Columbia Fireflies Game Notes at Kannapolis 6.29
June 29, 2024 - Carolina League (CarL)
Columbia Fireflies News Release
The Fireflies continue their series with the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers tonight at 7 pm at Atrium Health Ballpark. RHP Felix Arronde (4-5, 3.71 ERA) takes the hill for Columbia and Kannapolis counters with RHP Seth Keener (3-3, 3.65 ERA).
The Fireflies return home for a three-game series to celebrate our Nation's Independence Day to kick-off July. Join us for Military Appreciation Night July 2, our Independence Day Celebration July 3 and Fireworks with the Philharmonic presented by Prisma Health July 4. Buy your tickets now at ColumbiaFireflies.com.
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FIREFLIES WIN FIFTH STRAIGHT FRIDAY: The Fireflies used a four-run fifth inning and five one-run innings of work from the bullpen to take home a 6-3 win over the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers at Atrium Health Ballpark Friday night. The win was the Fireflies fifth-consecutive, which is their second-longest winning streak of the season. Columbia (5-2) jumped ahead in the fifth inning. Diego Guzman lasered a double to the left-center wall to start the inning. Next, Aldrin Lucas singled to place runners at the corners. Erick Torres was hit by a pitch to load the bases with no one out before Blake Mitchell and Hyungchan Um drew back-to-back bases loaded walks to give the Fireflies a 4-2 lead. With one out, Jhonny Perdomo legged out an infield single that scored Torres and kept the line moving. Next, Erick Pena drew Columbia's third bases loaded walk of the frame off Manuel Veloz (L, 1-1) to prompt a move to the bullpen for Kannapolis (2-5) and push the Fireflies firmly in front 6-2.
GOING STREAKING: Catcher Dionmy Salon is riding a hot streak for Columbia. He is on his longest hitting streak of the season, an eight-game stretch that began June 9 and is tied for the fourth-longest active hitting streak in the Carolina League. Salon is 9-23 (.391) on the run and has three RBI. Another Fireflies player who's been an on-base machine in June has been Blake Mitchell. Mitchell kicked-off a 20-game on-base streak June 1. It's the fourth-longest on-base streak in the Carolina League, trailing Carolina's Cooper Pratt (32 games), Augusta's Will Verdung (23 games) and Charleston's Carlos Colmenarez (21 games). Over Mitchell's 20 games, he's hitting .258, but has drawn 21 walks to increase his on-base percentage to .444 in June.
QUALITY FELIX: Sunday, Felix Arronde worked his team-leading fourth quality start of the season. He's one ahead of Ethan Bosacker for the most on the Fireflies. So far this season, Arronde has a 4-5 record to pair with a 3.71 ERA. He's been able to persevere despite receiving the lowest run support of any regular Fireflies starter this year. The bats are scoring 2.39 runs per nine innings when Arronde is on the hill in 2024.
KICKING WITH KIRKLAND: In Doug Kirkland's last seven outings, he has allowed just one earned run spanning 12.1 innings of work (0.73 ERA). In that time, he has 16 punchouts and his opponents are hitting .114 against him. In his first full professional season, Kirkland is 3-3 with a 2.81 ERA. He has an outlandish 36 strikeouts in 25.2 innings and opponents are hitting just .179 against him this season.
POWERING PENA: Erick Pena is clobbering the ball in June. He leads the Carolina League in OPS (1.004), second in total bases (46) and RBI (19), third in homeruns (4) and 10th in batting average (.299) over the month. On the season, the outfielder is hitting a career-best .222 and is approaching career highs in homers (he has eight, his career-best is 10) and RBI (he has 35, his career-best is 36). He's been able to increase his power numbers while also increasing his on-base percentage to .313, which is 37 points higher than it was during the 2023 season. While it isn't perfect, he's also dropped his K% from 53% in 2023 to 39% in 2024.
LEAVE THEM STRANDED: The Cannon Ballers are 0-21 with runners in scoring position over their last three games. The Fireflies have won those games 6-3, 4-1 and 7-2 while limiting the damage despite leaving some opportunities for the Cannon Ballers to strike for some runs.
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