The Blowfish season came to an end last week after the team lost its final two games to the Wilmington Sharks in a rematch of last year’s Coastal Plains League championship series that the Blowfish won.

The losses marked the end of an exciting 10th season in Lexington County for the team that saw them make a second-half push for the playoffs after starting the season below .500. It also means the team will not defend its 2023 title.

The Blowfish qualified for the playoffs after winning its second-to-last game of the regular season against the Forest City Owls. The Blowfish and Owls met in the playoff semifinal, which Lexington won in three games.

Lexington earned a spot in the title series after coming back from seven runs down to beat the Owls 12-9 on the road in game three. The Owls went up 7-0 through two innings and were looking to steamroll the Blowfish in the deciding game.

But like they have all year, the Blowfish responded and slowly clawed back into the game and took the lead. Lexington scored at least one run in each of the final six innings, including three in the ninth to seal the deal.

Todd Hudson, Walker Mitchell and Ty Marshall all finished with multiple RBIs. Hudson hit the team’s only home run of the game.

Game one against the Sharks was in Lexington. The Blowfish took an early 2-0 lead, but the bats cooled down, allowing Wilmington to make a late push and secure the victory.

Evan Stone singled in the second inning to bring home Breon Ishmael and get the game’s first point on the board. Three batters later Blake Martin singled to score Stone.

Eric Moore started on the mound for Lexington and had a solid outing in six innings, giving up four hits and one run with seven strikeouts. He was pulled and replaced with Reed Gallant in the seventh and pitched two innings, giving up three hits and three runs.

Down 4-2 heading into the final inning, the Blowfish were looking to get on base and tie the game. But they were unable to do either of those things, going three-up and three-down. If the Blowfish wanted to win the title, they were going to have to win two games on the road.

The Blowfish traveled to Wilmington for the second game of the series, and unfortunately for the team, it was their last game of the season. The Blowfish again took a 2-0 lead before going scoreless the rest of the way and losing 9-2.

Sam Busch had the only RBI of the game for the Blowfish. He hit a double in the third inning to score Lexington’s second and final run of the game.

The Sharks scored all nine of their runs in the fifth to seventh inning. Wilmington scored four runs in the fifth off of three RBIs and one error, two in the sixth off two RBIs and three in the seventh off of three RBIs to bring its total to eight.

Lexington’s struggles to register hits and get players on base made a late comeback impossible this time. The team finished with five hits and two earned walks while being struck out nine times.

Wilmington’s win marks the franchise’s first championship since 1999, the CPL’s third year of existence. The Sharks finished the 2024 season at 30-19 for their most wins in a year since 2013.

The Blowfish end the season with a 28-25 overall record after winning the Western Division title for the second year in a row. The focus will soon shift to 2025 where the team will look to make it back to the postseason and reclaim the title of league champions.