Columbia Fireflies Game Notes 4.17 at Kannapolis
April 17, 2025 - Carolina League (CarL)
Columbia Fireflies News Release
The Fireflies continue their series with the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers at Atrium Health Ballpark tonight at 6:30 pm. RHP Josh Hansell (0-1, 11.57 ERA) takes the rubber for Columbia and Kannapolis counters with southpaw Justin Sinibali (0-0, 54.00 ERA).
Columbia closes out the month of April at Segra Park with some can't-miss promotions! The team is home from April 22-May 4 and will host USC Night presented by E.F. Martin April 24, Faith and Family Night presented by United Way of the Midlands April 26, Bluey at the Ballpark presented by South Carolina Department of Social Services May 3 and Star Wars Night presented by Founders Credit Union May 4. Buy your tickets now at FirefliesTickets.com.
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SEVEN IN THE NINTH LIFTS COLUMBIA TO VICTORY: The Fireflies bats exploded for seven runs in the ninth inning to beat Kannapolis 12-6 Wednesday afternoon at Atrium Health Ballpark. Columbia utilized 13 hits, eight walks and two hit batters to score 12 or more for the second time in the 2025 season. The Fireflies charged around the basepaths in the ninth inning. The team scored seven runs in an inning for the first time this season. Reliever Blake Shepardson entered the game in the ninth and only recorded a single out. While on the mound, he surrendered three hits, three walks and hit two Fireflies. Position player Mikey Kane finished out the inning, stranding two of the three inherited runners on the basepaths. But at that point the damage was done and Columbia took a 12-3 lead to the home half of the ninth.
SPEED, I AM SPEED: Asbel Gonzalez swiped two more bases Tuesday, adding to his Carolina League leading total. The center fielder has 15 stolen bases. The next closest base stealer is Tommy Hawke, who has 11 steals for the Hillcats in the 2025 season. After Tuesday, Gonzalez also leads all of Minor League Baseball in steals. The next closest is Jacksonville's Jakob Marsee, who has 13 steals in 15 games. If that weren't enough, Gonzalez is also riding the team's longest hitting streak, a seven-game stretch that began April 8. On the run, he is 13-28 (.464) with 10 stolen bases and six runs scored.
BULLISH ON THE PEN: Last week, the Fireflies bullpen was on a tear. After tallying an ERA over seven over the Opening Weeknd against the Augusta GreenJackets, relievers have allowed only 11 runs in 43.1 innings since April 8. That's good for a 2.28 ERA in more than 5.1 innings per game over the Fireflies last seven contests. Tuesday, Columbia continued that roll as the bullpen surrendered only one earned run over 5.2 innings.
WE'RE ONLY GETTING STARTED: Ramon Ramirez had his second multi-hit game of the season Sunday--this time with a pair of homers. The righty became the second Fireflies player to notch six RBI in a game after hitting a grand slam and a two-run homer in the first three innings against Charleston. He joined Derlin Figueroa who accomplished the feat the previous Sunday at Augusta. Ramirez kept the train rolling with a 3-5 outing Wednesday. He's tied with Figueroa for the League homer lead (three) and is tied for fifth in the Carolina League with 11 RBI. Ramirez is tied for the second-longest active extra-base hit streak, as he has tallied an extra-base hit in three consecutive contests. His OPS is 2.098 on the run.
MAKING A NAME FOR HIMSELF: Derlin Figueroa has been on a roll to start the 2025 season and it continued Sunday against the Charleston RiverDogs when he slapped his third homer of the year. Figueroa leads the Carolina League with three homers and is tied for fourth in the league with 12 RBI. Homer number three of the year gave Figueroa 16 in his Fireflies career, which is just a pair behind Blake Mitchell for fourth-most in Fireflies history.
NO PROBLEM WITH INHERITANCE: Yesterday, Ismael Michel stranded the bullpen's only inherited runner of the game. So far this season, Columbia's pen has stranded 13 of 16 (81%) runners they've inherited from the previous pitcher.
Carolina League Stories from April 17, 2025
- RiverDogs' Hurlers Deliver One-Run Gem to Defeat Crawdads - Charleston RiverDogs
- FredNats Fight Back Late to Eke Past Woodpeckers - Fayetteville Woodpeckers
- FredNats Snatch First Road Win behind Late-Inning, Two-Out Heroics - Fredericksburg Nationals
- Columbia Wins 7-5 in Extras Thursday Night - Columbia Fireflies
- Pelicans Snap Five-Game Losing Streak, Down GreenJackets 11-6 - Myrtle Beach Pelicans
- Offense Lifts Mudcats Past Delmarva - Carolina Mudcats
- Mudcats Handle Shorebirds on Thursday Night - Delmarva Shorebirds
- Cannon Ballers Turn Broken Bats into Blossoming Futures Through "Break a Bat, Plant a Tree" Initiative - Kannapolis Cannon Ballers
- Columbia Fireflies Game Notes 4.17 at Kannapolis - Columbia Fireflies
- FredNats Bats Quieted in 7-1 Loss at Fayetteville - Fredericksburg Nationals
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