Columbia Fireflies Game Notes vs Charleston
April 16, 2022 - Carolina League (CarL)
Columbia Fireflies News Release
Columbia opens up their weekend schedule with a 6:05 pm contest with the Charleston RiverDogs at Joseph P. Riley Jr. Ballpark. RHP Eric Cerantola (0-1, 10.80 ERA) gets the nod for Columbia, while Charleston counters with RHP Sandy Gaston (0-1, 13.50 ERA).
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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FIREFLIES AVOID NO-HITTER WITH BUNT SINGLE: The Columbia Fireflies were shutout for the first time this season, falling 8-0 to the Charleston RiverDogs. Jaswel De Los Santos broke up the no hitter with a bunt single with two outs in the fifth inning. It was Logan Workman (W, 2-0) who stymied the Fireflies with four hitless innings before Patrick Wicklander spun four scoreless innings of his own, allowing three total hits. Neraldo Catalina closed out the game with a scoreless ninth. The RiverDogs bats started early and rolled all the way through the third inning. It started with a Carson Williams solo homer in the bottom of the first, but then continued with two runs scoring on three triples in the second from Mason Auer, Freddvil Chavez and Dawson Dimon. The RiverDogs took a 5-0 lead in the third frame from an Auer RBI that drove home Willy Vazquez.
TURN THE PAGE: After issuing 36 walks in their first 36 innings, the Fireflies pitching staff has given up just two free passes in their last 25 innings. The Fayetteville Woodpeckers, who pace the Carolina League in that statistic, had 37 walks at the time, and now sit at 53 walks. The Fireflies have dropped from second-most walks in the League to fourth-most walks in those two games.
NOAH KNOWS: After struggling in his first professional ining, where Noah Cameron allowed two runs on Opening Day vs the Augusta GreenJackets, the Fireflies southpaw has locked things down. Cameron has allowed only a pair of runs in his six innings of work since then, dropping his ERA from 18.00 to 5.14 in the process. If that weren't enough, he's tallied 11 strikeouts in that time (16.5/nine innings).
VET OFF THE BENCH PAYING OFF: Rubendy Jaquez knows this circuit. He spend most of 2021 with the Fireflies prior to being promoted to Quad Cities. He also spent most of the 2019 season with the Lexington Legends in the South Atlantic League. This year, Jaquez's role appears to be a utility bench player with the team, but he has played it masterfully. After last night's 2-3 performance, Jaquez has a .429 average in seven at-bats.
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 three appearances, all of which have lasted one inning.
Carolina League Stories from April 16, 2022
- Pelicans Walk-Off GreenJackets for Third Time - Augusta GreenJackets
- RiverDogs Can't Overcome 17 Strikeouts in 7-2 Loss - Charleston RiverDogs
- Pelicans Walk-Off for the Third Time against GreenJackets - Myrtle Beach Pelicans
- 'Nats Rout 'Cats on Saturday Night - Fredericksburg Nationals
- Mudcats Drop Third Straight 8-3 in Fredericksburg - Carolina Mudcats
- Early Deficit Dooms Hillcats - Lynchburg Hillcats
- Bats Buoy Cerantola's Strong Start in 7-2 Victory - Columbia Fireflies
- 'Birds Ride Four-Run First to 8-3 Win over 'Cats - Delmarva Shorebirds
- Columbia Fireflies Game Notes vs Charleston - Columbia Fireflies
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