Fireflies Tally 13 Hits, Fall in Hickory Finale
July 8, 2019 - South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Columbia Fireflies News Release
Hickory, NC - Columbia recorded double-digit hits for the third consecutive game on Sunday against Hickory. The Fireflies totaled 13 base hits in all during the game, and averaged 11.3 hits per game over Independence Day weekend. Unfortunately, a 6-5 loss to the Crawdads on Sunday meant Columbia was headed home with a series tie.
Eight of the nine Fireflies starters contributed to the productive day on offense. Walter Rasquin, Mark Vientos, Chase Chambers, Wagner Lagrange and Shervyen Newton each had multiple hits. Vientos, Lagrange, Chambers and Newton all also drove in a run.
For Newton, the two-hit day bookended a drastic turnaround from Thursday's four strikeout performance. In the three games after that night, Newton hit .571 (8-for-14) against Hickory (12-6, 53-31) and drove in six runs.
Columbia (9-9, 33-51) out-hit the Crawdads in the contest, but a pair of defensive miscues flipped the game against the Fireflies. With two outs in the bottom of the second, Hickory had runners at second and third. Jonathan Ornelas hit what looked like a routine pop fly into left. Columbia shortstop Ronny Mauricio backtracked from his position in an attempt to play the ball, but got in the way of Rasquin making the catch. Instead of an inning-ending pop-out, the ball bounced off Mauricio's glove to the turf and both runners scored.
In the third, Jax Biggers roped a hard grounder through the legs of Chambers at first. Biggers would score one pitch later on a two-run homer from Sherten Apostel (13). The Crawdads added another run that inning when Pedro Gonzalez smashed a two-out, solo homer (15) to center. The two fluky plays from Columbia's defense provided a four-run swing in Hickory's favor.
The Fireflies managed to make it a one-run despite the defensive issues. Columbia faced a four-run deficit after the third inning, but chipped away over the course of the game to put itself within striking distance heading to the ninth.
In that final frame, Hayden Senger came to bat with the potential tying run at second base. The Ohio native roped a ball hard to the right side, but right at the glove of Biggers at second base. The lineout ended the scoring threat and the game. The loss represents the second consecutive one-run defeat for the Fireflies over the weekend. Columbia is now 9-15 in one-run games during the season.
The Fireflies will return to Segra Park on Tuesday, July 9th for the series opener against the Augusta GreenJackets.. It will also be a Supercuts $2 Tuesday at the ballpark that night. First pitch is set for 7:05 ET with coverage beginning at 6:45 ET at FirefliesLiveStream.com. You can also watch the action live at MiLB.TV.
South Atlantic League Stories from July 8, 2019
- Hagerstown Suns Homestand #8 Preview: July 9-11 - Hagerstown Suns
- Rosa Named SAL Player of the Week - Charleston Dirty Birds
- RiverDogs to Host "Dumbest Night of the Year" on August 12 - Charleston RiverDogs
- Promotional Notes (July 9-11) - Charleston Dirty Birds
- Fireflies Tally 13 Hits, Fall in Hickory Finale - Columbia Fireflies
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