Columbia Fireflies Game Notes at Hickory 6.8
June 8, 2025 - Carolina League (CarL)
Columbia Fireflies News Release
The Fireflies close out their series with the Hickory Crawdads today at 2 pm at L.P. Frans Stadium. RHP Hiro Wyatt (1-2, 5.17 ERA) toes the rubber for Columbia and LHP Dalton Pence (3-0, 2.20 ERA) counters for Hickory.
Columbia returns home to Segra Park Tuesday, June 10 to start a series with the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers. They start the week with Fort Jackson Night, presented by Blue Cross Blue Shield of South Carolina. Join the team as they honor recent graduates of basic training at Segra Park. That weekend is also Copa de la Diversion weekend! Join the Fireflies as they become Los Chicharrones de Columbia. We'll have a Sugar Skull Bobblehead giveaway for the first 1,000 fans Friday, June 13, live music, dancing and a fireworks show post-game Saturday June, 14 and Sunday you can enjoy live music, a pre-game classic car and motorcycle show and dads can play catch on the field. Buy your tickets now at FirefliesTickets.com.
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MCNAIR ROUND-TRIPPER SPARKS OFFENSE IN 5-3 WIN: The Fireflies bats scored a single run in each of the last five innings to beat the Hickory Crawdads 5-3 Saturday night at L.P. Frans Stadium. After back-to-back wins, Columbia can claim the series with a win tomorrow. Brennon McNair broke the scoreless tie in the fourth with a solo homer to left field. It was the outfielder's fifth homer of 2025 and his first since May 3. The Fireflies added on in the fifth inning. Henry Ramos drew a lead-off walk and moved to third on a Derlin Figueroa single to place runners on the corners with one out. After that, Josi Novas grounded out to plate Ramos and double Columbia's advantage.
MASTER OF THE MISS: Friday night, Yunior Marte continued his solid start to the 2025 campaign. The 6'5" righty spun his third quality start of the year. He ranks among the Carolina League Leaders in most significant pitching statistics including ERA (6th, 2.83), strikeouts (4th, 45), innings pitched (1st, 47.2), opposing average (4th, .200) and WHIP (4th, 1.05). In his first full-season in the Carolina League, Marte has looked the part as Columbia's ace. Thursday he was awarded the Carolina League Pitcher of the Month Award for May. Marte began the month on a 15.1 innings scoreless stretch and paced the circuit in ERA over the course of May.
RAKING RAMIREZ: Ramon Ramirez is second in the Carolina League with nine homers and leads the pack with 39 RBI. He is also third in runs scored with 35. The backstop ended a 14-game on-base streak in game one of Saturday's doubleheader. It was the Fireflies longest on-base streak of the 2025 season and the longest since Callan Moss reached safely in 22-consecutive games in 2024.
KEEPING TABS: The Fireflies are two games back of the Augusta GreenJackets with 11 games remaining in the first half. The Fireflies play two against Hickory, six vs Kannapolis and three at Carolina to end the half. Columbia is in fourth in the division, but currently owns the tie-breaker with both Hickory and Kannapolis. They also can control their own destiny with their next eight contests vs two teams within two games of Columbia.
STRONG START: Among the 15 teen pitchers in the Carolina League, lefty David Shields has the second-lowest ERA (1.84) after his first four starts. He has the highest K% in the group (32.1%), is tied for the lowest opposing batting average (.154), has the lowest WHIP (0.82) and the second-lowest BB% (7.3%). Shields has spun 14.2 innings across his first four starts in the Carolina League to a tune of a 1.84 ERA.
IT'S JUST LIKE MAGIC: Thursday, Left-handed Reliever Dash Albus allowed his first earned run since April. In 10 appearances starting May 2, Albus has worked 12 frames with nine strikeouts. The Texas native has a 1.00 WHIP on the run and has held opponents to a .200 average. During the stretch, Albus is 2-0 and is 3-3 in save opportunities.
NO PLACE LIKE SEGRA PARK: Tuesday, Josi Novas launched his eighth homer of the season at L.P Frans Stadium. It was his first away from Segra Park. The homer also made him the fourth Fireflies player to homer in back-to-back games this season. Novas is batting .273 at Segra Park this season and he has the second-highest OPS (.883) on the team at home in 2025. Derlin Figueroa leads the pack with a home OPS of .955.
Carolina League Stories from June 8, 2025
- Columbia Fireflies: Homestand Preview: June 10-15 - Columbia Fireflies
- Columbia Fireflies Game Notes at Hickory 6.8 - Columbia Fireflies
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