An unexpected masterpiece on the mound from left-hander Braden Scott in his first start with the club led the Columbus Clingstones (14-11, 43-46) to a 4-0 shutout win over the Pensacola Blue Wahoos (13-11, 49-44) on Friday night at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
Decisive Plays: A single to left field from Jordan Groshans was misplayed by Wahoos' left fielder Ethan O' Donnell in the first inning, allowing Dalton McIntyre and Luke Waddell to score as Columbus opened up a 2-0 lead. Scott (W, 1-0) struck out two batters in each of his first three innings and finished with 5.0 scoreless innings. Adam Zebrowski clocked a solo home run (8) to lead off the sixth inning and pushed the Columbus lead to 3-0. With the Wahoos threatening in the seventh, left fielder Matt Scannell threw out O'Donnell at the plate to preserve the shutout. An RBI double from Colby Jones in the eighth made it 4-0. Tyler LaPorte struck out a pair in the ninth to secure the win.
Key Contributors: Scott (5.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 7 SO) turned in a gem on the mound while Zebrowski (2-for-3, HR, RBI) and Jones (1-for-3, 2B, RBI) powered Columbus at the plate. For Pensacola, Christian MacLeod (3.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 SO) kept the Wahoos in the game with his relief effort.
Notable: Scott won his first start in Minor League Baseball in his 46th career appearance, dating back to 2022. Zebrowski delivered the 100th home run for Columbus this season. Scannell became the seventh different Clingstone to record an outfield assist. Columbus improves to 11-5 in Friday games in 2026.
Next Game (Saturday, July 25): Columbus at Pensacola, 7:05 p.m. ET at Blue Wahoos Stadium. RHP Brett Sears (3-3, 4.15 ERA) will start for Columbus opposed by RHP Alex Williams (4-7, 6.09 ERA) for Pensacola. Radio Broadcast: 6:50 p.m. ET on SportsVisions 92.1 FM. Stream: Bally Sports Live.