Fireflies Game Notes: August 16 at West Virginia (Game 118)
Published on August 16, 2018 under South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Columbia Fireflies News Release
Columbia Fireflies (21-29, 55-62) @ West Virginia Power (23-27, 60-56)
RHP Marcel Renteria (3-2, 4.25) vs. LHP Oddy Nunez (0-0, 2.25)
Thurs., August 16, 2018 - Appalachian Power Park (Charleston, WV) - First Pitch 7:05 p.m. - Game 118
LISTEN: Fox Sports Radio 1400 AM / ColumbiaFireflies.com / iHeartRadio App
ABOUT LAST GAME: Zac Grotz silenced the West Virginia bats for a second straight start and led Columbia to a 5-2 victory on Wednesday in Charleston. The righty surrendered just two runs over seven innings, struck out six and walked no one. Josh Payne followed suit and posted two scoreless innings out of the bullpen en route to his first save of the year. Hansel Moreno also posted his second three-hit game of the year.
THIRD TIME'S THE CHARM: Columbia won its third straight game on Wednesday. This is the first three-game win streak since the Fireflies swept Augusta from June 8-10 at home.
GO YARD: Scott Manea (9) and Edgardo Fermin (8) both uncorked homers in the opener. Fermin now has 8 home runs in 98 games this season compared to just 3 in his first 3 years as a Mets farmhand (144 games).
MIRAND-AMAZING: David Miranda finished 5-for-5 at the dish on Monday and became just the third Firefly in team history to record five hits in a game:
- Enmanuel Zabala, August 22, 2016 vs. AUG - 5-for-5, 2 R, 2B, RBI
- Dan Rizzie, July 19, 2017 @ LEX - 5-for-6, 2 R, 2B, 3 RBI
- David Miranda, August 13, 2018 vs. DEL - 5-for-5, 3 R, 2B, 2 RBI
A SERIES FOR THE AGES: Miranda had arguably the best series by an individual Fireflies hitter in franchise history. The 23-year-old tallied 11 hits in four games against Delmarva (11-for-16, .688) with five runs scored, two doubles, four RBI and a pair of walks. The lefty also singled on Wednesday against West Virginia and has now hit safely in six straight games.
STREAKIN': Matt Winaker's impressive on-base streak came to an end on Wednesday night (the lefty finished 0-for-4). Winaker had reached safely in 24 straight from July 19-August 13 and hit .294 (25-for-85) during the streak with 14 extra-base hits and 14 RBI. He wasn't the only Firefly to have posted a lengthy on-base streak this season:
LONGEST ON-BASE STREAKS, 2018 FIREFLIES:
1. Jeremy Vasquez, 29* April 5-May 6
2. Raphael Gladu, 28 May 2-June 9
3. Matt Winaker, 24 July 19-August 13
4. Blake Tiberi, 17 June 13-July 6
5. Scott Manea, 16 April 21-May 12
*franchise and 2018 SAL record
South Atlantic League Stories from August 16, 2018
- Lewis deals as Intimidators wake up bats to win 10-1 - Kannapolis Cannon Ballers
- Clark Fans 8 in 5.0-Inning Relief Loss - Greensboro Grasshoppers
- Three Charleston Hurlers Combine for Second Nine-Inning No-Hitter in RiverDogs History - Charleston RiverDogs
- Charleston No-Hits Shorebirds, Wins 7-1 - Delmarva Shorebirds
- Drive Win Second Straight over Grasshoppers - Greenville Drive
- Walk-Off Claws Win Again, 5-4 over Rome on Thursday - Jersey Shore BlueClaws
- Suns Shutout Legends 2-0 in Fifth-Straight Win - Hagerstown Suns
- Gaddis Strong in Loss to Crawdads - Asheville Tourists
- Augusta Falls Short in Game Two - Augusta GreenJackets
- Swaggerty's Go-Ahead Single Vaults Power to 3-2 Win - Charleston Dirty Birds
- Renteria Strikes out a Career-High Nine Again, Fireflies Drop Thursday's Tilt - Columbia Fireflies
- Fireflies Game Notes: August 16 at West Virginia (Game 118) - Columbia Fireflies
- West Virginia Power: Game Notes (August 16) - Charleston Dirty Birds
- Suns Win Fourth-Straight with 8-3 Victory over Lexington - Hagerstown Suns
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
