Division Champs! Blue Wahoos Get Spectacular Catch, Epic Win, To Reach  Championship Series 

The crowd Friday night at Blue Wahoos Stadium stood spellbound. The catch became spectacular.

And the ending proved epic.

Blue Wahoos centerfielder Thomas Jones caught a towering fly ball off the bat of pinch-hitter Jordan Qsar for the final out, only a split-second before slamming into the wall and hitting the ground, thus sealing Pensacola’s 1-0 victory against the Montgomery Biscuits in the deciding game of their Southern League South Division series.

“Just catch the ball, no matter what happens… that’s all I was thinking,” Jones said. “Man, in that situation, as a defender, you don’t want to be the guy to mess up. You want to make the play.”

He did it.

The big defensive play followed Jones’ scoring the game’s only run in the eighth inning, after leading off with a double and touching home on a two-out single from Norel Gonzalez.

It enabled the Blue Wahoos to reach a championship series for the first time in their 10th anniversary season. They instantly celebrated with a mob on the field, then in the dugout with a variety of beverages being sprayed on each other and ice bucket water dousing manager Kevin Randel.

The team will open the best-of-three, Southern League championsip series at home Sunday at 4:05 p.m. against the Tennessee Smokies, who pulled off a road upset against the Rocket City Trash Pandas with a 3-1 win Friday in their deciding game. Tickets for game one at Blue Wahoos stadium are available now.

The Smokies won both road games of their North Division series against Rocket City, beating the team with the best overall record in the Southern League (81-57) and the Trash Pandas 49 home wins were the most in Minor League Baseball in 2022.

The Blue Wahoos won a Southern League co-championship in 2017 in their only previous playoff series win, after it was decided the division champions wouldn’t meet due to an impending hurricane threat that year.

“All the work you put into this game, all the training, this is why you do it… for times like these,” said relief pitcher Sean Reynolds, who factored in a big way for the second night, after getting the final three outs in the ninth inning.

After multiple pitchers on both sides dueled the entire game, highlighted by Blue Wahoos starter Dax Fulton allowing just one hit and striking out 13 in six innings of a special performance, it all led into a tension-filled finish during the Biscuits final at-bat.

Reynolds got leadoff batter Brett Wisley on a deep flyout to Gonzalez at the base of the right field wall. Reynolds then struck out Kameron Misner, who finished the 2021 season with the Blue Wahoos before a trade.

But the next two batters, Kyle Manzardo and Ronny Simon both singled. Pinch hitter Jordan Qsar worked a 3-2 count against Reynolds before connecting on a ball that send the home fans into a collective groan.

“It carried a lot further than I thought,” Reynolds said. ‘I knew I made a good pitch and he made a great swing. It was one of those baseball plays – it’s 50-50, 3-2 count, two outs, a season on the line.”

Good fortune was on the Blue Wahoos side.

“It was angels in outfield,” said Jones, smiling. “I relied on Griff (Griffin Conine) and I relied on J.D. (Orr) to really help me (track it), because literally as the ball went up, I had one thing in mind… get the last out.

“It didn’t matter if I hit the wall, just get the last out.. They communicated as much as possible, because the ball was carrying so much.”

When the game began, Fulton was dialed in with a dominant array of pitches. He struck out the first two batters. He got out of a two-on, none out situation in the second inning, which was the only time he had any rough patch.

Beginning with three consecutive outs in the second inning, Fulton retired the next 17 batters in succession. Chandler Jozwiak followed with two scoreless innings (7th and 8th) allowing just one base runner.

In the bottom of the eighth, the Biscuits summoned their top closer, Jose Lopez, who finished the team's game one win in Montgomery, following Jones' leadoff double against Joe Lasorsa, who also pitched in game one.

"He was starting everybody off with a first pitch slider. So my main objective was not sitting on it, but It went right into my wheelhouse and I just got a good swing at it and thank god it stayed fair," Jones said.

Nasim Nunez, whose solo homer Thursday forced a deciding game, bunted Jones to third. After Lopez struck out Will Banfield, Gonzalez delivered his RBI single through the hole at first and second base to score Jones.

"We got that run when I was warming up," Reynolds said. "I saw that and said, 'That's it.' You play for these kind of moments."

WANT TO GO?

WHAT: Game 1 Southern League Championship Series

WHO: Tennessee Smokies vs. Blue Wahoos

WHEN: Sunday, 4:05 p.m.

WHERE: Blue Wahoos Stadium

TICKETS: $20 all seats, includes hot dog, soda, soft drink

TICKET LINK: bit.ly/pnssunday

RADIO: ESPN Pensacola (101.1 FM and 1330 AM)

LIVE STREAM: www.milb.com/live-stream-games

FORMAT: Best of 3 Series. Game 2 and Game 3, if necessary, will be Tuesday and Wednesday in Kodak, Tennessee.