Fireflies Game Notes: June 15 vs. Lexington (Game 65)
June 15, 2019 - South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Columbia Fireflies News Release
Columbia Fireflies (24-40) vs. Lexington Legends (35-32)
RHP Bryce Hutchinson (2-3, 2.72) vs. RHP Charlie Neuweiler (2-6, 5.77)
Sat., June 15, 2019 - Segra Park (Columbia, SC) - First Pitch 6:05 p.m. - Game 65
LISTEN: FirefliesLiveStream.com / ColumbiaFireflies.com / TuneIn App
WATCH: MiLB.TV
LAST TIME OUT: The Fireflies lost to Lexington on Friday, 5-1. The Legends used a four-run sixth inning to pull away for good. Chandler Avant drove in the lone Columbia run in the loss. Hayden Senger (triple) and Taylor Lane (double) recorded the only extra-base hits.
LIGHT MY FIRE: Columbia must win the next two nights to split the four-game series and finish the first half on a two-game win streak.
RESPECT: Chandler Avant singled and walked on Friday and has now reached base safely in nine straight games. The former Alabama Crimson Tide infielder has made major strides at the plate this year after hitting just .105 in April (11 GP). Since May 16 (20 GP), Avant leads the team with a .368 on-base percentage. His batting average is also .273 during that span.
THE LEADER OF THE PACK: Ronny Mauricio leads Columbia in hitting (.288 average). The Mets prospect has performed notably well at the plate as of late:
SINCE MAY 28
Mauricio (11 GP) - .354 (17-for-48), 5 2B, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 1 BB, 8 K
GOOD VIBRATIONS: Fireflies shortstop Ronny Mauricio was named a South Atlantic League All-Star on June 4. Mauricio is ninth in the league with 67 hits, but he is the only teenager who appears in the top 10 (and that's qualified hitters, too). The second-rated Mets prospect only strikes out 19% of the time which is good for 19th in the SAL. It's worth noting, though he's the youngest player in the league to appear that high up on the list.
YOU REALLY GOT ME: Saturday will be Columbia's 11th game this season against Lexington. Two hitters in particular have had great success against the other team all year:
Ronny Mauricio v. LEX in 2019: .333 (9 GP), 2 2B, 4 RBI
Eric Cole v. COL in 2019: .421 (9 GP), 9 R, 3 2B, 2 3B, 1 HR, 12 RBI, 2 SB
PAINT (THE) BLACK: Columbia pitchers have punched out 77 hitters over its last eight games. The Fireflies also have walked the fewest batters in the league this year (averaging 2.8 per game).
NEW YORK, NEW YORK: Columbia's parent club, the New York Mets, made a few of the most monumental trades in franchise history on this date. Here are the three noteworthy transactions:
1969 - Acquired Donn Clendenon from Expos; wins WS MVP later that year
1977 - Traded Hall of Famer, Tom Seaver, to Reds; had led Mets to '69 WS
1983 - Acquired MVP Keith Hernandez from Cardinals; led NYM to '86 WS
Tonight is also 60s Night at Segra Park!
South Atlantic League Stories from June 15, 2019
- Mauricio a Homer Shy of Cycle in Loss to Lexington - Columbia Fireflies
- 'Birds Use Four-Run Fourth to Ease by Crawdads - Delmarva Shorebirds
- Rome Uses Strong Pitching to Beat Augusta 3-2 - Rome Emperors
- Suns Swept by Power in Doubleheader - Hagerstown Suns
- Harlow Shines in Debut and Decolati Goes Deep in Losing Effort - Asheville Tourists
- Inman's Complete Game Seals Doubleheader Sweep - Charleston Dirty Birds
- Drive Stifle Charleston Hitters, Dogs Fall in Game Three - Charleston RiverDogs
- Rome Plays Spoiler as Jackets Fall 3-2 - Augusta GreenJackets
- Fireflies Game Notes: June 15 vs. Lexington (Game 65) - Columbia Fireflies
- Hagerstown Suns Game Notes - Hagerstown Suns
- Game Notes (June 15) - Charleston Dirty Birds
- Augusta Defeats Rome 6-5 in 10 Innings - Rome Emperors
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