Fireflies Game Notes: June 28 vs. Hickory (Game 75)
June 28, 2019 - South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Columbia Fireflies News Release
Columbia Fireflies (4-4, 28-46) vs. Hickory Crawdads (7-1, 48-26)
LHP Thomas Szapucki (0-0, 2.55) vs. RHP Yerry Rodriguez (7-2, 1.77)
Fri., June 28, 2019 - Segra Park (Columbia, SC) - First Pitch 7:05 p.m. - Game 75
LISTEN: FirefliesLiveStream.com / ColumbiaFireflies.com / TuneIn App
WATCH: MiLB.TV
LAST TIME OUT: The Fireflies were shut out, 1-0, against Hickory on Thursday. The loss dropped Columbia to 4-4 since play has resumed in the second half. Christian James delivered a gem on the mound. The 21-year-old pitched seven frames of one-run ball against the Crawdads. It was the first outing of the season in which a Fireflies starter went seven innings. Tim Brennan, however, was just slightly better. Hickory's starter held Columbia scoreless through eight, then let Abdiel Mendoza take over in the ninth to close the game.
SENGER SURGE: Catcher Hayden Senger has been in another stratosphere at the plate. The Cincinnati native has hit safely in all seven games he's played in since the all-star break and has posted an astronomical .538 average (14-for-26) in the second half. He has six doubles, two homers and eight RBI since the break, as well. Senger's hot streak currently puts him at first among South Atlantic League hitters in batting average in the second half.
SENGER SURGE, Pt. II: Senger also tallied five straight multi-hit games (in five straight days, no less) from June 22 - 26. He's the first Firefly this season to do that.
WHAT A START, Pt. II: The Fireflies offense is roaring. Columbia is hitting .279 in its first eight games of the second half with an average of more than five runs (5.4) and 10.1 hits per game. The Fireflies also have the 4th most runs scored since the break.
THE LEAGUE'S BEST: Hickory (.290) and Columbia (.279) have two of the three best team batting averages in the second half.
RESPECT: With a base hit on Tuesday night, Chandler Avant has now reached base safely in a team-best 15 straight games (that's also the fourth-longest active streak in the SAL). The former Alabama Crimson Tide infielder has made major strides at the plate this year after hitting just .105 in 11 April games. Since May 16 (25 GP), Avant leads the team with a .370 on-base percentage. His batting average is also .292 during that span.
MAURICIO MAGIC: Ronny Mauricio leads Columbia in hitting (.284 average). The SAL All-Star is fifth in the league with 78 hits, but he is the only teenager who appears in the top 10 (and that's qualified hitters, too). The Mets prospect has performed notably well at the plate over the last month:
SINCE MAY 28
Mauricio (21 GP) - .309 (29-for-94), 7 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 2 BB, 20 K
South Atlantic League Stories from June 28, 2019
- T's Take Lead into Seventh But Cannot Hold On - Asheville Tourists
- Suns Drop Seventh Straight to Shorebirds - Hagerstown Suns
- Late Rally Lifts Dogs over Tourists in Historic Rout - Charleston RiverDogs
- Curran Powers 'Birds to Sixth Straight - Delmarva Shorebirds
- Fireflies Toss Near No-No against Hickory - Columbia Fireflies
- Rome Edges Greenville, 4-3, Again - Greenville Drive
- Bats and Bullpen Lead Kannapolis to 7-4 Victory - Kannapolis Cannon Ballers
- Rodriguez Homers as Power Falls to Kannapolis - Charleston Dirty Birds
- Lexington Clings to 1-0 Victory over Jackets - Augusta GreenJackets
- Hoppers Score Four in Ninth to Top Claws 5-2 - Jersey Shore BlueClaws
- Fireflies Game Notes: June 28 vs. Hickory (Game 75) - Columbia Fireflies
- Grayson Rodriguez Headed to Futures Game - Delmarva Shorebirds
- Game Notes (June 28) - Charleston Dirty Birds
- Hagerstown Suns Game Notes - Hagerstown Suns
- Wilson to Sign Autographs Saturday on Wheelers Weekend - Charleston Dirty Birds
- Braves Open Road Trip with 4-3 Win over Drive - Rome Emperors
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