CarL Columbia Fireflies

Columbia Fireflies Game Notes 6.11 at Myrtle Beach

June 11, 2024 - Carolina League (CarL)
Columbia Fireflies News Release


The Fireflies kick-off a six-game series with the Myrtle Beach Pelicans tonight at 7:05 pm at Pelicans Ballpark. RHP Felix Arronde (3-4, 4.32 ERA) takes the ball for Columbia and Myrtle Beach counters with RHP Kenten Egbert (3-2, 2.41 ERA).

Columbia returns home June 18 to play eight games in six days against the Carolina Mudcats. The Fireflies are kicking out all the stops with Miller Lite $2 Tuesday, Budweiser Thirsty Thursday and our new Friday and Saturday happy hours where fans can enjoy $5 drafts prior to first pitch. Saturday is also Bluey at the Ballpark night, presented by Cassell Brothers Home Services. Buy your tickets now at ColumbiaFireflies.com.

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FIREFLIES SWEEP WOODPECKERS WITH 2-1 WIN: The Fireflies arms continued their hot stretch with a combined Maddux, throwing 86 pitches in a 2-1 win over the Fayetteville Woodpeckers Sunday night at Segra Park. Columbia is on their longest winning streak of the season, after winning six-consecutive against Fayetteville. Emmanuel Reyes kept the mound hot for the Columbia Fireflies (30-25). The righty tossed only 35 pitches, 29 for strikes across five innings while allowing a pair of hits and striking out two before Columbia used four bullpen arms to close out the game. Ben Hernandez (W, 1-1) was the first arm out of the pen. The righty allowed one hit in a scoreless inning where he used 12 pitches (10 strikes) to set aside the Woodpeckers (25-32). Next up, Yimi Presinal allowed a single hit in a scoreless seventh.

FIRST-CLASS FIREFLIES: Columbia's pitching staff has been hot over the last week. In the team's last six games, it is 6-0 with a 1.00 ERA. The club has 39 strikeouts in 54 innings of work while maintaining a 0.78 WHIP and a .180 opposing average. In all of Minor League Baseball (120 teams) only Columbia and the Sugar Land Space Cowboys won all six games last week. The Fireflies have the best ERA and WHIP of all 120 teams and are ranked 5th in opposing batting average. Bradenton leads Minor League Baseball with a .169 opposing average during the run. The team's ERA has decreased from 3.83 to 3.52 this week. The bullpen has been particularly good, working a 3.08 ERA this season. that's the sixth-best bullpen ERA in Minor League Baseball, trailing Rocket City with a 2.27 mark.

NEXT LEVEL CATCHING: Dionmy Salon has worked particularly well with the pitching staff this year. In 20 games, the Fireflies have a 2.63 ERA when Salon catches, compared to 4.05 in 27 games with Blake Mitchell and 3.95 in eight games with Gabriel Silva.

ROCKING WITH REYES: After a difficult April, where Emmanuel Reyes recorded a 6.04 ERA in 25.1 innings across five starts, the righty has shut down his opponents. In his last five starts, Reyes is 2-0 with a 2.42 ERA in 26 innings. Since May 1, Reyes has a balmy 1.12 WHIP and has worked five or more innings in four consecutive starts. Columbia's starter just turned 20 in May and is working in part of his second season in the Carolina League.

MOVING ON UP: Yesterday, the Kansas City Royals promoted a pair of Fireflies pitchers, Hunter Patteson and Chase Isbell got the call up to Quad Cities. Patteson retired the last 19 batters he faced Thursday in his final game with the Fireflies. The southpaw led the Fireflies with 56 punchouts and was top 10 in the Carolina League in WHIP, ERA and innings pitched. Isbell was also on a hot stretch. He hadn't allowed an earned run in his last seven appearances dating back to May 7. He left the league with a 0.79 ERA

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 leaderboard, behind Dash Winningham (25 in 2016 and 2017) and tied with Juan Carlos Negret (23 in 2021).

Check out the Columbia Fireflies Statistics



Carolina League Stories from June 11, 2024


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