Columbia Fireflies Game Notes vs Fayetteville 8.1
August 1, 2024 - Carolina League (CarL)
Columbia Fireflies News Release
The Fireflies continue their series with the Fayetteville Woodpeckers tonight at Segra Stadium at 6:35 pm. RHP Jonatan Bernal (0-2, 4.79 ERA) takes the hill for Columbia and Fayetteville counters with RHP Julio Marte (1-5, 2.70 ERA).
Columbia returns home August 6 for a six-game set with the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers highlighted by Nickelodeon's PAW Patrol Night Saturday, August 10 and Cane's Night presented by Nucor Friday, August 9 with a Carolina Hurricane's replica jersey giveaway. Buy your tickets now at ColumbiaFireflies.com.
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FIREFLIES HOLD ON AFTER CAREER START FOR WYATT: The Fireflies used a career day from starter Hiro Wyatt as the bullpen stranded the tying run on the basepaths in both the eighth and ninth innings in a 5-3 win over the Fayetteville Woodpeckers Wednesday afternoon at Segra Stadium. Fireflies starter Hiro Wyatt (W, 1-0) turned in a career-best day vs the Woodpeckers. The righty went a career-best five innings while tying a career-mark with six punchouts without allowing a run before he handed the ball to the bullpen. Brennon McNair started the scoring effort Wednesday as he hooked a solo homer around the left field foul pole in the third to break the scoreless tie. It was McNair's seventh homer of the season and his second in July.
BULLPEN MANIA: The Fireflies bullpen has been the highlight of the team all season. After four innings and three earned runs allowed in Wednesday's game, Columbia's bullpen now has a 3.08 ERA this season, which is good for the fourth-best mark in all of full-season baseball. It trails the Frisco RoughRiders (3.05) the Midland Rockhounds (2.98 ERA) and the Harrisburg Senators (2.84 ERA). One feather in the cap of Columbia's pen is that it is the only bullpen in the top four that has had to work more than 400 innings already this season. One arm the Fireflies may miss is righty Jarold Rosado. He had a 1.85 ERA across nearly 40 innings and was traded for Paul DeJong at the trade deadline.
TUMULTUOUS TORRES: Erick Torres has had a week to remember, beginning with a walk-off double Saturday to score Diego Guzman in the 11th to beat Lynchburg. The Fireflies speedster kept the ball rolling Saturday, as he slapped his second homer of the season and July to bring the Fireflies within one of Lynchburg. He also scored the first run of the game. Torres is starting to come out of a mid-season slump, and he has drawn nine walks in his last 11games to push his on-base percentage to .408 over the stretch.
STEADY PROGRESS: Mauricio Veliz has worked his way back from a finger injury this year and has been on a roll in his last few starts. Saturday, he worked his most innings in a a game since returning from the Injured List. He allowed three runs (two earned) in five frames against the Lynchburg Hillcats. He's only allowed three earned runs in his last two starts (nine innings).
THIS IS 45: Wednesday night, Austin Charles drove in an RBI, giving him 47 on the young season. In 2023 only one Fireflies hitter finished the season with 45 or more RBI: Brett Squires, who had 69 RBI. The Fireflies single-season RBI record belongs to Juan Carlos Negret, who drove in 76 runs in a shortened 2021 season thanks in part to a franchise record 23 homers in a single season.
BUYING HANSELL STOCK: Josh Hansell had an up and down start to his Fireflies' tenure, but the 6'6" righty has rounded into form the last few weeks. In yesterday's 11 inning contest, he worked four frames while allowing only one earned run. That means over his last four appearances, Hansell has allowed only two earned runs over 14.1 innings (1.26 ERA).
CHICKS DIG THE LONG BALL: Yesterday, the Fireflies hit a pair of homers in their win over the Fayetteville Woodpeckers. McNair and Pena's round-trippers gave the Fireflies 10 total homers in the month of July. It was the club's fewest homers in a month this season (April, 13; May, 16; June, 15).
Carolina League Stories from August 1, 2024
- Fayetteville Pitching Fans 19 in First Victory Over Columbia - Fayetteville Woodpeckers
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- Fredericksburg Tips Hillcats Thursday - Lynchburg Hillcats
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- Mudcats Roll to 5-2 Victory in Third Game of Series - Charleston RiverDogs
- Nats Fend Off Ninth Inning Surge to Win 9-7 - Fredericksburg Nationals
- Fireflies Can't Overcome Fayetteville Rally - Columbia Fireflies
- RiverDogs Aim to Chop Down Augusta in First Homestand of August - Charleston RiverDogs
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- Columbia Fireflies Game Notes vs Fayetteville 8.1 - Columbia Fireflies
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