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Olmstead Homers Late And Dashes Home for Wild Walk-Off Wahoos Win
June 7, 2025
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.
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.
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