Fireflies Roster Move and Game Notes: June 22 at Asheville (Game 69)
June 22, 2019 - South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Columbia Fireflies News Release
Please note the following New York Mets minor league transactions:
RHP Chris Viall retires
RHP Danny Hrbek is signed by the Mets and activated
Columbia Fireflies (25-43) @ Asheville Tourists (30-42)
RHP Christian James (2-5, 4.42) vs. LHP Alfredo Garcia (1-7, 7.34)
Sat., June 22, 2019 - McCormick Field (Asheville, NC) - First Pitch 6:05 p.m. - Game 69
LISTEN: FirefliesLiveStream.com / ColumbiaFireflies.com / TuneIn App
WATCH: MiLB.TV
LAST TIME OUT: Columbia earned a 6-3 victory over Asheville in extra innings on Friday night. First baseman Chase Chambers delivered both the tying and go-ahead runs on sacrifice flies in the eighth and 10th innings, respectively. Alec Kisena registered his first win after tossing a scoreless eighth and ninth. The righty got through a bases-loaded jam in the ninth thanks to an inning-ending double play that sent the game to extras. Billy Oxford followed Kisena with a 1-2-3 10th to pick up his first save of the year.
DOUBLE TROUBLE: Columbia set a new season-high on Friday by turning four separate double plays in the field. Fireflies catcher Juan Uriarte played a part in three of those double plays, including a 1-3-2 turn in the bottom of the fourth in which Uriarte covered the third base bag on attempted sacrifice bunt play.
MOUNTAIN MOMMA: Columbia begins their second half campaign just east of the Great Smoky Mountains on Thursday. The Fireflies visit Asheville for the first and only time in 2019. Columbia has yet to win a series immediately following the all-star break.
RESPECT: With a base hit in Friday night's game, Chandler Avant has now reached base safely in 12 straight contests. 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 (23 GP), Avant leads the team with a .372 on-base percentage. His batting average is also .280 during that span.
WHO'S HOT?: Ronny Mauricio leads Columbia in hitting (.290 average). The All-Star is sixth in the league with 73 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 19.3% of the time which is good for 20th in the SAL. It's worth noting, though, he's the youngest player in the league to appear that high up on the list. The Mets prospect has performed notably well at the plate as of late:
SINCE MAY 28
Mauricio (15 GP) - .343 (23-for-67), 6 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 2 BB, 12 K
HITTER'S PARK: After finishing last in several of the major offensive categories (BA: .218, R: 222, RBI: 189) in the first half, the Fireflies could see their numbers skyrocket in Asheville over the weekend. The hitter-friendly McCormick Field ranks first among ballparks in the SAL in total runs scored (439) and is tied for second in total home runs (69) in 2019.
South Atlantic League Stories from June 22, 2019
- Senger Plates Three, Fireflies Fall in Ninth - Columbia Fireflies
- 14 Strikeouts Lead to 8-1 Loss Saturday Night for Kannapolis - Kannapolis Cannon Ballers
- Offense Breaks out to Beat Kannapolis 8-1 - Augusta GreenJackets
- Langeliers Drives Rome to 5-3 Victory over Hagerstown - Rome Emperors
- Dogs Bats Stay Quiet in Hickory - Charleston RiverDogs
- Errors Cost 'Birds in G-Boro - Delmarva Shorebirds
- 'Dads Hold RiverDogs to Two Hits in Win - Hickory Crawdads
- Gutierrez Homers, But Claws Fall 3-2 to West Virginia - Jersey Shore BlueClaws
- Davis' Eighth-Inning Single Vaults Power to 3-2 Win - Charleston Dirty Birds
- Legends Fall in Game Three to Drive - Lexington Legends
- Golsan Drops Down Walk-Off Winning Bunt - Asheville Tourists
- Suns Suffer First Loss in Second Half - Hagerstown Suns
- Fireflies Roster Move and Game Notes: June 22 at Asheville (Game 69) - Columbia Fireflies
- Hagerstown Suns Game Notes - Hagerstown Suns
- Game Notes (June 22) - Charleston Dirty Birds
- Rome on the losing end of lopsided affair - Rome Emperors
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