Columbia Fireflies Game Notes vs Charleston
Published on July 10, 2021 under Carolina League (CarL)
Columbia Fireflies News Release
The Columbia Fireflies clash with the RiverDogs for the fifth game in this six-game set tonight at Segra Park at 6:35 pm. Righty Adrian Alcantara (2-4, 3.82 ERA) climbs the hill for Columbia and Charleston opts to throw RHP Seth Johnson (3-2, 3.20 ERA).
Tonight is Capes & Villains night at Segra Park, come dressed as your favorite super hero or super villain and join in on the fun! Carolina Game Labs will have pinball machines behind the Budweiser Bow Tie Bar and the night will be capped off with some heroic fireworks preformed by Munnerlyn Pyrotechnics.
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EARLY FIREFLIES RECORDS HISTORY BY END OF 13-INNING LOSS: Both Tyler Tolbert and Juan Carlos Negret set Columbia Fireflies records early in Friday evening's game against the Charleston RiverDogs at Segra Park, but the RiverDogs were the team that was able to celebrate at the end of the 13-inning game as Columbia fell 7-5. Tonight's game was the third-longest (innings) game in Fireflies history. Columbia played a 16-inning contest with the Rome Braves August 20, 2017 and a 14-inning game with Charleston September 3, 2016. Both games took place at then-named Spirit Communications Ballpark. Tonight, both teams were deadlocked after Charleston tied the game in the eighth, tallying three runs against Luis De Avila. With the game tied 5-5 entering the 13th inning, Zack Phillips (L, 0-2) entered and fanned Johan Lopez to start off the inning. He walked Alexander Ovalles and allowed back-to-back RBI singles to Abiezel Ramirez and Michael Berglund to give the RiverDogs the two runs they needed to win the game.
IT'S CLOBBERING TIME: Last night, Juan Carlos Negret clobbered his fourth homer of the series and his 14th of the year, a homer that allowed him to pass Brandon Bosher, Matt Winaker and Dash Winningham for the most homers in a single-season in Columbia Fireflies history. Negret is tearing the cover off the ball this week. The slugger is 6-19 (.316) with a double, four homers, six runs scored and 10 RBI since Tuesday's game. Negret now leads the Low-A East League with 14 blasts this season, the next closest player, Joe Gray Jr. of the Carolina Mud Cats, has 12.
MAN OF STEAL: Negret wasn't the only Fireflies player that broke a record at Segra Park last night. In the second frame, Tyler Tolbert reached first on an error from Charleston shortstop Alika Williams to set him up to steal his 29th base of the year. The Mississippi-native hasn't been caught all year, but has now passed the mark that Jacob Zanon set in 2017 to become the Fireflies single-season stolen bases record holder. Tolbert is third in the Low-A East in steals this year, trailing Augusta's Braulio Vasquez and Down East's Jayce Easley, both of whom have swiped 30 bags in 2021.
YOU REALLY ARE MR. INCREDIBLE: Nathan Webb dominated out of the pen last night. 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.
GONZALEZ'S KRYPTONITE: It's been hard to find a weakness for Columbia's switch-hitting middle infielder this season, but if anyone knows what it might be, it's probably the Charleston RiverDogs pitching staff. After an 0-6 effort at the dish with a pair of strikeouts, Herard Gonzalez is now hitting 3-39 (.077) with 24 strikeouts against the division rival this season. Against the rest of the league, Gonzalez is 28-96 (.292) with only 39 strikeouts. His strikeout rate against Charleston is 21% higher (62:41) than against the rest of the league.
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 10, 2021
- FredNats Sweep Twin Bill over Cannon Ballers - Fredericksburg Nationals
- Six-Run Third Elevates 'Birds over Red Sox - Delmarva Shorebirds
- Early Leads Go by Wayside in 8-4 Loss to Columbia - Charleston RiverDogs
- Bautista's Pinch-Hit Homer Powers Myrtle Beach over Augusta - Myrtle Beach Pelicans
- Knarr and Belzer Stifle Hillcats in Doubleheader Sweep - Carolina Mudcats
- Pelicans Score Seven Runs Late, Win 10-3 - Augusta GreenJackets
- Fireflies Run Away from RiverDogs with Two-Homer Night - Columbia Fireflies
- Wood Ducks Rally Falls Short in Loss to Fayetteville - Down East Wood Ducks
- Columbia Fireflies Game Notes vs Charleston - Columbia Fireflies
- Down East Wood Ducks Roster Move and Game Notes - at Fayetteville - Down East Wood Ducks
- Big Rallies Not Enough in 14-10 Loss to Hillcats - Carolina Mudcats
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