Fireflies Game Notes: May 27 at Charleston (Game 51)
May 27, 2019 - South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Columbia Fireflies News Release
Columbia Fireflies (19-31) vs. Charleston RiverDogs (27-23)
RHP Simeon Woods-Richardson (0-6, 6.89) vs. RHP Jio Orozco (4-2, 2.53)
Mon., May 27, 2019 - Joe Riley Park (Charleston, SC) - First Pitch 5:05 p.m. - Game 51
LISTEN: FirefliesLiveStream.com / ColumbiaFireflies.com / TuneIn App
WATCH: MiLB.TV
LAST TIME OUT: The Fireflies dropped a tough one to Charleston on Sunday, 5-3. The Fireflies held a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the seventh before the RiverDogs exploded for five runs. Starter Christian James turned in his best outing of the season and arguably the best for any Fireflies starter in 2019. The right-hander spun six shut-out innings and struck out four.
STREAKIN'...NO MORE: Fireflies third baseman Mark Vientos had his team-best 11-game hit streak snapped on Sunday. The third baseman went 0-for-4 at the plate against Charleston. During the 11-game streak, the Floridian hit .364 (16-for-44) with two doubles, three homers and nine RBIs.
F=m(a): Shervyen Newton is having perhaps his finest stretch at the plate this season. The 20-year-old Mets prospect singled on Sunday and has now hit safely in five straight games. Not to mention he's reached safely in eight straight. Newton has seven hits over his last five games (.368, 7-for-19), that includes two doubles, a triple, a homer, two RBI, a walk and three stolen bases.
IT'S GONNA BE MAY (FOR FIVE MORE DAYS): A pair of Fireflies hitters have made major strides in the month of May. Juan Uriarte (.341) and Chandler Avant (.286) have the highest and third-highest batting averages on the team this month, respectively. Both overcame April struggles at the plate:
APRIL MAY
Chandler Avant .105 (11 GP) .286 (16-for-56), 18 GP, 8 RBI, 6 K
Juan Uriarte .100 (16 GP) .341 (14-for-41), 12 GP, 3 2B, 2 HR, 7 RBI
Both were transferred off of Columbia's roster in April only to return and bounce back in exceptional fashion (Avant: April 22-May 6 and Uriarte: April 30-May 6).
POWER SURGE: Friday was the first three-homer game of the season for Columbia (Vientos, Sharp, Newton). The Fireflies belted a season-best 7 extra-base hits as well, which tied what Columbia had also done on May 19 in Rome.
FOLLOW THE LAW: Keith Law, senior baseball writer at ESPN, ranked Columbia's roster as the 7th-most "Loaded Roster" in all of Minor League Baseball. Law recognized the fact Columbia's roster includes the Mets' third, fourth and fifth-rated prospects (infielders Ronny Mauricio, Mark Vientos and Shervyen Newton, respectively), New York's past two second-round draft choices (RHP Simeon Woods-Richardson, Vientos) and the system's ninth-rated prospect, left-hander Thomas Szapucki (drafted in the fifth round in 2015). The roster also features 26th (Baseball America) and 27th-rated prospects Chris Viall and Christian James. The prospect rankings are according to MLB.com unless otherwise noted.
South Atlantic League Stories from May 27, 2019
- Asheville Uses 9th Inning Rally to Defeat Rome - Rome Emperors
- Feltner and Company Silence the Braves - Asheville Tourists
- Ninth Inning Homers Not Enough against Greensboro - Hickory Crawdads
- Dominguez Shuts Down Claws; Intimidators Win 4-1 - Jersey Shore BlueClaws
- Gasper's Three-Run Double Drives Dogs to Series Win - Charleston RiverDogs
- Fireflies Drop Wild, High-Scoring Memorial Day Matchup to Charleston - Columbia Fireflies
- Greenville Beats Jackets 6-4 on Memorial Day - Augusta GreenJackets
- G-Rod Spins Another Gem in 'Birds Win - Delmarva Shorebirds
- Another Strong Peguero Start Wasted - Hagerstown Suns
- Fireflies Game Notes: May 27 at Charleston (Game 51) - Columbia Fireflies
- 2016-17 Suns Starter Climbs Ladder to Majors - Hagerstown Suns
- Monday's Game against Lexington Postponed - Charleston Dirty Birds
- Hagerstown Suns Game Notes - Hagerstown Suns
- Game Notes (May 27) - Charleston Dirty Birds
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