Columbia Fireflies Game Notes at Charleston 4.18
Published on April 18, 2026 under Carolina League (CarL)
Columbia Fireflies News Release
The Fireflies continue their series with the Charleston RiverDogs tonight at 6:05 pm at The Joe. LHP Darwin Rodriguez (1-1, 3.86 ERA) takes the bump for Columbia and Charleston counters with RHP Aidan Hough (0-1, 9.82 ERA).
Columbia returns home to Segra Park for a six-game series with the Augusta GreenJackets from April 21-26. The team will host Princesses and Pirates Night with a fireworks display Saturday, April 25 and will be giving away a Fireflies 10th Anniversary lapel pin Friday, April 24. Buy your tickets starting at $6 at FirefliesTickets.com.
----------------------------------------------
THREE-RUN FIFTH PUSHES FIREFLIES TO 5-2 WIN: The Fireflies bats tallied 10 hits, which was more than enough to support the Fireflies pitching staff in a 5-2 victory over the Charleston RiverDogs Friday night at The Joe.The Fireflies got another gem from their starter. Today, Hiro Wyatt worked five one-run innings with a pair of strikeouts to give the ball to the bullpen with a lead. Over the last three days, Fireflies starters have combined for 15 innings of work and they have only allowed one earned run (0.60 ERA). After that, Max Martin put together his best relief appearance to date. The righty worked three innings with three strikeouts and only surrendered one run before giving the ball to Brandon Herbold (S, 1) for a 1-2-3 ninth inning. Herbold struck out a pair en route to his first save of the season.
CLIMBING THE LEADBOARD: Last night, Brooks Bryans' Carolina League leading nine game hitting streak came to an end after an 0-4 outing with a hit by pitch. Bryan finished the streak hitting .333 (11-33) with seven extra-base hits, including a pair of homers en route to driving in 10 RBI. The backstop was among the circuit leaders in average, on-base percentage, OPS, slugging percentage, RBI and extra-base hits during his stretch.
STERLING STARTERS: Over the last three days, Kendry Chourio, Blake Wolters and Hiro Wyatt have combined to toss 15 innings while allowing only one earned run. The starters have combined for 14 strikeouts over the 15 frames to pair with a 0.60 ERA on the stretch. It has helped lower the Fireflies' starting ERA to 2.98 on the season, which is the second-best mark in the Carolina League behind the Fredericksburg Nationals. It ranks 13th of the 120 teams in Minor League Baseball. Jersey Shore paces the way with a 1.94 starting ERA through 46.1 innings in their first 12 games.
DOUBLING UP ON DEFENSE: The Fireflies have turned two more than any Carolina League team this season. Columbia has 14 doubleplays in 437 total chances in the field this year. The next closest in the Carolina League is Kannapolis who has 13. The Fireflies have the second-most twin killings among Double-A, High-A and Single-A, all of whom started a week later than Triple-A. The Frisco Rough Riders pace the group with 18 double plays in 2026.
ROCKING RONI: After recording no RBI in his first three games, Roni Cabrera has found strong production over his last five games. The outfielder has 10 RBI over his last five games, thanks in large part to a grand slam he hit in the first inning of Sunday's game against the Myrtle Beach Pelicans. He added an additional three, one in each of his last three plate appearances in Tuesday's extra innings victory over the Charleston RiverDogs. His 10 RBI are tied for the third-most in the Carolina League.
CHOURIO CRUISES: Wednesday, Kendry Chourio continued his strong start in his second season in the Carolina League. The Venezuela native spun five scoreless innings with a handful of strikeouts. He held Charleston to three hits and one walk in the performance. Chourio now has 9.2 scoreless innings in his last two starts. He has punched out 11 opponents on the run and has maintained a 0.41 WHIP. Through three startrs, Chourio ranks fifth in the Carolina League in ERA, strikeouts and WHIP. He's also fourth in innings pitched and sixth in opposing average. The righty was recently added to MLB Pipeline's Top 100 prospects list. He is currently listed as the 97th-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 67 slot. It's the second time in three years Columbia has had an active member on the list.
Carolina League Stories from April 18, 2026
- It's Not Tovar Until It's Tovar - Hickory Crawdads
- Mathis Mashes Fourth Homer of the Week, Powers Birds over Cannon Ballers 6-0 - Myrtle Beach Pelicans
- Pitching Carries Howlers Past Warbirds - Hill City Howlers
- Howlers Shut down Warbirds Offense in Victory - Wilson Warbirds
- FredNats Continue Hot Streak, Strong Pitching and Early Offense Lead to 7-1 Win Over Delmarva - Fredericksburg Nationals
- Shorebirds Drop Third Straight Game to Fred Nats - Delmarva Shorebirds
- Offense in Full Bloom as Azaleas Score Fourteen in Win - Augusta GreenJackets
- RiverDogs Rally Late, Come up Short in 3-2 Loss to Fireflies - Charleston RiverDogs
- Pitching Combines for 18 Ks in 3-2 Win - Columbia Fireflies
- Columbia Fireflies Game Notes at Charleston 4.18 - Columbia Fireflies
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
