played sensational defense, including a spectacular play in the seventh when he fielded a ball behind second, turned and threw across his body to first baseman Bennett Hostetler, who make leg split to record the out from a sitting position.
That play had the Smokies crowd of 3,382 applauding in appreciation. Nunez also scored the team’s second run in the top of the eighth when he walked, went to third on a single by Jose Mesa Jr. and scored on Paul McIntosh’s sacrifice fly.
The Blue Wahoos managed six hits – two from second baseman Cody Morissette – who temporarily spoiled the crowd celebration by hitting a two-out, two-run homer in the ninth inning.
The Smokies, who now have 14 of the Chicago Cubs’ Top 30 rated prospects, have won their past seven games and nine of their last 10, including a two-game sweep of the Chattanooga Lookouts – the Cincinnati Reds affiliate – in the Southern League North Division series.
They will send one of those top-rated players, righthander Cade Horton, the Cubs’ first-round pick in 2022, on the mound Tuesday night against the Blue Wahoos’ Luis Palacios, who was superb in his last start to beat the Montgomery Biscuits in the first game of the South Division playoffs last week.
Horton, 22, was a former star at Oklahoma and was elevated to Double-A in August. He is a finalist for the Minor League Baseball pitching prospect of the year. He has risen to the No. 2 best prospect in the Cubs organization.
The game on Tuesday will start at 6:05 p.m., a half-hour earlier than the Blue Wahoos regular-season, weekday starting times. The ceremonial first pitches will begin at 5:45 p.m. followed by the actual first pitch of the game at 6:05.
by Bill Vilona, photo Nino Mendez / Pensacola Blue Wahoos
FDC Announces New Prison Hiring Bonuses, Including $1K At Century, $6K At Santa Rosa
September 26, 2023
The Florida Department of Corrections has announced hiring bonuses of $1,000 at select prisons, including Century, and $6,000 retention pay at other prisons including the Santa Rosa Correctional Institution in Milton.
FDC correctional officers will start their careers at $22 an hour, or $48,620 annually. They will receive paid training, special high-risk retirement, and various opportunities for career advancement.
Selected institutions identified as “hard to fill” locations across the state offer $6,000 Retention Payments to certified correctional officers, sergeants, lieutenants, and captains. This comes in the form of a three-installment pay plan upon certification at the following institutions:
- Apalachee Correctional Institution (Sneads)
- Columbia Correctional Institution (Lake City)
- Florida State Prison (Raiford)
- Franklin Correctional Institution (Carrabelle)
- Gulf Correctional Institution (Wewahitchka)
- Hamilton Correctional Institution (Jasper)
- Jackson Correctional Institution (Malone)
- Mayo Correctional Institution (Mayo)
- Northwest Florida Reception Center (Chipley)
- Reception and Medical Center (Lake Butler)
- Santa Rosa Correctional Institution (Milton)
- Suwannee Correctional Institution (Live Oak)
- Taylor Correctional Institution (Perry)
- Union Correctional Institution (Starke)
- Wakulla Correctional Institution (Crawfordville)
Certified new hires are eligible to receive a $1,000 bonus at the following institutions:
- Calhoun Correctional Institution (Blountstown)
- Century Correctional Institution (Century)
- Charlotte Correctional Institution (Punta Gorda)
- Dade Correctional Institution (Florida City)
- Everglades Correctional Institution (Miami)
- Hardee Correctional Institution (Bowling Green)
- Holmes Correctional Institution (Bonifay)
- Liberty Correctional Institution (Bristol)
- Lowell Correctional Institution (Ocala)
- Madison Correctional Institution (Madison)
- Martin Correctional Institution (Indiantown)
- Okeechobee Correctional Institution (Okeechobee)
- Tomoka Correctional Institution (Daytona Beach)
- Walton Correctional Institution (DeFuniak Springs)
“There has been no better time than now to be a part of the Florida Department of Corrections,” said FDC Secretary Ricky Dixon. “I express my sincere gratitude to our Governor and the Florida legislature for recognizing that an investment in corrections is an investment in public safety. I am thrilled to observe the favorable outcomes of these extraordinary incentives and retention measures, enabling us to attract and retain the best correctional professionals nationwide.”