Columbia Fireflies Game Notes vs Kannapolis 8.10
August 10, 2024 - Carolina League (CarL)
Columbia Fireflies News Release
The Fireflies continue their series with a 6:05 showcase vs the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers at Segra Park. RHP Felix Arronde (4-6, 3.35 ERA) takes the bump for the Fireflies and southpaw Frankeli Arias (2-4, 5.12 ERA) counters for Kannapolis.
Tonight is Nickelodeon's PAW Patrol Night presented by Nucor. Come to Segra Park so you can meet Chase and take a photo with your favorite dog. If that weren't enough, we'll have a post-game fireworks show as well. Buy your tickets now at ColumbiaFireflies.com.
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LATE RALLY FALLS SHORT AND LEADS TO DOUBLEHEADER SPLIT: The Fireflies split a doubleheader with the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers Friday night at Segra Park.Game One The Fireflies bats led the way to an 8-3 game one victory over the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers. The Fireflies used a pair of homers to score five runs to highlight game one. Once the game was restarted Friday, Diego Guzman kept the momentum on Columbia's side. The left fielder tattooed his second blast of the season to the right field lawn to score Lizandro Rodriguez and advance Columbia's lead to 7-2. Game Two A late rally wasn't enough for Columbia as they fell to the Cannon Ballers 5-3 in game two of the doubleheader despite all three runs scoring in the last three innings. The Fireflies started their rally in the fifth inning. Erick Pena laced an opposite field double off the wall in left to start the frame. Next, Lizandro Rodriguez singled to put runners on the corners. Brennon McNair slapped an RBI single to score Pena to get Columbia on the board. Next, Jake Peppers (W, 5-5) issued a wild pitch to score Rodriguez and move Columbia within a run. In the sixth, Blake Mitchell jumped on a fastball to send his 15th round tripper over the right field lawn to make it a one-run ball game.
BULLPEN MANIA: The Fireflies bullpen has been the highlight of the team all season. After eight innings of two-run baseball Friday, Columbia's bullpen now has a 3.13 ERA this season, which is good for the fourth-best mark in all of full-season baseball. It trails the Down East Wood Ducks (3.07 ERA), the Midland RockHounds (2.96 ERA) and the Harrisburg Senators (2.96 ERA).
FIGUEROA FIGURING IT OUT: Derlin Figueroa mashed out of the gates this year, hitting .274 with six homers and 30 RBI in his first 45 games in April and May. Then, from June 1-July 25, the super utility player hit .163 with two homers and nine RBI. It appears he's snapping out of his funk though. Figueroa finished a seven-game hitting streak yesterday. All-in-all, Figueroa is slashing .304/.448/.565 since July 30 with four extra-base hits in seven games to add to his five RBI.
MISSING MICHEL: Ismael Michel has stepped up in a big way over the last month for Columbia. The righty hasn't allowed a run in his last five outings (8 IP) which has pushed his ERA down from 3.27 on July 21 to 2.00 today, but what's been truly impressive is that he hasn't allowed a single hit in his last four outings. On the run he is 3-0 with seven strikeouts in seven innings pitched in relief for Columbia.
THIS IS 50: Sunday, Austin Charles drove in four RBI, giving him 51 on the young season. In 2023 only one Fireflies hitter finished the season with 50 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.
THE RACE INTENSIFIES: Last night, the Fireflies and Kannapolis Cannon Ballers split a doubleheader to keep pace with the Charleston RiverDogs. They currently sit 1.5 games behind Charleston and 1.0 game in front of the Myrtle Beach Pelicans in second in the division. As Kannapolis continues their second-half slide after their first-half division crown, the Fireflies are just one game back of having the best record in the South Division for the entire season. The two teams have three games remaining against each other this weekend.
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