Columbia Fireflies Game Notes 6.25 vs Fredericksburg
June 25, 2023 - Carolina League (CarL)
Columbia Fireflies News Release
The Fireflies close out their series with the Fredericksburg Nationals at 5:05 pm at Segra Park tonight. RHP Mauricio Veliz (1-3, 4.72 ERA) takes the hill for Columbia and Fredericksburg counters with righty Brian Caceras (3-0, 4.70 ERA).
Tonight is the finale of our Negro League Celebration weekend. Former Negro Leaguer, Russell "Crazy Legs" Patterson will be honored at the game and will be available to tell stories and sign autographs. We'll also have an autograph session before the game and kids 12-and-under can run the bases following the game, courtesy of Bang Back Pinball Lounge. Tickets are available at FirefliesTickets.com.
------------------------
BALK-OFF FOR SECOND WALK-OFF OF SERIES: The Fireflies scored the game-winning run after Marquis Grissom Jr. had back-to-back balks with Lizandro Rodriguez at second to give the Fireflies a 3-2 victory at Segra Park Saturday evening.Rodriguez drew a lead-off walk to get on the base paths and advanced to second on a Dionmy Salon ground out. Oscar Rayo (W, 1-0) set aside the first 11 Fredericksburg hitters he faced, in a stretch where the Fireflies staff retired 17 batters in order. Rayo finished the game with four one-hit innings and four punchouts. The Fireflies tied the game in the bottom of the seventh. Lizandro Rodriguez launched his fifth homer of the season to the left field berm off Pedro Gonzalez to even the game. It was Columbia's first homer since Jean Ramirez hit one June 17 at Fayetteville.
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.
SHUTTING DOWN THE OPPONENT: The Fireflies have allowed two runs in 18 innings of work in the second half so far, giving them a 1.00 ERA as a staff. The bullpen has been electric, spinning seven scoreless frames with Oscar Rayo leading the way. The southpaw allowed a single hit across four innings as he earned his first win of the season Saturday vs Fredericksburg.
CHEERING CHARLES: Last night, the Fireflies third baseman, Austin Charles, had his second three-hit game of the season in the Carolina League. Charles has been on a tear this week, going 5-15 with three doubles and a walk against the Fredericksburg Nationals.
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 3.12. The second place team is the Down East Wood Ducks, who have a 3.20 ERA this season. Columbia also has the 12th-best team WHIP in Minor League Baseball at 1.29, trailing Down East, who paces the 120 team pack with a 1.20 WHIP.
WILY WALLACE: Last week, 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 25, 2023
- RiverDogs Come up Short in Series Finale against Woodpeckers - Charleston RiverDogs
- Nats Lose 7-6 To Fireflies - Fredericksburg Nationals
- Grand Slam Seals Deal for Fireflies - Columbia Fireflies
- Augusta Blown out by Delmarva 15-3 in Series Finale - Augusta GreenJackets
- Shorebirds Rout GreenJackets in Series Finale - Delmarva Shorebirds
- Lara Homers in 3-1 Series Finale Loss - Carolina Mudcats
- Columbia Fireflies Game Notes 6.25 vs Fredericksburg - Columbia Fireflies
- Ducks Use Big Tenth to Take Down Sox - Salem Red Sox
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
