Columbia Fireflies Game Notes 5.30 at Kannapolis
May 30, 2024 - Carolina League (CarL)
Columbia Fireflies News Release
The Fireflies continue their series with the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers at Atrium Health Ballpark tonight at 7 pm. RHP Felix Arronde (2-3, 4.65 ERA) takes the slab for Columbia and Kannapolis counters with RHP Aldrin Batista (4-1, 2.97 ERA).
The Fireflies return to Segra Park June 4 to start a set with the Fayetteville Woodpeckers. Help the team unmask some villains Saturday, June 8 for Scooby-Doo! Night presented by Escapology. The club will also be giving away a piece of history, as the first 1,000 fans will receive a Tyler Tolbert Bobblehead Friday, June 7 thanks to SAFE Federal Credit Union. Buy your tickets now at ColumbiaFireflies.com.
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LATE RALLY FALLS SHORT IN KANNAPOLIS: The Fireflies got a quality start from Emmanuel Reyes and they put ducks on the pond late, but fell 3-2 to the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers Wednesday night at Atrium Health Ballpark.Erick Torres started the rally for Columbia with a two out single. After a wild pitch moved Torres into scoring position, Blake Mitchell punched a single through the right side, scoring the center fielder and moving Columbia with a run. Next, Daniel Vazquez blooped a base knock to put runners on the corners for Derlin Figueroa. Figueroa bounced one on the first base side of the infield, it was scooped by Jesus Mendez who slapped a tag on Figueroa and dropped the ball. After the umpires talked the play over, they determined Figueroa was out with the tying run 90 feet away.
MAY FLOWERS: After having some trouble in April, Logan Martin and Emmanuel Reyes have come into their own again in the month of May. Reyes recorded a 6.04 ERA with 23 punchouts in 25.1 innings in April before surging with a 2.57 ERA in his first four starts in May. He also has brought the swing and miss stuff, striking out 21 in his first 21 frames this month. Martin has a 1.35 ERA after a 6.23 ERA in April and has spun 20 innings after just 13 last month. The big difference for Martin has been limiting opponents hits, opponents are hitting .183 against him in May after hitting .288 against the righty in April.
A NEW HOPE: Ethan Bosacker, has the second-best ERA in the Carolina League, a 1.81 mark that is just .69 behind League leader Matt Wilkinson. Lynchburg's starter last pitched May 19 where he allowed one run over five innings of work. Bosacker is also fifth in opposing average (.185) and second in WHIP (0.81) in the Carolina League. Wilkinson was called up to Lake County May 22. Bosacker is one of four Fireflies pitchers who have logged enough innings to be in the top-10 innings eaters in the Carolina League. The righty was selected from Xavier University in the 13th roudn of the 2023 draft and in a starting and piggy back roll this year, he has proven to be a critical piece of the Fireflies pitching staff.
SPOILING QUALITY STARTS: Wednesday, Emmanuel Reyes spun six one-run innings in what turned out to be a 3-2 loss in Kannapolis. Columbia has had some trouble winning ballgames when their starter spins a quality start. The club is 0-7 when their starter goes six innings or longer and allows three or fewer runs this year.
PERDOMO'S PRODUCING: The Fireflies infielder has been an RBI machine this year, driving in 20 RBI in 30 games on 27 total hits, but he's been locked in the last week or so. Dating back to May 21, Perdomo has at least one RBI in each game he has registered an at-bat in. Over the four-game run, Perdomo is 5-14 (.357) at the dish with a double, triple, five RBI and three walks.
POWERING PENA: Saturday night, Fireflies outfielder Erick Pena mashed his Carolina League-leading fourth round tripper of the season. He's currently eighth in the Carolina League with a .485 on-base percentage. Pena has had a storied career with Columbia. He made the Opening Day Roster in 2022 and started his career with a bang, launching a walk-off homer against the Augusta GreenJackets on Opening Night. All-in-all he has mashed 23 homers in the neon and navy, nine in 2022, 10 in 2023 and four this year. It places him second on the Fireflies all-time homer leadboard, behind Dash Winningham (25 in 2016 and 2017) and tied with Juan Carlos Negret (23 in 2021).
Carolina League Stories from May 30, 2024
- Ballers Use Big Offense in First Inning to Steer 14-5 Victory Over Fireflies - Kannapolis Cannon Ballers
- Hillcats End Five-Game Streak, Fall 8-3 In 11 - Lynchburg Hillcats
- Eight-Run Sixth Pushes Pelicans to 8-4 Victory Over RiverDogs - Myrtle Beach Pelicans
- Santos and Peña Combine for Shutout in Slim 1-0 Final - Fayetteville Woodpeckers
- Carolina Rallies Past Delmarva - Carolina Mudcats
- Mitchell Homers Twice in Loss at Kannapolis - Columbia Fireflies
- Ducks Handle Fredericksburg. 6-3 - Fredericksburg Nationals
- Sixth Inning Onslaught Sends RiverDogs to Third Straight Loss - Charleston RiverDogs
- Mudcats Rally Late to Walk-off Shorebirds - Delmarva Shorebirds
- Polo Strong But Offense Silenced in 1-0 Loss to Woodpeckers - Augusta GreenJackets
- Homestand Preview: RiverDogs Preparing for First Ever Series against Mudcats - Charleston RiverDogs
- Root to Wisconsin - Carolina Mudcats
- Fayetteville Field Report: May 30th, 2024 - Fayetteville Woodpeckers
- Columbia Fireflies Game Notes 5.30 at Kannapolis - Columbia Fireflies
- Fleet Feet to Celebrate Global Running Day with Nationwide 5K - Augusta GreenJackets
- Fredericksburg Holds off Wood Ducks - Down East Wood Ducks
- Fireflies Introduce New 803 Flex Pass - Columbia Fireflies
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