Pensacola Blue Wahoos (MIA) @ Columbus Clingstones (ATL)
June 14, 2026
HR: Juan Matheus (PNS), Jay Beshears (PNS), Garret Forrester (PNS), Dillon Lewis (PNS), David McCabe (COL)
Attendance: 1,911
Time of Game: 2 hours, 45 minutes
Stadium Facts
Location: Columbus, GA
Opened: 1926
Capacity: 5,500
Level: Double A
League: Southern
Time of Game: 2 hours, 45 minutes
Stadium Facts
Location: Columbus, GA
Opened: 1926
Capacity: 5,500
Level: Double A
League: Southern
I stayed in Montgomery both nights of the middle weekend of my trip. However, on Sunday, I made a day trip back east to Columbus, Georgia. This was only about an 80 mile drive, but did involve not only crossing a state line, but also a time zone line. Just barely. Synovus Park is located way down yonder on the Chattahoochee River, just about a stone's throw from this river that separates Georgia and Alabama. It is on a sports compound that also houses an indoor arena and ample parking lots.
Synovus Park is technically one of the oldest active ballparks in minor league baseball. However, that is a bit misleading because the stadium formerly known as Golden Park underwent major renovations prior to the Mississippi Braves relocating to Columbus and becoming the Clingstones for the 2025 season. It was previously a home for other minor league franchises and hosted the 1996 Olympic softball tournament. For the most part, it looks like a very modern park now. Except for the fact that the main concourse is located underneath the grandstand, a design choice most modern parks avoid. Virtually all of the seats in this park are in that main grandstand that runs just past first and third bases on each side. There is a walkway that bisects this grandstand and is where the tunnels from the concourse lead to. In a bit of a rarity for the AA level, this ballpark has no outfield seating areas at all. There are large picnic areas down both foul lines though. At the top of the grandstand behind first base is a large club seating area. And above most of the rest of the grandstand are suites and the press box. A roof overhangs most of the seats, which kept a majority of the seats in the shade on this hot summer afternoon. There was also a bit of a breeze that made the conditions pretty tolerable, in my opinion. It was a pretty small crowd on this particular afternoon though. Very much understandable to me why not many people would make plans to attend summer afternoon games in this part of the country. While I'm sure that Synovus Park is a nice upgrade over the facility in Pearl, Mississippi from which this franchise came, it does not stack up all that favorably compared to most of the other current Southern League ballparks. That's not a terrible insult though considering how nice most of the parks in that league are. Columbus' close proximity to the big league club in Atlanta no doubt played a major role in the relocation as well. This game concluded a four day stretch in which I got to see all eight of the Southern League teams in action.
This Sunday afternoon game wrapped up a six game series between the AA affiliates of NL East rivals Miami and Atlanta. The Marlins affiliate from Pensacola won three of the first five games. Starting this game on the mound were a pair of righties: Ian Mejia for the Clingstones and Luis Moreno for the Blue Wahoos. Moreno's outing got off to a bit of a tough start as he gave up a solo home run to David McCabe to right-center in the bottom of the first, giving Columbus an early lead. Moreno settled down nicely after that though, not allowing another run until the fifth. By that time, he had a comfortable lead to work with because the Blue Wahoos offense came to life in the second inning. Cristian Hernandez reached on a hit by pitch and then started an aggressive inning on the base paths for Pensacola as he stole second and third for two of the four stolen bases in the inning. Ian Lewis walked and promptly stole second as catcher Archer Brookman's throw trickled into the outfield allowing Hernandez to score to tie the game. Cam Cannarella would later line a base hit to right to score another run, giving Pensacola a 2-1 lead. The inning ended with Cannarella attempting to pick up the fifth stolen base of the inning, but Brookman threw him out. After that inning, the Wahoos converted from small ball to a long ball team. In the third, Juan Matheus crushed a two run homer to right center to put Pensacola up by three. Mejia then walked two more hitters, ending his rough afternoon with four runs allowed on four hits and four walks in less than three innings of work. The bottom of the third started with Cannarella making a leaping catch while banging into the wall in right center, potentially robbing a home run from Kevin Kilpatrick. Cannarella would later leave the game after his next at bat. Not sure if he was feeling the effects from that wall bang or if it was something else. Fortunately, he was back in the lineup for the next Blue Wahoos game. In the fourth, Pensacola nine hole hitter Jay Beshears lined a homer to left to add to the lead. The Clingstones got one back in the fifth against Moreno, but he finished with five solid innings, giving up a pair of runs with no walks and five strikeouts. Columbus cut the lead to two with another run in the seventh. But in the eighth, Pensacola continued their power surge as Garret Forrester crushed a ball off the scoreboard in left to make it a 6-3 game. That was immediately followed by an incredible diving catch by Columbus centerfielder Patrick Clohisy. The Clingstones scratched out a run of their own in the bottom of the eighth, cutting the lead to two heading into the final inning. Pensacola effectively put the game out of reach in the ninth when Dillon Lewis crushed a two run homer to center. It was the fourth Wahoos homer of the game and second by a player the Marlins acquired from the Yankees in the Ryan Weathers trade last winter (Matheus the other). Columbus went down in order in the bottom of the ninth, closing out an 8-4 Pensacola victory.
After a brief stint in the Eastern time zone, it was back to Montgomery for another night before heading down to Biloxi on Monday and finally a day off from baseball after seven games in six straight days. The weather didn't quite cooperate as nicely in the final week of my trip though.
Next ballpark: Keesler Federal Park in Biloxi, MS
