Wahoos Weekly: In final week of first half, Blue Wahoos seek playoff-clincher

The Blue Wahoos stumbled last weekend to the end of their two-week homestand.

But they remained standing on the doorstep of clinching another half-season division win and securing a chance to defend their Southern League championship.

They began a two-week road trip with a six-game series against the Tennessee Smokies, the team the Blue Wahoos beat on the road twice in late September 2002 in the best-of-three Southern League championship series. Tuesday's series opener was rained out.

Last week's Wahoos Weekly: Blue Wahoos aim to clinch playoff spot in last homestand of season's first half

Wahoos clinic: Blue Wahoos to revive legacy, royalty with Fred Waters Youth Baseball Clinic

The Blue Wahoos enter the series needing only one win this week to clinch the South Division title. If it happens, it will become their seventh playoff appearance in the last eight seasons.

Excluding 2020, which was wiped out across Minor League Baseball with the onslaught on the coronavirus pandemic, the Blue Wahoos began a playoff streak in 2015 that is minus only 2021 for consecutive appearances.

A win would clinch their sixth half-season division first-place finish, including both halves in 2016. They’ve done with three different affiliations.

The Blue Wahoos entered Wednesday’s game in Tennessee seeking to snap a four-game losing streak that is the longest of the season. They got some momentum from the end of Sunday’s 7-6 loss against the Mississippi Braves, which ended an eventual two-week homestand.

Trailing 7-1 in the eighth inning with only two hits in the game, the Blue Wahoos’ crowd reacted with a stadium flyover from the Blue Angels returning from an air show. The Blue Wahoos then staged a five-run rally in the eighth inning, then had the winning run at the plate in the ninth before the M-Braves held on.

A capacity crowd (5,038) – the third straight of the weekend at Blue Wahoos Stadium – went from silent to screaming in the final two innings. M-Braves’ top closer Victor Vodnik struck out the final two batters, Norel Gonzalez and Griffin Conine, to strand tying runner Nasim Nunez at first base and seal the win.

It wrapped up a week where the Blue Wahoos and team staff dealt with daily rainstorms, including a massive one last Thursday that stopped the game in the top of the seventh inning and caused a resumption on Friday. Last Saturday’s game was delayed an hour by weather and Sunday’s game started 15 minutes late.

There are six games left in the first half of the Southern League schedule. The other three teams in the division – Biloxi, Montgomery, Mississippi – need to go 6-0 their series’ against North Division teams to avoid elimination.

The Biscuits, now in second place, trail by five games. But the Blue Wahoos held the tie breaker in this case. The Blue Wahoos led Biloxi by six games – the Shuckers hold the tiebreaker – so it would take six losses and six Biloxi wins against the Chattanooga Lookouts to change the South Division standings.

Same with the M-Braves, who face Rocket City and trail by five-and-a-half games.

The North Division standings are much closer. The Lookouts, the Cincinnati Reds affiliate, are tied with the Smokies.

Following this week’s set of games, the Southern League schedule will have Monday and Tuesday off days, before the second half of the season begins on Wednesday, June 28. The Blue Wahoos will face the Montgomery Biscuits to begin the second half.

Each team in the league will either have a home game on July 3 or July 4 (in Pensacola’s case) to usher the Fourth of July holiday.

WAHOOS NOTABLES

BANFIELD BOOST – Will Banfield began the bulk of the starting catcher’s role on May 3 when Paul McIntosh went on the injured list. Since that point, he’s batted .310 with seven homers and 27 RBI. It has raised his batting average from .164 to .259, which has included an 11-game hitting streak at one point.

CODY CYCLES – Blue Wahoos infielder Cody Morissette became the second Pensacola player this season to hit for the cycle when he produced the four different hits (single, double, triple, homer) in the June 13 win against the Mississippi Braves. A night earlier, he was greeting fans and enjoying a night out at Splash City Adventures in Pensacola during a season-ticket holders event. Earlier this season, Victor Mesa Jr. became only the second Blue Wahoos player in franchise history to hit for the cycle, which makes the twin feat in two months time even more improbable.

COLLEGIATE LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP – There will be a baseball game played at the stadium during the two week break. On Sunday (June 25), the Collegiate Summer Baseball Championship – part of the North Louisiana Collegiate League and Hangout League in Gulf Shores, Ala. -- will play a 6 p.m. championship game at Blue Wahoos Stadium. The leagues are part of the wooden bat summer collegiate leagues across the nation. Players range from high school seniors to college seniors from various levels of NCAA baseball and NAIA and junior college baseball.

SPECIAL SALUTE – The Navarre Youth Sports Association honored its youth league winning teams following last Sunday’s game at Blue Wahoos Stadium. The players, their coaches and parents were able to come out to the field while each team was announced and each player was recognized. Their names were on the stadium videoboard as well. It was part of a NYSA group outing that included the teams attending the Blue Wahoos game that day.

FOURTH OF JULY CELEBRATION – The Blue Wahoos will have back-to-back events around the July 4 holiday. On July 3, while the team is in Montgomery to finish up the two-week road trip, the Blue Wahoos will have a community celebration event from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Cost is $5 general admission and $35 for an upgraded experience on the Hancock Whitney Club level with a food buffet, soft drinks and cash bar. There will be a water slide, bounce houses, other inflatables and Kazoo to meet kids, followed by an 8:30 p.m. fireworks show. Tickets are now available at www.bluewahoos.com.

On July 4, the Blue Wahoos will play a 4:05 p.m. game and fans will then be able to take in the Pensacola Symphony holiday concert on the amphitheater behind center field and have viewing area of the Pensacola Sertoma Club fireworks being launched from Bayfront Parkway. There won’t be a fireworks show at the stadium that night.

THIS WEEK – Almost nine months ago, the Blue Wahoos traveled to Tennessee needing to win both playoff games in the Southern League championship series, which they did against the Smokies en route to their first outright league title. This time, they only need to win one of the six games to clinch a first half South Division win and berth into the 2023 Southern League playoffs in September that will begin on Sept. 19.

The teams split their earlier meeting this season in Pensacola on May 16-21. The Blue Wahoos won the first two games, then salvaged the series split after winning the Sunday finale. The Smokies set a franchise record with 189 home runs in 2022 to lead the Southern League by a whopping margin. They are on the way to surpass that mark with league-best 85 homers in 63 games. The Smokes have scored 351 runs, which is one less than the Blue Wahoos, who lead the league in that category.

WANT TO FOLLOW?

WHO: Blue Wahoos vs. Tennessee Smokies

WHERE: Smokies Stadium, Kodak, Tennessee

WHEN: Tuesday through Sunday (June 25)

GAMETIMES: Tuesday Thru Saturday games begin at 6:00 p.m. (CDT) Sunday at 1 p.m.

LIVE AUDIO: A live broadcast of each game will begin five minutes before first pitch on www.bluewahoos.com and the MiLB First Pitch App.

LIVE VIDEO STREAM – A live video broadcast is available through Bally Live and MiLB TV (subscription required).

NEXT HOMESTAND – Begins on July 4 vs. Biloxi Shuckers

Southern League standings

(Prior To Games On June 20)

North Division

Chattanooga Lookouts (Cincinnati Reds) – 35-28

Tennessee Smokies (Chicago Cubs) – 35-28

Rocket City Trash Pandas (LA Angels) 29-34

Birmingham Barons (Chicago White Sox) – 22-42

South Division

Pensacola Blue Wahoos (Miami Marlins) 37-26

Montgomery Biscuits (Tampa Bay Rays) 32-31

Mississippi Braves (Atlanta Braves) 32-32

Biloxi Shuckers (Milwaukee Brewers) 31-32

Bill Vilona is a retired Pensacola News Journal sports columnist and now senior writer for Pensacola Blue Wahoos. He can be reached at bvilona@bluewahoos.com.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: After minor stumble, Pensacola Blue Wahoos aims to clinch playoff spot