Columbia Fireflies Game Notes 6.19 at Carolina
June 19, 2025 - Carolina League (CarL)
Columbia Fireflies News Release
The Fireflies close out the first half with a 6:30 showcase against the Carolina Mudcats at Five County Stadium in Zebulon, N.C. LHP David Shields (1-1, 2.11 ERA) takes the bump for Columbia and Carolina counters with LHP Wande Torres (0-4, 6.75 ERA).
Columbia's magic number to clinch a playoff berth sits at one on the final day of the first half. If the Fireflies win OR Charleston and Augusta lose tonight, then the Fireflies will clinch their first playoff berth in franchise history.
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MAGIC NUMBER SHRINKS TO ONE WITH FIVE-RUN NINTH: The Columbia Fireflies batted around in the ninth to score five to upset the Carolina Mudcats 7-4 at Five County Stadium. With the win, Columbia's magic number was trimmed to one to clinch their first playoff berth in team history. Stone Russell led the ninth off with a double to set the tone. After that, Hyungchan Um doubled to left to move runners to second and third with no outs. Brennon McNair reached on an error from third baseman Filippo Di Turi to load the bases with nobody out while Columbia trailed 3-2. Milo Rushford tied the game with a sacrifice fly to left field and then Henry Ramos broke it open with a two RBI triple to right to give the Fireflies a 5-3 lead. After that, a run scored after Gonzalez slapped a ball to third to force another error and then Derlin Figueroa drove in Gonzalez with an RBI single to make it 7-3.
JUST WIN BABY: With yesterday's win, the Fireflies path to the post-season is simple on the final day of the first half. Win and you're in. Columbia's magic number sits at one on the final day. A Columbia win or Augusta and Charleston losses would equate to the team's first playoff berth in franchise history.
MASTER OF THE MISS: Friday night, Yunior Marte continued his solid start to the 2025 campaign. The 6'5" righty spun his third quality start of the year. He ranks among the Carolina League Leaders in most significant pitching statistics including ERA (6th, 2.83), strikeouts (4th, 45), innings pitched (1st, 47.2), opposing average (4th, .200) and WHIP (4th, 1.05). In his first full-season in the Carolina League, Marte has looked the part as Columbia's ace. Thursday he was awarded the Carolina League Pitcher of the Month Award for May. Marte began the month on a 15.1 innings scoreless stretch and paced the circuit in ERA over the course of May.
STRONG START: Among the 15 teen pitchers in the Carolina League, lefty David Shields has the fourth-lowest ERA (2.11) after his first six starts. He has the highest K% in the group (29.9%), has the seventh-lowest opposing batting average (.154), has the third-lowest WHIP (0.98) and the third-lowest BB% (5.7%). Shields has spun 21.1 innings across his first six starts in the Carolina League to a tune of a 2.11 ERA.
ONE FOR THE RECORD BOOKS: Yesterday, Asbel Gonzalez notched a pair of steals to tie him with Tyler Tolbert's single-season franchise steals record. Tolbert set the record in 2021, overtaking Jacob Zanon, who stole 27 bases in 2017. Tolbert had 49 steals in 51 tries across 80 games in Columbia. Gonzalez is second in the Carolina League to Tommy Hawke, who has 60 swipes this season. Gonzalez also has a chance to break the Fireflies career steals record. Jean Ramirez had 68 steals from 2021-23 with the Fireflies. Columbia's center fielder isn't far from the single-season franchise runs scored record either. Eric Torres set the mark with 70 runs scored last year. Gonzalez has scored 49 runs just before the Carolina League's half-way point.
THIS IS OUR TIME: The Columbia Fireflies moved to Columbia in 2016. Tonight is the 1,126th game in Fireflies franchise history. The last time the city of Columbia hosted a playoff game was in the final year of the Capital City Bombers. The 2004 Bombers lost in the South Atlantic League Championship Series to the Hickory Crawdads. After the 2004 season the Bombers moved to Greenville and became the Greenville Drive.
Carolina League Stories from June 19, 2025
- Fireflies Are Headed to the Postseason - Columbia Fireflies
- RiverDogs Win Final Game of First Half But Fall Short of Playoff Berth - Charleston RiverDogs
- Shorebirds Turn the Tables, Win 5-4 - Hickory Crawdads
- Kannapolis Dealt Seventh Consecutive Loss in 5-1 Defeat Thursday - Kannapolis Cannon Ballers
- Salem Plates Two Late Runs But Comes up Short against Fredericksburg - Salem Red Sox
- Fayetteville Erases Four-Run Deficit to Down Myrtle Beach, 5-4 - Myrtle Beach Pelicans
- Shorebirds End First Half with Come-From-Behind Win in Hickory - Delmarva Shorebirds
- FredNats End First Half on a Good Note with 5-3 Win - Fredericksburg Nationals
- Columbia Beats Mudcats to Win Division Championship - Carolina Mudcats
- Nova Added from ACL Brewers; Welch to 7-Day IL - Carolina Mudcats
- Columbia Fireflies Game Notes 6.19 at Carolina - Columbia Fireflies
- RiverDogs Announce Kids Eat Free Promotion for June 25 - Charleston RiverDogs
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