Columbia Capitalizes on Charleston Mistakes to Even Series
June 9, 2021 - Carolina League (CarL)
Columbia Fireflies News Release
Columbia Fireflies pitcher Cruz Noriega
(Columbia Fireflies)
COLUMBIA, S.C. - The Columbia Fireflies capitalized on a pair of errors in the top of the sixth inning to score four runs, all of which were unearned, to beat the Charleston RiverDogs 5-3 Wednesday night at Joseph P. Riley Ballpark.
After obtaining the first out on a 1-1 groundout from Darryl Collins, RiverDogs (19-13) reliever Hector Figueroa (L, 0-2) struggled to get a second out. Maikel Garcia started the Fireflies (19-12) offense with a base knock up the gut before Jake Means reached on a catcher's interference and then Brady McConnell loaded the bases after a fielding error from shortstop Osleivis Basabe.
That set the table for the remainder of the inning, where Juan Carlos Negret drew a five-pitch walk to draw the RiverDogs lead to 3-2. After a quick pop-out, Felix Familia and Diego Hernandez hit back-to-back soft contact, first pitch singles to score Means, McConnell and Negret to put the Fireflies in front 5-3.
Columbia cracked the score column in the fourth when McConnell laced a double to right center to plate Garcia. Garcia also accrued a pair of stolen bases, increasing his season total to nine.
The Fireflies found themselves behind 2-0 after three innings and before leaving a third of the way through the fourth, Adrian Alcantara was on the hook for a third run off the bat of Jonathan Embry. Alcantara gave up three runs, only two of which were earned before he gave the ball to the bullpen, who rattle off 5.2 scoreless innings to close out the ball game.
Cruz Noriega (W, 2-1) spun 4.0 scoreless frames with half a dozen strikeouts before giving the ball to Emilio Marquez (S, 1) to earn the fourth save of his three-year career.
The series between Columbia and Charleston picks up tomorrow at 7:05 pm at Joseph P. Riley Jr. Ballpark. Righty Delvin Capellan (1-1, 2.57 ERA) toes the rubber for Columbia. The RiverDogs have yet to name a starter.
After two weeks on the road, the Fireflies will return home Tuesday, June 15 to start a six-game set with the Augusta GreenJackets. At that point, Columbia will play 12 games in 13 days at Segra Park that will include two fireworks shows, two t-shirt giveaways and much more. For tickets visit FirefliesTickets.com.
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 Columbia Fireflies pitcher Cruz Noriega |
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