Columbia Fireflies Game Notes vs Myrtle Beach
June 27, 2021 - Carolina League (CarL)
Columbia Fireflies News Release
Today, the Columbia Fireflies wrap up their series with the Myrtle Beach Pelicans at Segra Park at 5:05 pm. Southpaw Rylan Kaufman (1-2, 5.02 ERA) climbs the bump for Columbia while LHP Adam Laskey (0-2, 8.48 ERA) counters for Myrtle Beach.
Gates for today's contest open at 4 pm. Fans can purchase tickets for the final home game of June at FirefliesTickets.com.
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COLLINS CLUBS WALK-OFF GRAND SLAM TO GROUND PELICANS: With one out and the bases loaded in the 10th, Darryl Collins stepped to the dish and clubbed a walk-off grand slam to lift the Fireflies over the Myrtle Beach Pelicans 6-2 Saturday night at Segra Park. The homer was Collins' fourth of the season and the first walk-off blast in Columbia Fireflies history. The last time the franchise hit a walk-off homer was in Savannah when Jonathan Johnson hit one August 31, 2015 vs the Augusta GreenJackets. It was the Fireflies first walk-off since Chase Chambers had a walk-off sacrifice fly August 11, 2019.
BLISTERING BULLPEN: The Fireflies bullpen has been on fire the last few games. After Walter Pennington gave up a run with one out in the seventh inning June 24, the relief corps have held the Myrtle Beach Pelicans for 14 consecutive innings, including 6.1 frames in last night's extra-innings victory. When the Fireflies hold the lead after the end of the sixth inning, they are 19-0 this season, and the bullpen has recorded a 3.08 ERA across 222.1 innings while punching out 304 batters in 2021.
GRAND SLAMS, ARE THEY REAL?: Last night's blast from Collins was the Fireflies second grand slam of the season. Brady McConnell also hit one May 15 vs the Charleston Riverdogs.
YOU WANNA SEE SOME REAL SPEED?: The Fireflies saw Tyler Tolbert climb his way a position higher on the all-time team leaderboard. Tolbert stole a Fireflies-best three bases in Friday night's game to give him 21 on the season. That tied him for second-most in a single season for a Fireflies player with Hansel Moreno, who accomplished the feat in 2018. He's chasing Jacob Zanon, who stole 28 bags in 2017. Tolbert stole a base again Thursday to increase his total to 24 this year.
EMSHOFF EMERGING: Catcher Kale Emshoff started the month of June off in a rut. Columbia's backstop began the month 1-30 at the plate with 15 strikeouts and eight walks. That's a .033 batting average and a .230 on-base percentage. He's picked things up the last two days though, going 2-5 at the dish with a pair of walks and a homer. It only makes sense that the Royals' 30th-ranked prospect, according to MLB.com, would get hot again while the team is at home. This year, Emshoff has a .311 average at home with all three of his homers and 14 RBI across 45 at-bats. That's compared to a .146 average and eight RBI in 48 at-bats on the road in 2021.
GAGE-ING YOUR INTEREST: After starting his tenure in Columbia 0-5, third baseman Gage Hughes made sure his first hit counted, pushing an opposite field homer beyond the right field wall to put the Fireflies in front 3-2 in the third inning of last night's game with the Myrtle Beach Pelicans.
SAVING THE OPPORTUNITY: Last night, Walter Pennington earned his team-leading third save of the year. The southpaw has earned all three of his saves at home and has now punched out 18 hitters in 11.2 innings at Segra Park this year. Despite allowing an earned run last night, the Coloradoan still has a 1.54 ERA at home and has maintained a 0.77 ERA at the friendly confines in 2021.
Carolina League Stories from June 27, 2021
- Seven-Run Ninth Inning Salvages Series for Pelicans - Myrtle Beach Pelicans
- Bullpen Blows up in Series Finale vs Pelicans - Columbia Fireflies
- RiverDogs Shut out Augusta 3-0 in Series Finale - Charleston RiverDogs
- Six-Run Sixth Propels 'Birds to Win over FredNats - Delmarva Shorebirds
- Gray Hits Eleventh Homer in 6-2 Loss in Kinston - Carolina Mudcats
- Englert Delivers Six Strong Innings in Win over Carolina - Down East Wood Ducks
- Early Offensive Outbursts Carry Ballers to Series Victory over Woodpeckers Sunday - Kannapolis Cannon Ballers
- Columbia Fireflies Game Notes vs Myrtle Beach - Columbia Fireflies
- Down East Wood Ducks Game Notes - vs. Carolina - Down East Wood Ducks
- Ballers Outlast Woodpeckers in High-Scoring, Extra-Inning Battle - Kannapolis Cannon Ballers
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