Columbia Fireflies Game Notes at Kannapolis 6.23
Published on June 23, 2026 under Carolina League (CarL)
Columbia Fireflies News Release
The Fireflies kick-off a new series with the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers tonight at Atrium Health Ballpark at 7 pm. LHP Darwin Rodriguez (2-4, 4.91 ERA) takes the ball for Columbia and Kannapolis counters with RHP Gabe Tanner (0-0, 0.00 ERA).
The Fireflies return home for 12 games in 13 days from June 30-July 12. The team will celebrate America's 250th birthday with the biggest fireworks show of the year, Saturday, July 4 and will continue with fireworks and a patriotic theme all weekend thanks to SC 250. The next weekend, the club is throwing it back to the 90s for the return of the Capital City Bombers thanks to Cassell Brothers Home Services. Join the team for a bobble plane giveaway Friday, July 10 and a drone show Saturday, July 11. Buy your tickets now at FirefliesTickets.com.
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LATE RALLY NOT ENOUGH AS FIREFLIES FALL 4-3: The Fireflies muscled a pair of homers in the final two frames, but ultimately fell to the Hickory Crawdads 4-3 Sunday afternoon at L.P. Frans Stadium. JC Vanek got the rally started with a two out solo shot to left field in the top of the eighth to cut Hickory's lead to 4-2. Then in the ninth, Josh Hammond clobbered his fourth homer of the season to left off Michael Trausch (S, 1) to make it a one-run game. Trausch was able to get a strikeout and a pop-up after to end the game. The Fireflies broke through in the top of the fourth inning. JC Vanek started the frame with a singled before Roni Cabrera cracked a double to left to put runners on second and third with no one out. After that, Jhosmmel Zue grounded out to short to plate Vanek and break Columbia's scoreless streak and give the club a 1-0 lead. The Fireflies last scored with two outs in the top of the 10th inning Thursday, which meant the team went 21.2 innings between runs.
STERLING STARTERS: The Fireflies starting rotation has the fourth-best ERA in Minor League Baseball this season. The group has recorded an 11-14 record combined with a 3.55 ERA over 294 innings through the first 69 games of the season. Fireflies starters have 301 strikeouts and have held opponents to a .240 AVG on the season. The Fredericksburg Nationals lead the way with a 3.33 ERA through their first 69 games.
LUMINOUS LOMBARDI: Michael Lombardi has been a master of the strikeout this season. Sunday, he etched seven strikeouts across 4.2 innings of work. Lombardi has the most strikeouts (81) in Single-A over 51.0 innings of work. Rancho Cucamonga's Dylan Jordan is second with 80. Lombardi has the second-best K/9 rate in Minor League Baseball among pitchers with at least 50 innings this season (14.29). Seth Hernandez leads the way at 14.60. Lombardi also has the third-best strikeout percentage in Minor League Baseball among players with at least 50 innings pitched this season. Hernandez also leads that group. has struck out 41.9% of batters faced this season.
HIP HIP, JOSE: Sunday, Jose Gutierrez worked a pair of innings and faced the minimum while striking out three Hickory Crawdads. It snapped the righty's three-game quality start streak. In the month of June, Gutierrez is 3-0 with a 2.14 ERA. He has 20 strikeouts and only one walk across 21 innings to combine with a 0.76 WHIP. With the run, Gutierrez now holds the sixth-best ERA (3.56) amongst qualifying pitchers in the Carolina League this season. Kannapolis' Max Banks leads the pack with a 1.84 ERA. He last pitched for the Cannon Ballers June 6.
THE WRONG FOOT: The Columbia Fireflies dropped their first three games of the second half. Sunday, they snapped their scoreless streak at 21.2 innings. Jhosmmel Zue grounded out to score JC Vanek in the top of the fourth inning to give Columbia a 1-0 lead. It was the first run since the team scored on a Stone Russell two-out double in the top of the 10th of their 6-4 win over Hickory Thursday to end the first half.
HAMMERING HAMMOND: In the top of the ninth inning Sunday, Josh Hammond smoked his fourth homer of the season to left field. The 19-year-old reached base safely in each of his five games against the Hickory Crawdads last week, including an impressive six times across his final pair of games. Hammond is currently 10th in the Carolina League in batting average (.287), fifth in runs scored (45) and total bases (106) and third in hits (72) and doubles (16). Hammond is the third-best prospect in the Royals' system and the 91st-ranked overall according to MLB Pipeline.
Carolina League Stories from June 23, 2026
- Back-To-Back-To-Back Blasts Earn Woodpeckers Win over Shorebirds - Fayetteville Woodpeckers
- Late Push of Offense Falls Just Short in Ballers 4-3 Loss to Fireflies Tuesday - Kannapolis Cannon Ballers
- Crawdads Take Opener over Howlers 11-10 - Hickory Crawdads
- RiverDogs Push Past GreenJackets 9-2 in Series Opener - Charleston RiverDogs
- Shorebirds Fall to Woodpeckers in Series Opener - Delmarva Shorebirds
- Jackets Bashed by RiverDogs in Series Opener - Augusta GreenJackets
- Season-High Walks Leads to 15-2 Loss to Start Series vs Wilson - Fredericksburg Nationals
- Wilson Blasts Fredericksburg in Series Opener - Wilson Warbirds
- Rodriguez Hot Start, Zue Slam, Lead Cola to 4-3 Win - Columbia Fireflies
- Poteet Launches Fourth Straight Homer, Birds Down RidgeYaks in Tuesday Matinee 7-2 - Myrtle Beach Pelicans
- RidgeYaks Offense Sputters in 7-2 Loss to Pelicans - Salem RidgeYaks
- Columbia Fireflies Game Notes at Kannapolis 6.23 - Columbia Fireflies
- RiverDogs to Honor All-Lowcountry Baseball and Softball Standouts Before Friday's Game - Charleston RiverDogs
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