Offense Ignites, Columbia Wins Fifth Straight at Home
June 7, 2017 - South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Columbia Fireflies News Release
COLUMBIA, SC - Every Firefly batter recorded a hit in Wednesday's 5-1 victory over Lexington at Spirit Communications Park. Columbia totaled 12 hits and picked up its fifth consecutive home win. The Fireflies have won eight of the last 11 and remain just three games behind the Southern Division-leading Greenville Drive with 12 games left in the first half. The first half division winners clinch a playoff spots.
South Atlantic League All-Star Merandy Gonzalez also picked up his eighth win of the season. The righty is now 8-1 after posting six scoreless innings with five strikeouts on Wednesday. His ERA sits at 1.56 after 10 starts. Gonzalez joins Jordan Humphreys with eighth wins and together the duo becomes the only pair of teammates in all of professional baseball (MLB and MiLB) with eight wins each.
Ali Sanchez drove in Columbia's (31-25) first run in the second. His double plated Desmond Lindsay who began the inning with a single. Sanchez would eventually finished with a pair of hits.
The home team scored at least a run in each of the next three frames. In the third, Andres Gimenez vaulted a double to the right-center field gap and zipped to third on Michael Paez's base hit. Gimenez tagged and scored when Dash Winningham flew out to right field.
The 2-0 advantage doubled in the fourth. This time it was Jay Jabs and Gene Cone who knocked in the runs. Columbia added one more run off of Lexington (29-30) starter Garrett Davila (L, 4-2) in the fifth. After Winningham doubled, Lindsay smashed a two-bagger off the base of the left-field wall. Lindsay has recorded four multi-hit games over his last six.
After Gonzalez, Fireflies' relievers Adonis Uceta and Taylor Henry continued the shutout through the eighth. The lone Legends run was Gabriel Cancel's solo homer in the ninth.
Columbia can sweep its second straight opponent at home with a win on Thursday. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. Columbia starts right-hander Gary Cornish (0-1, 4.26) who counters Lexington righty Travis Eckert (2-3, 4.58).
You can watch the action on MiLB.tv starting at 7:00 p.m. or listen in on ESPN Columbia 94.9 FM and 1230 AM, ColumbiaFireflies.com and on the TuneIn app at 6:45 p.m.
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