Columbia Fireflies Game Notes at Myrtle Beach
July 14, 2021 - Carolina League (CarL)
Columbia Fireflies News Release
The Columbia Fireflies continue their series with the Myrtle Beach Pelicans tonight at TicketReturn.com Field at Pelicans Stadium. RHP Anderson Paulino (4-2, 4.50 ERA) gets the nod for the Fireflies, while Myrtle Beach's RHP Manuel Espinoza (3-4, 4.15 ERA) toes the rubber for the home team.
Columbia returns home Tuesday, July 20 to open up a seven-game set against the Augusta GreenJackets. The Fireflies will be celebrating Frontline Workers Appreciation Night, brought to you by T-Mobile, Princess Knight, presented by Lowes Foods and will have a t-shirt giveaway during the series. To purchase tickets for the event, visit FirefliesTickets.com.
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COLUMBIA TAKES OPENER BEHIND THREE-RUN FIFTH: The Columbia Fireflies were able to get the first six runners aboard in the fifth inning to score three runs and catapult themselves in front before beating the Myrtle Beach Pelicans 4-3 at TicketReturn.com Field at Pelicans Stadium Tuesday evening. Columbia got things going in the fifth. The first six Fireflies batters in the inning reached base safely. Felix Familia started things off with a double to right and scored from a Burle Dixon bouncer up the gut. That made the score 1-0. After Dixon stole second, Rubendy Jaquez laced a double to right to tie the game. Jaquez was picked off for the first out of the game, but Herard Gonzalez had the third two-bagger for the Fireflies in the fifth after Matt Schmidt reached on an error to set the table for Tyler Tolbert. The Fireflies shortstop reached on a second error from Luis Verdugo in the inning and Schmidt scampered home to put the Fireflies in control.
SAVE-ORING HIS RETURN: Last night, reliever Ismael Aquino made his first appearance in a Fireflies uniform since May 29. He was activated off the injured list last week following a stint in rehab in the ACL where he pitched in three games, allowing six runs in 3.1 innings. The righty has converted both of his save opportunities with Columbia after working a 1-2-3 ninth inning last night. He has fanned nine batters in 7.2 innings across six games while in the Low-A East League.
REELING WITH RUNNERS IN SCORING POSITION: This season the Columbia Fireflies are hitting .206 with runners in scoring position, a mark that is last in the division. That wasn't helped much through the last homestand, where the team finished 11-71 (.155) with runners threatening. They got five of those 11 hits in Thursdays 20-run offensive onslaught with 16 opportunities.
WINDING ROAD TO THE SHOW: Today, shortstop Maikel Garcia got the call-up to Quad Cities. In 50 games with the Fireflies, Garcia held the highest average and on-base percentage on the team (.304/.411). He also smoked 13 doubles and drove in 26 RBI while scoring 40 runs in his time in the Soda City.
WILLIS RESURGENCE: After lefty Marlin Willis had a rough May, where the reliever had a 8.31 ERA across six outings, he has found his way for the Fireflies. In Willis's last five outings he has spun 10 innings, punching out 18 batters while only allowing a single run. A big part of what Willis has done well in the last few weeks has been decreasing his walk rate as the season has progressed. In his first eight innings, of the season, he walked 13 batters and hit another pair, but in his last 7.1 innings, he has walked only three batters while striking out 16. Opponents are averaging .080 against Willis in that time.
WEBB GEM ON THE BUMP: Nathan Webb dominated out of the pen Friday. The righty grinded through 3.1 innings where he inherited six runners. Three came from Luis De Avila, who left the game with the bases loaded and two outs in the top of the ninth, and three more from the runner placed on second in each of the 10th, 11th and 12th innings. Webb pulled a Houdini act, keeping each of those runners from scoring and giving the Fireflies bats a chance to win the game in front of the fans at Segra Park.
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Carolina League Stories from July 14, 2021
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