Columbia Fireflies Game Notes at Fayetteville 7.31
July 31, 2024 - Carolina League (CarL)
Columbia Fireflies News Release
The Fireflies continue their series with the Fayetteville Woodpeckers this morning at 11:05 am at Segra Stadium in North Carolina. RHP Hiro Wyatt (0-1, 6.75 ERA) takes the ball for Columbia and the Woodpeckers counter with righty Anderson Brito (0-0, 2.70 ERA).
Columbia returns home August 6 for a six-game set with the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers highlighted by Nickelodeon's PAW Patrol Night Saturday, August 10 and Cane's Night presented by Nucor Friday, August 9 with a Carolina Hurricane's replica jersey giveaway. Buy your tickets now at ColumbiaFireflies.com.
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LATE OFFENSE POWERS FIREFLIES OVER WOODPECKERS: The Fireflies scored three runs in the final two innings to win 5-2 over the Fayetteville Woodpeckers Tuesday night at Segra Stadium. The Fireflies pushed forward again in the eighth. Austin Charles lined a single up the middle with the bases loaded to plate Aldrin Lucas to push Columbia in front 3-2. While Hyungchan Um was at the plate, reliever Hudson Leach hurled a wild pitch to the back stop, which scored Erick Torres to double Columbia's lead. Jhonny Perdomo dealt the knock-out blow. He hit a 105 MPH triple over the head of center fielder Kenni Gomez and then charged home on a wild pitch later in the inning to push Columbia in front 5-2.
IN THE DAYLIGHT: This will be the Fireflies ninth and final day game of the 2024 season. So far, Columbia is 5-3 when they play a day game (first pitch set before 4 pm) this year.
BULLPEN MANIA: The Fireflies bullpen has been the highlight of the team all season. After another three innings of one-run work Tuesday, Columbia's bullpen now has a 3,04 ERA this season, which is good for the third-best mark in all of full-season baseball. It trails the Midland Rockhounds (3.03 ERA) and the Harrisburg Senators (2.87 ERA). One feather in the cap of Columbia's pen is that it is the only bullpen in the top three that has had to work more than 400 innings already this season. One arm the Fireflies may miss is righty Jarold Rosado. He had a 1.85 ERA across nearly 40 innings and was traded for Paul DeJong at the trade deadline.
TUMULTUOUS TORRES: Erick Torres has had a week to remember, beginning with a walk-off double Saturday to score Diego Guzman in the 11th to beat Lynchburg. The Fireflies speedster kept the ball rolling Saturday, as he slapped his second homer of the season and July to bring the Fireflies within one of Lynchburg. He also scored the first run of the game. Torres is starting to come out of a mid-season slump, and he has drawn nine walks in his last 10 games to push his on-base percentage to .442 over the stretch. He trails only Dionmy Salon for the highest on-base percentage on the team over his last 10 games.
STEADY PROGRESS: Mauricio Veliz has worked his way back from a finger injury this year and has been on a roll in his last few starts. Saturday, he worked his most innings in a a game since returning from the Injured List. He allowed three runs (two earned) in five frames against the Lynchburg Hillcats. He's only allowed three earned runs in his last two starts (nine innings).
THIS IS 45: Thursday night, Austin Charles drove in an RBI, giving him 45 on the young season. In 2023 only one Fireflies hitter finished the season with 45 or more RBI: Brett Squires, who had 69 RBI. The Fireflies single-season RBI record belongs to Juan Carlos Negret, who drove in 76 runs in a shortened 2021 season thanks in part to a franchise record 23 homers in a single season.
BUYING HANSELL STOCK: Josh Hansell had an up and down start to his Fireflies' tenure, but the 6'6" righty has rounded into form the last few weeks. In yesterday's 11 inning contest, he worked four frames while allowing only one earned run. That means over his last four appearances, Hansell has allowed only two earned runs over 14.1 innings (1.26 ERA).
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