Columbia Fireflies Game Notes vs Charleston
April 14, 2022 - Carolina League (CarL)
Columbia Fireflies News Release
The Fireflies will try to win their third-consecutive game tonight vs the Charleston RiverDogs at 7:05 pm at Joseph P. Riley Jr. Ballpark. Lefty Noah Cameron (0-0, 9.00 ERA) will become the First Fireflies pitcher to start his second game in 2022 and southpaw Antonio Jimenez (0-0, 0.00 ERA) will get the nod for Charleston.
The Fireflies return home April 19 to face the Down East Wood Ducks for the first time in franchise history! The week will be riddled with incredible experiences at Segra Park, from our first Trash the Poop Dog Days of Summer night of the year to a t-shirt giveaway Friday and a fireworks show on Saturday. Don't miss out, purchase your tickets today at FirefliesTickets.com.
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HERNANDEZ SPINS FOUR SCORELESS IN 3-1 WIN: The Fireflies utilized big pitching performances from starter Ben Hernandez and reliever Heribert Garcia to best the Charleston RiverDogs 3-1 at Joseph P. Riley Jr. Ballpark Wednesday evening. Pitching was the name of the game in the Fireflies (3-2) win over the RiverDogs (2-3). Ben Hernandez started the game off with four, one-hit innings. Hernandez fanned four Charleston batters without allowing a run in the Fireflies best start of the early season. Next, Heribert Garcia (W, 1-0) grabbed the reigns and twirled four innings of one-run baseball prior to spinning in and out of a jam in a scoreless ninth. The difference came in the top of the sixth inning. After an incredible diving catch to keep Edgar Martinez at third base and record the second out of the frame, Charleston catcher Luis Leon let a passed ball slip past him and Martinez scored to put the Fireflies in front 2-1. Martinez finished the day with a season-high three hits and scored a pair of runs for the Fireflies.
THE KC SLAMMER STRIKES GOLD: Catcher Carter Jensen hit his first homer of the season and second of his career Tuesday night. They Royals' third round pick has started hot for Columbia, collecting one hit in each of his first five games in the circuit, including his second homer of the year in last night's contest. Jensen became the first Fireflies player since Kale Emshoff to homer in back-to-back games. Emshoff did so August 1 at Charleston and August 3 vs Myrtle Beach. Jensen is hitting .263 this season with five runs, three RBI, two walks, a double and two homers. The only other Fireflies hitter to have a hit in each of the first five games in Guillermo Quintana, who is also hitting .263 with a homer and four runs scored.
FINDING HIS GROOVE: After starting out the season with an 0-4 performance, Darryl Collins has the hottest bat in the lineup. Collins has gone 8-15 in his last four games with three doubles and as many RBI to boost his season average to .444. This is Collins' hottest start to a season since he reached base safely in his first 24 games in the Appalachian League in 2019. He had hits in 23 of those 24 games and posted a .398/.472/.548 slash on the run. Collins leads the team with three multi-hit games in his first five contests of the season.
NEW YEAR, NEW HERNANDEZ: Last year, Ben Hernandez was a 19-year-old pitcher that every Royals' fan had their eyes on. Selected in the second round of the 2020 abbreviated draft, the Chicago native was hailed for his change-up and mid-90s heater. In his 12 starts, Hernandez lived up to the hype, but struggled in certain situations, particularly, on the road, where the righty had a 7.30 ERA in four starts and againt the RiverDogs, where in a pair of outings, Hernandez's ERA sat at 7.11. He put both of those two burdens to rest last night, when he started a stellar game on the road against the Charleston RiverDogs, shoving for four scoreless innings and only allowing a single hit and walk in the process. Between Hernandez and reliever Heribert Garcia, the RiverDogs only reached base seven times the entire game. To add to the magic, they only allowed a single walk! Prior to last night's game, the Fireflies paced the league with 36 free passes in as many innings.
THE WHAMMER WORKS: Reliever John McMillon became the first Fireflies reliever to appear in multiple games when he pitched a scoreless ninth Tuesday. The Texas Tech product has not allowed a hit or a run in his first two appearances, both of which have lasted one inning.
Carolina League Stories from April 14, 2022
- House the Hero as FredNats Walkoff Mudcats - Fredericksburg Nationals
- Eighth Inning Explosion Pushes RiverDogs Past Columbia 4-1 - Charleston RiverDogs
- Hillcats Earn First Win with Strong Pitching, Clutch Hitting - Lynchburg Hillcats
- Rough Eighth Sinks Fireflies - Columbia Fireflies
- 'Birds Bats Silenced by Hillcats Arms in 6-2 Loss - Delmarva Shorebirds
- Columbia Fireflies Game Notes vs Charleston - Columbia Fireflies
- Fireflies Seeking Stand up to Cancer Warriors of the Inning Nominees - Columbia Fireflies
- Woodpeckers Hold Down Late Lead for First Victory of Season - Fayetteville Woodpeckers
- Mintzy with First Win as Manager, Wood Ducks Pitching Dominates - Down East Wood Ducks
- Augusta Shuts out Myrtle Beach - Augusta GreenJackets
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