Columbia Fireflies Game Notes 7.11 vs Salem
Published on July 11, 2026 under Carolina League (CarL)
Columbia Fireflies News Release
The Fireflies continue their series with the Salem RidgeYaks tonight at Segra Park at 6:05 pm. LHP Darwin Rodriguez (4-5, 4.13 ERA) toes the rubber for Columbia and Salem counters with LHP Ethan Walker (2-2, 4.24 ERA).
Columbia's Capital City Bombers Weekend Celebration presented by Cassell Brothers Home Services continues during the game tonight! The Fireflies will wear retro Bombers uniforms, former Bombers players will be at the game, there will be throw-back videos and photos on the videoboard and throughout the stadium and the team will close out the night with a post-game fireworks show. Buy your tickets now at FirefliesTickets.com.
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RAMOS REACHES FIVE TIMES IN 9-8 LOSS: The Fireflies scored the final three runs and had another runner at second in the ninth inning, but fell short in a 9-8 loss to the Salem RidgeYaks Friday night at Segra Park. Salem started their rally in the third. Andrew Musett drew a lead-off free pass before Givian Sirvania clubbed the team's third homer of the game over the left field fence to cut Columbia's lead to 5-4. The next inning, the RidgeYaks sent 10 batters to the plate and scored five off Hunter Alberini (L, 2-1). Andrews Opata dealt the knockout blow on a two-run single that plated Justin Barry and Givinian Sirvania.
STERLING STARTERS: The Fireflies starting rotation has the top ERA in Minor League Baseball this season. The group has recorded a 18-19 record combined with a 3.49 ERA over 374.0 innings through the first 85 games of the season. Fireflies starters have 377 strikeouts and have held opponents to a .238 AVG on the season. The Frederick Keys have the second-best mark in MiLB with a 3.53 through 346 innings pitched this season. As a whole, the Fireflies staff has the fifth-best ERA in Minor League Baseball at 4.12.
LUMINOUS LOMBARDI: Michael Lombardi has been a master of the strikeout this season. Friday, he etched four strikeouts across 4.1 innings of work. Lombardi has the fourth-most strikeouts (96) in Single-A over 64.2 innings of work. Rancho Cucamonga's Dylan Jordan leads the way with 100 strikeouts this season. Lombardi is on the doorstep of becoming the seventh Fireflies pitcher to strikeout 100 batters in a season. Tony Dibrell owns the Fireflies single-season strikeout record at 147. Lombardi is one strikeout away from matching Logan Martin (2024), Luinder Avila (2022) and Simeon Woods Richardson (2019) for the 10th-most strikeouts in a season in club history.
RISPY BUSINESS: The Fireflies enter today's in third place in the Carolina League with a .254 batting average with runners in scoring position. The Charleston RiverDogs lead the way with a .274 average. Over the course of the last week, Columbia's bats have slowed down though. The team is hitting just .204 (21-103) with runners in scoring position over their last 11 games.
THE GAMBLER: Sean Gamble struggled out of the gates at the plate this season. The first rounder hit just .118 across 21 games in April, but near the end of May, the centerfielder turned the page. Since May 21, Gamble is hitting .266 across 41 games. He is second on the team in OBP (.408) and OPS (.818) and leads the club in runs scored (32) and stolen bases (17) during the stretch.
RAVING ABOUT RAMOS: Yesterday, Henry Ramos reached five times in a 3-4 effort where he stole a base and scored a pair of runs for the Fireflies. It was the second-consecutive day that Ramos scored in the first inning after being placed in the lead-off spot for Columbia. So far this week, Ramos is 9-15 (.600) with three doubles, five walks and four runs scored in the first four games of the series. The outfielder has a .700 OBP and a 1.500 OPS.
THROWING UP ZEROES: The Fireflies have four pitchers who have not given up a run in the month of July: Dash Albus (four appearances, 5.2 IP), Andy Basora (four appearances, 4.2 IP), Coleman Picard (two appearances, 8.0 IP) and Darwin Rodriguez (one appearance, 5.0 IP).
Carolina League Stories from July 11, 2026
- Cespedes's Three-Run Blast Pushes Birds Past Nationals, 8-7, on Champion Forward Night - Myrtle Beach Pelicans
- Ramirez Cue Shot Leads Fireflies to Walk-Off Win - Columbia Fireflies
- GreenJackets Crushed by Crawdads in Sloppy Display - Augusta GreenJackets
- Baltimore Chop Walks off Charleston - Hill City Howlers
- FredNats Blow a Late Lead, Fall 8-7 to Pelicans - Fredericksburg Nationals
- Shorebirds Shut out Cannon Ballers Behind Rodriguez's Masterpiece - Delmarva Shorebirds
- RiverDogs Rally Back, Fall in Extras in 5-4 Defeat to Howlers - Charleston RiverDogs
- Warbirds, Woodpeckers Suspended After Three Batters - Wilson Warbirds
- Columbia Fireflies Game Notes 7.11 vs Salem - Columbia Fireflies
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