Fireflies Roster Move and Game Notes: April 20 vs. Hickory (Game 15)
April 20, 2018 - South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Columbia Fireflies News Release
Please note of the following New York Mets minor league transactions.
Effective Friday, April 20, 2018
-RHP Cannon Chadwick retired
-LHP Aaron Ford was transferred to Columbia from short-season Brooklyn
Columbia Fireflies (9-5) vs. Hickory Crawdads (5-8)
RHP Joe Cavallaro (2 GS, 1-0, 2.08) vs. RHP A.J. Alexy (0-0, 6.75)
Fri., April 20, 2018 - Spirit Communications Park - First Pitch 7:05 p.m. - Game 15
LISTEN: Fox Sports Radio 1400 AM / ColumbiaFireflies.com / iHeartRadio App
WATCH: MiLB.tv
ABOUT LAST GAME: The Fireflies dropped its series opener to the Crawdads, 10-5, on Thursday night at Spirit Communications Park. Hickory and Columbia combined for 24 hits and 14 of those went for extra bases. The visitors tallied all 10 runs in the first five innings. Edgardo Fermin, Matt Winaker, Jeremy Vasquez, and Rigoberto Terrazas each had a pair of hits for Columbia.
WELCOME TO THE SHOW: Merandy Gonzalez became the first former Firefly to reach the big leagues. Gonzalez pitched two scoreless innings of relief for the Marlins in his MLB debut on Thursday night. His first professional strikeout came against 2014 ALCS MVP Lorenzo Cain in the seventh inning.
The 22-year-old was practically unstoppable in his time with the Fireflies.
- 2017: 11 starts, 8-1 record, 1.55 ERA, 65 K, 13 BB
SLUGFEST: Columbia's offense has collected 74 hits over the previous seven games (10.6 hits/game during this stretch). The squad leads the SAL in hits with 138 and batting average (.285) this season. The Fireflies have tallied five or more runs in eight of their nine wins.
CAN'T HANDLE THE HEAT: Columbia's pitching staff has fanned 155 hitters through 14 games - the most in the SAL by a wide margin.
BASE MACHINE: Jeremy Vasquez reached base again on Thursday. Vasquez has reached base safely in all 13 games he's played in this season-the best streak amongst the Low A level. He is one of the most patient hitters in the SAL - tied for first in the league in walks (14). The 21-year-old is also second in the league with a .483 on-base percentage.
KEEP THIS UP: Rigoberto Terrazas and Walter Rasquin are both scorching hot at the plate right now. Rasquin is on an eight-game hitting streak (April 7-18). Terrazas has hit safely in 10 consecutive contests. That's just one shy of the franchise record. David Thompson recorded an 11-game hit streak in 2016 (April 7-17).
South Atlantic League Stories from April 20, 2018
- Suns Come from Behind in Friday Win - Hagerstown Suns
- Frost's Three-Run Shot Lifts I's over Greenville - Kannapolis Cannon Ballers
- Lexington Falls in Game Two After Hagerstown Grand Slam - Lexington Legends
- 'Birds Engine Stalls against Lakewood - Delmarva Shorebirds
- Late-Inning Homer Helps Power Outlast Tourists on Friday - Charleston Dirty Birds
- Braley Fans Career-High 9 in Win vs 'Dogs - Greensboro Grasshoppers
- Columbia Bounces Back, Cavallaro Wins Again - Columbia Fireflies
- Howard Fans Nine, BlueClaws Steal Five in 5-2 Win - Jersey Shore BlueClaws
- Power Outlast the Tourists 6-5 - Asheville Tourists
- RiverDogs Drop Another Nail Biter in Greensboro - Charleston RiverDogs
- Drive Defeated 4-1 by Intimidators - Greenville Drive
- 7th Inning Home Run Sinks GreenJackets - Augusta GreenJackets
- Delgado's Dinger Lifts Rome to 5-4 Win - Rome Emperors
- West Virginia Power: Game Notes (April 20) - Charleston Dirty Birds
- Fireflies Roster Move and Game Notes: April 20 vs. Hickory (Game 15) - Columbia Fireflies
- BrewFest CharlieWest III to Host 21 Breweries in 2018 - Charleston Dirty Birds
- Merandy Gonzalez Becomes First Former Fireflies Player to Reach the Major Leagues - Columbia Fireflies
- Back to Basics, RiverDogs Settle in for Four-Game Homestand - Charleston RiverDogs
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