Columbia Fireflies Game Notes 5.23 vs Charleston
May 23, 2023 - Carolina League (CarL)
Columbia Fireflies News Release
The first-place Columbia Fireflies return home to Segra Park tonight, opening up a six-game set with the Charleston RiverDogs at Segra Park at 7:05 pm. RHP Steve Zobac (1-0, 2.65 ERA) gets the ball for Columbia and southpaw Kikito Severino (1-1, 5.75 ERA) takes the mound for Charleston.
Tonight is a Miller Lite $2 Tuesday where fans can enjoy $2 hot dogs, popcorn, fountain soda and 12 oz cans of Miller Lite all evening. Tickets are still available at FirefliesTickets.com.
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FIREFLIES SPLIT FINALE WITH FREDNATS: The Fireflies won game one 6-1 and dropped game two 9-1 at Fredericksburg, taking four of six from the Nationals and going 6-6 on the 12-game road stretch. Columbia is in first place in the South division of the Carolina League as they head home to face Charleston Tuesday. Game One The Fireflies bullpen stayed hot after we resumed the suspended game Sunday afternoon. Cooper McKeehan (W, 3-1) and Mack Anglin (H, 2) worked a pair of scoreless frames before Ben Sears (S, 2) came on for a four out save to close out the Frednats. Columbia took a commanding lead in the top of the third. David Hollie got things started with a one out walk. Next, Levi Usher drove home Hollie to tie the game with a double. After a Lizandro Rodriguez walk, Brett Squires smashed his second homer of the season to put Columbia up 4-1. Game Two Mauricio Veliz had some trouble Sunday with the Fredericksburg Nationals. Columbia's righty allowed seven runs, four of which were earned in just two innings of work. Columbia's lone offense came from a Brett Squires round-tripper to right in the top of the sixth, which cut Fredericksburg's lead to 7-1. It was Squires' third homer of the season and his second in as many days.
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 Mozzicato fanned seven to push his lead to eight with 55 punchouts this season. Sandlin is second with 53 whiffs on the season.
STREAKING SQUIRES: Brett Squires became the third Fireflies player, following Lizandro Rodriguez and David Hollie, to homer in consecutive games this season. Squires had a three-run homer Saturday, prior to the game being suspended and Sunday he launched a solo shot against the Fredericksburg Nationals. The only Fireflies player to homer in three-straight contests is Jean Ramirez, who did so August 23-26, 2022.
MC-KLUTCH-MAN: Fireflies reliever Cooper McKeehan has been on a tear this road trip. The southpaw had four appearances, earning three saves and a win since May 10. The reliever now has four saves and is tied with John McMillon for the second-most saves in the Carolina League. McKeehan also has not allowed an earned run in each of his last 10 appearances, the longest string of such-appearances in the Carolina League this year. His streak spans 13.1 innings.
COMEBACK KUDRNA: After a tough start to the year, the Royals number two prospect, according to MLB.com, Ben Kudrna has put together three consecutive 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. He's 2-0 with a 1.13 ERA in three starts this May.
BLISTERING BULLPEN: The Fireflies bullpen's scoreless streak ended in the fifth inning of Sunday's second game vs Fredericksburg. The team had gone five-consecutive games without surrendering a run. They worked 22.1 innings before Eduardo Herrera issued a bases loaded walk with no outs, giving up a run. The last reliever before the stretch to give up a run was Samuel Valerio, who surrendered a walk-off single to Salem the previous Sunday. Overall, the bullpen has a 3.22 ERA this season. Prior to the stretch, the bullpen's ERA was 3.67.
Carolina League Stories from May 23, 2023
- Mudcats Waste Early Lead in 9-5 Loss to Down East - Carolina Mudcats
- Loftin's Homer Provides Lone Run in Loss to Pelicans - Fayetteville Woodpeckers
- Buddy Bailey Collectes Win No. 2,300 as Pelicans Take Down Woodpeckers 3-1 - Myrtle Beach Pelicans
- RiverDogs Fall 4-1 to First Place Fireflies - Charleston RiverDogs
- GreenJackets Stifled by Cannon Ballers in Tuesday Series Opener - Augusta GreenJackets
- FredNats Give Away 9th Inning Lead - Fredericksburg Nationals
- Round-Trippers Propel Fireflies to 4-1 Win - Columbia Fireflies
- Delmarva Dominates Lynchburg in Series Opener - Delmarva Shorebirds
- Columbia Fireflies Game Notes 5.23 vs Charleston - Columbia Fireflies
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