Columbia Fireflies Game Notes 6.22 at Carolina
June 22, 2025 - Carolina League (CarL)
Columbia Fireflies News Release
The fireflies close out their series with the Carolina Mudcats this afternoon at 1 pm. RHP Yunior Marte (3-3, 2.56 ERA) toes the rubber for Columbia and Carolina counters with RHP Ethan Dorchies (0-0, 6.75 ERA).
The Fireflies return home Tuesday, June 24. The team will have First Responders Night with Nickelodeon's PAW Patrol presented by the South Carolina Department of Public Safety Friday, June 27 with appearances from Chase and Marshall. The next night is also Glow Night! The first 1,000 fans through the gates will receive an LED bracelet giveaway and we'll have fireworks after the game. Buy your tickets now at FirefliesTickets.com.
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GONZALEZ SETS FRANCHISE MARK IN 7-6 LOSS: Columbia's centerfielder Asbel Gonzalez had a career night. He finished a homer shy of the cycle and had four steals as the Fireflies lost 7-6 to the Carolina Mudcats Saturday night in Zebulon. The biggest moment of the night came in the third. After Gonzalez singled to start the inning, he took off and stole his 50th base of the season. In the process, Tyler Tolbert's single season steals record of 49, which he set in 2021. The Fireflies jumped on the scoreboard first Saturday evening. Asbel Gonzalez legged out a triple that he laced down the left field line to start the game. After that, Derlin Figueroa chopped a grounder to first to score the centerfielder and give Columbia a 1-0 advantage.
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.
UM, THAT'S PRETTY GOOD: Hyungchan Um is currently riding the Fireflies longest on-base streak of the season. He has reached safely in 14-consecutive games, which started before he was placed on the injured list April 8. In the 14 games, Um is 11-51 with four walks and he has been plunked three times. Um's streak is tied with Ramon Ramirez, who reached safely in 14-consecutive games from May 13-May 30.
NUMBERS BEHIND THE CLINCH: The Fireflies finished the first-half 36-30 to win the the South Division Title for the first time in team history. Despite finishing six games above .500, the Fireflies were outscored 323-304 in the first half. Only Columbia and Myrtle Beach finished with a negative run differential in the division. As a team, the Fireflies finished the first half with the ninth-best batting average (.225) in the 12-team Carolina League. Columbia excelled on the basepaths, leading the league in sacrifices and finishing third in steals with 136 or more than two per game. On the mound, Columbia had the eighth-best ERA in the League (4.24). The team held the line when it counted though, leading the Carolina League with 19 saves and finishing fourth with 19 holds. Columbia has the fourth-best fielding percentage in the Carolina League (.970).
ONE FOR THE RECORD BOOKS: Saturday, Asbel Gonzalez stole four bases in a single game for the third time this year. In the third inning, he usurped Tyler Tolbert's 2021 single season stolen base record when he swept his 50th base of the season. Tolbert broke Jacob Zanon's record of 27 bases in a season that was set 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 63 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 53 runs just after the Carolina League's half-way point.
Carolina League Stories from June 22, 2025
- Pelicans Shut out Woodpeckers 1-0, Clinch Series - Myrtle Beach Pelicans
- Crawdads Claw Past Shorebirds 8-5 - Hickory Crawdads
- Shorebirds Fall to Crawdads in Series Finale - Delmarva Shorebirds
- Late Three-Run Home Run Pushes Fredericksburg Past Salem in Series Finale - Salem Red Sox
- Charleston Wins Back-And-Forth Battle to Sweep Kannapolis - Charleston RiverDogs
- Ordonez Double Lifts Mudcats to Walk-Off Win - Carolina Mudcats
- Fireflies Drop Back-And-Forth Finale 6-5 - Columbia Fireflies
- FredNats Clinch Winning Road Trip with 6-3 Victory in Salem - Fredericksburg Nationals
- RiverDogs Celebrate Carolina Day and Much More this Week - Charleston RiverDogs
- Columbia Fireflies Game Notes 6.22 at Carolina - Columbia Fireflies
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