Columbia Fireflies Game Notes 5.14 at Salem
Published on May 14, 2023 under Carolina League (CarL)
Columbia Fireflies News Release
The Fireflies close out their series with the Salem Red Sox this afternoon at 3:05 at Carilion Clinic Field. RHP Mauricio Veliz (0-1, 2.77 ERA) gets the ball for Columbia and Salem counters with southpaw Noah Dean (1-1, 5.27 ERA).
Columbia returns home Tuesday, May 23 to start a six-game series with the Charleston RiverDogs. The week marks the return of Copa de la Diversíon weekend presented by Southern Recipe Small Batch Pork Rinds, where the Fireflies will become Los Chiccarones de Columbia for the weekend. Friday, the Fireflies will give away a soccer scarf for the first 1,000 fans through the gates thanks to Southern Recipe Small Batch and Saturday, we'll have a fantastic fireworks display. Tickets are still available at FirefliesTickets.com.
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FIREFLIES OUTLAST SALEM IN 10-8 WIN: The Fireflies scored three in the ninth to upend the Salem Red Sox and win 10-8 Saturday night at Carilion Clinic Field Saturday night. When Columbia came to the plate in the ninth, they were trailing 8-7. Brett Squires started the inning, reaching on a catcher's interference. Then, with one out, Levi Usher legged out a fielding error from Karson Simas to put the go-ahead run on base with less than two outs. Brennon McNair slapped a single up the middle to score Squires and tie the game 8-8. Then Omar Florentino singled to plate Usher and give the Fireflies a 9-8 lead. Finally, Jean Ramirez drew the second bases loaded walk of the game for Columbia to give the Fireflies some insurance and a 10-8 lead heading into the home half of the ninth. Cooper McKeehan (S, 3) closed out the game. The southpaw faced four hitters and fanned a pair after taking the ball from Ben Sears (W, 2-0). Sears came into a jam in the seventh and kept the Fireflies within reach with 2.2 scoreless innings after he surrendered the go-ahead run to Salem.
BIG OOF: Last night the Salem Red Sox recorded seven errors in the Fireflies 10-8. It's the most errors a team has commited in a single game against the Fireflies in franchise history.
I'M LOOKING AT THE MAN IN THE MIRROR: David Sandlin and Frank Mozzicato have gone back-and-forth on the strikeouts leader board for the Carolina League this season. Thursday it was Mozzicato who retook the lead with seven punchouts to leave him with 48 on the season. Sanlin next tosses in Saturday's contest. The next closest in the Carolina League is Fayetteville's Trey Dombrowski, who has 39 strikeouts on the campaign. Entering Sunday's game, the two Fireflies were also first and second in the circuit with 29.1 and 27.2 innings.
CLIMBING THE LADDER: The Fireflies pitching staff has been on a roll this season. As a whole, the team has a 3.28 ERA this season, which is good for the third-best team ERA in all of Minor League Baseball. The Tulsa Drillers pace the pack with a 2.79 ERA in their first 32 games.
COMEBACK KUDRNA: After a tough start to the year, the Royals number two prospect, according to MLB.com, Ben Kudrna has put together back-to-back impressive starts. The righty worked his first quality start of the season May 4 vs Myrtle Beach and prior to allowing a solo homer in the fourth inning May 10 at Salem, had a 14.2 inning scoreless streak. The streak was the longest scoreless streak for a pitcher in the Carolina League this season.
IT'S A MAJOR AWARD: Columbia's relief pitcher Steven Zobac allowed a runner to reach scoring position for the first time this season Tuesday night, but the righty didn't allow anyone to score. Zobac has not allowed a run in his first 11 innings of the season, giving him the third-longest scoreless stretch of the season in the Carolina League. His performance has been good enough to earn him Carolina League Pitcher of the Month honors. He's the first Fireflies player to win a Carolina League monthly award.
THE ROAD IS LONG: After the final two games of this series vs the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, the Fireflies will head on the road for back-to-back weeks. They will not return home until they play the Charleston RiverDogs May 23.
Carolina League Stories from May 14, 2023
- Pelicans Grab Series Finale Over Hillcats on Mother's Day - Myrtle Beach Pelicans
- Woodpeckers End Series with Close 2-1 Defeat to Kannapolis - Fayetteville Woodpeckers
- Fireflies Drop Series Closer 9-8 - Columbia Fireflies
- GreenJackets Show Composure to Take Mother's Day Victory - Augusta GreenJackets
- Mudcats Drop Finale 6-3 in Error Filled Day - Carolina Mudcats
- RiverDogs Leave Bases Loaded as Augusta Earns Split - Charleston RiverDogs
- Nationals Win Finale To Split Series - Fredericksburg Nationals
- Columbia Fireflies Game Notes 5.14 at Salem - Columbia Fireflies
- Minor League Baseball and the American Cancer Society Launch 2023 Campaign - Fayetteville Woodpeckers
- Woodies Wildin' Off - Down East Wood Ducks
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