Columbia Fireflies Game Notes 8.18 vs Myrtle Beach
August 18, 2023 - Carolina League (CarL)
Columbia Fireflies News Release
The Fireflies continue their series with the Myrtle Beach Pelicans tonight at Segra Park at 7:05 pm. RHP Emmanuel Reyes (0-3, 4.35 ERA) takes the bump for Columbia and Myrtle Beach counters with RHP Kevin Valdez (2-1, 2.70 ERA).
Tonight is our Ben Kudrna throwing fire bobblehead giveaway courtesy of SAFE Federal Credit Union. The first 1,000 fans through the gates beginning at 6 pm will receive a bobblehead, which is our final bobblehead in our Future Royals series. Tickets are available at FirefliesTickets.com.
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TWO FOUR-RUN INNINGS LEAD TO 8-1 WIN: The Fireflies used a pair of four-run innings and five scoreless frames from Shane Panzini to beat the Myrtle Beach Pelicans 8-1 Thursday Night at Segra Park. Shane Panzini worked an excellent outing. The righty spun five scoreless innings while punching out seven Pelicans batters. Panzini allowed a pair of hits and a pair of walks as he held Myrtle Beach at bay Thursday evening. Columbia broke through in the bottom of the second inning. Austin Charles started the thrilling inning with one out single. Next, Daniel Vazquez shot a line drive to right to push the runners to first and second. Lizandro Rodriguez reached on a throwing error from the pitcher Luis Rujano to load the bases with one out for Trevor Werner.
HOT START: Carson Roccaforte has cruised through the start of his Carolina League career. The Fireflies center fielder has already made a handful of stunning plays in center field, but if that weren't enough, he brought the bat along with him. The Rajin Cajun has played eight games with at least one hit in each of those contests. All-in-all, he is 10-33 with a double, two triples and four RBI. Spencer Finally, Jared Dickey has been an on-base machine in his first eight games, going 12-34 with two walks and a hit by pitch to earn a .410 on-base percentage.
MOVING ON UP: Ben Sears now has three saves in his last seven appearances, giving him nine saves on the season. That ties him with 2021 Columbia Fireflies reliever Luis Barroso for sixth all-time amongst Columbia Fireflies players. He's two away from tying current Quad Cities River Bandits reliever Cooper McKeehan for second on the Fireflies all-time leaderboard.
SECURING SQUIRES: Brett Squires is riding his second-longest on-base streak of the season, a 15-game stretch that dates back to July 30. Over the run he has hits in all-except two games he has played in and is 17-49 (.321). He has also walked a pair of times and roped two doubles and four homers on the month. All-in-all, Squires is slashing .370/.373/.585 over the nearly two-week run. The on-base streak in the University of Oklahoma product's second-longest on-base streak of the season. Squires reached safely in 22-consecutive games from April 20-May 14. On that hot stretch, Squires slashed .444/.433/.877 as he led the league in multiple categories, including on-base percentage and doubles through the run.
REYES ROLLS: Columbia's 19-year-old pitcher earned the first quality start of his career in a loss to the Charleston RiverDogs Friday. The righty spun six frames, allowing five hits and two runs in a 2-1 pitcher's duel. Emmanuel Reyes is now 0-3 in his first three starts in Columbia with 16 punchouts in 15 innings and a 4.80 ERA.
NEON JACK, THE 21ST IN THE SHOW: Yesterday afternoon, John McMillon pitched the ninth inning for the Kansas City Royals, becoming the 21st former Fireflies player to play in the show, the second to do so in 2023. McMillon is unique in one sense though. He is the first player to pitch for Columbia and make his Major League debut in the same season. The Texas native is the second Fireflies player to make his Major League debut this season, joining Allan Winans, who made his debut with the Braves. McMillon threw 15 pitches, striking out a pair of batters and allowing one hit, a solo homer to Cal Raleigh in his first Major League Appearance in the Royals 6-4 loss to the Seattle Mariners.
Carolina League Stories from August 18, 2023
- First-Place Mudcats Win Thriller, 8-6 in Kannapolis - Carolina Mudcats
- Costly Eighth Inning Saddles Woodpeckers with 3-1 Loss - Fayetteville Woodpeckers
- Carolina Outlasts Kannapolis in Extra-Inning Battle Friday - Kannapolis Cannon Ballers
- 'Jackets Fly Past Nats 15-7 - Fredericksburg Nationals
- Cuevas Continues Resurgence as RiverDogs Down Wood Ducks 5-2 - Charleston RiverDogs
- Rally Cut Short On Base-Running Snafu Friday - Columbia Fireflies
- For Owen Murphy, It's About Growth - Augusta GreenJackets
- Columbia Fireflies Game Notes 8.18 vs Myrtle Beach - Columbia Fireflies
- Pelicans Fall on Thursday Night to Fireflies 8-1 - Myrtle Beach Pelicans
- McMillon Goes from Columbia to the Show in 2023 - Columbia Fireflies
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