Columbia Fireflies Game Notes vs Charleston
July 9, 2021 - Carolina League (CarL)
Columbia Fireflies News Release
The Columbia Fireflies meet with the Charleston RiverDogs for a fourth game in their six-game set at Segra Park tonight at 7:05 pm. Southpaw Rylan Kaufman (1-2, 5.09 ERA) gets the nod for Columbia and Charleston brings lefty Ben Brecht (2-2, 3.38 ERA) to the bump.
Tonight at the ballpark, the first 1,000 fans through the gates will get a free super hero themed t-shirt! Fans will want to arrive promptly when gates open at 6 pm, because the t-shirts will go quickly. In addition to that, Prisma Health will be administering vaccinations on the Crescent Patio in right field. Fans can receive their first or second shot and do not need to register in advance to get vaccinated. Those who get vaccinated will receive a free Fireflies hat as a reward for doing their part in keeping our community safe from the virus.
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NEGRET LEADS THE WAY IN HISTORIC 20-1 VICTORY: Juan Carlos Negret was historic in multiple facets in the Fireflies 20-1 drubbing of the Charleston RiverDogs at Segra Park Thursday evening. The outfielder finished the night 3-5 at the dish with four runs scored and seven RBI. The seven RBI are the most in Columbia Fireflies (28-25) history, breaking his own mark of six, which both him and Scott Manea have accomplished in a Fireflies uniform. In his third two-homer game of the season, Negret was able to match Brandon Brosher, Dash Winningham and Matt Winnaker for most homers in a single-season in franchise history. He hit his 13th blast of the season in the bottom of the eighth with a pair of outs off RiverDogs (38-17) outfielder Garrett Hiott, who entered the game that inning as the first position player to pitch in a Fireflies game since Rubendy Jaquez did so May 15. The Fireflies 20 runs are the most in franchise history too. The most runs Columbia has scored in a single game is 16. They have done that multiple times, but most recently did it July 2, 2018 at Augusta. Prior to moving from Savannah to Columbia, the Sand Gnats scored 20 runs last August 4, 2015.
FOUR TO THE FLOOR: The top half of the Fireflies line-up was unstoppable in their 20-1 victory over Charleston last night. You would have to go back four years to find the last time a Columbia Fireflies hitter scored four runs in a single game. Jacob Zanon accomplished the feat last July 19, 2017. Yesterday, not just one Columbia batter scored four runs, but each of the top four in the order. Maikel Garcia went 2-3 with a pair of walks, an RBI and four runs scored, Herard Gonzalez finished 1-3 with three walks and a homer, driving in a pair of runs and scoring four runs, Darryl Collins had a 3-5 evening with a double, a triple, three RBI and four runs scored and Juan Carlos Negret was 3-5 with two homers, a walk, seven RBI and four runs scored. All-in-all, the group went 9-16 with 16 runs scored and an additional 13 RBI.
ON THE BRINK OF HISTORY: The Fireflies have two players, Tyler Tolbert and Juan Carlos Negret, who are tied for single-season records in Fireflies history. Tolbert has stolen 28 bases thus far this season, which matches the mark set by Jacob Zanon in the 2017 season. What makes the mark even more special is that the speedster has swiped 28 bags in as many attempts this season. Negret on the other hand, with his third two-homer game of the season last night, matched Brandon Bosher, Matt Winaker and Dash Winningham, all of whom have launched as many as 13 homers in a single season. Winningham is Columbia's all-time homerun leader. The first baseman had 25 blasts in 239 games in the 2016 and 2017 seasons for Columbia. Negret has 13 homers through his first 45 games played in the Low-A East League.
BOUNCE BACK WITH DE AVILA: Fireflies reliever Luis De Avila had by far his best outing of the season July 4. The southpaw worked four scoreless frames, while punching out half a dozen hitters. His ERA dropped from 7.84-to-6.57 during the game, and it helped him to rebound from a June where he held an 8.31 ERA across five outings.
SAVING JUNE: Walter Pennington was an extremely bright spot for the Fireflies in the month of June. The Southpaw entered six games for Columbia, working 11.2 frames where he fanned 12 batters and allowed just two to score. He finished the month with a 1-0 record and a save to pair with a 1.54 ERA.
Carolina League Stories from July 9, 2021
- Wood Ducks Split Doubleheader Thanks to Late Rally - Down East Wood Ducks
- RiverDogs Outlast Columbia to Win 13-Inning Affair - Charleston RiverDogs
- Early Fireflies Records History by End of 13-Inning Loss - Columbia Fireflies
- 'Birds Swept by Red Sox Sox in Twin Bill - Delmarva Shorebirds
- FredNats Complete Suspended Game in 14-2 Loss - Fredericksburg Nationals
- Pelicans Surrender 10 Hits, Lose Game Four to GreenJackets - Myrtle Beach Pelicans
- Estes Earns First Professional Win with Gem - Augusta GreenJackets
- FredNats' Second Friday Game Postponed Due to Time Constraints - Fredericksburg Nationals
- Mason Doolittle Voluntarily Retires - Fredericksburg Nationals
- Columbia Fireflies Game Notes vs Charleston - Columbia Fireflies
- Down East Wood Ducks Game Notes - 07/09 at Fayetteville - Down East Wood Ducks
- Pelicans Fall in Fourth Game to Augusta 6-5 - Myrtle Beach Pelicans
- Bullpen Brilliant, Jackets Hang on 6-5 - Augusta GreenJackets
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