Dominant Offensive Night from English Drives Columbus to 6-4 Win Over Birmingham

Tristin English opened the scoring with a home run and added critical insurance runs in the ninth inning to help the Columbus Clingstones (12-8) hang on and win 6-4 over the Birmingham Barons (8-12) on Saturday night at Regions Field.

Decisive Plays: After three scoreless innings to open the game, English delivered a towering solo home run (4) in the fourth to put Columbus ahead 1-0. The score held into the bottom of the sixth, when a 43-minute rain delay interrupted play. Columbus built a 2-0 lead in the seventh on an RBI triple from Lizandro Espinoza, but Birmingham responded with a sacrifice fly from Andy Weber to cut the lead to 2-1. An RBI walk from Luke Waddell in the ninth restored the two-run lead, and English struck again for a three-run double that made it 6-1. Columbus would need that insurance as Weber drilled a three-run home run in the ninth inning to make it 6-4.

Key Contributors: English (3-for-5, 2B, HR, 4 RBI) dominated the evening at the plate with support from Espinoza (1-for-4, 3B, RBI) and Cal Conley (2-for-4, 2B). On the mound, Brett Sears (Win, 5.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 7 SO) gave Columbus another solid start. For Birmingham, Weber (1-for-2, HR, 4 RBI) drove in all four runs.

Notable: Columbus improved to four games above .500 for the first time in franchise history. It is the first time a Braves Double-A affiliate has been four games above .500 since the 2021 Mississippi Braves were 20-16 following an 11-2 win over Biloxi on June 13, 2021. Sears became the first starting pitcher for Columbus since himself on April 17 vs. Biloxi to go at least 5.0 innings. The Clingstones now have 29 home runs on the season, its most in one month in franchise history.

Next Game (Sunday, April 26): Columbus at Birmingham, 3:05 p.m. at Regions Field. RHP Owen Murphy (1-1, 7.31 ERA) makes the start for Columbus while LHP Lucas Gordon (1-2, 7.64 ERA) will start for Birmingham. Radio Broadcast: 2:50 p.m. on SportsVisions 92.1 FM. Stream: Bally Sports Live.

Next Home Game (Tuesday, April 28): Columbus vs. Montgomery, 6:05 p.m. at Synovus Park. Radio Broadcast: 5:50 p.m. on SportsVisions 92.1 FM. Stream: Bally Sports Live.