Columbia Fireflies Game Notes
June 19, 2021 - Carolina League (CarL)
Columbia Fireflies News Release
The Columbia Fireflies continue their series with the Augusta GreenJackets tonight at Segra Park at 6:35 pm. RHP Matt Stil (2-1, 5.89 ERA) toes the rubber for the Fireflies and righty Darius Vines (1-0, 2.10 ERA) counters for Augusta.
The Fireflies kick off a Negro League Celebration presented by Ogletree Deakins at the ballpark when gates open at Segra Park at 5:30. Columbia will don Newark Eagles jerseys and the GreenJackets will play as the Chattanooga Choo Choos. In addition to that, former Indianapolis Clowns player Russell "Crazy Legs" Patterson will throw out the first pitch and be available to sign autographs benefitting the Community All-Star Baseball League at the game. We will be partnering with Prisma Health to administer vaccinations at the Crescent Patio beyond right field from gates open until the end of the seventh inning. Fans who get vaccinated at Segra Park will receive a free Fireflies hat. Finally, the night will finish with fireworks performed by Munnerlyn Pyrotechnics.
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HERNANDEZ, PENNINGTON AND WEBB TWIRL FIREFLIES THIRD SHUTOUT: Ben Hernandez, Walter Pennington and Nathan Webb combined to throw Columbia's third shutout of 2021 Friday night in a 5-0 win over the Augusta GreenJackets. All three shutouts this season have come against Augusta. Hernandez (W, 1-2) started the game with a career-best five innings pitched and seven punchouts before handing the ball to Pennington who fanned four in three frames. Webb closed the game out with a 1-2-3 inning to move his ERA to a team-low 0.60.
COLLIN'S CAPABILITY: Outfielder Darryl Collins went 3-4 at the plate last night, to record his eighth multi-hit game this season. That's the second-highest total on the Fireflies roster, as Maikel Garcia has tallied 11 such games in 2021. After the contest, Collins now has the highest batting average of any player on the active roster, a .305 mark. The lefty also hit his third homer this season to right field. In 10 games where the Netherland's-native hits third in the Fireflies lineup this year he has compiled a .381/.435/.595 slash line with two of his three homers and 12 of his 16 RBI. His OPS when batting third is 1.030.
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.
HERNANDEZ LOVES HOME: After spinning a career-high five innings and wringing up a career-high seven hitters in the Fireflies third shutout of the season Friday, Ben Hernandez's home splits continue to separate from his road stats and from the rest of the pack on the Fireflies pitching staff. The Chicago-native has made four starts at home and four starts at the road this year. At Segra Park he has a 1-1 record with a 1.69 ERA through 16 frames where he has fanned 14 hitters and walked four. When the team travels, he has a 7.30 ERA in 12.1 innings where he has walked 11 and struckout 11 batters. The only Fireflies pitcher with a better home ERA with multiple appearances this season is Walter Pennington, who has a 1.04 ERA through 8.2 innings across five appearances out of the bullpen.
KAUFMAN TURNS KORNER: After giving up eight runs without recording an out in his first start in Augusta May 8, Rylan Kaufman has been electric. In six outings, four of which have been starts, the southpaw has worked 23.2 innings and has allowed three runs. During that time, the Texas-native has punched out 30 batters while allowing only 13 hits in that span. The stretch included a 9.2 inning scoreless streak from May 20-June 8 where Kaufman wrung up 13 hitters.
EVERYONE WANTS TO BE APART OF A TURNAROUND: After giving up a run in two innings of relief work at Augusta May 8, it looked like righty Nathan Webb would have another season similar to his previous four years in Minor League Baseball. The Missouri-native has a 5.86 career ERA. Since then, the righty has spun 11 scoreless innings and has fanned 21 batters while allowing only three hits. His opposing batting average has dropped from .231 to .140 and his season WHIP is now an incredible 0.87.
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