DELTONA, Fla. (AP) — Authorities say two Florida brothers got into a tussle over missing macaroni and cheese that ended with one stabbing the other in the stomach.

Volusia County Sheriff's deputies say 47-year-old Edward Zipperer spilled a beer belonging to his 49-year-old brother Randy Zipperer while looking for the missing mac and cheese. That set off an argument inside the Deltona home that led to the older brother stabbing the younger one.

According to the Daytona Beach News-Journal (http://bit.ly/11EKZ4Z ), Randy Zipperer told deputies he didn't mean to hurt his brother, adding he just "poked him a little with the knife."

Edward Zipperer had a small puncture wound. Deputies recovered a 6-inch knife with blood on the tip.

Randy Zipperer remained in the Volusia County Jail early Friday. He faces an aggravated battery charge.

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Information from: Daytona Beach (Fla.) News-Journal,http://www.news-journalonline.com

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.

Flood insurance policy holders would do well to flood their savings accounts with extra dollars in the months ahead.

Significant premium increases will take effect this October as part of changes to the National Flood Insurance Program. The NFIP is a federal initiative that insures property located in low-lying areas against floods, which are not covered under homeowner’s insurance policies.

Premiums will increase by an average of 10 percent annually for the next five years as the Federal Emergency Management Agency builds up a reserve fund for the NFIP. Coastal hurricanes such as Sandy and Katrina and the floods that have plagued areas along the Mississippi and other rivers in recent years have left the NFIP $24 billion in debt.

“For decades the program has made flood insurance available at subsidized rates that did not reflect the true risk of flooding. Artificially low rates and discounts are no longer sustainable,” said Kristin Robinson, a senior advisor to the National Association of Realtors.

The premium increases and other NFIP changes will be discussed today as part of the annual Hurricane Preparedness Expo. The event, put on by the Governor’s Office of Insurance, runs from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Victory Drive Home Depot, located just west of the Victory Drive-Skidaway Road intersection.

The state insurance commissioner, Ralph Hudgens, as well as FEMA representatives and city and county flood plain management staff, will be among those on hand to answer questions and review flood maps with property owners.

Many Savannah-area flood policy holders will see premiums increase well beyond the 10 percent average.

Business properties, vacation homes and other non-principal residences built prior to when the first Flood Insurance Rate Map was drawn up for Chatham County, will see a 25 percent increase annually.

Payments on primary residential property in V zones — most of Tybee Island, for example — will jump from between 11 percent and 17 percent. Those in A zones, which includes thousands of properties across Chatham County, face 6 percent to 16 percent increases.

Even those in X zones, determined to be outside the 100-year flood plain, may see premiums increase by as much as 8 percent.

“Most of us who buy property in coastal areas understand you pay to play, but nobody knew we would end up paying that much,” said Marsheila Rhodes, an insurance agent with local firm Bush Insurance & Financial Agency. “It’s getting more and more expensive to live in Coastal Georgia.”

The NFIP changes will also require more diligence on the part of policy holders.

For those in pre-FIRM properties, or the properties built prior to the creation of the first Flood Insurance Rate Map, any lapse in policy will result in their properties being subject to the full risk rating and a substantial premium increase.

Those property owners will also be required to secure an elevation certificate from the county, which involves getting a costly property elevation survey.

For those policy holders with grandfathered rates on their flood insurance premiums, those rates will be phased out starting late next year with the schedule update of the local Flood Insurance Rate Map.

The NFIP changes will have an impact on the real estate market, although to what extent is uncertain, said the president of the Savannah Area Board of Realtors, Donna Davis.

New policies written after Oct. 1 will be subject to the full risk rating premiums. And higher premiums will drive up the monthly cost of owning a home in a flood zone, a consideration for many buyers.

Whether higher premiums reduce demand enough to harm values is unknown.

“We don’t know enough about it yet to know the true impact,” Davis said. “But it is one more thing to be factored in by the buyer.”

HURRICANE PREPAREDNESS EXPO

When: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Saturday

Where: Home Depot on Victory Drive

Info: Go to http://www.oci.ga.gov/FireMarshal/HurricaneExpo.aspx for more information.

CHATHAM COUNTY FLOOD ZONE MAP

The government website has information on flood zones, including a map and an explainer. Go to engineering.chathamcounty.org and click on the “Flood Zones” tab across the top of the home page to access the information.

FACTS ABOUT THE NFIP CHANGES

The Biggert Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act passed last July and requires FEMA to make changes to the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), which is $24 billion in debt. FEMA has created a reserve for the NFIP and will raise premiums and phase out grandfathered rates to fund the reserve.

Go to www.fema.gov and type “Flood Insurance Reform Act” into the search box on the top right-hand corner of the home page. Premium increases will take effect this October as part of the changes to the National Flood Insurance Program.

A plan to nearly double the fee for collecting dry trash and yard debris in the unincorporated area has failed again after a vote Friday by the Chatham County Commission.

Commissioners voted 4-4 on a motion to raise the solid waste fee for dry trash from $43 to $85 per year for single-family residences.

The tie vote means the measure failed, but the issue will likely come up again at the next meeting when all commissioners are present, said Chairman Al Scott.

Commissioners Helen Stone, Patrick Farrell, Lori Brady and Dean Kicklighter voted against the measure. Commissioner Priscilla Thomas was absent during voting.

For years, the dry trash matter has come before the commission, which has more than three times declined to raise the fee.

Initially, commissioners were scheduled to vote on one motion to raise the fee for dry trash, along with increases to water and sewer rates and recreation fees.

But as a sign of just how contentious the matter remains, commissioners voted beforehand to separate the dry trash fee vote from the other fee increases, which were approved in a separate 6-2 vote. Brady and Kicklighter voted against those increases.

The atmosphere in the commission meeting room evolved into the surreal when Kicklighter gave a lengthy and passion-filled speech against the dry trash fee hike and then made a motion to deny the increase, before withdrawing the motion.

Then Commissioner Tony Center called for a vote to table the issue. After the 4-4 tie, Kicklighter called for another vote to approve raising the fee, which ultimately failed.

Those in the room, including other commissioners, scratched their heads in confusion.

“I’m getting an Excedrin headache,” said County Manager Russ Abolt.

Those who opposed the dry trash fee hike argued that unincorporated area customers in the Special Service District who pay the fees are already burdened with paying taxes county-wide on top of taxes for the district. Farrell, in prepared remarks, again called for the special tax district to be dissolved.

In his speech, Kicklighter suggested the fee increase is simply a covert attempt to fund police expenditures, which he said is where most SSD revenues go.

“This will do nothing but further subsidize crime fighting in the city of Savannah at the expense of the unincorporated area,” Kicklighter said.

But Abolt and others on the side of the increase said dry trash service has a self-supporting fee that needs to reflect costs related to providing services for subscribers.

Commissioners also voted 8-0 in favor of raising health insurance premiums for county employees and requiring them to have worked a minimum of 10 years to be eligible for benefits in retirement.

Michael Savidakis, construction manager with the Arizona-based Hunt Construction Group, gave commissioners an update on local business participation in the county’s jail expansion project. He reported that local participation is about 71.5 percent, which translates to an estimated $50 million awarded to businesses based in the county.

He also said the majority of the project’s work is now in the renovation phase of the existing jail.

However, Commissioner Yusuf Shabazz, who has worked as a civil engineer, questioned Savidakis about allegations that some local sub-contractors on the project have not been treated fairly.

Savidakis said six to 10 surety bonds have been issued to cover missteps by sub-contractors and assured that sub-contractors are getting paid after a few commissioners raised concerns.

MORE ON CHATHAM COUNTY COMMISSION

In other business before the county commission:

• Commissioners approved Georgia Criminal Justice Coordinating Council grants for $193,264 to the Savannah-Chatham County Drug Court, $41,664 to the Chatham County DUI Court, $61,261 to the Chatham-Savannah Mental Health Court and $69,363 to the Chatham-Savannah Veterans Treatment Court.

• Chatham Youth Commission graduates were recognized, including Alexis Parker, Briana Polite, Nia Dawson, Lydia Peay, Briana Adams, Wynter Benyard, Emily Bermudez, Marcus Brown, Shakira Bush, Jared Grant, Mikelyn Green, Claire Hammond, Greg Mortimer and Tyhira Williams.

• Chatham Apprentice Program graduates were recognized, including Micheal Brown, Sammie Scott, Jason Brown, Abdul Al-Hamid, Roger Walker, Rakem Washington, Shamar Ashley, Antione Wilson, Horace Walker, Anthony Moultrie, Nathaniel Steplight, Timothy Mitchell, Alma Woodhouse, Adrianne Brownfield, Brittinie Dehar, Paul Santos, Shaun Barnes and Stanley Baldwin.

Azell Branch sat and soaked up some sun on the back patio of his new apartment in Savannah Gardens, an affordable housing community featuring energy-efficient apartments and single-family homes that is being developed on the former site of Strathmore Estates in east Savannah.

Branch is one of hundreds who relocated from Strathmore, a community of World War II-era “temporary” homes built for shipbuilders that later became beset with drug dealers and violence.

Most of the 380 structures have been demolished since 2009, after Savannah teamed up with a nonprofit housing organization to tear them down and make way for the energy-efficient multi-family dwellings at Savannah Gardens.

The 30 structures that remain sit vacant, their windows shattered and facades marked with graffiti, cast-aside furniture and trash piled outside.

The remaining eyesores off Pennyslvania Avenue were approved for demolition last month by the Savannah City Council to make way for the final phase of Savannah Gardens, which will add another 76 multi-family apartments to the community, where 249 have already been completed. More than 90 percent of the apartments have been rented.

Branch, who spent 12 years living in Strathmore before moving in 2011, said he is not sorry to see the last of the shacks torn down.

“It was cold in the winter and hot in the summer,” Branch said. “Too many holes in it.”

All the new buildings are being built to Earthcraft standards, a green building certification specific to the climate and materials relevant to the Southeast.

Prior to construction, the city will have to make right-of-way improvements, including new streets, lanes, sidewalks, parks and utilities. The infrastructure work is expected to be bid out soon and be installed beginning later this year.

The project is a collaboration between the city and CHSA Development, a nonprofit housing organization that purchased the property in 2007 for about $13 million using both loans and grant funds.

Another nonprofit, Mercy Housing Southeast, was selected by CHSA Development to become the affordable apartment developer.

The city budgeted $13 million to complete improvements at the Savannah Gardens site, including the installation of new infrastructure and parks.

To date, the city has spent about $11 million of the budgeted amount.

Mercy Housing is counting on selling tax credits to help fund the project, which the nonprofit received to construct the previous phases of the development.

Along with the demolition, the Savannah City Council approved a resolution supporting the organization’s application for those tax credits, which are awarded on a competitive basis.

The community is not just for low-income residents, however.

Steps have been taken to make sure the housing is available to households with varied incomes so it will be an economically diverse neighborhood, said Martin Fretty, director of the city’s housing department.

“We feel that is a more healthy mix overall,” Fretty said.

About 10 percent of the 439 apartments will be rented at market rate, while the rest will be based on income, according to CHSA Director Darrel Daise.

The project will include about 560 units, some of them single-family homes, when it’s finished.

Of the 120 single-family houses that will be built, 31 are complete and eight are under construction. Of those, 20 have been sold and three other buyers have been approved to close.

As anticipated, the physical improvements have helped reduce crime in the area, Fretty said.

Reported crimes against people and property in the Twickenham and Savannah Gardens area have dropped from 235 in 2008 to 103 in 2012, he said.

The $290,740 demolition contract with American Clearing provides for the salvage of building materials, which has also been done in previous phases of the project in partnership with the Emergent Structures.

Reclaimed materials have been repurposed for flooring and rain barrel stands, as well as for an outdoor learning center at Shuman Elementary, said Scott Boylston, president of the nonprofit organization.

In addition, there are plans to use reclaimed windows from Strathmore to build a greenhouse in east Savannah, which will be used as an educational resource.

Boylston said building reclamation diverts usable materials from landfills and reduces the need for new materials.

“It’s beneficial to both sides,” he said.

ARDMORE, Pa. —

Phil Mickelson made his first birdie on his last putt. Billy Horschel never missed a green. It was all they could do to barely break par against Merion, which is turning out to be the real star of this U.S. Open.

Nearly half the field did not finish the second round when it was suspended by darkness. Moments after the horn sounded to stop play, Mickelson opted to finish his round and drilled a 20-foot birdie putt for a 2-over 72. That gave him a share of the clubhouse lead with Horschel, who made it as easy as possible by hitting every green in regulation for a 67.

They were at 1-under 139.

Even with the round not finished, it was becoming clear that this U.S. Open might be up for grabs until the very end. Tiger Woods, who grimaced with every shot out of the rough because of pain in his left elbow, was at 3-over 143 and still very much in the game.

“I don’t know how anyone is going to separate too far from the field,” Mickelson said. “There might be a hot round tomorrow, and they might get a hot round on Sunday, but unlikely to be the same player.”

No one was hotter than Horschel, playing in his first U.S. Open since he was a 19-year-old in college.

Nothing is tougher than Merion, the little course in the tony suburbs of Philadelphia that even in rain-softened conditions is showing plenty of might. And to think there was chatter at the start of the week about the potential for the first 62 in major championship history.

“Perhaps next time you guys will believe when we say it’s really not that easy, that it’s really not that easy,” Geoff Ogilvy said after a 70. That put him at 4-over 144, which gave him and dozens of others a legitimate shot going into the weekend.

Luke Donald (72), Justin Rose (69) and Steve Stricker (69) were at even-par 140.

The surprises were a pair of amateurs — Michael Kim of Cal and Cheng-Tsung Pan of Taiwan. They were 2 under for their round and among those who didn’t finish.

The long day, brought on by storm delays on Thursday, began with cool conditions and patches of light rain that eventually gave way to sunshine. That led players to wonder how much tougher Merion will be once it starts to dry out.

“It’s not as easy as people think,” defending champion Webb Simpson said after a 75 put him six shots behind the clubhouse lead. “I heard 15, 16 under floating around. And it’s going to be a normal U.S. Open winning score, I think.”

Horschel hit all 18 greens in regulation, a stellar achievement at a regular tour event, let alone the U.S. Open. It sent USGA officials searching for hours to find the last time anyone failed to miss a green in the toughest test in golf. Records of that detail only go back as far as 1989. That last documentation of someone doing that was Johnny Miller when he closed with a 63 at Oakmont to win in 1973.

David Graham used his putter on every hole — three from the fringe — when he shot 67 to win the 1981 U.S. Open at Merion.

“I didn’t know I hit every green until I walked off 18,” Horschel said. “It’s a cool thing. But like I said, it’s not the first time I’ve hit all 18 greens. I’ve done it plenty of times in my career. Obviously, it’s at a U.S. Open, but I think the softness of the greens helped that.”

Pan played nine holes and was even par, along with Ian Poulter, who was plodding along in plaid at 1 under for his round through 14 holes. John Senden of Australia had a 71 and Nicolas Colsaerts of Belgium shot 72 to finish at 1-over 141.

Mickelson, equipped with a full night of rest after his cross-country trip Wednesday from his daughter’s eighth-grade graduation in San Diego, began with a three-putt bogey and appeared ready to pull away with a shot that nearly spun back into the hole at No. 8. He missed the birdie putt from 4 feet. Then he hit a beautiful tee shot over the water to a dangerous front pin on the par-3 ninth to about 7 feet. He missed that one, too.

In the mix

Lefty three-putted from 20 feet on No. 12, and then flew a wedge over the green into a plugged lie for bogey on the par-3 13th. He kept battling until ending on a sweet note. With that birdie putt on his final hole, Mickelson was under par through 36 holes for the seventh time in the U.S. Open. The previous six times, he was a threat to win on Sunday. Mickelson has five silver medals as a runner-up, and all he wants is another chance.

“I just like being in the mix,” he said. “I think it’s fun having a chance heading into the weekend. The way I have control off the tee and as good as the putter is — even though it didn’t show today — I’m very excited about the opportunity this weekend.”

Horschel doesn’t lack for confidence, even though the 26-year-old from Florida won for the first time on the PGA Tour just two months ago in New Orleans. He is an explosive player, capable of running off birdies without notice. For this championship that meant keeping the ball in play.

His only bogey was on the 13th hole, the short par 3 and the easiest at Merion.

“I was not in the zone, trust me,” Horschel said. “This golf course, even though it’s soft, is still a tough golf course. I know what ‘in the zone’ is for me. I don’t get nervous, I just see the shot and go. And I saw the shot and I went with it, but I was still nervous with a lot of them. Your misses here can be bad if you miss in the wrong spot.”

Graham’s great round won him the U.S. Open. Horschel still has a long way to go. Considering this packed leaderboard, it feels as though the tournament hasn’t even started.

For all his travails, Woods was only four shots behind. So was Rory McIlroy, who also had a 70.

“It tests every aspect of your game,” McIlroy said. “There were people talking about 62s and 63s at the start of the week and, I mean, I never saw that at all. I still think that something very little under par is going to win this week. If or if not that, around even par.”

Merion a grind

Indeed, the real winner so far has been Merion.

For such a short course — it measured 6,901 yards from tee to wicker basket — this century-old track had everyone’s attention.

“You were convinced it was going to be scoring records and 62s and obnoxious scoring,” Ogilvy said. “Did one player say that? Not many, anyway. The players said it was pretty hard, didn’t they? Today was hard.”

Everything looked like a grind for Woods, who said he first hurt his left arm at The Players Championship — he didn’t say where or how — when he won at the TPC Sawgrass a month ago. He dangled the arm and occasionally grimaced with shots out of the rough on No. 12, No. 4 and No. 8.

He was more interested in his game, and that didn’t cause him much pain at all. And even though he was halfway through his quest to end five years without a major, Woods was keeping his head down.

“Just keep grinding,” he said. “You just don’t ever know what the winning score is going to be. You don’t know if the guys are going to come back. We have a long way to go, and these conditions aren’t going to get any easier.”

NEW YORK — Even as a pared-down version of Microsoft’s Office software package arrived on the iPhone, the company is holding out on extending that to the iPad and Android devices as it tries to boost sales of tablet computers running its own Windows system.

Microsoft also isn’t selling Office Mobile for iPhone separately. Instead, it comes as part of a $100-a-year Office 365 subscription, which also lets you use Office on up to five Mac and Windows computers. Microsoft made the app available through Apple’s app store Friday.

Microsoft Corp. is treading a fine line as it tries to make its subscription more compelling, without removing an advantage that tablet computers running Microsoft’s Windows system now have — the ability to run popular Office programs such as Word, Excel and PowerPoint.

Microsoft has been pushing subscriptions as a way to get customers to keep paying for a product that has historically been sold in a single purchase. The company touts such benefits as the ability to run the package on multiple computers and get updates for free on a regular basis. Microsoft said it wants to give customers yet another reason to embrace subscriptions by offering Office on the iPhone only with a subscription.

The iPhone app will let people read and edit their text documents, spreadsheets and slide presentations at the doctor’s office or at a soccer game. But many people will prefer doing those tasks on a tablet’s larger screen. Office is available on those devices through a Web browser, but that requires a constant Internet connection, something many tablets don’t have.

“The nature of the Office suite, being productivity-focused, makes it better-suited for a larger mobile screen,” said Josh Olson, an analyst with Edward Jones. “The issue then becomes, ‘How do you provide the Office offering in its best-suited mobile environment without negating a distinguishing characteristic of the Windows 8 tablets?’”

He said Microsoft isn’t likely to offer Office on the iPad and other tablets until it sees sufficient adoption of Windows tablets first. Because of that, the new mobile app is likely to increase consumer awareness, but it won’t significantly increase subscriptions.

Another analyst, Rick Sherlund of Nomura Securities, warned that delaying a tablet version on non-Windows devices will merely help competitors.

“Office is a bigger business for Microsoft than Windows, so we see more urgency to preserve and extend the Office franchise cross platform,” he said.

Apple, for one, is refreshing its iWork package this fall, while Google bought Quickoffice last year. The two offerings are among several that are capable of working with Office files on mobile devices, though people using them may lose formatting and other details.

Chris Schneider, a marketing manager with Microsoft’s Office team, would not comment on any plans for the iPad or Android.

The regular version of Office works on Windows 8 tablets, and most of the features are available on a version designed for tablets running a lightweight version of Windows called RT. Customers needing to use Office on a larger screen than a phone might be drawn to the Windows tablets, which have lagged behind in sales and cachet compared with Apple’s iPad and various devices running Google’s Android system.

The iPhone app comes with Word, Excel and PowerPoint and will sync with Microsoft’s SkyDrive online storage service. Microsoft said people will be able to pick up a Word document exactly where they left off on another computer tied to the same account, while comments they add to a Word or Excel file will appear when they open it up on another machine.

Although documents will be reformatted to fit the phone’s screen, the company said the iPhone app will preserve charts, animation, comments and other key properties. That’s not always the case with programs offered by Google and other companies to work with Office files on mobile devices.

But the app doesn’t offer the same range of features available on regular computers.

It’s meant for lightweight editing, not complex calculations or heavy graphical work, Schneider said. Someone about to give a speech can review a PowerPoint presentation and fix a typo, for instance. Someone getting a Word or Excel document as an email attachment can add comments or make changes, then send it back, either as an email attachment or through a sharing feature on SkyDrive.

Rather than have it do everything, Schneider said, “we designed the Office Mobile for iPhone to meet the scenarios that make the most sense.”

The iPhone app also won’t have Outlook for email, Publisher for desktop publishing and Access for databases. Microsoft’s OneNote software for note-taking has been available for free separately for iPhones and iPads.

People with Office 365 subscriptions will be able to run the new app on up to five iPhones, in addition to the five Mac or Windows computers. People in the United States were able to get it from Apple’s app store Friday. Availability in other countries will follow in the coming days. Downloading is free, but a subscription is needed for the app to work.

It’s possible to use the iPhone app on an iPad, but the documents are merely blown up to fit the size of the screen. You won’t get to see more of a document despite the larger screen, and text and graphics won’t look as sharp when enlarged.

Microsoft, which is based in Redmond, Wash., already makes a version for phones running its Windows Phone 8 operating system. An Office 365 subscription isn’t required for that, and those apps do not count toward the five mobile devices permitted for each subscription.

ATLANTA — Madison Bumgarner allowed two hits in seven innings and combined with Sandy Rosario for a three-hit shutout in the San Francisco Giants’ 6-0 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Friday night.

Bumgarner (6-4) was dominant in earning his second straight win. The left-hander did not allow a baserunner for 4 2/3 innings before losing his bid for a perfect game in the fifth and shot at a no-hitter in the sixth.

Bumgarner matched his season high with 10 strikeouts with one walk.

Atlanta’s Kris Medlen (3-7) lasted six innings and gave up four runs on nine hits, including a homer by Gregor Blanco to lead off the game. The Giants had five doubles off Medlen.

Buster Posey had three doubles. Blanco had two hits, including a run-scoring single in the second.

Rosario allowed one hit in two scoreless innings. Andrelton Simmons singled with one out in the ninth and moved to second base on Jason Heyward’s groundout. Rosario struck out Justin Upton to end the game.

The Braves, who were swept in a three-game series at San Diego to end a 2-5 road trip, have lost four straight.

Bumgarner, pitching one year and one day after teammate Matt Cain’s perfect game against Houston, did not allow a baserunner until B.J. Upton walked with two outs in the fifth. Bumgarner then struck out Uggla, who remained at home plate to argue the called third strike with umpire Gary Darling.

Atlanta’s Brian McCann also disagreed with a called third strike by Darling earlier in the fifth inning.

Chris Johnson led off the sixth with a bloop single to right-center field for Atlanta’s first hit.

The Giants took a 2-0 lead in the second when Joaquin Arias doubled and scored on Blanco’s single. The Giants added a run in the third on back-to-back doubles by Posey and Hunter Pence. Two more doubles by Posey and Brandon Crawford in the fifth pushed the lead to 4-0.

San Francisco added two runs off Braves rookie Alex Wood in the seventh. Posey’s third double drove in Tony Abreu, who walked. Wood, who walked two more batters in the inning, forced in a run with his bases-loaded balk with Andres Torres at the plate.

Braves general manager Frank Wren announced during the game that right-hander Brandon Beachy will not make his scheduled 2013 debut in Tuesday’s doubleheader against the Mets.

Wren said Beachy, returning from elbow ligament-replacement surgery in June of last year, was “a little tender” following Thursday night’s rehab start for Triple-A Gwinnett in Rochester. Beachy was back in Atlanta on Friday and was examined by a Braves doctor.

“We think it’s a very minor setback,” Wren said.

“We’re not sure exactly when we’ll insert him back in. It’s really a function of when he’s feeling good again.”

Notes

Wren said the Braves would select a replacement starter for Beachy on Sunday. ... Giants manager Bruce Bochy said 2B Marco Scutaro, who was hit by a pitch on his left pinkie finger on Tuesday, is “coming around” but is in a “holding pattern” until the team returns to San Francisco on Monday. ... Braves LHP Mike Minor will face Giants RHP Chad Gaudin on Saturday.

The Savannah Sand Gnats were determined not to back their way into the Southern Division’s first-half title, and they also seemed intent on making their clinching victory Friday night as dramatic as possible.

The host Sand Gnats went 12 innings before edging the Greenville Drive 2-1 on Brandon Nimmo’s walk-off sacrifice fly to score Jeff Reynolds from third base as the remainder of the 3,017 in attendance cheered at Grayson Stadium.

Savannah (41-26) won the title in the Class A South Atlantic League’s first half as Charleston (38-28) lost earlier to Augusta 4-1 to put the Gnats up 2 1/2 games with only two left before the All-Star break.

“We have a great mix,” said Savannah’s second-year manager Luis Rojas. “We have everything on this team. We have pitching to speed to defense to timely hitting. I think it’s a well-balanced team and a great group of guys.”

The team automatically qualified for the league’s postseason, but it had to wait to break out the sparkling wine after the 3 hours and 27 minutes of play.

With one out in the 12th, Reynolds and Phillip Evans singled off Gerardo Olivares and Eudy Pina walked for to load the bases. When Nimmo stepped up to the plate, it was eerily similar to the scenario Tuesday night, when his walk-off walk beat Asheville 1-0 in 11 innings.

“It was nice to already have this experience under the belt twice in one week,” Nimmo said.

He worked a full count and on the eighth pitch lifted a flyball to center field, where Cody Koback could not throw out Reynolds at home.

“(Olivares) threw me a strike so I had to swing the bat,” Nimmo said. “Luckily we got enough of one to get one out there.”

Greenville added to the drama by tying the game 1-1 in the eighth. Mookie Betts greeted reliever Paul Sewald with a single to center, and Jose Vinicio hit an opposite-field double. Left fielder Stefan Sabol made a nice pickup of the ball off the wall as Betts held at third.

Sewald struck out Koback, but David Chester’s groundout scored Betts.

Savannah got on the board first when Maikis De La Cruz led off the second inning with a double, took third on Sabol’s single and scored on Cole Frenzel’s groundout.

There was more cheering in the ninth inning, but it was for one of the Greenville players. Reliever J.B. Wendelken, a former South Effingham High School star who played at Middle Georgia College, entered the game and struck out the first two batters he faced. The right-hander finished with two perfect innings and three strikeouts.

The Sand Gnats were holding onto that slim 1-0 lead with they ran into trouble in the top of the sixth. Savannah starter Steven Matz (10 strikeouts) had a two-strike count on Betts before allowing a clean single to center. After Matz caught Vinicio’s popped-up sacrifice bunt attempt, he was relieved by Julian Hilario in an apparent pitch-count move.

Then it really got interesting. Betts stole second base and Hilario balked him to third. Koback worked a walk as the go-ahead run.

Hilario struck out Chester, then walked Mario Martinez to load the bases and cause a visit from pitching coach Frank Viola. Hilario struck out Drew Turocy on three pitches to end the threat and stir the crowd.

Savannah returned the favor in the bottom of the sixth, when Nimmo’s double and Jayce Boyd’s single put runners at first and third with no outs. But Greenville starter Jacob Dahlstrand coaxed Kevin Plawecki’s foul out and struck out De La Cruz and Sabol to keep the score 1-0.

Note

The Sand Gnats placed right-handed pitcher Jake Kuebler, the winning pitcher Thursday, on the disabled list because of back tightness. They activated infielder Chad Zurcher, who had been sidelined by a wrist sprain, from the DL.

Greenville ab r h bi Savannah ab r h bi

Betts 2b 6 1 3 0 Pina dh 5 0 0 0

Vinicio ss 5 0 1 0 Nimmo cf 4 0 1 1

Koback cf 4 0 1 0 Boyd 1b 3 0 2 0

Chester dh 5 0 0 0 Plawecki c 4 0 0 0

Martinez 3b 4 0 0 0 Pron pr 0 0 0 0

Turocy rf 5 0 1 0 Glenn c 0 0 0 0

Moanaroa 1b 4 0 0 0 MDeLaCruz rf 5 1 2 0

Heller lf 5 0 1 0 Sabol lf 5 0 1 0

Weems c 4 0 0 1 Frenzel 3b 5 0 0 1

Reynolds 2b 5 1 2 0

Evans ss 5 0 2 0

Totals 42 1 7 1 Totals 41 2 10 2

Greenville 000 000 010 000 - 1

Savannah 010 000 000 001 - 2

DP—Greenville 3. LOB—Greenville 10, Savannah 10. 2B—Vinicio, Turocy, Betts, M. De La Cruz 2, Nimmo. SF—Nimmo. SB—Betts, Sabol, Pron. PO—Weems (1st base by Plawecki).

GREENVILLE IP H R ER BB SO

Dahlstrand 6 5 1 1 2 5

Rivera 2 3 0 0 1 1

Wendelken 2 0 0 0 0 3

Olivares L,1-2 1 2/3 2 1 1 2 0

SAVANNAH IP H R ER BB SO

Matz 5 1/3 2 0 0 2 10

Hilario 1 2/3 1 0 0 2 3

Sewald 3 2 1 1 1 3

Mitchell W,3-2 2 0 0 0 0 3WP—Dahlstrand 2. Balk—Hilario. T—3:27. A—3,017.

As the Savannah Sand Gnats celebrate winning the first-half title of the Class A South Atlantic League’s Southern Division, it’s a win-win-win situation.

Friday’s 2-1 win over Greenville locked up a playoff berth for the Gnats, repeating a scenario they accomplished in 2010 and ’11 but not often over many, many previous futile seasons.

No longtime fan of the franchise — whether affiliated as currently with the New York Mets or other organizations before them — will take the current success for granted. Enjoy winning while you can because of the high turnover on player rosters — whether at season’s end or at the all-star break, when current standouts might get promotions and less-tested players fill their spots.

Winning also helps sell the team in this market, just as losing makes it harder to draw fans. The Sand Gnats offer a family-friendly experience from pregame to between innings to postgame to the game itself. It’s a total package made better by better baseball.

Winning games is not the main thrust from the New York Mets’ perspective, player development is. Success ultimately is not measured in the SAL standings but in how many individual players climb the ladder from low Class A to the majors and help New York win. As much as Gnats players enjoy Savannah, they’re trying to move up as quickly as possible — which is rarely quick.

It’s called a farm system for a reason.

Winning games has a place in the big picture. Players that know how to win and perform in clutch situations are integral parts of any team, and they can show those abilities right here, right now.

“(Winning) is big because it’s part of our development to win and learn to be in a playoff race and overcome (adversity) and get used to this pressure,” Savannah outfielder Brandon Nimmo said.

He was interviewed Tuesday night just after teammates mobbed him in celebration of his game-winning, bases-loaded, 12-pitch walk-off walk to lift the Sand Gnats over Asheville 1-0 in 11 innings.

See, it’s not only about hitting for power or average or improving discipline at the plate — though all are important for players such as Nimmo, one of the organization’s top prospects.

It’s also about finding ways to consistently win, which was true on every team Nimmo’s ever suited up for. You know, the thrill of victory, as he and his teammates were feeling that night.

“It’s part of this development just as much,” Nimmo said. “It is a learning experience, but hey, we want to win, too. We’re all competitors here.”

An examination of how the Sand Gnats have been so competitive this season — they sported the league’s best record at 41-26 through Friday — begins, as usual, with pitching.

Under the guidance of second-year pitching coach Frank Viola, the staff is tops in the SAL. Through Thursday, the Gnats collectively had the best earned-run average (3.00), most wins (40), fewest runs allowed (220), fewest earned runs allowed (194), fewest walks (102) and third-most strikeouts (570) behind Charleston (615) and Augusta (571).

Go back and read that part again about bases on balls. Savannah has 102 walks — 100 fewer than the next-best squad, Charleston. Look at the individual performances. Matt Koch is 5-2 with a 4.56 ERA and 52 strikeouts in 51 1/3 innings, which is solid, but what’s really incredible is his one walk conceded. Yes, one walk.

Another starter, Rainy Lara, was 4-2 with a 1.42 ERA and six walks with 51 strikeouts in 50 2/3 innings before he was promoted to high Class A St. Lucie.

Starter Gabriel Ynoa was selected to the SAL All-Star Game next week, and he’s earned it with seven wins (tied for best in the league), a 2.97 ERA (14th), 69 2/3 innings pitched (third) and nine walks with 57 strikeouts.

Bret Mitchell (10 saves, fifth best) is another All-Star and shares closer duties with Beck Wheeler (six saves, tied for 10th). Luis Cessa is a strong starter at 3-2 with a 3.32 ERA (17th), nine walks and 56 strikeouts in 59 2/3 innings.

Recent Gnats squads also have been among the league’s best staffs. The 2013 team also can hit, ranking fourth in the SAL in batting average (.256) and hits (560), sixth in runs (307) and, tellingly, first in walks (261) and third in fewest strikeouts (468) .

The brightest lights at the plate are three All-Stars: catcher Kevin Plawecki, first baseman Jayce Boyd and Nimmo.

Boyd leads the league in hitting (.346), with Plawecki tied for eighth (.322) and Nimmo 13th (.300). Plawecki leads in doubles (23), Boyd is tied for 14th (16). Plawecki is in the top 10 in RBI (42, 10th), total bases (118, tied for ninth) and slugging percentage (.506, ninth). Boyd is ninth in RBI (43) and 12th in total bases (113). All are more impressive because half of their games are in cavernous Grayson Stadium.

Enjoy them while they’re here, Savannah, as they celebrate a title.

Nathan Dominitz is a sports reporter for the Savannah Morning News. Contact him at 912-652-0350 or nathan.dominitz@savannahnow.com.

24-hour jail bookings for Savannah-Chatham County are now posted. Visit booked.savannahnow.com to view photos and information.

All information has been obtained from the Chatham County Sheriff’s Department.

All individuals posted have not been convicted of a crime and are innocent until proven guilty.

The 2013 JCB Mud Run was held on Saturday at the North American Headquarters for JCB Construction Equipment at 2000 Bamford Blvd. The race included 2-and-6 person teams for a 4.3 mile course of mud, dirt, water and over 20 obstacles.

Click here to view a slideshow of Spotted® photos

The sixth annual Juneteenth Celebration was held Saturday at the Jepson Center. The event celebrates Emancipation Day and the 1865 abolition of slavery in Texas.

Click here to view a Spotted® gallery of the event

The celebration included performaces by the Georgia Geechee Gullah Ring Shouters and Jamal Toure as well as basket making and story telling.

Click 'Play' to watch video from the celebration

Two people were hospitalized Saturday afternoon after an altercation at a west Chatham County apartment complex led to a man being shot.

Police spokesman Julian Miller said Savannah-Chatham police officers responded to the Century Fenwick Village Apartments complex off Berwick Boulevard near Ogeechee Road about 12:30 p.m. after a man there was shot.

Investigators determined that man and another man had been in an altercation before the shot was fire. Both were taken to Memorial University Medical Center with wounds believed to be non-life-threatening.

Miller said officers were continuing to investigate what led to the altercation and shooting.

All Walks of Life, Inc. held their annual Lake Bash Friday at Lake Mayer. The event was held in celebration of AWOL's 7th album release from their music program.

Click here to view a Spotted® gallery of lake bash

The album can be downloaded online at www.hiphopyouknow.bandcamp.com

Click 'Play' to watch video from the event

ATLANTA — Justin Upton has seen a lot of Sergio Romo and knew what pitches to look for — and what pitch to take.

Freddie Freeman didn’t have that advantage, so he said he was just looking for anything to hit.

The strategies worked for each of the Braves’ hitters in a ninth-inning comeback against the Giants’ closer.

Upton drew a bases-loaded walk from Romo to force in the tying run and Freeman followed with a line-drive single off the closer to cap a two-run rally in the ninth that lifted Atlanta to a 6-5 win over San Francisco on Saturday.

“It’s just nice to be able to come back,” Freeman said. “We battled and to come back and get a win makes it nice.”

B.J. Upton hit two homers off Chad Gaudin, but the Braves trailed 5-4 entering the ninth.

Romo (3-3) walked pinch-hitter Evan Gattis, who was replaced by pinch-runner Reed Johnson, with one out. Andrelton Simmons followed with a grounder that skipped past third baseman Joaquin Arias for an error, putting runners on first and second.

Jason Heyward followed with a liner that fell in front of left fielder Andres Torres, loading the bases.

Justin Upton, who came to Atlanta in an offseason trade from Arizona, where the Giants were a division rival, took a close 3-2 pitch for a ball to force in the tying run. The pitch, which had Upton backing away, was close to the inside part of the plate. Romo took a few steps toward the plate to express his disagreement.

“It was a close pitch but I obviously think it’s a ball,” Upton said. “Pitchers want that pitch. It went my way.”

Added Upton: “I’ve seen him a few times so I know what to look for.”

Asked about the 3-2 pitch, Romo said “It really doesn’t matter what I think. The outcome of the game is already settled.”

Romo said he didn’t let the walk affect his concentration against Freeman.

“I was fine,” he said. “I had to focus. We were still in the game. Although they tied the game we still had an opportunity to keep playing. You got to dig down deep right there and stay focused.”

Romo threw Freeman two sliders — one ball and one strike — before trying to sneak a fastball past the big first baseman. The left-handed hitting Freeman turned on the pitch, lining the game-winning single to right field.

“I just put my foot down and swung when I saw the ball,” Freeman said. “I don’t look for anything. I just put my foot down and swing and hope for the best.”

Romo took his third blown save in 19 opportunities.

Braves closer Craig Kimbrel (2-1) struck out Hunter Pence to end the ninth with runners on first and second. Pence drove in two runs.

Gaudin gave up four runs on eight hits in five-plus innings.

Pence had a run-scoring single in the Giants’ three-run third inning and a sacrifice fly in a two-run fifth. The Giants had won three straight.

Braves starter Mike Minor gave up five runs, four earned, on seven hits and a walk in six innings.

San Francisco relievers Jean Machi, Javier Lopez and Jeremy Affeldt combined for three scoreless innings before Romo gave up two runs, one earned, on two hits and two walks.

B.J. Upton’s long second-inning homer landed about halfway up the lower section of the left-field seats.

Upton’s two-run homer to center field in the sixth drove in Brian McCann, who doubled. The homer cut San Francisco’s lead to 5-4 and knocked Gaudin out of the game.

Simmons committed two errors after beginning the day with only four miscues for the season. Simmons’ fielding error on Tony Abreu’s grounder led to an unearned run in the fifth. Buster Posey followed with a run-scoring double that drove in Torres. Abreu scored on Pence’s fly ball to right field.

Simmons made a wild throw after fielding an infield single by Juan Perez to open the sixth, but Minor pitched out of the jam.

The Giants took the lead in the third inning with three runs on four hits, including back-to-back RBI doubles by Torres and Abreu, who had three hits. Pence added a run-scoring single.

Notes

The Braves will wait until after tonight’s game to name a second pitcher to join Paul Maholm as the starters in Tuesday’s doubleheader against the Mets. One possibility is rookie LHP Alex Wood, who was a starter for Double-A Mississippi before he was called up May 30 to pitch out of the Braves’ bullpen. ... RHP Brandon Beachy, recovering from 2012 elbow ligament-replacement surgery, had been on target to make his 2013 debut Tuesday before having tenderness in the elbow. An MRI on Saturday showed Beachy has only inflammation and no structural damage. “I’m just going to get some rest and it will clear up,” Beachy said. “I’m not worried about it at all.” ... The series ends tonight when Braves RHP Julio Teheran faces Giants RHP Tim Lincecum.

Decked out in a full Captain America costume, 66-year-old Charles Bevan slid over the final obstacle at the second annual JCB Mud Run and was met by a supporter who offered him an ice cold can of Corona.

Bevan grabbed the brew, took a sip and crossed the finish line with a broad smile across his face.

“It was a great race,” said Bevan, who is retired from JCB and lives in England. “And it was nice to get some support from my team there at the end.”

He was one of thousands braving the muck Saturday at JCB North American Headquarters in Pooler.

View Spotted® photos from the 2013 JCB Mud Run: Gallery 1 and Gallery 2

JCB, the world’s largest heavy equipment manufacturer, made use of its own products to set up the 4.3-mile course that included more than 20 obstacles — with everything from lake crossings to challenging hills that tested runners of all ages.

The atmosphere was festive as teams of two and six runners finished the race in waves — getting their pictures snapped before joining an after-party that included live music, food and fellowship.

The event is a charity fundraiser and a way for JCB to give back to the community.

All proceeds benefited the Lady Bramford Center. Located in West Savannah, the center provides education and support to children from 6 weeks to 5 years of age.

Priority admission is offered to kids from homeless and low-income families, as well as for children with physical and mental challenges.

The final tally of participants wasn’t available Saturday, but Meg Albertson, JCB’s dealer marketing manager, said 598 teams signed up for the race.

She estimated there were about 2,000 runners — roughly the same amount that participated last year, when more than $100,000 was raised for the Lady Bramford Center.

The post-race party was starting to roll around noon, with runners listening to music while some enjoyed a beer or two from a booth sponsored by Coastal Empire Beer Co.

Adrian Magana and his buddy finished third in the costume contest, with Magana dressed up as an old-time circus strong man, and his friend decked out in a lion outfit.

“This is the first time I’ve run in this race,” said Magana, a staff sergeant at Hunter Army Airfield. “It’s a great event, with great people, and it helps a great cause. You can’t beat that.”

A man is being treated for non-life-threatening injuries after he was shot in the foot during an altercation with a neighbor Saturday night.

Savannah-Chatham police responded to a residence on Larchmond Drive about 9:45 p.m. after the man was shot, said police spokesman Julian Miller.

Miller said detectives were investigating the incident and additional information was not immediately available.

Local musicians, religious leaders and members of the Savannah community gathered Saturday afternoon at St. John Baptist Church to honor the late Ben Tucker.

Along with prayers, a concert took place as tribute to the memory of Tucker, a longtime Savannah businessman and bassist who was known internationally as a jazz legend.

Tucker died June 4 at the age of 82.

Saturday marked the end of the L.E.A.N. Challenge for hundreds of city of Savannah employees.

The city partnered with the YMCA of Coastal Georgia and Healthy Savannah to encourage employees and their families to embrace healthy nutritional habits and physical activity, and in just eight weeks, participants lost more than 1,000 pounds.

Paula Kreissler, a volunteer with Healthy Savannah, said the city will be sponsoring a free community-wide L.E.A.N. Challenge in September, after seeing the success of the employees.

“L.E.A.N. stands for leadership, exercise, activity and nutrition, so the goal is to have people take a leadership role in their lives to do exercise and eat healthier,” Kreissler said.

“We want the healthy choice to be the easy choice.”

24-hour jail bookings for Savannah-Chatham County are now posted. Visit booked.savannahnow.com to view photos and information.

All information has been obtained from the Chatham County Sheriff’s Department.

All individuals posted have not been convicted of a crime and are innocent until proven guilty.