Amid Third Straight Loss, Blue Wahoos Create Memorable Fan Experience With Navy Night

While Saturday’s game repeated a three-day narrative in a difficult way, the Blue Wahoos scripted a memorable fan experience.

That’s always been the starting point.

Wearing custom-designed Navy uniforms, saluting a connection with Naval Air Station-Pensacola on Memorial Day weekend, honoring a teenager’s grit with a “Home Run For Life,” and having team president Jonathan Griffith pull off an epic chase-the-roach run, were all part of a multi-tiered event show.

Plus post-game fireworks, too, provided by game sponsor Budweiser.

It made for an impactful night amid a overflow, sellout crowd, despite the Blue Wahoos 9-1 loss against the Mississippi Braves.

In winning for a third-straight time, four of five games so far in this series, the M-Braves further trimmed Pensacola’s first-place division lead – now just a half-game -- with another show of force.

This time it occurred without centerfielder Michael Harris II, who made his Major League debut Saturday with the Atlanta Braves, just one night after showcasing skills earlier this week in Pensacola.

In his absence, the M-Braves racked up 13 hits, giving them 43 in three nights, plus clubbed two more home runs with all nine players reaching base at least once in the game.

One of those homers was a mammoth shot from catcher Hendrik Clementina, who went 4-for-4 with three RBI to follow his 5-for-5 performance in Friday’s lopsided win.

The Blue Wahoos’ got their run from Griffin Conine’s sixth inning home run. Troy Johnston extended his hitting streak to 12 games by going 2-for-4.

Those were the home team’s two biggest highlights, along with sensational fielding plays by Bubba Hollins and Victor Victor Mesa on back-to-back defensive stops in the ninth inning.

But the night was more about entertaining the 5,038 fans in a different way.

Captain Terrence Shashaty, Commanding Officer of NAS-Pensacola, threw out a ceremonial first pitch with his family on the field, including one son celebrating his birthday.

Blue Wahoos reliever Colton Hock caught all the first pitches wearing a vintage 1940’s era glove provided by a local collector of Navy baseball memorabilia.

The players wore blue-white striped uniforms with Navy on the front jersey, similar to those worn by MLB players who played on base all-star teams during a break from training for World War II.

After the fifth inning, Escambia High senior Joel Montoro was honored with an Ascension Sacred Heart Home Run For Life. With both teams’ players lined on the baselines and the umpires at home plate as welcoming committee, Montoro circled the bases with high-fives.

Montoro has battles two chronic health conditions that require monthly infusion treatments. It did not prevent him from being a two-sport athlete at Escambia in soccer and tennis.

After the sixth inning, Griffith put on the roach costume and became the villain with hundreds of kids chasing him. He first performed a summersault, got up darted his way across the outfield area before getting tagged just before the exit.

That was followed by the fireworks show to complete the night.

GAME NOTABLES

--- The Blue Wahoos will wear the Navy uniforms in Sunday’s series finale against the M-Braves as well as July 2. An online auction began Saturday and will continue through July 2.

Proceeds from the auction will go toward the Navy-Marine Relief Society, a non-profit organization that provides financial assistance and additional services to members of the Navy and Marine Corps and their families.

--- Five different area youth teams were on the field before the game and ran out with Blue Wahoos players. The teams were the Crestview Yankees, the Navarre Youth Sports Association 8-U Orioles, the Pace Bandits, the Wahoos (youth team) and the Pace Athletic Recreation Association Braves.

--- The National Federation of Labor had a 250-member group outing.

--- In addition to NAS-Pensacola base commander Capt. Shashaty throwing out a ceremonial first pitch, another was thrown by Jason Borst, the public affairs officer on base. Also throwing out a pitch was Anne Keene, a Texas-based author who wrote the book, “The Cloudbuster Nine: The Untold Story of Ted Williams and the Baseball Team That Helped Win World War II.”

Her book inspired the Blue Wahoos to create a display to Navy Baseball in Pensacola that is now located on the wall above the stairs leading from the main gate. Baseball legend Ted Williams trained to be a U.S. Marine Corps pilot at NAS-Pensacola.

BLUE WAHOOS SERIES FINALE

WHO: Mississippi Braves vs. Blue Wahoos

WHERE: Blue Wahoos Stadium.

GAMETIME: Sunday at 4:05 p.m.

TICKETS: Online at www.bluewahoos.com/tickets, or at the stadium box office beginning at 12 p.m. on Sunday. Or by calling 850-934-8444.

RADIO: ESPN-Pensacola (99.1 FM and 1330 AM and WYCT 98.7 HD4).

TV: YurView (check provider) and MILB.tv (streaming) through www.milb.com/live-stream-games with subscription discount using BLUE WAHOOS.

PROMOTIONS:

Sunday is Family Sunday with kids able to run the bases following the game and family toss in the outfield for 30 minutes after the game. The Blue Wahoos will also be celebrating the Navy history in Pensacola with the team wearing Navy uniforms.