Columbia Fireflies Game Notes 6.29 vs Augusta
June 29, 2023 - Carolina League (CarL)
Columbia Fireflies News Release
The Fireflies continue their series with the Augusta GreenJackets tonight at 7:05 pm at Segra Park. RHP Ben Kudrna (4-3, 3.95 ERA) takes the mound for Columbia and Augusta counters with RHP Jhancarlos Lara (2-4, 4.93 ERA).
Tonight is a Budweiser Thirsty Thursday where fans can enjoy $1 fountain sodas, $2 draft domestics and $3 craft drafts and cocktails. USC rising senior quarterback Spencer Rattler will also be in attendance and will be signing autographs. Tickets are available at FirefliesTickets.com.
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FIREFLIES BATS SHUT SHUT DOWN IN OPENING LOSS: The Columbia Fireflies bats were silenced by the GreenJackets Wednesday night, as they fell 5-1 at Segra Park. Augusta was able to take the lead in the fourth inning. EJ Exposito started off the frame with a double to right and Jeremy Celedonio followed the act with a walk to set the table. After a Bryson Worell groundout advanced the runners, a Jair Casanova single scored both runners to give the GreenJackets a 2-1 lead. Reliever Nicholas Regelado had some trouble with the GreenJackets tonight. In one inning, he walked two and allowed four hits, ceding three runs to Augusta to make their lead 5-1 heading into the bottom of the fifth.
POWER OUTAGE: The Fireflies bats have been stifled at the plate their last handful of games. Columbia has scored three runs or less in four of their last six outings. When the Fireflies score three runs or less they are 11-25 this season. While the pitching staff has been electric this season, the team has a 28-9 record when they hold their opponent to three runs or less.
IT RUNS IN THE FAMILY: Last night, it wasn't just the Columbia Fireflies who struggled. The Royals lost 14-1 to the Guardians last night, Omaha dropped their game 9-2 to Iowa, Northwest Arkansas lost 15-8 to Wichita and Quad Cities lost 11-4 to Wisconsin. The Royals farm will look to rebound today as they run through a new slate.
RETIRING RODRIGUEZ: Last night, following an 0-4 performance, second baseman Lizandro Rodriguez ended a seven-game hitting streak. The streak was the second longest for a Columbia Fireflies player this season, trailing just Brett Squires, who had an eight-game stretch in April. Rodriguez went 10-27 on the stretch with a homer and four RBI.
VIDEO GAME NUMBERS: Fireflies back-end of the bullpen reliever Cooper McKeehan continues to impress the league. Sunday he spun a scoreless ninth inning to earn his team-leading eighth save of the season. The southpaw also paces the Carolina League with seven wins this year. The BYU product has a 1.01 ERA and is on his second-longest scoreless stretch of the season. McKeehan has not allowed a run in his last seven appearances (beginning June 4). In that time, he has worked 11.2 innings, allowing five hits and two walks while punching out eight hitters. His longest span without allowing an earned run came April 22-May 20 where he went 13.1 scoreless in 10 appearances.
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.
Carolina League Stories from June 29, 2023
- Mudcats Held to Two Hits Again in Loss to Wood Ducks - Carolina Mudcats
- RiverDogs Drop Second Straight to Pelicans - Charleston RiverDogs
- Five Extra-Base Hits Push Pelicans Over RiverDogs 6-1 - Myrtle Beach Pelicans
- Woodpeckers Held to Three Hits in Shutout Loss to Ballers - Fayetteville Woodpeckers
- Shorebirds Even Series with Shutout Victory - Delmarva Shorebirds
- Exposito, Floyd Homer But Fireflies Rally to Even Series - Augusta GreenJackets
- Charles Clears the Bases Late in 4-3 Win - Columbia Fireflies
- Hillcats Blanked by Shorebirds 8-0 - Lynchburg Hillcats
- Nats Smother Salem 2-0 - Fredericksburg Nationals
- Patriotic Homestand Begins with Independence Day Celebration - Charleston RiverDogs
- Columbia Fireflies Game Notes 6.29 vs Augusta - Columbia Fireflies
- Dominant Down East Pitching - Down East Wood Ducks
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