Wahoos Finish Season with Flourish, Crush Clingstones 12-1

September 15, 2025

written by Bill Vilona

The Blue Wahoos missed out on the playoffs this year, but still managed to end their season Sunday with a pair of impressive feats.

In a lineup full of recently-added players, many of whom are likely to return in 2026, the Blue Wahoos produced an emphatic 12-1 victory against the Columbus Clingstones in the season-finale at Blue Wahoos Stadium, thus extending an impressive streak of nine years without a losing season.

They did it by winning the final three games, taking the series (4-2) against Columbus and ending with a winning second-half record of 35-34 and 69-69 overall.

The significance gets ramped up when considering Pensacola has attained this many consecutive, non-losing seasons, across three different affiliations – the past five years with the Miami Marlins.

Also, the Blue Wahoos went through 66 different players this season. Only four players on Sunday’s roster began the season with the ballclub in April.

“We’ve been talking to the guys about playing for something every day,” said Blue Wahoos manager Nelson Prada, who completed his first year as a Double-A level manager. “I told the guys (earlier in week) we have goals to reach…200 stolen bases, play for .500 (overall record), win this series.

“For me, the whole year was great, because we’ve kept the guys ready to play every day.”

The Blue Wahoos also reached an ambitious goal of 200 stolen bases this season when shortstop Payton Green took second in the first inning. That mark blew past the team’s previous stolen base record of 168, set in 2022.
Green’s steal followed a 3-run homer by second baseman Jay Beshears in the first inning.

What a day this became for Beshears, who joined the team on Sept. 1 from the Beloit Sky Carp, the Marlins’ High-A affiliate in Beloit, Wisc.

He had his best game with the Blue Wahoos, going 4-for-5 at the plate with five RBI. He just missed hitting for the cycle when his deep drive in the left-center gap to lead off the seventh inning was snared on a terrific catch by the Clingstones’ centerfielder Patrick Clohisy.

After getting eliminated from playoff contention more than a week ago, the Blue Wahoos played their final series like a team on a mission.

They won the first game Tuesday, dropped the next two in one-run decisions, then swept the three weekend games against Columbus by a combined 22-4 score.

The Clingstones, the Atlanta Braves’ new affiliate, finished 58-77 overall. The Braves moved from being the Mississippi Braves in Pearl, Miss., their location for the previous 20 years.

The Blue Wahoos blew open Sunday’s game by scoring three more runs in the fourth inning, then producing six runs in the seventh and eighth.

In the fourth, catcher Sam Praytor singled and later scored on a wild pitch. Eric Rataczak finished the rally with a 2-run single.

In the seventh, Emaarion Boyd hit a 2-run homer, his first with the Blue Wahoos. Beshears followed in the eighth inning with a 2-run double and Green capped off the day with a 2-run homer.

Most of the among the crowd of 3,200 stayed until the final out was recorded. A large group of children ran the bases as part of the customary Family Sunday promotion. Families then tossed soft baseballs in left field as Marcus Pointe Baptist Church held an open-to-all baptism ceremony behind home plate.

The Blue Wahoos used five pitchers in the finale, led by starter Alex Williams who earned the win and finished 5-4 this season. Following the game, many of the players loaded their cars and began to travel to their hometowns.

WHAT’S NEXT?
WHAT: Blue Wahoos 2026 Season Opener.
WHO: Montgomery Biscuits vs. Blue Wahoos.
WHEN: April 3, 2026, 6:05 p.m.
WHERE: Blue Wahoos Stadium.

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Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News, Sports, TOP sports