Olmstead Homers Late & Dashes Home for Wild Walk-Off Wahoos Win

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SL Pensacola Blue Wahoos

Olmstead Homers Late & Dashes Home for Wild Walk-Off Wahoos Win

June 6, 2025 - Southern League (SL)
Pensacola Blue Wahoos News Release


Pensacola Blue Wahoos celebrate with Grant Richardson
Pensacola Blue Wahoos celebrate with Grant Richardson
(Pensacola Blue Wahoos)

Pensacola, Fla.- With a 5-4 walk-off win in the tenth inning, Friday night's game between the Pensacola Blue Wahoos and the Columbus Clingstones turned out to be the Johnny Olmstead show.

With runners on second and third with no one out in the bottom of the tenth, Clingstones right-hander Luis Vargas sailed a pitch that ran inside to Wahoos newcomer Grant Richardson, getting by catcher Chandler Seagle and allowing Olmstead to score the winning run.

"We're just counting on Grant (Richardson), our new guy who we just got today, to do his job," Olmstead said. "Once I saw it hit the backstop, I just took off and won the game."

Olmstead's heroics didn't start there for the Blue Wahoos, who were donning their red Pensacola Pok-Ta-Pok jerseys inspired by the Copa series.

Trailing the Clingstones 3-1 in the seventh, Olmstead came to the plate with runners on first and second as the first batter to face right-handed reliever Blane Abeyta.

Abeyta entered after starting pitcher Blake Berhalter went six shutout innings, before allowing three hits in a row in the seventh, one of which was an RBI single from catcher Ryan Ignoffo for his first Double-A hit.

On the second pitch Olmstead saw from the Clingstones' new arm, he sent a ball around the left field foul pole to vault the Wahoos to a 4-3 lead.

"When you can put together some team at-bats and come through for the boys, there's nothing better," Olmstead said.

This was the third three-run homerun in June for the Blue Wahoos, after hitting only one in the season's first two months.

Prior to the Wahoos' four-run frame in the seventh, the game had been all Clingstones. They got on the board in the fourth against Pensacola starter Adam Laskey, as Stephen Paolini hit a two-run home run to left to open the scoring. The longball was the first Laskey had allowed in 2025.

After a scoreless fifth from Laskey, the Clingstones struck once again against left-hander Luis Palacios. Third baseman David McCabe reached on a double to left-center after Mark Coley II missed a diving attempt, and was driven in by Geraldo Quintero.

After the RBIs from Olmstead and Ignoffo in the seventh, the Clingstones knotted it up at four in the top of the eighth on a sacrifice fly from Drew Compton to right field, scoring Cody Milligan after he reached on a leadoff double.

Pensacola's Dale Stanavich navigated the ninth and tenth, providing two scoreless innings of relief while tight-roping a bases-loaded situation in the extra frame.

"Those kinds of games are the ones you want to win," Olmstead said. "Just trying to keep the good vibes going now and keep on rolling."

With a 3-1 series lead, the Blue Wahoos will send lefty Dax Fulton to the mound tomorrow night, taking on JR Ritchie for the Clingstones.

GAME NOTABLES

--- The Blue Wahoos' Hawaiian Shirt Giveaway, sponsored by Kia Autosport-Pensacola, caused people to arrive as early as two hours before gates opened Friday to ensure they were among the first 1,000 to receive the shirt. It has become one of the top three giveaway nights each season. Less than 10 minutes after the gates opened, most of the shirts, all in XL size, had been distributed.

--- Blue Wahoos general manager Steve Brice was honored with a surprise party by the front office staff on his final day with the team. Brice accepted a position as president/CEO of the Cedar Rapids Kernels, the Minnesota Twins' High-A affiliate in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Brice has been with the Blue Wahoos for the past two and a half years.

--- The party decks Friday at the ballpark were filled with 19 different group outings. These groups included Tennessee Aquatics, a youth swim club based out of Knoxville, Tennessee, a group from Fruitville (Alabama) HS baseball team, a school located 110 miles north of Mobile, and Emerald Coast Exceptional Families with 100-plus members.

--- The Blue Wahoos transformed Friday in the Pensacola Pok-Ta-Pok for the third time this season as part of Minor League Baseball's Copa de la Diversion series to connect baseball to its heritage with Hispanic and Latino communities.

WANT TO GO?

WHO: Columbus Clingstones vs. Blue Wahoos

WHEN: Saturday and Sunday.

WHERE: Blue Wahoos Stadium.

GAMETIMES: The game on Saturday starts at 6:05 p.m. Sunday's game starts at 4:05 p.m.

PROMOTIONS:

Saturday - Fireworks Saturday, sponsored by Kia Autosport-Pensacola. The customary Saturday post-game fireworks show will follow the game.

Sunday - Family and Military Sunday - The first 100 active or retired military members can receive a free standing room ticket when visiting the stadium box office with military ID. Children 12-under can run the bases after the game and families, can toss soft bases for 30 minutes after the game in joint promotion with Great Clips and WKRG-News5.

TV: BLAB-TV on Saturday and YurView TV for Sunday's game.

LIVESTREAM AUDIO: You can listen to the Blue Wahoos broadcast with announcers Erik Bremer and Carter Bainbridge as they call the game on www.bluewahoos.com/radio or the MILB App.

LIVESTREAM VIDEO: Available on MiLB.TV (subscription required).

TICKETS: Available at www.bluewahoos.com or at the stadium box office.

Check out the Pensacola Blue Wahoos Statistics




Images from this story

Grant Richardson gets ahold of a pitch for the Pensacola Blue Wahoos
Grant Richardson gets ahold of a pitch for the Pensacola Blue Wahoos
 Pensacola Blue Wahoos celebrate with Grant Richardson
Pensacola Blue Wahoos celebrate with Grant Richardson
  



Southern League Stories from June 6, 2025


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