Wahoos Gain Ground With 5-1, 10-Inning Win Over Barons
September 5, 2024
written by Erik Bremer
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos continued to chip away at their wild card deficit with a 5-1, 10-inning win over the Birmingham Barons on Wednesday night.
With the game deadlocked from the fourth inning on, the Blue Wahoos finally pulled ahead in the top of the 10th when a wild pitch from Eric Adler (L, 2-2) scored Johnny Olmstead from third base. Nathan Martorella followed with a booming three-run homer, adding insurance and continuing the Pensacola first baseman’s hot streak at the plate.
With the win, the Blue Wahoos gained ground on both the Biloxi Shuckers and Mississippi Braves in the hunt for a wild card playoff spot. The Blue Wahoos trail the Shuckers by 2.5 games and the Braves by 1.5 games with 10 to play in the regular season.
The game began with command issues for Blue Wahoos starter Evan Fitterer, who walked in a run in the second inning before wriggling out of a bases-loaded jam. Fitterer settled into a groove, ultimately working 5.0 innings of one-run ball.
The Blue Wahoos tied things up in the fourth on an Olmstead two-out RBI infield single, and kept the game tied with effective relief from Tyler Eckberg and Justin King.
After Woo-Suk Go (W, 2-1) sent the game to extras with a scoreless ninth, the Blue Wahoos quickly mounted a threat against Adler. The placed runner, Olmstead, advanced to third on a wild pitch before Shane Sasaki walked and stole second. Andrew Pintar drew a walk to load the bases before another wild pitch brought home the go-ahead run. Martorella then unloaded with a three-run homer, his 13th of the year and ninth since August 4.
Go worked around Birmingham’s placed runner to work a scoreless bottom of the 10th and seal the win.
The series continues Thursday in Birmingham, with a 7:00 CT.
Century Approves Tax Rate, $10.6 Million Budget But Details Shrouded In Mystery
September 4, 2024
Tuesday night, the Town of Century approved a tax rate and a $10.6 million budget for the next fiscal year. But the details of how they will spend the money remains a bit of a mystery that we can’t report due to unfulfilled public records requests.
Century approves tax rate (but makes mistakes on the details)
The town council approved a resolution establishing a final millage rate for 2024-2025, but made some apparent mistakes on the details.
The resolution read aloud by administrative assistant Mallory Walker before the vote differed from the resolution that was included with the agenda emailed August 30 to town council members and officials, along with local media. The email version stated the millage rate will be “.9204 mills (correct amount), which is greater than the rolled-back rate of 0.2423 mills (incorrect) by 290.66% (incorrect based upon actual amount)”.
According to the resolution read aloud before the affirmative vote, the “operating millage rate is .9204 mills, which is greater than the rolled-back rate of 0.9781 mills by 5.900%.”
While the council voted to approve the resolution read as a property tax increase of 5.9%, that’s not actually the case. In math, 0.9204 is not greater than 0.9781. Under the state’s definition, the town did not raise taxes.
State law establishes a procedure for correcting for mere typographical or inadvertent mistakes (also known as a“scrivener’s error”). Since the written version of the approved resolution was not provided in the agenda packet nor at the town hall Tuesday night, we can’t verify what it actually stated in writing compared to the verbal statements.
The Mystery: Where’s documentation on how millions will be spent?
Since August 30, NorthEscambia.com has asked for a copy of the complete tentative budget for 2024-2025, which provides details supporting the income and expenditures in a one-page summary that the town sent us (pictured above). For example, Century’s 2023-2024 complete budget contains 14 pages of small print with great detail on how they arrived at the budget, plus a 5-year historical comparison.
When we asked at the meeting, we were told by council members that they had received a copy of the complete budget before the vote. The complete budget was not available to the public at the meeting or on the town’s website.
“Why was there no copy available to the public before tonight? You’re approving numbers. The public has no idea what you’re approving,” NorthEscambia.com Publisher William Reynolds asked during the meeting.
Mayor Luis Gomez, Jr. said NorthEscambia.com had provided everything the council has. But that information was never sent, leaving us and the public without any detailed explanation of how the town plans to spend millions — from water wells to salaries and everything in between. We will further explore the mayor’s comments and our public records requests in an upcoming story.
Century approves $10.6 million budget
The Century Town Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to approve a tentative $10.6 million budget for fiscal year 2024-2025, which starts October 1.
The budget summary states, “The proposed operating budget for this fiscal year is 43%greater than the previous year’s budget due to additional grants.”. Without a complete budget, we can’t tell you what those grant funds are that were included in the budget, or if any of monies were part of the approximately $15.6 million in grants the state terminated, which also included $12.8 million the state pulled from the town “due to financial and fiscal solvency issues the Town is facing“, according to that state agency FloridaCommerce in an email.
The 2024-2025 budget includes an increase of $2,434,114 in both the total budget and the total expenditures of $10,607,009 this fiscal year compared to $8,172,895 last fiscal year. (Mathematically, that’s actually a 29.78% increase, not the $43% stated in writing by the town.)
The town is budgeting for roughly the same amount of income from franchise fees ($170,000) and from licenses, reviews and permits ($10,700), and an increase of $30,937 from “miscellaneous revenue” into the general fund. No explanation of increase is available without the complete budget documentation.
The new budget shows $7,891,884 in income from the “Enterprise Fund” into the general fund, and increase of over three million in additional estimated revenue over last year… In past years, the Enterprise Fund has been comprised of the bills paid by residents for natural gas and sanitation services, along with additional grants. Without a copy of the full budget, we can’t provide complete details.
The town plans to transfer $691 ,503 into their budget from their reserve funds — $554,449 from the “Special Revenue Fund” and $137,054 from the CRA. In October 2018, the council approved a Tax Increment Financing plan for their redevelopment area, allowing the CRA to receive property tax revenues each year in excess of an established base rate. The appraised value of the property within the designated district was “frozen” in 2018, with that amount of tax revenue generated still designated for the town’s general fund, the county and other taxing authorities. The CRA funds are meant to improve a “blighted” area of Century. Without that budget summary, we can’t provide specifics on how or why the reserves — much like a savings account — are being spent next fiscal year.
The town budget shows $2,634,655 will be spent on “general government services”, an increase of over $1.6 million over last year — $1,633,528 to be exact — over last year. Last year, general government services fund was budgeted to be spent on items like day-to-day operations, building maintenance, executive salaries, vehicle expenses, Christmas hams and turkeys, fuel and other employee salaries and expenses like taxes and insurance. Again, we can’t tell you where Century plans to spend an extra $1.6 million without a complete budget.
The town has budgeted $1,671,719 for “Physical Environment”, a decrease of just over $2 million from the enterprise fund — the gas and garbage bills paid by citizens and grants. Since the town did not provide a complete budget, we can’t tell you exactly what this $1.671 million will be spent on. (It’s not obvious how the fund was spent from last year’s budget either. There is no supporting documentation in last year’s budget for a $3.725 million “Physical Environment” fund or any definition.)
This year’s budget shows $5,793,001 in grant expenditures for the enterprise fund. There was no explanation available; that information would be in the complete budget Century would not provide. But we do know the town has received grants for the sewage treatment plant, lift stations and water wells.
Pictured: Tuesday night’s Century Town Council meeting. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Wahoos Start Final Road Trip With Win Over Barons
September 4, 2024
written by Erik Bremer
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos began their final road trip of the regular season with a bang on Tuesday night, riding a four-run first inning to a 5-1 win over the Birmingham Barons.
Paul McIntosh blasted a three-run homer, his third long ball in the past three games, to cap the four-run first inning. Luis Palacios (W, 9-7) handled the rest, working 5.1 innings of one-run ball for his 19th career Blue Wahoos win to tie a career franchise record.
The first batter of the game, Andrew Pintar, reached on a missed catch error from Barons first baseman Shawn Goosenberg and scored on a Graham Pauley sacrifice fly. With two outs and two on in the inning, McIntosh launched his homer off the left field videoboard for a 4-0 Pensacola lead.
All four runs were unearned for Barons starter Riley Gowens (L, 1-3), who was handed the tough-luck loss.
The Barons got a run back in the first inning when Rikuu Nishida singled and scored on a wild pitch in his Double-A debut. That was all Palacios would allow, pitching into the sixth inning for his first winning decision since late July.
The Blue Wahoos added an insurance run in the sixth on a Johnny Olmstead RBI triple, and relievers Matt Pushard, Chandler Jozwiak and Dale Stanavich combined for 3.2 innings of scoreless relief to close out the win.
The Blue Wahoos gained a half game on Biloxi and a full game on Mississippi in the chase for a potential Southern League wild card spot. With 11 games remaining, they are 3.5 games back of the Shuckers and 2.5 games behind the Braves.
The series continues Wednesday in Birmingham, with a 7:00 CT.
Blue Wahoos Drop Series Finale In Last-Ever Meeting Against M-Braves
September 2, 2024
written by Bill Vilona
The Blue Wahoos knew that a revamped roster, pitchers getting elevated, plus an extended road trip in August could bring some difficult challenges in the season’s final weeks.
It’s proven steeper than imagined.
In a homestand where they hoped to improve their position in the second-half race, the Blue Wahoos’ 9-3 loss Sunday against the Mississippi Braves was their fourth in a tough week at Blue Wahoos Stadium. And it brought a three-week record to 4-14.
But the crowd of 4,325 mostly stayed for what Sundays have been following games. Children ran the bases. Parents took video and cellphone photos. Families stayed to toss baseballs in the outfield.
With 12 games now remaining, the Blue Wahoos (64-50 overall, 26-30 in second half) remain four games back of the Biloxi Shuckers and now trail the M-Braves by three games in the chase for the second qualifying playoff spot.
This game marked the final time the M-Braves and Blue Wahoos played. Next season, the M-Braves are moving to Columbus, Georgia and into a revamped 98-year-old stadium on the riverfront to form a new franchise and Double-A affiliate for the Atlanta Braves.
Once again, Sunday became a scenario where an opportunity for a mid-game rally didn’t happen and the M-Braves seized upon their chances to take the series 4-2.
Patrick Monteverde was set to make his second start Sunday, following his best outing of the season in a Tuesday win that snapped the team’s six-game losing streak.
But Monteverde was summoned to rejoin Triple-A Jacksonville and the Blue Wahoos’ pitching staff was further thinned.
The game started well for the Blue Wahoos. Andrew Pintar led off with a single, then scored on Jared Serna’s RBI ground out.
Nathan Martorella blasted his 12th home run in the third inning for a 2-1 lead. After the M-Braves regained the lead on sacrifice fly and Bryson Horne’s solo homer off Pensacola starter Tristan Steves, the Blue Wahoos had their chance to answer.
They loaded the bases with one out in the bottom half of the inning. But newcomer Josh Zamora hit a roller back to the M-Braves’ pitcher Jhancarlos Lara, who went to the plate to trigger a pitcher-catcher-first base double play to end the inning.
The M-Braves then added two more runs in the fifth, another in the sixth and the Blue Wahoos had only two singles the rest of the way.
The Blue Wahoos’ Paul McIntosh and Johnny Olmstead each had a pair of hits in the game, getting the bulk of the team’s seven hits.
Stevens absorbed the loss on the mound after giving up three runs in four innings. Relievers Tyler Eckberg, Adam Laskey and Woo-Suk Go all yielded runs in relief.
The Blue Wahoos will have Monday off before traveling to Birmingham on Tuesday to begin a six-game trip against the Birmingham Barons.
Blue Wahoos Comeback Falls Short Saturday In Ninth-Inning Heartbreak
September 1, 2024
written by Bill Violona
The bases-loaded pitch exited off Andrew Pintar’s bat faster than it entered across the plate, instantly igniting a ninth-inning roar from Saturday’s capacity crowd at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
A second later, however, a collective groan ensued.
Pintar’s rocket line drive was caught by Mississippi Braves shortstop Cal Conley, who then made an easy flip to second base for a game-ending double play in the M-Braves’ 7-5 win against the Blue Wahoos.
The solace for the crowd was fireworks, which soon lit the sky as the traditional post-game Saturday show – this one sponsored by Woodlands Medical Specialists – brought cheers after Pensacola’s disappointing loss.
The game was also designated as Star Wars Night, complete with 18 costumed characters who were part of the large crowd.
The Blue Wahoos rallied from another galaxy after trailing 6-0 in the second inning. They got within a run after chipping away, scoring their fifth run in the seventh inning. The M-Braves, as they have done all week, manufactured an insurance run in the eighth and let their bullpen handle the rest.
Saturday’s loss, coupled by the Biloxi Shuckers’ home win against the Montgomery Biscuits, drops the Blue Wahoos (64-59 overall, 26-29 second half) four games back with 13 games left in a three-team race for a second-half playoff spot.
It’s going to be a tall order from this point. First, the Blue Wahoos will try and split this six-game series with the M-Braves in Sunday’s homestand finale.
The game Saturday began with a thud. Blue Wahoos starter Robby Snelling, making his second home start, had his roughest outing since joining the team as part of a July 30 trade the Miami Marlins made with the San Diego Padres.
Five of the first six batters that Snelling faced all scored. Snelling plunked Conley, the game’s leadoff batter. Second baseman David Fletcher followed with a single. Fletcher is the two-way player who started Thursday’s game throwing his knuckleball.
Both players advanced on a double steal. Conley scored on an infield hit. A run-scoring single followed, then a two-run triple by Cody Milligan, who then scored on an infield groundout.
In the second inning, what could have been a double-play groundout was instead an error, allowing leadoff batter Brandon Parker to advance and score on Fletcher’s single for a 6-0 lead.
But from this point, Snelling settled into a groove and retired 14 of the final 16 batters he faced in order.
The Blue Wahoos got back into the game with Paul McIntosh. He blasted a two-run homer in the second, then a solo homer in the seventh inning that made it a one-run game.
An inning earlier, Nathan Martorella hit a two-run homer in the sixth inning.
In the ninth, trailing by two runs, an opportunity existed when Joe Mack led off with a single. Cody Morissette was hit by a pitch with one out, and Shane Sasaki walked.
M-Braves reliever Jorge Juan was struggling with command. And his pitch to Pintar was hit on the barrel and could have been the game-tying shot. Instead, it became the game-ender.
The Blue Wahoos will try to finish with a split of the series when Patrick Monteverde, who pitched so well in Tuesday’s win, returns for his second start in the second-to-last Sunday home game of the season.
Neptune Leads Tate As The Aggies Roll Over Gulf Breeze 41-0
August 31, 2024
The Tate Aggies added another to the win column with a decisive 41-0 victory over the Gulf Breeze Dolphins on Friday night. The dominant performance showcased the Aggies’ offensive prowess and defensive tenacity.
Christian Neptune led the way for Tate, showcasing his versatility with big plays both on the ground and through the air. Early in the game, Tate quarterback Taite Davis threw between the defensive back’s hands to find Neptune to put the Aggies up 7-0.
Demorian Clay scored from two yards out to extend the Aggie lead to 13-0 early in the second quarter.
Neptune wasn’t done, racking up yardage on seven straight runs after halftime in Gulf Breeze. On a screen pass, the senior broke free for a 53-yard touchdown on a screen pass. The Aggies converted the two-point conversion, giving them a comfortable 21-0 advantage with just under eight minutes on the clock in the third.
But wait…there was one more TD from Neptune when he had a long reception from 44 yards out and another score.
Tate recovered the ensuing kickoff and Taite Davis connected with Elijah West from seven yards out for another score that put it 34-0 after three.
The Aggies’ defense was equally impressive, shutting down the Dolphins’ offense throughout the game. Their ability to limit Gulf Breeze’s offensive opportunities was a key factor in the victory.
After back-to-back shutouts, the Aggies improved to 2-0 for the first time since 2017.
Next week, the Aggies will wrap up a three-game road series at the Pensacola High Tigers.
Northview Chiefs Drop Road Game To Opp
August 31, 2024
The Northview Chiefs suffered a 34-7 defeat at the hands of the Opp Bobcats on Friday night in Opp, Alabama.
The lone bright spot for the Chiefs came in the third quarter, when junior quarterback Dane King connected with sophomore JJ Jacobs for a touchdown (pictured top).
Northview, now 1-1 on the season, will look to regroup and bounce back next week. They will travel to Freeport to take on the Bulldogs, who are coming off a 34-0 shutout loss to the Jay Royals Thursday night.
The Chiefs will return home to Bratt for their Senior Night game against Central on September 13.
Photos by www.joeleeimages.com (sports photographer for the Opp Bobcats) for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
High School Football Scoreboard
August 31, 2024
Here are this week’s North Escambia area football scores from Thursday and Friday night action.
FLORIDA
- Tate 41, Gulf Breeze 0 [Game recap]
- Opp 34, Northview 7 [Photos, story]
- West Florida 34 Washington 33 (OT)
- Niceville 42, Escambia 21
- Pensacola Catholic 34, Pace 20
- J.U. Blacksher 44. Central 6
- Daphne 34 Pine Forest 7
- Choctaw 35, Navarre 0
- Jay 34, Freeport 6 (Thursday)
- Pensacola 16, Milton 7 (Thursday)
ALABAMA
- Flomaton 43,Chickasaw 0
- T.R. Miller 40, Straughn 7
- Excel 29, W.S. Neal 28 (Thursday)
- Jackson Academy 27, Escambia Academy 20
- Escambia County 33, Monroe County 8
NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Blue Wahoos Miss On Chances As M-Braves Even Series
August 31, 2024
written by Bill Vilona
A night after a memorable comeback win, the Blue Wahoos again had a sixth-inning chance at a go-ahead rally.
This time it fizzled. And then loomed large the rest of the way.
The Mississippi Braves broke through with a pair of late-inning, solo homers and their bullpen – led by former Pensacola State College star Patrick Halligan – did the rest in a 4-2 win Friday to even the series at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
A crowd of 4,089 watched a battle of the bullpens in the final four innings.
With the game tied in the bottom of the sixth, the Blue Wahoos loaded the bases with one out. M-Braves lefthanded reliever Drew Parrish dug in.
Parrish, a Merritt Island native who pitched at Florida State, located a 3-2 fastball that froze Graham Pauley on a called strikeout. He then threw a cutter to strike out Joe Mack swinging to end the inning. The Blue Wahoos finished the game 2-for-12 with runners in scoring position.
From that point, the Blue Wahoos only managed one hit. Halligan pitched in the seventh and eighth innings, giving up one hit, a walk and three strikeouts to earn his sixth win. He is now 5-1 with a 2.16 earned run average and has allowed just two runs in his last nine appearances.
Halligan, 24, a Vienna, Virginia native, was drafted out of PSC in 2021 as a 13th round pick by the Kansas City Royals. He was acquired by the Atlanta Braves as a minor league free agent before the 2023 season. Halligan earned a hold in the M-Braves’ win Wednesday against the Blue Wahoos.
Pauley drove in the Blue Wahoos’ first run in the first inning on a single that scored Nathan Martorella, who had hit a one-out double.
The M-Braves took a 2-1 lead on Cody Milligan’s two-run single against Blue Wahoos starter Jacob Miller in the fifth inning. Miller had another strong start. He did not allow a hit in the first four innings and finished with two hits allowed and three strikeouts in five innings pitched.
The Blue Wahoos tied the game in their half of the fifth. Paul McIntosh’s two-out single scored Pauley, who had reached on a single.
The M-Braves’ Cal Conley hit a two-out homer off Justin King in the eighth. Yolbert Sanchez homered off Dale Stanavich in the ninth.
The Blue Wahoos will try to take a lead in the series with Saturday’s game in the second-to-final fireworks night of the season. Robby Snelling will be on the mound for the Blue Wahoos against the M-Braves’ Lucas Braun.
$90 Million Proposed For Indoor Sports Facility At Ashton Brosnaham Park And Bay Center Upgrades
August 30, 2024
An indoor sports facility costing up to $60 million could be coming to Escambia County’s Ashton Brosnaham Park, and the Pensacola Bay Center could see a $30 million upgrade funding with tourism tax dollars.
Those ideas were pitched to the Tourist Development Council Thursday afternoon, but decisive action was not taken on either item.
Ashton Brosnaham Indoor Sports Facility
A proposal for an indoor sports facility at the county-owned Ashton Brosnaham Park calls for a building that’s 100,000 square foot, including 73,000 square feet of open floor space that would be large enough to host eight basketball courts that could be converted into 16 volleyball courts with support space, or it could be used as large exhibition hall for other types of events.
Other key takeaways on the proposed facility:
- 14 acres of the park is flat, open, undeveloped and already zone for recreation
- 700+ paved parking spaces in the current design
- Primary support for hardwood sports and related events
- Open common areas would include meeting spaces, viewing areas, vendor space, concessions, retail space
- Second floor walking track and viewing area
- Open to the public for recreation, will also host tournaments and events
- Collaboration with Escambia County Public Schools on access and utilization
- Community use of facility on non-tournament dates
- Projected operating deficit offset by ~$37 million in economic impact per year
- Projected new tax revenues of ~$2.7 million per year
- Total project cost range: $48 – $61 million
“It’s a tried and proven location; it doesn’t get any better than the SEC,” Escambia County Parks and Recreation Director Michael Rhodes said The Park has hosted the 2024 SEC Women’s Soccer Tournament and will host it again this year on November 3-10. “We are willing to grow that, and we want to grow that and make that (Ashton Brosnaham Park) the true sports destination in Escambia County. Which we feel it’s already one its way.”
Rhodes said the school district has expressed a willingness to provide property for second roadway into the facility that would also benefit current soccer programs that have 700-800 youth players annually.
“It’s in a growing area in our community,” Rhodes added as he touted Ashton Brosnaham of 10 Mile Road as the perfect location. “This project can be a win-win for everybody…and this is something that will stand the test of time.”
A feasibility study funded by Pensacola Sports came in at 155 pages, but TDC members only saw a 12-page presentation Thursday.
Pensacola Bay Center
A plan to spend $43 million, with $30 million coming from a bond issue by the TDT, was also presented.
The upgrades would modernize the aging facility and add more seating for events like concerts.
What’s next?
TDC member Jim Reeves made motion to approve a $90 million bond issue for the sports facility and Bay Center, but no vote was taken. A substitute motion by council members Mitesh Patel called for special meeting on both proposals.
The Escambia County Tourist Development Council makes recommendations for final decisions by the Board of County Commissioners.
NorthEscambia.com photos/graphics, click to enlarge.
