Blue Wahoos Punch Ticket to Playoffs with Miracle Ninth-Inning Comeback

COLUMBUS, Ga. - The Blue Wahoos battled through a challenging season to fittingly celebrate reaching the playoffs in astonishing fashion.

Trailing 5-2 and down to their final at-bat with no one on base in the ninth inning, the Blue Wahoos incredibly blasted three homers in a five-run, two-out, rally to pull off an amazing 7-5 victory Sunday night against the Columbus Clingstones at Synovus Park that clinched the Southern League South Division second-half race.

What a way for the Blue Wahoos to return to the playoffs for the first time in three years.

"It's a very special team, This group is great," said Blue Wahoos manager Nelson Prada, who is in his second year as Blue Wahoos manager, but has more than 700 wins as manager in various pro leagues.

"You saw it (Sunday night) what happened. They never give up," Prada said, speaking to Erik Bremer, the Blue Wahoos broadcaster and media relations director, as both men were getting doused with champagne. "They work hard all the time.

"We've been winning all year. Different players, different people in the clubhouse. Great job by the coaches keeping everyone together."

It will be Pensacola's eighth post-season trip in the 14-year history of the franchise. The Blue Wahoos, two-time league champions, have done it with three different affiliations. This is the third in six years as the Miami Marlins affiliate.

As the schedule fate turned out, the Blue Wahoos will finish their regular-season schedule at home this week with six games against the Biloxi Shuckers, beginning on Tuesday.

The teams will then turn around and play Game 1 of their best-of-three South Division series on September 15 in Pensacola.

How this unfolded befit the way the Blue Wahoos battled through a season with a slow start, injuries, late-season call-ups and other forms of adversity.

During this week-long series, the Blue Wahoos had three of their top hitters, Brandon Compton, Juan Matheus and Fenwick Trimble exit from the roster. Compton and Matheus were elevated to Triple-A Jacksonville earlier in the week and Trimble went on the injured list.

The Blue Wahoos began the second leg of a two-week road trip by dropping the first three games of this series to the Clingstones, cutting their first-place lead in half, but won an extra-inning game Friday, then swept the weekend to seal the division.

They entered Sunday with a 6.5 game lead, so it figured to happen soon, but not in this disbelieving way.

Cristian Hernández began the improbable rally with a solo homer to center field as the last hope in the ninth. Ethan O’Donnell kept the rally alive with a single. Colby Shade, who hit a solo homer in the eighth inning, blasted the game-tying two-run bomb over the left field wall.

Ryan Ignoffo then followed by doubling down the right field line. On a two-strike pitch, Jay Beshears went opposite field to right with a go-ahead, two-run homer to complete the stunning feat.

"To be honest when I'm coaching at third base and we're losing, I'm always like, hold it we can win because that's what they show me," Prada said. "They show me they can battle back every time. Anybody (on Blue Wahoos lineup) can hit a homer. Anybody can steal a base, so we have a really good group of very talented players and you have to take advantage of them."

Beshears had a 3-1 count when he blasted a pitch over the right field wall and on top of the roof of the visitors clubhouse.

"The guy (Columbus reliever) was working away with a lot of offspeed and I got to a good favorable count, and was going to be ready to go." Beshears said. "It was a middle-away pitch, stayed with it, and hit it hard enough to go over.

"I'm just trusting myself. I know I can do it in big spots, so it's fun to be able to get the opportunity to come through for the boys and the team. It's very exciting."

Reliever Mason Vinyard earned the save in the bottom of the ninth. The Blue Wahoos did not jump into an infield celebration. Playing on the road, mindful of the situation, they were subdued before heading to their dugout.

This is the earliest the Blue Wahoos have clinched a playoff spot in franchise history with a full week of games remaining.

"Now we can go home and plan everything for the playoffs," Prada said.

The Blue Wahoos gave up three runs in the first inning, as starter Eliazar Dishmey struggled with early location of pitches. But then he settled into a groove, allowed just one other hit through four innings.

Catcher Connor Caskenette got the Blue Wahoos on board with his solo homer in the sixth inning. Shade then followed with his solo shot in the eighth, cutting the Columbus lead to 3-2.

But the Clingstones answered with a pair of homers in the bottom of the inning to take a 5-2 lead into the ninth.

But the Blue Wahoos were not done.

It’s only the second time the Blue Wahoos have won the second-half division to reach postseason.

Their first playoff trip in 2015 came by winning the second half race on the second-to-last game of the season. Since then, they won the first half division race four times, and twice qualified as the wild card team with the second-best record behind the full season winner.

WANT TO GO?

WHO: Biloxi Shuckers vs. Blue Wahoos

WHERE: Blue Wahoos Stadium

WHEN: Tuesday Thru Sunday. Games are at 6:05 p.m. thru Saturday, then a special 1:05 p.m. start on Sunday (Sept. 13).

TICKETS: Available for all six games of the series through at www.bluewahoos.com/tix, along with in-person at Blue Wahoos box office beginning on Tuesday.

PROMOTIONS: Include the season’s final Saturday fireworks night, followed by the Diamond Dig where fans can dig for a trinket that exchanges into a diamond from sponsor Beré Jewelers. On Friday night, a first-time Special Needs Night honors Fox Sports-Pensacola sports broadcaster and talk show host Paul Chestnutt and his special needs son, Matthew, with a bobblehead figurine of the two, plus a variety of on-field activities to honor the special needs community and Blue Wahoos employees who are special needs employees.

SOUTHERN LEAGUE DIVISIONAL PLAYOFFS

WHAT: Best of three series in South Division playoffs

WHO: Biloxi Shuckers vs. Blue Wahoos

WHEN: Game 1 is Tuesday September 15 at 6:05 p.m.

WHERE: Blue Wahoos Stadium.

TICKETS: Available online at www.bluewahoos.com/tix.

FORMAT: After playing the first game in Pensacola, the teams will have September 16 as an off-day/travel day. Game 2 will be September 17 at Keesler Federal Park in Biloxi, Miss. If necessary, a deciding Game 3 will be September 18 in Biloxi.