Columbia Fireflies Game Notes at Augusta 5.20
CarL Columbia Fireflies

Columbia Fireflies Game Notes at Augusta 5.20

Published on May 20, 2026 under Carolina League (CarL)
Columbia Fireflies News Release


The Fireflies continue their series with the Augusta GreenJackets tonight at SRP Park at 7:05 pm. RHP Jose Gutierrez (1-2, 3.52 ERA) takes the ball for Columbia and Augusta counters with RHP Derek Vartanian (1-2, 3.66 ERA).

Columbia returns home Tuesday, May 26-Sunday, May 31. The team will celebrate Margaritaville Night presented by the South Carolina Education Lottery Friday, May 29. The first 1,000 in attendance will receive a free Fireflies-themed Hawaiian t-shirt. After that, Saturday, May 30 is Super Villain Night. Take a walk on the dark side at Segra Park and enjoy a pleasantly evil post-game fireworks show. Reserve your seat today at FirefliesTickets.com.

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LOMBARDI'S GREAT START NOT ENOUGH, FIREFLIES FALL 8-1: The Fireflies got a great start from Michael Lombardi, but it wasn't enough as the team lost 8-1 to the Augusta GreenJackets Tuesday night at SRP Park. Michael Lombardi put up five scoreless innings in his second-consecutive start for the Fireflies. The righty punched out four GreenJackets around two hits and a walk before he handed the ball to the bullpen. After leaving the game, Lombardi has 51 strikeouts on the season. He's second in the Carolina League behind Charleston's Aidan Cremarosa. Lombardi has worked five scoreless innings in back-to-back starts for Columbia. The GreenJackets flew ahead in the sixth inning. After Tate Southisene reached first on a strikeout wild pitch from reliever Darwin Rodriguez, Rodriguez walked Alex Lodise and Juan Mateo and Luis Guanipa earned RBI to give Augusta a 2-1 lead.

STERLING STARTERS: The Fireflies starting rotation has the second-best ERA in Minor League Baseball this season. The group has recorded a 3-8 record combined with a 2.80 ERA over 163.2 innings through the first 40 games of the season. Fireflies starters have 173 strikeouts and have held opponents to a .207 AVG on the season. The Lakeland Flying Tigers, who have a 2.73 ERA through their first 125.1 frames this year currently sit in first place.

ONE-TWO PUNCHOUT: Michael Lombardi has been a master of the strikeout this season. Tuesday, he etched four punchouts across five innings. All-in-All, Lombardi has the second-most strikeouts (51) in the Carolina League over 30.2 innings of work. Charleston's Aidan Cremarosa leads the pack with 55 punchouts this season. Jordan Woods isn't far behind the pace of the top two. Columbia's lefty is in third with 46 strikeouts in 2026.

VICTORY FOR VANEK: JC Vanek is hitting his offensive stride for the Columbia Fireflies. The first baseman has reached safely in 19-consecutive games, a streak that began April 18. It's the fourth-longest active on-base streak in the Carolina League. Over the run, Vanek is hitting .305, but what's been most impressive is that he's averaging nearly a walk per game. After adding 18 walks, Vanek's on-base percentage jumps to .468 on the run. Vanek's streak is the longest for the Fireflies since Callan Moss reached in 22-consecutive games from July 6-September 8, 2024. Rushford's on-base streak was the longest for the Fireflies during the 2025 season. Catcher Brooks Bryan isn't far behind the first baseman. Bryan has reached in 16-consecutive games in an on-base streak that began April 24. The Alabama native is hitting .318 on the run and has slapped five doubles to help drive in eight RBI.

RUMBLING RUSSELL: Stone Russell is in his second season as a super utility player for the Fireflies. The infielder has played third, second and first so far this season. Russell has played 33 games without an error this season, which is the third-best mark in the Carolina League. Hector Osorio leads the way with a 35-game streak.

STAR POWER: Friday, Kendry Chourio continued his strong start in his second season in the Carolina League. The Venezuela native spun 4.1 one-run innings with four strikeouts in his last start. The righty was recently added to MLB Pipeline's Top 100 prospects list. He is currently listed as the 79th-best prospect. With the news, 2022 Fireflies catcher Carter Jensen has graduated from Pipeline's Top 100 List and 2024 catcher Blake Mitchell currently sits in the 55 slot. Last weekend, Josh Hammond joined Kendry Chourio on the MLB Pipeline Top 100 prospects list. Hammond is the list's 96th-best prospect. It's the first time in team history Columbia has had two top-100 prospects simultaneously.

Check out the Columbia Fireflies Statistics

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Carolina League Stories from May 20, 2026


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