Columbia Fireflies Game Notes 7.4 at Charleston RiverDogs
July 4, 2023 - Carolina League (CarL)
Columbia Fireflies News Release
The Fireflies kick-off a series with the Charleston RiverDogs at Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park at 6:35 pm tonight. RHP Steven Zobac (1-1, 1.73 ERA) takes the rubber for Columbia and Charleston counters with lefty Alex Ayala Jr. (0-4, 4.54 ERA).
Columbia returns home to Segra Park after the All-Star Break for Dinosaur Weekend June 14-16. The Fireflies will be giving away a Dinosaur Bobblehead and bringing Ed's Dinosaurs to bring you back to pre-historic times! Tickets are available at FirefliesTickets.com.
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FIREFLIES TAKE PITCHER'S DUEL 1-0: The Fireflies pitching staff held the Augusta GreenJackets to three hits and punched out 11 hitters as they won 1-0 at Segra Park Monday night. The win was Columbia's eighth shutout of the season and their second 1-0 win of the year. The first 1-0 victory came against Salem less than one month ago on June 9. The Fireflies employed a bullpen game Monday evening and Samuel Valerio got things started on the right foot. The righty spun two perfect innings, fanning four GreenJackets before handing the ball off to Oscar Rayo (W, 2-0). Rayo worked through four innings, allowing only four baserunners while punching out four hitters. Rayo left the game after throwing 74 pitches and allowing a soft single to right and walking the last batter he faced. Chazz Martinez (H, 1) entered the game to start the seventh, induced a 5-4-3 double play and stranded his two inherited runners. The southpaw spun in and out of a jam before he handed the ball to Wesley Scott (S, 2) who closed out the game with a 1-2-3 ninth inning.
RAMPING UP RAMIREZ: Columbia's outfielder is riding a season-best six-game hitting streak. Since June 25, Jean Ramirez is 12-24 with three walks and eight runs scored. He is slashing an insane .500/.556/.708 with four stolen bases over the six games. The streak is Columbia's third-longest hitting streak of the year and is only two games behind Brett Squires, who had a team-best eight-game hitting streak earlier this season.
WE KEEP PLAYING: Yesterday, the Fireflies won their second 1-0 game of the season as they locked down their eighth shutout of the year vs the Augusta GreenJackets. The last 1-0 win was June 9 vs the Salem Red Sox.
CHARLES CONQUERS: Thursday, Austin Charles had his second three RBI game with the Columbia Fireflies. The infielder has 12 RBI in his first 17 games in Columbia and has nine doubles, including the one he hit Thursday night that led to Columbia's win. His heroics vs the Augusta GreenJackets have been good enough for Charles to win the Carolina League Player of the Week Award. Over the first five games of the series, Charles is 6-16 (.375) with four doubles and seven RBI. The infielder has an insane 1.101 OPS over the run..
MASTERING MCKEEHAN: Fireflies back-end of the bullpen reliever Cooper McKeehan continues to impress the league. Thursday he spun a scoreless ninth inning to earn his team-leading ninth save of the season to tie himself with Luis Barroso for the fifth-most saves in a single season in Fireflies history. The southpaw also paces the Carolina League with seven wins this year. The BYU product has a 0.93 ERA and is on his longest scoreless stretch of the season. McKeehan has not allowed a run in his last nine appearances (beginning June 4). In that time, he has worked 14.2 innings, allowing six hits and two walks while punching out 11 hitters. The streak is only a few innings behind Johnny Magliozzi for the fifth-longest stretch without allowing an earned run in franchise history. Magliozzi worked 17.1-consecutive scoreless innings from August 3-September 3, 2016.
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.
Carolina League Stories from July 4, 2023
- Fireflies Spoil RiverDogs' Celebration with Early Fireworks - Columbia Fireflies
- FredNats Stun Shorebirds on Independence Day - Delmarva Shorebirds
- Hillcats Doubled-up by Red Sox 4-2 - Lynchburg Hillcats
- FredNats Rally From Four Down to Win 7-6 - Fredericksburg Nationals
- GreenJackets Sign Declaration of WINdependence in 4th of July Victory - Augusta GreenJackets
- Columbia Fireflies Game Notes 7.4 at Charleston RiverDogs - Columbia Fireflies
- Grant Kipp Named Carolina League Pitcher of the Week - Myrtle Beach Pelicans
- Guerrero Promoted; Castillo Added from ACL - Carolina Mudcats
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