Columbia Fireflies Game Notes 7-3 at Augusta
Published on July 3, 2021 under Carolina League (CarL)
Columbia Fireflies News Release
Tonight the Fireflies continue their series with the Augusta GreenJackets at SRP Park at 6:35 pm. LHP Rylan Kaufman (1-2, 5.17 ERA) takes the rubber for Columbia while Augusta sends righty Joey Estes (0-3, 2.85 ERA) to the bump.
Columbia returns home Tuesday, July 6, to start a six-game set with the first-place Charleston RiverDogs at Segra Park. It will be a Miller Lite $2 Tuesday where all hot dogs, popcorn, fountain sodas and 12 oz cans of Miller Lite will cost just $2 at the ballpark. For tickets, visit FirefliesTickets.com.
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NEGRET'S TWO BLAST NIGHT NOT ENOUGH TO BEAT AUGUSTA: The Fireflies launched three homers and scored eight runs, but it wasn't enough to beat the GreenJackets, who won a 9-8 tilt between the two teams Friday evening at SRP Park. Columbia (26-22) left a season-high 16 runners on the basepaths and were 3-for-21 with runners in scoring position in the loss. Augusta (23-28), on the other hand, hit 5-for-13 with runners in scoring position, including Willie Carter's double off reliever Zack Phillips (BS, 1; L, 0-1) off the right field wall in the bottom of the eighth to score Cade Bunnell, which proved to be the game-winning run. Juan Carlos Negret and Kale Emshoff knocked back-to-back jacks in the 6th inning to plate three runs and put Columbia in front 6-4. It marked the first time two Fireflies hit back-to-back homeruns since Ronny Mauricio and Brian Sharp did so August 9, 2019 vs the Greenville Drive. Negret's night wasn't over there. The designated hitter hit his team-leading 10th homer of the season in the seventh, a two-run blast that put Columbia back in front 8-6. It's the second two-homer game of the season for Negret, who also knocked a pair against the Charleston RiverDogs May 12. That lead too was not meant to be, as both teams traded runs in the sixth and the seventh. The scoring started early in the game, when Felix Familia drew a bases loaded walk in the first to score Maikel Garcia. In the Fourth, Darryl Collins pushed a ball up the middle to plate Garcia a second time to give the Fireflies a 2-1 lead before Augusta tacked three on starter Anderson Paulino.
GARCIA GOUGING BASES FROM AUGUSTA: Fireflies shortstop Maikel Garcia stole a team-high five bags last night. The most stolen bases in a game for Columbia in 2021 prior to that was three, which both Tyler Tolbert and Diego Hernandez had accomplished this season.
EL DURO SHOWING HIS STUFF: After a slow start to the season, Juan Carlos Negret has found his stride in the month of June. The slugger cracked six homers last month, which tied Kannapolis's Bryan Ramos and Carolina's Zavier Warren for the most homers in June. The slugger is hitting just .181 last month, but when he made contact, he made it count. Negret had 11 hits last month, eight of which went for extra bases. He had two doubles to go along with his six homers in June. In his second game of July, he smacked a pair of homers to give him 10 this season. The outfielder now trails only the Carolina Mudcats' Joe Gray Jr., who has 11 homers this season for the League season home run lead.
YOU WANNA SEE SOME REAL SPEED?: The Fireflies saw Tyler Tolbert climb his way a position higher on the all-time team leaderboard. Tolbert stole a Fireflies-best three bases in Friday night's game to give him 21 on the season. That tied him for second-most in a single season for a Fireflies player with Hansel Moreno, who accomplished the feat in 2018. He's chasing Jacob Zanon, who stole 28 bags in 2017. Tolbert stole a base again Tuesday to increase his total to 25 this year.
SAVING THE OPPORTUNITY: Last night, Walter Pennington earned his team-leading third save of the year. The southpaw has earned all three of his saves at home and has now punched out 18 hitters in 11.2 innings at Segra Park this year. Despite allowing an earned run last night, the Coloradoan still has a 1.54 ERA at home and has maintained a 0.77 ERA at the friendly confines in 2021.
Carolina League Stories from July 3, 2021
- Late Offense Comes up Short in Ballers Fifth-Straight Loss on SaturdayÃâà- Kannapolis Cannon Ballers
- COLUMBIA FIREFLIES: Fireflies Take-Off Behind Four-Run Seventh - Columbia Fireflies
- RiverDogs Roll Past Cannon Ballers 11-6 to Win Eighth Straight - Charleston RiverDogs
- Mudcats End Skid with 16-4 Victory in Fayetteville - Carolina Mudcats
- Hitting Runs Cold as Pelicans Fall to Wood DucksÃâà- Myrtle Beach Pelicans
- 'Birds Bats Fall Quiet in Saturday Loss to Hillcats - Delmarva Shorebirds
- Estes Awesome, Fireflies Respond Late for 7-4 Win - Augusta GreenJackets
- FredNats' Bats Stifled in 9-2 Loss - Fredericksburg Nationals
- Strong Pitching Helps Wood Ducks Bounce Back - Down East Wood Ducks
- Jeremy Ydens Transferred to Wilmington - Fredericksburg Nationals
- Down East Wood Ducks Game Notes - at Myrtle Beach - Down East Wood Ducks
- Columbia Fireflies Game Notes 7-3 at Augusta - Columbia Fireflies
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