Columbia Fireflies Game Notes 6.27 at Kannapolis
June 27, 2024 - Carolina League (CarL)
Columbia Fireflies News Release
The Fireflies continue their series with the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers tonight at Atrium Health Ballpark at 7 pm. RHP Blake Wolters (2-2, 4.26 ERA) takes the bump for Columbia and Kannapolis counters with RHP Aldrin Batista (6-2, 3.23 ERA).
The Fireflies return home for a three-game series to celebrate our Nation's Independence Day to kick-off July. Join us for Military Appreciation Night July 2, our Independence Day Celebration July 3 and Fireworks with the Philharmonic presented by Prisma Health July 4. Buy your tickets now at ColumbiaFireflies.com.
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BATS ADD FOUR IN THE FIRST IN 7-2 WIN: The Fireflies bats roared out to a 4-0 lead in the first en route to a 7-2 win over the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers Wednesday night at Atrium Health Ballpark. The Fireflies (3-2) exploded out of the gates in the first inning. Erick Torres, Blake Mitchell and Derlin Figueroa started the game with three consecutive singles to set the table. Hyungchan Um drew a one out walk to break the scoreless tie and later Erick Pena slapped a bases-clearing double to plate Mitchell, Figueroa and Um and make the score 4-0 in favor of the visiting team. Lizandro Rodriguez added a solo shot in the top of the second to push Columbia's lead to 5-0. In the top of the third, Austin Charles motored around on a throwing error from Cannon Ballers (2-3) second baseman Wilber Sanchez after he caught a Pena pop out that moved Columbia's lead to 6-0.
LUCKY NUMBER SEVEN: Columbia has scored seven runs in back-to-back games to start their series against the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers. This season, the club has scored seven five times and are 5-0 in those contests.
GOING STREAKING: Catcher Dionmy Salon is riding a hot streak for Columbia. He is on his longest hitting streak of the season, a seven-game stretch that began June 9 and is tied for the fifth-longest active hitting streak in the Carolina League. Salon is 8-21 (.381) on the run and has three RBI. Another Fireflies player who's been an on-base machine in June has been Blake Mitchell. Mitchell kicked-off a 18-game on-base streak June 1. It's the fourth-longest on-base streak in the Carolina League, trailing Carolina's Cooper Pratt (31 games), Augusta's Will Verdung (22 games) and Charleston's Carlos Colmenarez (19 games). Over Mitchell's 18 games, he's hitting .254, but has drawn 18 walks to increase his on-base percentage to .438 in June.
QUALITY FELIX: Sunday, Felix Arronde worked his team-leading fourth quality start of the season. He's one ahead of Ethan Bosacker for the most on the Fireflies. So far this season, Arronde has a 4-5 record to pair with a 3.71 ERA. He's been able to persevere despite receiving the lowest run support of any regular Fireflies starter this year. The bats are scoring 2.39 runs per nine innings when Arronde is on the hill in 2024.
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. Emmanuel Reyes hasn't been scoreless, but he has been an innings eater in June, working 15 frames to the tune of a 2-0 record and a 1.80 ERA. Both Reyes and Martin have been fantastic since the Calendar turned to May. Reyes has spun 36 innings to the tune of a 2.25 ERA and not to be outdone, the former Kentucky Wildcat, Logan Martin has a zany 1.69 ERA across his last 32 innings.
KICKING WITH KIRKLAND: In Doug Kirkland's last seven outings, he has allowed just one earned run spanning 12.1 innings of work (0.73 ERA). In that time, he has 16 punchouts and his opponents are hitting .114 against him. In his first full professional season, Kirkland is 3-3 with a 2.81 ERA. He has an outlandish 36 strikeouts in 25.2 innings and opponents are hitting just .179 against him this season.
POWERING PENA: Erick Pena is clobbering the ball in June. He leads the Carolina League in OPS (1.049) and TB (46), is second in RBI (18), HR (4) and 11th in batting average (.319) over the month.
Carolina League Stories from June 27, 2024
- Lynchburg Beats Mudcats - Carolina Mudcats
- Wiggins, Rujano Pitch Pelicans to Shutout Victory 5-0 over Woodpeckers - Myrtle Beach Pelicans
- Kannapolis Drops Third Straight to Columbia 4-1 in Thursday Night Tilt - Kannapolis Cannon Ballers
- Fayetteville Shut out Thursday Night in Myrtle Beach - Fayetteville Woodpeckers
- Missed Opportunities Prove Costly in 4-1 Loss to RiverDogs - Augusta GreenJackets
- FredNats Blanked in Salem - Fredericksburg Nationals
- Pitching Staff Pushes RiverDogs Past GreenJackets 4-1 - Charleston RiverDogs
- McNair's Late Blast Leads Fireflies to Victory - Columbia Fireflies
- Shorebirds Sweep Wood Ducks in Thursday's Doubleheader - Delmarva Shorebirds
- Roster Update: Nova Added from ACL Brewers - Carolina Mudcats
- Columbia Fireflies Game Notes 6.27 at Kannapolis - Columbia Fireflies
- Early Runs from Fireflies Hurt Ballers in 7-2 Rain-Lengthened Loss - Kannapolis Cannon Ballers
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