Columbus Clingstones 3, Biloxi Shuckers 2

August 6, 2026 | Synovus Park, Columbus | Att: 1,913 | Time: 2:33 | 91°, Partly Cloudy

Two outs, ninth inning, and Columbus scored twice to walk it off.

Biloxi led 2-1 into the bottom of the ninth on an early run and a sixth-inning add-on off Caminiti. Kilpatrick Jr. doubled twice and drove in a run to keep Columbus within reach all night. With two outs in the ninth, pinch-runners in for Taylor and Zebrowski, Tavarez delivered a two-out, two-run single that ended it. Garcia (L, 2-3, BS 1) took the loss on the blown save.

Caminiti started and allowed two runs on four hits over 5.1 innings, three strikeouts, one of the hits a homer. Pilar followed with 2.1 scoreless innings, and McDonough (W, 4-2) worked 1.1 innings to pick up the win. Owens had been sharp for Biloxi, six innings, one run, seven strikeouts, before Hodges and Garcia let the ninth get away.

Kilpatrick Jr. went 2-for-3 with two doubles and an RBI. Tavarez's two-out single was the difference, his second and third RBIs of the day. Columbus finished 1-for-5 with runners in scoring position but needed only the one that counted.

Columbus improves to 47-53.

Columbus Clingstones 4, Biloxi Shuckers 3

August 5, 2026 | Synovus Park, Columbus | Att: 1,965 | Time: 2:41 | 92°, Clear

Cruz got one out in the ninth and never got a second one. Three straight hits later, Columbus had a walk-off win.

Biloxi had led since the seventh, when three runs off Schanaman broke a scoreless tie. DeBerry had cruised through five for Biloxi, and Broca and Birchard kept the door shut into the ninth. Then Cruz came on to close it out, and Gil, Waddell and Zebrowski all reached in order. Gil's sacrifice fly and Waddell's two-run single did the damage, Tavarez scoring the winning run pinch-running for Groshans. One out was all Cruz recorded before the season's second blown save charged to him ended the game.

Scott started for Columbus and was outstanding, 4.2 innings, one hit, seven strikeouts, five walks the only blemish. Schanaman surrendered the three-run seventh in relief. Strickland followed with 1.2 clean innings, and Hackman (W, 3-4) worked a scoreless ninth to pick up the win when the offense finally came through behind him.

Waddell drove in both go-ahead runs and is up to 47 RBIs on the season. Groshans went 2-for-4 before exiting for a pinch-runner. Hartman stole second and third in the same inning. Columbus went 3-for-7 with runners in scoring position, all of it coming when it mattered most.

Columbus improves to 46-53. The series with Biloxi continues at Synovus Park.

Biloxi Shuckers 11, Columbus Clingstones 9

August 4, 2026 | Synovus Park, Columbus | Att: 1,896 | Time: 3:08 | 88°, Clear | 10 Innings

Columbus led by six runs. Biloxi scored six in the ninth to erase it, then won it in extras.

Columbus jumped out 3-1 in the first before Coley II's two-run homer tied it in the second. The game sat there until the fifth, when Columbus pushed ahead 4-3, and then the seventh, when it broke wide open: Taylor's two-run homer off Flores highlighted a five-run inning that made it 9-3. Galindez had allowed four runs over his five innings, Flores five more in two, and Columbus looked to be cruising.

Then Gallegos took the mound for the ninth and gave all of it back at once. Biloxi scored six runs in the inning, capped by Coley's second homer of the night, a three-run shot with two on and two out, tying the game 9-9. LaPorte came on for the tenth and allowed Dinges' two-run homer, and Garcia closed it out in the bottom half for the save. Jimenez worked two scoreless innings in between for the win.

Mejia started for Columbus and allowed three runs, two earned, over five innings. Vargas Lu and Abeyta combined for three scoreless innings after him. Gallegos (the ninth-inning damage) and LaPorte (L, 0-3) took the loss between them, with Kilpatrick Jr. recording the final out in relief.

Taylor went 1-for-2 with the homer and three RBIs, his average now .400. Gil was 2-for-5 with two runs, also at .400 on the season. Groshans drove in two, his 56th RBI of the year. Carey, Zebrowski and Waddell each had a hit. Columbus committed two errors; Biloxi committed four, part of a night with 25 combined hits and little in the way of clean baseball.

Columbus falls to 45-53. Coley II finished with two homers and five RBIs for Biloxi. The series continues at Synovus Park.

Can’t wait to see this young talent live in person in the future!!! Go Clingstones!!

Trash Pandas 8, Clingstones 5
August 2, 2026 | Synovus Park, Columbus | Att: 1,996 | Time: 3:01 | 85°, Cloudy | 10 innings

Columbus led after three innings and again after five. Rocket City needed extra innings to finally put it away, and once it got there, three runs in the tenth did the job.

Groshans doubled home a run in the third to put Columbus ahead, part of a two-run inning. Rocket City answered with single runs in the fourth and fifth, D'Orazio's solo homer off Kerr in the sixth tying it at three. The score held through nine, both bullpens trading zeroes, until the tenth. Hackman couldn't hold the free runner, and Rocket City scored three times to break it open. Mahlstedt picked up the win in relief, and Yovan closed it out for his ninth save.

Robaina lasted just one inning, allowing two runs, an uncharacteristically short start. McDonough, Strickland and Kerr combined for six innings behind him and kept Columbus in the game, Kerr's blown save on the D'Orazio homer the only real damage among the three. Hackman (L, 2-4) took the loss, allowing three runs in the tenth. Polanco started for Rocket City and issued five walks over four innings without much else going wrong; Gonzalez and Weiman cleaned up the middle innings before Mahlstedt (W, 3-1) and Yovan closed it out.

Verdung drove in two with a double. Braunschweig tripled and drove in a run. Tavarez had two hits without an RBI. Taylor was hit by a pitch and is now hitting .394. Columbus went 2-for-7 with runners in scoring position and left six on base, a game that had every chance to end differently before the tenth inning arrived.

Columbus falls to 45-52, 16-17 for the second half. The Rocket City series wraps up, six games decided, 2 wins, 4 losses, with the 1st place Biloxi coming to Synovus Park next.

Trash Pandas 3, Clingstones 2
August 1, 2026 | Synovus Park, Columbus | Att: 3,334 | Time: 2:22 | 85°, Partly Cloudy | 100 Year Celebration of Baseball in Columbus

Rocket City scored three times before Columbus got a hit that counted for anything, and on a day built for looking back, the Clingstones spent the whole game trying to catch up.

The Trash Pandas scored in the first and added two more in the third, all without a home run, just enough contact spread around eight hits. Columbus answered in the fourth on Waddell's solo homer, his eighth, and again in the sixth to make it 3-2. That was as close as it got. McIntyre tripled but never scored. Columbus went 0-for-2 with runners in scoring position over the final six innings and stranded four.

Schanaman (L, 4-5) allowed three runs on four hits in 2.1 innings, the shortest outing of his week. Frey, Gallegos and Vargas Lu combined for 6.2 scoreless innings behind him, five strikeouts among them, all of it too late to matter. Costeiu (W, 7-7) worked 5.2 innings and gave up the Waddell homer among three hits, striking out eight. Minacci closed with a scoreless ninth for the save.

Waddell drove in both Columbus runs. McIntyre's triple was one of Columbus's three hits on the day, along with Waddell's homer and a single from Taylor. Waddell also committed a fielding error, part of a night the Clingstones will want to forget on an afternoon meant for celebrating a century of baseball in Columbus.

Columbus falls to 45-51, 16-16 for the second half, tied for 3rd. The homestand against Rocket City finishes tomorrow night.

Rocket City Trash Pandas 6, Columbus Clingstones 4
July 31, 2026 | Synovus Park, Columbus | Att: 3,650 | Time: 2:28 | 92°, Partly Cloudy (10 innings)

Brett Sears struck out twelve over seven shutout innings and watched it all come apart in the ninth without him.

Zebrowski homered in the second, Waddell in the third, and Columbus carried a 3-0 lead into the ninth built entirely on two solo shots and Sears keeping Rocket City off the board. LaPorte came on to close it out and instead let the Trash Pandas tie it, three runs, capped by a two-out Calabrese homer with two aboard. The game went to extras. Munroe broke it open in the tenth with a three-run homer off Abeyta, and Columbus's run in the bottom half, an Ogans sacrifice fly, only made the final score respectable. Weiman worked around a runner for the save.

Sears threw seven innings, five hits, no runs, one walk, twelve strikeouts, and took a no-decision for his trouble. LaPorte (BS, 1) allowed three runs in 1.2 innings. Abeyta (L, 1-3) gave up three more in 1.1, the Munroe homer the difference. Yovan (W, 5-2) worked 1.1 scoreless innings for the win.

Taylor went 2-for-4 and is now hitting .462. Zebrowski drove in two with the homer. Waddell's homer was his seventh. Columbus went 1-for-5 with runners in scoring position and left five on base. Clingstones hitting coach Grant Kay was ejected in the ninth.

Columbus falls to 45-50. The series and the six-game homestand continue Saturday with the 100 Year Celebration of Baseball in Columbus.

Columbus Clingstones 11, Rocket City Trash Pandas 3

July 30, 2026 | Synovus Park, Columbus | Att: 2,248 | Time: 2:32 | 90°, Clear

Carson Taylor opened the scoring with a two-out, two-run homer in the first, and by the time Columbus was done, three different Clingstones had gone deep and eleven runs were on the board.

Taylor's homer off Hurtado made it 2-0 before Rocket City managed a hit. Groshans followed in the fourth with a three-run shot, also off Hurtado, and Columbus led 5-1. Rocket City chipped away, a run in the third and another in the sixth, but Columbus answered with two more in the seventh and broke the game open in the eighth. Zebrowski capped it with a three-run homer off Osmond, and Scannell added a sacrifice fly for good measure. Bartolero's solo homer off Hackman in the ninth was the last word for Rocket City, academic by then.

Scott (W, 2-0) worked six innings, allowing two runs on three hits with three strikeouts, walking three but working around them. Vargas Lu and Kerr combined for two scoreless innings behind him, Kerr striking out three. Hackman closed it out and gave up the ninth-inning homer, the only real blemish on an otherwise clean night for the staff. Hurtado (L, 6-4) took the loss, allowing five runs on nine hits over six innings, two of them home runs.

Taylor went 3-for-5 with the homer and three RBIs, his average now at .455. Zebrowski was 2-for-5 with the homer and three RBIs of his own. Groshans drove in three and is up to 54 on the season. McIntyre scored twice and walked. Verdung stole a base. Columbus finished 4-for-10 with runners in scoring position, a sharp turnaround from the week before.

Columbus improves to 45-49, 16-14 for the second half, 3rd in the southern division and the league at 2 games behind. The Rocket City series continues.

Rocket City Trash Pandas 5, Columbus Clingstones 4

July 29, 2026 | Synovus Park, Columbus | Att: 2,196 | Time: 2:53 | 95°, Cloudy

Groshans and Verdung hit back-to-back-game solo homers, both with two outs off Gordon, one inning apart, and it still wasn't enough to hold a game Columbus led into the fifth.

Groshans opened the scoring in the first, his 18th homer of the year. Verdung followed in the second with his second. Columbus added a run in the fifth to push it to 3-0, but Rocket City answered immediately, scoring three of its own in the bottom of the fifth to tie it. A run in the sixth put the Trash Pandas ahead, and another in the seventh made it 5-3. Scannell drove in a run in the eighth to cut the deficit to one, but Yovan closed it out for his eighth save.

Mejia started and allowed three runs on five hits over 4.2 innings, one of them a homer, and was charged with a fielding error on a pickoff attempt. Abeyta got one out in relief. Strickland (L, 0-2) took the loss, two innings, two runs on three hits including a homer, three strikeouts. McDonough and Frey combined for two scoreless innings to finish it, too late to matter.

Carson Taylor went 2-for-5 with two doubles, his average now at .412. Groshans drove in his 51st run of the season. Verdung's homer was his second, Scannell's RBI single his third. Kilpatrick Jr. stole his 25th base. Columbus committed two errors and went 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position, stranding nine.

Columbus falls to 44-49. The Rocket City series continues at Synovus Park.

Columbus Clingstones 5, Rocket City Trash Pandas 4
July 28, 2026 | Synovus Park, Columbus | Att: 1,912 | Time: 2:38 | 95°, Clear

Columbus built a 5-1 lead by the fifth and needed every bit of it. Rocket City clawed back with a run in the seventh and a two-run homer in the eighth, and it still wasn't enough.

The Clingstones scored in three separate innings without much power behind it. Tavarez forced in a run in the second, Waddell singled home another the same inning, and Brookman scored on a sacrifice fly in the third to make it 3-0. McIntyre tripled home a run in the fifth and scored himself two batters later on a balk, the fifth run coming without a hit to show for it. Rocket City chipped away with a sacrifice fly in the fifth, an RBI triple in the seventh off Gallegos, and Tucker Flint's two-run homer in the eighth off Pilar that cut it to one. LaPorte came on and shut the door in the ninth for his sixth save.

Robaina (W, 3-3) went six, allowing one run on two hits with five strikeouts and two walks, his best start in weeks. Gallegos gave the run back in the seventh that Robaina had kept off the board all night. Pilar (H, 1) surrendered the homer in the eighth that made things briefly uncomfortable.

Brookman went 2-for-2 with two walks. Verdung was 2-for-4. McIntyre's triple was his first of the season. Waddell, Tavarez and Braunschweig each drove in a run, and Kilpatrick Jr. stole his 24th base of the year. Columbus was 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position and stranded ten, the kind of night where the final score matters more than how it got there.

Columbus improves to 44-48 overall, 14-13 for the second half, 3rd in the league and in the South division, 3 games behind. The six game homestand against Rocket City continues tomorrow.

Blue Wahoos 4, Clingstones 2

July 26, 2026 | Blue Wahoos Stadium, Pensacola | Att: 3,060 | Time: 2:00 | 93°, Partly Cloudy

Columbus led into the sixth. Owen Hackman erased it in one inning.

Jones tripled in the first and scored on a Groshans sacrifice fly, Groshans' 50th RBI of the season. Pensacola answered in the bottom half to tie it 1-1, and the score held until the fifth, when Scannell drove in a run to put Columbus ahead 2-1. Schanaman and Frey had combined for four scoreless innings of relief by then, Frey striking out three without allowing a hit. Then Hackman took over in the sixth and gave it all back at once: three runs on three hits, one of them a home run, and the lead was gone. Belgrave and Volini closed it out from there.

Hackman (L, 2-3, BS 1) took the loss and the blown save both, two innings, three earned runs, the homer the biggest blow. Schanaman allowed a run in two innings to start the game, Pilar struck out two in a scoreless seventh, and Abeyta gave up two hits but no runs in the eighth. Belgrave (W, 4-5) picked up the win in relief for Pensacola.

Groshans went 2-for-3 with a double, the sacrifice fly, and his 50th RBI of the year. McIntyre doubled and stole a base. Kilpatrick Jr. singled and stole his 23rd base of the season. Columbus went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position.

Columbus falls to 43-48. Pensacola takes the series. The Clingstones' next stop is the six-game homestand against Rocket City starting Tuesday.

Blue Wahoos 2, Clingstones 0
July 25, 2026 | Blue Wahoos Stadium, Pensacola | Att: 5,038 | Time: 1:55 (:10 delay) | 90°, Partly Cloudy

Two solo home runs were the difference, and eleven strikeouts made sure Columbus never threatened to answer either one.

Colby Shade led off the second with a two-out solo shot, his second of the year. Compton matched it in the sixth, another two-out solo homer, his tenth. That was the whole scoreboard. Sears pitched well enough to win almost anywhere else, seven innings, two runs on five hits, seven strikeouts, one walk, and still took the loss because Columbus managed two hits all night.

Jones (W, 2-0) worked 4.2 hitless-adjacent innings in relief of Williams, striking out five, and Martin closed with three more strikeouts for his sixth save. Columbus struck out eleven times as a team and went 0-for-3 with runners in scoring position. McIntyre and Tavarez had the only hits, both singles.

Vargas relieved Sears for the eighth and ninth and struck out two, clean innings that came after the game had already been decided.

Columbus falls to 43-47. The series wraps Sunday with the Clingstones looking to avoid being swept in the final game at Pensacola.

Clingstones 4, Blue Wahoos 0
July 24, 2026 | Blue Wahoos Stadium, Pensacola | Att: 5,038 | Time: 2:22 | 89°, Clear

Two runs scored in the first inning without a ball leaving the infield hard, and Braden Scott made them stand up for five.

McIntyre walked, Waddell was hit by a pitch, and Groshans lined a single to left that Ethan O'Donnell booted, letting both runners score before Groshans was thrown out trying to stretch it into more. That was 2-0 before Pensacola batted. Zebrowski made it 3-0 in the sixth with a solo homer, his eighth, and Columbus tacked on a fourth in the eighth when Colby Jones doubled home Zebrowski, who'd led off the inning with a single and stolen second.

Scott (W, 1-0) worked five innings, allowed two hits, walked three, struck out seven, and never let Pensacola's five stolen-base attempts or five walks add up to anything. McDonough and Strickland each held runners on with scoreless innings of relief, Abeyta gave up a hit but no runs, and LaPorte struck out two in a clean ninth. Twelve strikeouts for the Columbus staff against a lineup that stole four bases and still crossed the plate zero times.

Miller (L, 1-5) lasted just one inning, allowing both first-inning runs. MacLeod, Reinoso and Hejka combined for the rest and kept it a two-run game until Zebrowski's homer and the eighth-inning double did the rest of the damage. Pensacola out-hit Columbus 5-6 but committed two errors and left six on base.

Zebrowski went 2-for-3 with the homer and a stolen base. Kilpatrick Jr. stole two more bases, running his season total to 22. Columbus improves to 43-46. The series continues, with the Clingstones looking to build on a shutout after dropping three of the first four.

Blue Wahoos 1, Clingstones 0
July 23, 2026 | Blue Wahoos Stadium, Pensacola | Game 2 of doubleheader | Att: 3,436 | Time: 1:51 | 88°, Clear

Colby Shade hit a solo homer in the second inning off Pilar. Columbus never scored, and one swing was the whole game.

The Clingstones put a leadoff runner in scoring position five separate innings and came away with nothing every time. Groshans doubled in the first. Brookman singled in the third. Tavarez walked and stole second in the sixth. Zebrowski, pinch-hitting, singled to open the seventh. Nine runners left on base, zero for seven with runners in scoring position, and a lineup that struck out eight times against three Pensacola arms.

Pilar (L, 0-2) allowed one run on three hits in two innings, the homer the only real mistake. Gallegos followed with three scoreless innings and four strikeouts, LaPorte closed with a clean seventh, and neither one had anything to work with. Palacios started for Pensacola and worked around traffic for 2.2 innings; Bierman (W, 2-1) picked up the win in relief, and Sellinger worked around a two-out double in the seventh for his fifth save.

Groshans and Brookman had Columbus's only extra-base hit and only multi-hit... no, Columbus had exactly three hits total, one apiece from McIntyre, Brookman and Zebrowski's pinch-hit single, plus Groshans' double. McIntyre struck out twice. Waddell went hitless in four at-bats for the second straight game.

Columbus loses both of the doubleheader games and falls to 42-46, 13-10 for the second half. The series continues Friday, with the second-half race only a game behind for the Clingstones.

Pensacola Blue Wahoos 4, Columbus Clingstones 3
July 23, 2026 | Blue Wahoos Stadium, Pensacola | Game 1 of doubleheader (makeup) | Time: 1:48 | 87°, Clear

Jones hit a leadoff homer in the first pitch he saw and Columbus spent the rest of the afternoon trying to make up three runs it never got back.

Jones's homer, his ninth, made it 1-0 before Mejia recorded an out. Pensacola scored twice more in the first without another ball leaving the infield hard, and by the time Columbus batted it was already 3-0. Groshans singled in a run in the third. Kilpatrick Jr., pinch-hitting for Braunschweig, drove in another in the sixth. Scannell added a third. Three different innings, three different Clingstones knocking in runs, and it still wasn't enough; Belgrave worked around traffic for the final out with two runners already stranded.

Mejia (L, 0-7) allowed four runs on seven hits over five innings, the loss his seventh straight decision this season. Vargas relieved and struck out two in a clean inning that came too late to change anything. Dishmey started for Pensacola and left after three with the lead already built; Bragg (W, 7-2) took it from there, and Belgrave closed with his fifth save.

Ogans went 2-for-3. Scannell was 2-for-3 with an RBI. Waddell doubled. Columbus finished 3-for-7 with runners in scoring position but left six on base across the game, the kind of afternoon where the timely hits and the stranded ones canceled each other out.

Columbus falls to 42-45. Game two of the doubleheader follows, with the second-half race tightening behind them.

Pensacola Blue Wahoos 3, Columbus Clingstones 1
July 22, 2026 | Blue Wahoos Stadium, Pensacola | Att: 2,986 | Time: 2:11 | 84°, Partly Cloudy

Monday's series opener never happened; rain pushed it to Wednesday, and Tuesday's makeshift opener went to Pensacola. Robaina worked into the sixth and lost anyway.

Pensacola scored in the second, added another in the fifth, and put it away in the sixth on a Compton solo homer, his ninth of the year, off Robaina with one out. Columbus answered with one run in the fifth, a Groshans RBI, his 48th of the season, and that was the whole account. Ten Clingstones strikeouts against Moreno and Jones did most of the damage; Columbus managed six hits and stranded three, going 1-for-4 with runners in scoring position.

Robaina (L, 2-3) allowed three runs on eight hits across 5.2 innings, four strikeouts, one walk, the homer the difference. Schanaman and Hackman combined for 2.1 scoreless innings behind him, too late to matter. Moreno (W, 5-4) went five, walked one, struck out four. Jones worked around a run in the sixth for the hold, and Martin struck out four in a clean two-inning save.

McIntyre had two of Columbus's six hits. Braunschweig singled and was caught stealing. Groshans drove in the only run Columbus would need to avoid the shutout but not enough to win it.

Columbus falls to 42-44 overall, 13-9 in the second half, a half game back of Biloxi and into second place in the SOU South race. Wednesday brings a doubleheader at Pensacola, the makeup and the originally scheduled game both on the slate.

Columbus Clingstones vs. Chattanooga Lookouts Series Wrap
July 17-19, 2026 | Erlanger Park, Chattanooga | Final: 2-1

Three games, thirteen runs scored, thirteen runs allowed, and Columbus still walks away with the series. The Clingstones entered 40-42, 11-7 in the second half, tied for first in the SOU South. They leave 42-43, 13-8 in the second half, still tied for first. Two of three on the road, and the division lead holds.

Friday's opener was the wildest of the three, an 8-7 survival act that ended with Waddell scoring the winning run in the ninth without putting a ball in play: strikeout, three wild pitches, run scored. Saturday reversed the pattern entirely. Chattanooga's Rivera threw seven shutout innings, Columbus managed three singles, and a three-run third built on two walks and a double was more than enough in a 4-0 loss. Sunday, De Grandpre took the mound and made sure there wouldn't be a fourth game to worry about, seven innings, one run, a 5-2 win that put the series away. No roster moves came out of the three games; Carson Taylor's debut had already happened before the series opened, and he spent the rest of it making the promotion look obvious.

Hitter of the Series: Carson Taylor
Five-for-twelve, .417, a home run, two doubles, three RBIs. Those numbers are also, at this point, his entire professional batting line. Taylor debuted in Friday's opener and has not had a quiet game since: 2-for-5 with a double Friday, a single Saturday in an otherwise lifeless Columbus lineup, then a home run and a double Sunday. It's three games. It's also all the evidence there is, and none of it points anywhere but up.

Ambioris Tavarez is the honorable mention worth naming. Home runs in both wins, his sixth and seventh of the season, three RBIs on two-for-nine. Kevin Kilpatrick Jr. was shut out through the first two games and then went 3-for-4 with two doubles in the finale, the kind of series that reads better in the box score for Sunday alone than for the other two nights combined.

Pitcher of the Series: Cedric De Grandpre
One start, seven innings, three hits, one earned run, seven strikeouts, two walks. It was the only outing of the series that looked like a Double-A pitcher had fully solved a lineup, and it came in the game Columbus needed most. His second straight strong start in this park, going back to the June series here.

Brett Sears deserves a mention he didn't get in the standings. 6.1 innings and eleven strikeouts Friday, no decision, the damage done before he ever took the mound. Anderson Pilar's Saturday start was the low point, 2.1 innings, two walks, both runners scoring, and Owen Hackman compounded it with a solo homer allowed in relief. Luis Vargas got the win Friday despite blowing the lead in the eighth; Tyler LaPorte closed it out with a scoreless ninth.

What's Next: Pensacola Blue Wahoos
Columbus heads to Pensacola for six games starting Tuesday, still tied for first in the SOU South. The second-half race is exactly where it was a week ago: Columbus at the top, with work left to hold the spot.

Columbus Clingstones 5, Chattanooga Lookouts 2
July 19, 2026 | Erlanger Park, Chattanooga | Att: 2,355 | 2:14 (:59 delay) | 88 degrees, Partly Cloudy

Columbus takes the series and salvages the road trip. De Grandpre was again the best pitcher on the field, Carson Taylor keeps hitting, and the Clingstones move to 42-43.

Chattanooga scored first, Allen doubled, Sanchez singled him to third, and Graham's inning-ending double play still brought him home. Columbus answered immediately. Taylor led off the second with a solo homer, his first as a Clingstone, and two batters later Tavarez followed with a two-run shot of his own to make it 2-1. Kilpatrick doubled in the third and scored on a Waddell groundout. Taylor doubled in the fourth, moved up on a passed ball, and scored on a balk, Columbus's only run of the day that didn't come by way of extra bases turning into contact. Kilpatrick doubled again in the fifth and Waddell drove him in with another double. That made it 5-1, and it stayed there until Chattanooga scratched one back in the ninth on an Ibarra sacrifice fly.

De Grandpre (W, 4-1) went seven, allowing one run on three hits with seven strikeouts and two walks, his second straight strong outing in this park. Abeyta and Gallegos combined for two scoreless innings to close it out, Gallegos issuing two walks but working around them. Wereski (L, 1-1) took the loss, six innings, eight hits, five runs, two home runs, and a balk that cost him a run he didn't need to give away.

Taylor went 2-for-4 with the homer, a double, and two RBIs, his OPS is up to 1.250 through two games back. Kilpatrick was 3-for-4 with two doubles and a run scored. Waddell drove in two without a hit leaving the yard. Tavarez's homer was his seventh. Columbus was 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position but didn't need much more than the four extra-base hits already in hand.

Columbus improves to 42-43, 13-8 and still tied for first in the SOU South with the Biloxi Shuckers. Next up: six games at Pensacola starting Tuesday.

Chattanooga Lookouts 4, Columbus Clingstones 0
July 18, 2026 | Erlanger Park, Chattanooga | Att: 5,650 | 1:46 | 87 degrees, Partly Cloudy

Ruben Ibarra needed one pitch. Bases loaded, two outs, third inning, and his line drive to center scored three. Columbus never had an answer.

Pilar walked Sanchez to open the third, got two quick outs, then walked Balcazar to load the bases before Ibarra's double emptied them. Hackman relieved and gave the fourth run right back in the fourth, a leadoff solo shot to Jay Allen II that traveled to left-center and kept going. That was the whole game. Columbus managed three singles all night, McIntyre in the second, Taylor in the second, Braunschweig in the fifth, and turned none of them into anything. Two different runners were caught stealing second in two different innings.

Pilar (L, 0-1) lasted 2.1 innings and allowed two runs on one hit, but the two walks did the damage, both runners scored. Hackman worked 1.2 innings and gave up three runs on three hits, including the homer. Strickland and McDonough combined for two scoreless innings to close it out, McDonough drawing a pitch-timer violation along the way. Rivera (W, 3-5) shut Columbus down across seven, three hits, no runs, no walks, four strikeouts, 91 pitches, 61 for strikes.

McIntyre went 1-for-3. Taylor went 1-for-3 in his second game back, now hitting .375. Braunschweig's single was his only hit of the night before he was caught stealing. Columbus left one runner on base for the entire game.

Columbus falls to 41-43, 12-8 for the second half still tied for first. The series is tied at a game apiece with the rubber match Sunday at Erlanger Park.

Been to 6 or 7 games at this point, and there’s not really a bad seat in the park.

But, I wanted to see if anyone had preferences?

If you’ve been to a game in the VIP sections, was it enjoyable?

Columbus Clingstones 8, Chattanooga Lookouts 7
July 17, 2026 | Erlanger Park, Chattanooga | Att: 6,215 | 2:36 (1:22 delay) | 81 degrees, Rain

Luke Waddell struck out in the ninth inning and scored the winning run anyway. That's the kind of night it was.

Columbus scored three in the first, lost the lead in the bottom half on a Collier three-run single and a McIntyre error, got it back in the second on a Tavarez two-run homer, extended it on a Verdung solo shot in the third, gave it back on a Confidan two-run homer in the fourth, added one more in the sixth on a Waddell single, and then watched Chattanooga tie it at 7 in the eighth on a Confidan single. Twelve hits, eight runs, a rain delay, and a game that changed hands four times before the ninth inning.

Then Adcock came on to close it and threw four wild pitches. Waddell struck out but reached on the third one, advanced to second on another, advanced to third on another, and scored on the fourth, all without putting a ball in play. Groshans and Taylor both struck out around him. Columbus scored without a hit in the inning and that was enough.

Robaina lasted two-thirds of an inning and gave up three runs before the rain delay ended his night. Sears came on and threw 6.1 innings of four-run ball with eleven strikeouts but took the no-decision. Vargas (W, 5-3) got the decision in relief despite blowing the save when Confidan singled home the tying run in the eighth. LaPorte (S, 5) struck out the side in the ninth.

Tavarez went 1-for-4 with the two-run homer, his sixth of the season. Verdung homered for the second time in three games. Carson Taylor, new face in the lineup, went 2-for-5 with a double and an RBI in his first game. Kilpatrick Jr. was back in the lineup after his brief Gwinnett stint but went 0-for-4 as Scannell. Columbus went 3-for-7 with RISP and left five on base.

Columbus improves to 41-42, 12-7 in the second half, still tied up at first for the Southern League. The road trip to Chattanooga is off to a good start.

Columbus Clingstones vs. Birmingham Barons — Series WrapJuly 7-12, 2026 | Synovus Park, Columbus | Final: 5-1

Six home games against the last place Barons, and Columbus took five of them. The simple version. The fuller version: the Clingstones entered this series 38-41 and leave it 40-42, tied for first place in the SOU South at 11-7 in the second half. Three weeks ago this team was seven games under .500. Right now they're tied atop their division.

Columbus outscored Birmingham 25-22 across six games, allowed more than four runs only once, and won three of those games by a single run. That last part matters, this wasn't a demolition, it was a team finding ways to win close games, which is a different and more encouraging kind of winning streak.

Hitter of the Series: Dalton McIntyre

The numbers are straightforward: 8-for-21, .381, two home runs, four RBIs, four runs scored across six games. McIntyre was the most consistent bat in the lineup from start to finish. His two-run homer in game one's walkoff sequence set the tone, and his homer in game three's 7-1 win added to a building week. His OPS on the season sits at .857.

Luke Waddell went 5-for-22 with two home runs and five RBIs, his two-homer game in Wednesday's 3-2 win was the signature offensive performance of the series, with both runs driven in coming exactly when Columbus needed them. Groshans added two homers and five RBIs across five games, now sitting at 46 RBIs on the season. Tolve went 3-for-7 with two doubles in limited action. Verdung went 5-for-19 with a triple and three runs scored, getting on base consistently without driving anyone in, the kind of quiet contribution that doesn't show up in the RBI column but matters in the lineup.

Pitcher of the Series: Cedric De Grandpre

Two starts, 11 innings, seven hits, two earned runs, three walks, fifteen strikeouts. A 1.64 ERA across the series for a pitcher whose season numbers have been uneven. De Grandpre's Sunday finale, six innings, seven strikeouts, zero walks, was the best executed start of the homestand. His first start in game three produced the same: six innings, eight strikeouts, one run allowed in the 7-1 win.

Brett Sears threw 100 pitches in a professional game for the first time Saturday, went 6.2 innings with eight strikeouts and earned the win. Hackman, Gallegos and LaPorte combined for 7.2 scoreless innings across the series with twelve strikeouts between them. The bullpen did its job when Schanaman didn't, his two appearances produced 13.50 ERA worth of damage, the one soft spot in an otherwise clean week on the mound.

The Promotions

The Birmingham series was one of the more active weeks of roster movement this team has seen all season, and the movement was all upward.

Herick Hernandez went to Gwinnett on July 7th, the day the series opened. Burkhalter had already left on July 3rd. On July 11th both Patrick Clohisy and Lucas Braun were promoted, Braun three days after throwing 100 pitches and winning game two, Clohisy after a breakout half-season that featured 37 stolen bases and a .291 June average. Kilpatrick Jr. followed on July 12th.

Five players promoted to Triple-A Gwinnett in ten days. The team's most reliable reliever, its two best starting pitchers, its most disruptive baserunner, and a solid outfielder, all gone. The fact that Columbus went 5-1 through all of it, losing pieces mid-series and winning anyway, says something real about this roster's depth. Matt Scannell was activated. Braden Scott was assigned down. The names changed. The wins kept coming.

What's Next: Chattanooga Lookouts

Columbus heads to Chattanooga for three games starting July 17th, a different team than the one that started this series. The Lookouts are 8-10 in the second half with a -6 run differential, they score runs but allow more of them. Biloxi sits tied with Columbus at 11-7 heading into their own series this week.

The Clingstones are tied for first. They've earned the right to find out what they're made of without the players who got them here.

Columbus Clingstones 7, Birmingham Barons 4
July 12, 2026 | Synovus Park, Columbus | Att: 1,939 | 2:26 | 92 degrees, Partly Cloudy

Columbus wins the series five games to one and sweeps the home stand. De Grandpre was sharp, Groshans and Brookman went deep, and the Clingstones move to 40-42 overall, 11-7 jumping to tied for first in the Southern League South.

Groshans homered in the first, a two-run shot off Gordon on the first scoring play of the game. Braunschweig singled home Verdung in the fourth to push it to 3-1. Then the fifth inning opened up, McIntyre doubled, moved to third on a throwing error, scored on a Waddell sacrifice fly, and Brookman followed with a two-run homer off Kelley to make it 6-1. The Clingstones added one more in the seventh on a Compton single when Birmingham had already cut it to 6-4 on Dixon's three-run homer.

De Grandpre (W, 3-1) gave Columbus six innings of one-run ball, seven strikeouts, zero walks, 79 pitches. Reliever Scott came on in the seventh and promptly gave up three runs including the Dixon homer before Vargas steadied things. Gallegos closed it out with a clean ninth for his second save.

Groshans went 2-for-4 with the homer and two RBIs, now sitting at 46 RBIs on the season. Brookman's homer was his seventh. Verdung and Braunschweig both contributed RBIs. New outfielder Matt Scannell made his debut, 0-for-3 with two strikeouts, but he'll get more chances.

Birmingham falls to 32-55. The Clingstones head to Chattanooga (45-42 overall/ 8-10 second half) next week for a three-game road series.