Columbia Fireflies Game Notes vs Charleston
May 13, 2021 - Carolina League (CarL)
Columbia Fireflies News Release
It's been a fun homestand so far, and tonight the Fireflies will start RHP Ben Hernandez (0-0, 6.75 ERA) on the bump. Hernandez is ranked as the Royals' 15th-best prospect, according to MLB.com. The RiverDogs will offer RHP Taj Bradley (0-1, 19.29 ERA).
Fans coming to Segra Park tonight will receive a 2021 season magnet schedule giveaway presented by CAE. In addition to that, we'll be celebrating our first Thirsty Thursday of the season when the gates open at 5:30 for the 7:05 first pitch. Fans will be able to purchase $2 Bud Light pints at the Budweiser Bow Tie Bar and all draft beers and fountain sodas will be half-price all night long.
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NEGRET'S TWO HOMER NIGHT PACED FIREFLIES IN 12-4 WIN: The Columbia Fireflies offense exploded in a 12-4 win over the Charleston RiverDogs, rallying off of two homers and six RBI from Juan Carlos Negret at Segra Park Wednesday evening. After Charleston (4-4) jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first, the Fireflies bats got going in the third frame. Maikel Garcia brought home Columbia's first two runs with a base knock to center that scored Diego Hernandez and Felix Familia. That set things up for a Negret blast to score Garcia and Tyler Tolbert to push the Fireflies (5-3) in front 5-4. That homer stretched an 0-17 start to the season for Negret, and when he came to the plate in the eighth, he launched another three-run blast. It was the first multi-homer game for Columbia since Matt Winaker and Jose Brizuela had a pair of home runs apiece in Asheville August 5, 2018. His six RBI on the two launches were the most for a Fireflies hitter since Scott Manea accomplished the same feat July 2, 2018 at Augusta.The offense wasn't finished there. Kale Emshoff roped a triple into the right-center alley to clear a loaded set of bags and push Columbia to a 9-4 lead in the fifth.
BULLISH ON OUR PEN: The Fireflies pitching staff has a 4.52 ERA as a whole, which is good for the eigth lowest in the Low-A East League. The bullpen has been shouldering the load and executing perfectly though. Columbia's relievers have worked 43 of the 65.2 innings the pitching staff has put together in 2021. They've rocked a 2.51 ERA, which would be the second-best team mark in the league. Lynchburg paces the Low-A East with a 2.00 ERA. The Fireflies pen has also notched 64 strikeouts in 43 innings.
NO NEGRETS HERE: After starting the season 0-17 with 10 strikeouts, outfielder Juan Carlos Negret broke out in a big way Wednesday night. The outfielder smacked two three-run homers, one in the third frame, the other in the eighth. The two homers were the first for a Fireflies hitter since Matt Winaker and Jose Brizuela both had a pair of blasts August 5, 2018 at Asheville. The slugger's six RBI on the evening also matched a club single-game record, which was set by catcher Scott Manea July 2, 2018.
WE'VE GOT A MEANS HEART: After starting off the season 0-7 with five strikeouts, third baseman Jake Means has been on a tear. He has gone 7-14 with six walks during that stretch and has managed to score an incredible eight runs in only four games. After the off day, Means received an extra night off to open the homestand, but last night he did not miss a beat in the six spot. He finished the contest 1-2, with a run scored, but the third baseman found himself on the basepaths four times after drawing three walks. The stretch has pushed his season on-base percentage to .444, which is .034 higher than the mark he had in Burlington in 2019 through 60 games.
I THINK WE'RE CATCHING ON: Columbia has primarily utilized two catchers this season so far, Kale Emshoff and Omar Hernandez. Through the first five games, the two have had vastly different fortune handling the pitching staff. With Emshoff behind the dish, Columbia is 3-0 and pitchers have a 2.16 ERA in 25 innings, meanwhile, when Hernandez lines up 60'6" away from the arms on the bump, the team is 0-3 and has spun an 8.71 ERA through 22.2 innings.
Carolina League Stories from May 13, 2021
- Mudcats Split Doubleheader in Kinston - Carolina Mudcats
- RiverDogs Earn First Road Win with 2-0 Shutout of Columbia - Charleston RiverDogs
- Dominant Bullpen Leads 'Birds to Third Straight over FredNats - Delmarva Shorebirds
- Fireflies Bats Silenced in 2-0 Loss to Charleston - Columbia Fireflies
- Wood Ducks Split Doubleheader with Mudcats - Down East Wood Ducks
- Doxakis Named First Low-A East Pitcher of the Week - Charleston RiverDogs
- RiverDogs Open 12-Game Homestand with Action-Packed Week - Charleston RiverDogs
- Wood Ducks to Offer Free Vaccination Clinic on Saturday, May 15th - Down East Wood Ducks
- Columbia Fireflies Game Notes vs Charleston - Columbia Fireflies
- Negret's Two Homer Night Paces Fireflies in 12-4 Win - Columbia Fireflies
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