Troy Johnston went 3 for 4 with a homer and five RBIs, Ryan Weathers pitched six strong innings and the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp downed the Norfolk Tides 6-2 before 5,151 fans Friday night at 121 Financial Ballpark in Florida.

The Jumbo Shrimp (54-57, 22-15 in second half) clinched the six-game set with their fourth straight victory, handing the Tides (68-43, 20-17) their first series loss since mid-June and their season-high fifth straight defeat.

Norfolk, which has relied all season on an offense that ranks among the top five International League teams in hits, runs and RBIs, has been in an offensive funk. It has scored two or fewer runs in five straight games.

The Tides took a 1-0 lead on Daz Cameron’s 15th homer of the season in the top of the second inning. They failed to score again until the top of the ninth, when Cameron drew a bases-loaded walk.

Jacksonville tied it at 1 in the bottom of the third on Johnston’s RBI single, then took the lead for good at 3-1 in the fifth on Johnston’s two-run homer. The Jumbo Shrimp scored three more runs in the seventh on a throwing error and Johnston’s two-run single.

Meanwhile, Jacksonville starter Weathers (1-0) limited the Tides to a run on three hits in six innings with six strikeouts and two walks.

Norfolk starter Justin Armbruester gave up a run on five hits in 3.1 innings. DL Hall (1-2) relieved him, but allowed two runs — on Johnston’s homer — in 1.2 innings. He struck out four and walked one. Ryan Watson gave up the three runs in the seventh.

Aaron Hicks made a rehab start for the Tides, playing DH and batting second. He went 1 for 4 with a run and two strikeouts. The Baltimore Orioles placed him on the 10-day injured list on July 25 with a left hamstring strain.

Lewin Díaz went 2 for 3 and was the only Tides batter with multiple hits.

The teams are set to play at 6:35 p.m. Saturday, with the Tides expected to start left-hander Bruce Zimmermann (3-4, 3.13) against Jumbo Shrimp righty Edward Cabrera (1-0, 3.00).

CLEVELAND — Deshaun Watson looked less rusty in his first action this preseason, and Jacoby Brissett had a TD run in his return to Cleveland as the Washington Commanders beat the Browns 17-15 on Friday night in an exhibition delayed more than an hour at the start by a storm.

Watson took the Browns (1-1) on a 67-yard drive to Washington’s 1-yard line in his only series.

His performance — 3 of 3 for 12 yards, 20 yards rushing — was far better than his preseason debut a year ago, when he completed just one pass at Jacksonville just days before being suspended by the NFL.

Washington’s Sam Howell, who is trying to hold onto his starting job, threw a 26-yard touchdown pass — against mostly Cleveland backups — to Jahan Dotson and had a few other nice moments in his two series. He finished 9 of 12 for 77 yards.

Howell was replaced by Brissett, who went 4-7 in 11 starts for Cleveland in 2022 while Watson was out. The 30-year-old scampered 12 yards for a score in the second quarter to put the Commanders (1-0) ahead 14-2.

Browns rookie QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson threw a TD pass to David Bell in the third, and Kellen Mond’s 20-yard scoring pass to Mike Harley Jr. with 1:39 left brought Cleveland within 17-15.

The Browns’ two-point attempt failed.

The opening kickoff was pushed back by a thunderstorm that blew in about 30 minutes before the scheduled 7:38 p.m. start.

Fans were advised to “seek shelter immediately” and many scurried from their seats into the concourses and stadium tunnel ways. During the delay, Commanders coach Ron Rivera and several of his players came out of the locker room to check on the weather and to find out if there would be a game.

The kickoff eventually came at 8:48, and Rivera and Browns coach Kevin Stefanski decided to play most of their starters despite the wet field conditions.

Watson arrived at Browns Stadium wearing a No. 32 Jim Brown throwback jersey. The team invested $230 million in him despite Watson being accused of sexual assault and harassment by more than two dozen women.

Even when he returned, Watson rarely played up to expectations while going 3-3 in six starts. The Browns are counting on much more this season.

He’s got some new weapons and Watson quickly connected with one, throwing a 6-yard pass to Elijah Moore on Cleveland’s first play. Watson also showed his elusiveness, pulling free from Chase Young for a 9-yard run.

Moore left the field after Cleveland’s opening series. The team said X-rays on his ribs were negative.

Command control

It was Washington’s first game under new owner Josh Harris, who intends to take the franchise in a positive direction after Dan Snyder’s troubled tenure.

The Commanders did have a bit of a turbulent week.

Rivera had to clarify his remarks after making headlines by saying some players had expressed concern over first-year offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy’s fiery style. Bieniemy came over from Kansas City, where he won two Super Bowls.

Two for one

Cleveland’s only points of the first half came on a safety when Washington tackle Andrew Wylie was called for holding in the end zone while trying to block Browns end Za’Darius Smith.

Kicking mad

Cleveland’s Cade York had his second miss of the preseason, pushing a 46-yarder right in the third quarter. He missed a 49-yarder last week. Stefanski has vowed to stick with York despite his struggles as a rookie.

Secondary education

Browns starting safety Grant Delpit had a legitimate excuse for missing the game — to get his degree from LSU.

Delpit, whose career has been slowed by injuries since being selected in the second round in 2020 by Cleveland, practiced on Wednesday before going to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, for the ceremony.

Injuries

Commanders: LBs Milo Eifler and De’Jon Harris were both shaken up when they collided breaking up a pass in the third quarter.

Browns: CB A.J. Green (shoulder) was hurt in the first half. … LB Jacob Phillips (shoulder) went out in the third.

Up next

Commanders: Host Baltimore on Aug. 21.

Browns: Head to Philadelphia for a pair of joint practices against the defending NFC champions before an exhibition on Thursday. The teams had a similar week against each other last year in Cleveland.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

The William & Mary football team received its highest preseason ranking this summer when the the CBS Sports FCS Preseason Top 25 placed the Tribe at No. 3 on Friday.

W&M has also been ranked No. 4 by Stats Perform and Athlon Sports and No. 7 by HERO Sports.

The Tribe return most of their starters from last year’s 11-2 team which earned a share of the CAA title and advanced to the FCS quarterfinals. The returnees include 10 preseason all-conference standouts and five preseason All-America selections.

W&M will open its season Aug. 31 at Campbell.

NSU to host Heels & Helmets on Aug. 31

Norfolk State will host its “Heels & Helmets” program for women on Aug. 31 from 6-8 p.m. at Dick Price Stadium.

The program includes a “Football 101” segment which provides unique insight into the game, chalk talks, football drills, snacks, raffles and more.

Participants are encouraged to wear athletic clothing and shoes to participate in drills. Those not participating in drills are encouraged to wear their best dress heels for an opportunity to win prizes.

NSU graduate Quinesha Leonard, a former Spartan women’s basketball player who plays in the Women’s National Football Conference, will assist NSU head coach Dawson Odums and his coaching staff in running the event.

Briefly

• The Baltimore Orioles recalled left-hander Nick Vespi from the Norfolk Tides and optioned outfielder Ryan McKenna and right-hander Joey Krehbiel to Norfolk on Friday. The Orioles also reinstated outfielder Cedric Mullins from the 10-day injured list.
• Former William & Mary star Anders Nelson recently signed a professional contract with Starwings Basket Regio Basel in the Swiss Basketball League.
• Old Dominion rowing head coach Brian Conley has announced the hiring of Ashley Ball as an assistant coach and the promotion of Zoe Adamson to first assistant coach.

The biggest billfish mostly weren’t biting, but an Ocean City, Maryland, boat landed a mammoth fish Friday to make it a hometown three-peat during the 50th annual White Marlin Open.

John Ols, a Laytonsville, Maryland, resident fishing on Floor Reel reeled in a 640.5-pound blue marlin to claim the most lucrative category – and an estimated $6.2 million – as the tournament concluded in Ocean City late Friday night.

Floor Reel is the third consecutive Ocean City boat to win the five-day event billed as the “World’s Largest and Richest Billfish Tournament.”

Ols’ fish was the tournament’s only qualifying billfish that made it to the scales, and Floor Reel brought it in Friday evening and waited about three hours until it was declared the winner. The catch beat last year’s biggest blue marlin by more than 100 pounds.

No white marlin caught were deemed large enough this week to bring in to weigh, although more than 400 were caught during the week. It’s just the third time in the tournament’s history — the others were 1984, ‘85 and ‘86 — that no white marlin filled the winning categories.

Boats are permitted to fish three of the tournament’s five days, and 357 boats hit the fishing grounds Friday.

Fishlik, a boat from Chincoteague on the Eastern Shore, finished second in the tuna category. The catch, landed by angler Chris Mentlik of Maryland, weighed 247.5 pounds and led the category until Friday.

But Ocean City-based Reel Tight landed a 265-pound tuna Friday to earn an estimated $1 million. That dropped Fishlik’s winnings to an estimated $360,000.

It would have been just another beautiful day at the beach if not for one freakish thing: All the dead fish floating in the ocean and washing up on shore.

Clive Taylor has been going to Hollywood beach his entire life and has never seen anything like it.

“They’re like everywhere,” he said. “On the shore and in the water. You can smell them.”

Hollywood was not the only beach impacted.

Hallandale Beach had at least 2,000 tiny dead fish floating up on shore Friday, according to Jim McCrady, supervisor of the city’s lifeguards.

With water temperatures rising to record levels over the summer, climate scientists have warned of the potential for coastal fish kills and other impacts to South Florida’s marine environment, including algae blooms and coral reef bleaching.

Waters off Florida’s southeastern coast are running about 3.5 degrees higher than normal in Fahrenheit, with waters in the Florida Keys running a staggering 7 degrees above average, according to a recent report by The Miami Herald.

Taylor, a Hollywood native, was taken aback by the sight of dead fish on his hometown beach.

He wanted to head back to his car, but had to wait on a friend who dared to venture into the ocean for a swim.

“I would leave but my friend has been dying to go to the beach,” he told the South Florida Sun Sentinel. “She’s swimming among the dead fish. I talked to the lifeguard. His theory is the ocean is really warm in the shallow part. And it’s been really hot. He feels like they got trapped in the shallow end and died.”

Hot seawater can cause extra stress on fish — especially those that cannot move into colder, deeper waters, said David Kerstetter, an associate professor at Nova Southeastern University’s Fisheries and Avian Ecology Laboratory.

University of Miami Professor Martin Grosell, chair of the Department of Marine Biology and Ecology, agreed.

“I cannot speak to the exact cause of the mortality of these fish, but the high temperature is a very likely factor,” Grosell said. “Frankly, I’ve been expecting this because of the very high temperatures. There’s no question that the very high temperatures we’ve seen this summer are very stressful to a lot of marine life.”

Kerstetter noted that the Fish Kill Hotline run by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has been off the charts across the state over the past few weeks.

A spokeswoman for the agency declined to comment Friday, saying she needed more time to check with a state biologist about what might have caused the fish kill in Hollywood and Hallandale Beach.

Renee Podolsky, a spokeswoman for the Florida Department of Health in Broward, declined to comment, referring questions to Florida Fish and Wildlife.

Hollywood spokeswoman Joann Hussey did not have an estimate on how many dead fish were floating in the water on Friday, but said the beach remained open.

“Lifeguards fly the purple marine warning flag when there are jellyfish or man o’ war,” she said. “Fish would not qualify, so no warning flags are flying. The sandy beach and ocean are open to those who choose to swim at their own risk.”

McCrady, chief of Hallandale Beach Ocean Rescue, says he called the Department of Health to report the dead fish and was told recent water tests were normal.

“We had some dead fish yesterday, but it wasn’t that bad,” he said. “It got worse today. Florida Fish and Wildlife told me the fish kill is most likely the result of high water temperatures and runoff from the recent rainstorms. Organic material is washed out through the inlets. It compromises the oxygen levels in the near-shore ocean and the smaller, less-hearty fish species die as a result.”

It’s hard to predict whether we will see more fish kills this summer, Grosell said.

“There’s a couple different factors going on,” he said. “Globally we are seeing an increase in temperatures. And locally, this summer has been particularly warm here.”

As the temperature rises, the amount of oxygen in the water decreases.

“The warmer the water, the less oxygen,” Grosell said. “On the other hand, most animals that live in the ocean have the same temperature as the environment. A fish in hot water will have a higher temperature than a fish in cold water. And at higher temperatures, there’s a higher need for oxygen. It’s just bad news. The entire ecosystem is consuming more oxygen and there’s less available.”

Stormwater runoff only makes things worse, Grosell said.

“Runoff can contain a lot of nasty things that can contribute to fish kills,” he said. “And that could be the cause of this fish kill. We don’t know for sure.”

Susannah Bryan can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @Susannah_Bryan

Hey, stargazers. We have some good news.

The Perseid meteor shower, which NASA says is considered the best one of the year, will peak this weekend.

The celestial event is associated with the comet Swift-Tuttle, and there are a number of spots in the greater Hampton Roads area to take in the show.

Swift-Tuttle is a big ball of ice and rock that sheds pieces of dusty debris. As Earth moves through the comet’s path, sky watchers get to witness the debris burn up in the atmosphere, resulting in the shower.

This year, the cosmic display will be better than usual since the moon is expected to only be about 10% illuminated, according to Space.com.

“(Hourly) rates this weekend are expected to be near 50 as seen from the northern hemisphere and 10 as seen from south of the equator,” according to the American Meteor Association. “With an entry velocity of 59 km/sec., the average meteor from this source would be of swift velocity. Viewers in the southern hemisphere have a limited view of this shower as the radiant only rises just before dawn and is located low in their northern sky.”

That means for folks in rural areas, or urban areas with less light pollution, there will be a visible meteor about once a minute.

The best time for viewing, according to this year’s Farmers Almanac, is during the pre-dawn hours Sunday, between 2 and 4 a.m. That’s when the sky is at its darkest. But meteors also will be visible late Saturday night.

Bob Berman, astronomer for the Farmers Almanac, reports that it takes about 20 minutes for eyes to adjust to the dark, and large swaths of sky with no trees are best for viewing.

The weather is expected to be dry, with mostly clear skies. And to get away from city lights, Hampton Roads stargazers have several options.

On the northern side of the region, James City County, upper York County, the Eastern Shore and the Middle Peninsula have several dark spots. To the west, Isle of Wight and Surry counties offer good viewing. Southern portions of Suffolk, Chesapeake and Virginia Beach are other prime locations, along with the Outer Banks.

“If you’re an avid sky watcher or have a sky map, it does help to know that the Perseid shower is named for the constellation Perseus, which is its radiant,” Berman wrote. “A radiant is the point of origin of the meteor shower, so the Perseid meteors will appear to be traveling away from the constellation Perseus in the night sky. Locating the constellation Perseus might therefore help you to see as many meteors as possible.”

Eliza Noe, [email protected]

A Norfolk man pleaded guilty Friday to second-degree murder in the March 2021 shooting death of another man in the Grandy Village area, prosecutors announced.

Curtis E. Copeland Jr., 22,  will serve 13 active years in prison for the killing of of 31-year-old Eddie Moet Jenkins as part of the plea agreement, according to a news release from the Norfolk commonwealth’s attorney’s office.

On March 17, 2021, police responded to the 600 block of Wiley Drive just before 1 a.m. At the scene, emergency services found Jenkins dead from bullet wounds to his head, torso and leg. Prosecutors say a witness identified Copeland as “one of multiple shooters.”

Copeland had a scheduled hearing before a jury trial Friday, but he pleaded guilty to the charge and Judge Robert B. Rigney accepted his plea. According to the plea agreement, Rigney sentenced Copeland to 13 years in prison, with another nine years suspended on the conditions that he not have any contact with Jenkins’ family or any witnesses. He must also complete 10 years of good behavior and five years of supervised probation.

“Contrary to what some people think, just because a person involved in an argument is armed does not give others a license to kill,” Norfolk Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi said. “Mr. Copeland had no legal excuse for shooting the victim, and his plea holds him accountable for this murder. My condolences go to Mr. Jenkins and his family.”

Eliza Noe, [email protected]

Saturday, Aug. 12Thurston Howell Band

The Charlotte, N.C.-based band, who draws their name from the nattily dressed “millionaire” on the campy ‘60s TV series “Gilligan’s Island,” specializes in off-the-record remakes of “yacht rock” songs. They perform at Outer Banks Brewing Station in Kill Devil Hills.

For the uninitiated, the genre focuses on soft-rock, pop, jazz and rhythm-and-blues jams from roughly 1972-1982, characterized by smooth grooves, close harmonies and complex instrumentation. Most are radio hits recorded by artists like Michael McDonald, Christopher Cross, Kenny Loggins, Pablo Cruise, Steely Dan and Hall and Oates.

In recent years, “yacht rock” has become a phenomenon, capturing the ears of both those who lived through the era and young folks looking for music that’s fun, comforting and familiar through movie and TV soundtracks. “It’s nostalgia,” says guitarist-singer Eric Lovell, the band’s spokesman. “They’re songs you didn’t realize you knew all the words to.”

Howell features three lead singers (two men and one woman), along with guitar, keyboards, drums, saxophone and bass.

The group has about 60 songs in their repertoire, including such gems as “Africa,” “Heart to Heart,” “Ride Like the Wind,” “I Keep Forgetting,” “Brandy,” “Still the One,” “Lido Shuffle,” “I Can’t Go for That,” “Moonlight Feels Right,” “Islands in the Stream” and “Peg.” Lovell says the most-requested tune is probably Rupert Holmes’ “Escape (The Pina Colada Song).”

“Everybody sings along,” he says, adding “There’s a real laid-back attitude at our shows, so it’s hard to start a fight.”

When: 10:30 p.m.Cost: $20 in advance, $25 at the doorWhere: Outer Banks Brewing Station, 600 S. Croatan Hwy., Kill Devil HillsInfo: obbrewing.com

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Wednesday, Aug. 16Laughing Gull Comedy Night: Jimmie Walker, with Andy Forrester

Actor, talk show host, morning radio DJ: Jimmie Walker has been there, done that and more.

He’s best known for the 1970s sitcom “Good Times,” playing the artistic teenager JJ Evans, whose exclamation of “Dyn-O-Mite” became a cultural reference of the decade and made him a household name.

In an email interview, Walker, who lives in Los Angeles, says he’s “still recognized sometimes” from the TV role. In the last two decades the 76-year Walker, performing at the Pioneer Theater in downtown Manteo, has focused on standup comedy.

He was succinct in the interview about his material, stating that it’s “clean and funny” with subject matter that includes “today’s news and everything in between.”

The Raleigh, N.C.-based Forrester has an easy-going style, riffing on such things as personal-injury-lawyer commercials, daytime snoring and his love for Krispy Kreme doughnuts. The local musician known as Sam on Sax will perform in the Pioneer Garden, starting at 6 p.m.

When: 7:30 p.m., with doors opening at 7 p.m.Tickets: $47 to $75Where: Pioneer Theater, 113 Budleigh St., downtown ManteoInfo: eventbrite.com

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Wednesday, Aug. 16Mama’s Black Sheep

The Baltimore, Maryland-based duo — Ashland Miller on guitar and vocals and Laura Cerulli on drums and vocals — plays a free show at Dowdy Park in Nags Head.

It’s part of the town’s weekly Summer Concert Series.

Longtime favorites on the Outer Banks, Miller and Cerulli are both powerful singers and inventive instrumentalists. Sheep, who formed in 2008, averages 150 shows a year.

Their repertoire include originals (the folk-rock “Ocean” and Americana “Spoonin’” are standouts) and a wide range of customized remakes, including George Gershwin’s “Summertime,” Van Morrison’s “Into the Mystic,” Blake Shelton’s “God Gave Me You,” Ed Sheeran’s “Thinking of You,” O.A.R.’s “Peace,” “Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama” and Elvis Presley’s “Jailhouse Rock.”

When: 6:30 p.m.Cost: FreeWhere: Dowdy Park, 3005 S. Croatan Hwy., Nags HeadInfo: nagsheadnc.govParking is available at Nags Head Elementary School, next door to the parkIt’s lawn seating, so bring a chair or blanket

Juan Antonio (Oso) Oseguera | (TNS) TravelPulse

Travel is more than a consumer product; it is a resource and a necessary experience. It is a resource and an occasion for people that allows them to open up to others, meet, understand the world, and know themselves.

That is why we will never stop traveling, but we will change how we do it. And it is necessary to take care of the planet. Something that Costa Rica has done well.

Costa Rica is one of the most ecological countries on the planet, and for years it has had a concept of travel integrated with nature that has become an emblem of ecotourism. The recovery of the tourism sector involves implementing sustainable models following the Costa Rican example.

Sustainability is not only a practice in Costa Rica but a way of life. Responsible tourism is found in every region of the country, permeates government policies even in different administrations, and is embraced by citizens and visitors, making the country one of the most sustainable destinations in the Americas.

William Rodríguez, minister of tourism of Costa Rica, pointed out that they are clear that the raw material to have a more significant activity of travelers is nature, so they must take care of it and not dilapidate it. “We have to respect.”

Rodríguez explained in an interview with TravelPulse that “the concept of conservation has two parts: one is to keep things as they are, and at the same time serve for research and conservation. And the other part is for enjoyment, without devastating.”

How? Separating a specific area so it can be visited and the rest to keep it isolated from tourism. The park with the most open area to the public is 7 percent, and the remaining 93 percent is untouchable and kept in conservation. “On average, our parks maintain between 4 and 5 percent of areas open to the public. The secret of growing green areas and offering sustainable tourism is to keep most of them closed and in their natural state.”

The minister mentioned how Costa Rica had set the example of not deforesting but reforesting and went from having a 25 percent green area to 56 percent. Today, tourism generates 8.1 percent of the Central American country’s GDP, and the minister recognizes that it brings benefits and social and economic progress in areas where traditional industry has yet to reach.

Rodríguez affirmed that the sustainability aspect in Costa Rica is focused on environmental, social, and economic factors. “With those criteria, we have sold the country in terms of tourism, and we have been successful, which is why we are launching this new promotional campaign.”

“It is not the same thing to sell attractiveness, but the experience that we can generate to the foreign traveler and thus enrich their leisure or family trip,” he said.

Costa Rica, a pioneer in sustainability and safe ecotourism, received the Champions of the Earth award, the United Nation’s highest environmental award, for its role in protecting nature and its commitment to combating climate change.

It is time for the sector to reinvent itself towards a model that puts an end to the social and environmental consequences of overcrowding. In the new reality, one of the gestures that will change the most is the way of traveling; Costa Rica is in a privileged position because of all the roads it has already traveled and stands as a model of the new tourism.

Costa Rica has developed a detailed plan to decarbonize its economy by 2050, in line with the Paris Agreement and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. With this initiative, the country hopes to pave the way for other nations to curb greenhouse gas emissions, which cause climate change and its devastating effects. Costa Rica’s success in placing environmental concerns at the center of its political and economic strategies proves that sustainability is achievable and economically viable. So, if protecting the planet is one of your priorities, you won’t find a better destination.

Costa Rica is home to 6.5 percent of the world’s biodiversity. In this paradise of just over 51,000 square kilometers—slightly larger than Aragon—there are more than 230 species of mammals, 850 species of birds, and 12,000 types of plants. In addition, the traveler will find the quality of its beautiful beaches, an average annual temperature between 20 and 27 degrees, and a tourism model that promotes the local economy and favors the reinsertion of animal species in their natural habitat.

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