Columbia Fireflies Game Notes at Augusta 7.5
July 5, 2024 - 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 Felix Arronde (4-6, 3.65 ERA) takes the hill for Columbia and Augusta counters with righty Garrett Baumann (5-2, 3.38 ERA).
Columbia returns home July 19 to kick-off Dino Weekend! Join us as we give away a Mason and Triceratops Bobblehead July 19 thanks to SAFE Federal Credit Union, celebrate Jurassic World with a fireworks show July 20 and close out the weekend with an Interactive experience as we welcome Ed's Dinosaurs to the ballpark July 21. Buy your tickets now at ColumbiaFireflies.com.
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LATE RALLY LIFTS FIREFLIES OVER GREENJACKETS: The Fireflies bats came alive, scoring three runs in the seventh to give Columbia a 5-2 win over Augusta Thursday night at SRP Park. Columbia regained the lead in the top of the seventh. Lizandro Rodriguez started the inning with a base knock and advanced into scoring position thanks to a Diego Guzman ground out to the right side of the infield. Next, Erick Torres laced a single to right to plate Rodriguez and push Columbia in front 3-2. Later, Blake Mitchell laced a base hit to right and Robert Gonzalez fumbled the ball, allowing Torres to score from first to double Columbia's lead. The carousel kept going with Austin Charles at the plate. Columbia's third baseman smacked a single down the left field line to score Mitchell and push Columbia's lead to three.
LIGHT UP YOUR WORLD, LIKE THE FOURTH OF JULY: Blake Mitchell has had a strong start to the month of July. In his first four games, he has three extra base hits to pair with a .438 batting average. Mitchell has a 1.159 OPS to kick-off his fourth month in the Carolina League.
GOING STREAKING: Catcher Dionmy Salon is riding a hot streak for Columbia. He is on his longest hitting streak of the season, a 10-game stretch that began June 9 and is the second-longest active hitting streak in the Carolina League. He trails Esteban Gonzalez who has hit in 13-consecutive games for the Lynchburg Hillcats. Salon is 13-30 (.433) on the run and has five RBI. Salon has increased his batting average from .165 to .232 during the strech which encapsulates over one quarter of his games played this season. Columbia's backstop has also scored a run in three-straight games, which is the longest active streak for a Fireflies player.
QUALITY FELIX: Saturday, Felix Arronde worked his team-leading fifth quality start of the season. He's two ahead of Ethan Bosacker for the most on the Fireflies. So far this season, Arronde has a 4-6 record to pair with a 3.68 ERA. He's been able to persevere despite receiving the lowest run support of any regular Fireflies starter this year. The bats are scoring 2.19 runs per nine innings when Arronde is on the hill in 2024.
KICKING WITH KIRKLAND: In Doug Kirkland's last eight outings, he has allowed just one earned run spanning 14.1 innings of work (0.63 ERA). In that time, he has 17 punchouts and his opponents are hitting .119 against him. In his first full professional season, Kirkland is 3-3 with a 2.60 ERA. He has an outlandish 37 strikeouts in 27.2 innings and opponents are hitting just .176 against him this season.
I CAN SEE THE FUTURE: Tuesday, Major League Baseball announced their All-Star Future's game rosters, which contained a pair of former Fireflies player. RHP Ben Kudrna was Kansas City's second rounder in 2021 and after spinning a 3.48 ERA in 17 starts in 2022, he was named the Columbia Fireflies Pitcher of the Year by the Royals. Gavin Cross was also named to the roster. The outfielder was selected in the first round of the 2022 draft out of Virginia Tech and reached base safely in his final 22 games with the Fireflies that same season.
THIS IS 40: Last night, Austin Charles drove in a pair of RBI, giving him 40 on the young season. In 2023 only three Fireflies finished the season with 40 or more RBI: Brett Squires (69), Lizandro Rodriguez (44) and Daniel Vazquez (43).
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