Columbia Fireflies Game Notes 6.23 vs Fredericksburg
June 23, 2023 - Carolina League (CarL)
Columbia Fireflies News Release
The Fireflies kick-off the second-half of the 2023 season with a 7:05 tilt against the Fredericksburg Nationals at Segra Park tonight. Southpaw Frank Mozzicato (1-4, 2.54 ERA) toes the rubber for Columbia, while Fredericksburg counters with RHP Riley Cornelio (0-2, 4.58 ERA).
Tonight, the Fireflies are giving away a fan-vote t-shirt presented by the COMET. The first 1,000 fans through the gates at Segra Park will receive a t-shirt after gates open at 6 pm. It's also the start of Negro League Celebration Weekend. The Fireflies are welcoming Larry Doby Jr., the son of Larry Doby, an MLB Hall of Famer, who broke the American League Color Barrier and played for the Newark Eagles. Tickets are available at FirefliesTickets.com.
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WALK-OFF WINNER CLOSES OUT FIRST-HALF OF 2023: The Fireflies bats came to life late, as Roger Leyton singled to right to score Daniel Vazquez to earn their fifth walk-off win of the season in game two, splitting their doubleheader Thursday night. Game 1Fredericksburg was able to take game one 5-1, scoring all their runs after the two-day break between the first three innings and the final six. Fredericksburg upended Columbia in the top of the fifth. After Marcus Olivarez walked the first two batters of the inning, Roismar Quintana hit a single to load the bases. After a bases loaded hit batter tied the game, Daylin Lile hit a two RBI double to push Fredericksburg to a 3-1 lead. Game 2 The Fireflies bats weren't done there. In the bottom of the eighth, Daniel Vazquez stole third base after being placed on second and Roger Leyton singled to right to score him and give the Fireflies a 3-2 win. Columbia closed out the first half 35-30.
FIRST-HALF FUN: The Fireflies closed out the first-half of the 2023 season with a doubleheader split last night vs the Fredericksburg Nationals. Columbia finished the first-half 35-30, finishing above .500 at the mid-point for the first time since 2017. Columbia's first-half was filled with fun as the team won five games in walk-off fashion, went 14-11 in one-run contests and had the franchise's longest run at first place, pacing the Carolina League South Division for 33 days. Today the standings reset and the Fireflies will start a new 66-game race for their first playoff berth in franchise history.
HAILING HERNANDEZ: After a slow start at the plate this season, Columbia's backstop, Omar Hernandez has been roping together an excellent June. Hernandez is riding a five-game hitting streak--his second such streak in June and has hits in 10 of his last 11 games. The catcher is slashing .267/.353/.422 this month with a pair of homers and five RBI and has raised his batting average from .218 to .236 during the stretch. His .267 average during June is the highest average of any Fireflies hitter-- the next highest belongs to Roger Leyton, who's hitting .250 this month.
ZANY ZOBAC: The Fireflies righty is on another strong stretch as he has allowed only one earned run in his last five outings, spanning 20.2 innings. Zobac set a career-high, spinning 5.0 innings Tuesday in a 4-3 win over the Fayetteville Woodpeckers to set the tone for the last road trip of the first half for Columbia. Zobac now has a 1.56 ERA across his first 10 outings and he has punched out 39 hitters in 34.2 innings.
PINNACLE PITCHERS: The Fireflies arms have been hot this year. Despite a tough series vs Fayetteville, where the team's ERA increased by nearly a quarter of a point, the Fireflies have maintained Minor League Baseball's best team ERA this season with a mark of 3.19. The second place team is the Down East Wood Ducks, who have a 3.23 ERA this season. Columbia also has the 10th-best team WHIP in Minor League Baseball at 1.29, trailing Hudson Valley, who paces the 120 team pack with a 1.21 WHIP.
WILY WALLACE: Last night, Chase Wallace gave up his first run of the season. Columbia's reliever has been on fire across his first seven outings this year though, maintaining a 0.77 ERA in 10.2 innings while fanning nine opposing hitters.
Carolina League Stories from June 23, 2023
- Mudcats Start Second Half with 11-5 Victory - Carolina Mudcats
- Shorebirds Fall One Run Short in Second Half Opener - Delmarva Shorebirds
- RiverDogs Open Second Half with a Bang, Blank Woodpeckers 2-0 - Charleston RiverDogs
- Nats Blanked 5-0 - Fredericksburg Nationals
- Pitching Staff Blanks Fredericksburg 5-0 - Columbia Fireflies
- Columbia Fireflies Game Notes 6.23 vs Fredericksburg - Columbia Fireflies
- RHP Aidan Maldonado Placed on IL - Carolina Mudcats
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