Columbia Fireflies Game Notes 5.23 at Augusta
CarL Columbia Fireflies

Columbia Fireflies Game Notes 5.23 at Augusta

Published on May 23, 2026 under Carolina League (CarL)
Columbia Fireflies News Release


The Fireflies continue their series against the Augusta GreenJackets with a 4:05 pm doubleheader at SRP Park. Last night's game will continue in the third inning today. LHP Jordan Woods (2-0, 1.80 ERA) takes the hill for Columbia and Augusta counters with RHP Zach Royse (2-1, 4.21 ERA). Columbia sends RHP Yeri Perez (0-0, 9.00 ERA) to the bump in game two and Augusta uses RHP Kenny Richard (2-1, 7.56 ERA).

Columbia returns home Tuesday, May 26-Sunday, May 31. The team will celebrate Margaritaville Night presented by the South Carolina Education Lottery Friday, May 29. The first 1,000 in attendance will receive a free Fireflies-themed Hawaiian t-shirt. After that, Saturday, May 30 is Super Villain Night. Take a walk on the dark side at Segra Park and enjoy a pleasantly evil post-game fireworks show. Reserve your seat today at FirefliesTickets.com.

------------------------------------

FIREFLIES WASHED AWAY IN AUGUSTA: After two innings of play, the Fireflies and Augusta GreenJackets were suspended due to inclement weather Friday night at SRP Park. The game will be continued as part of a doubleheader that will begin at 4 pm tomorrow. The first game will finish as a nine inning contest and game two will be played as a seven-inning game. The Fireflies kicked off a pitcher's duel with the Augusta GreenJackets at 7:10. Kendry Chourio and Ethan Bagwell both worked two scoreless innings with three strikeouts and the two combined to throw 51 pitches before a storm popped up and the tarp came on the field.

STERLING STARTERS: The Fireflies starting rotation has the third-best ERA in Minor League Baseball this season. The group has recorded a 3-9 record combined with a 3.02 ERA over 172.2 innings through the first 42 games of the season. Fireflies starters have 183 strikeouts and have held opponents to a .211 AVG on the season. The Lakeland Flying Tigers currently have the best starting ERA in Minor League Baseball. They have a 2.94 ERA through their first 134.2 innings pitched on the season. Each of the top four rotation ERAs in Minor League Baseball belong to a team in Single-A.

ONE-TWO PUNCHOUT: Michael Lombardi has been a master of the strikeout this season. Tuesday, he etched four punchouts across five innings. All-in-All, Lombardi has the second-most strikeouts (51) in the Carolina League over 30.2 innings of work. Charleston's Aidan Cremarosa leads the pack with 55 punchouts this season. Jordan Woods isn't far behind the pace of the top two. Columbia's lefty is in third with 46 strikeouts in 2026.

ONE RUN, NO FUN: Last night the Fireflies lost by a single run for the second consecutive night. This season, the Fireflies are 5-12 in one-run games. That means just over 40% of Columbia's games have been decided by a single score. Last season the club played 48 one-run contests and finished 25-23 in those games.

VICTORY FOR VANEK: Last night, JC Vanek's on-base streak that began April 18 ended at 20 games. It was the Fireflies longeset on-base streak since Callan Moss reached in 22-consecutive games from July 6-September 8, 2024. On the run, Vanek hit .317 and added 18 walks to boost his on-base percentage to .469. Catcher Brooks Bryan isn't far behind the first baseman. Bryan has reached in 17-consecutive games in an on-base streak that began April 24. The Alabama native is hitting .317 on the run and has slapped five doubles to help drive in eight RBI.

RUMBLING RUSSELL: Stone Russell is in his second season as a super utility player for the Fireflies. The infielder has played third, second and first so far this season. Russell has played 35 games without an error this season, which is the third-best mark in the Carolina League. Jose Anderson leads the way with a 36-game streak.

STAR POWER: Last weekend, MLB Pipeline updated their top prospects lists and Josh Hammond appeared on the Top 100 list for the first time in his career. Hammond is ranked as the Royals' third-best prospect and the 96th-ranked prospect in baseball. His teammate Kendry Chourio is also on the list. The righty is slotted in the 79 spot. It's the first time that two Fireflies teammates appear on the Pipeline top 100 list simultaneously. Former Fireflies catcher Blake Mitchell is also on the list this season.

Check out the Columbia Fireflies Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Carolina League Stories from May 23, 2026


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central