Fireflies Toss Near No-No against Hickory
June 28, 2019 - South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Columbia Fireflies News Release
COLUMBIA, SC - Columbia entered Friday night's game against Hickory looking to avenge a 1-0 shut-out loss from the night before. This time around, it was the Fireflies who held the Crawdads scoreless. Columbia pitchers Thomas Szapucki and Tylor Megill (W, 3-0) combined to no-hit Hickory into the final inning. It wasn't until after the first out in the ninth that the Crawdads finally recorded a tally in the hit column. Hickory shortstop Jonathan Ornelas poked a double into center field that fell just in front of the diving mitt of Hansel Moreno. Billy Oxford relieved Megill immediately following the base knock. Oxford retired the next two men and sealed the 4-0 Fireflies victory.
Columbia (5-4, 29-46) rises back above .500 in the second half with the win. The one-hit performance from the pitching staff marks the lowest hit total allowed by the Fireflies this season. The near no-hitter would have been the second in Columbia's four year history. Oddly enough, the first came in the opening series of the franchise's existence in a 9-0 win against Charleston on April 9, 2016.
The Fireflies got on the board in the game's opening inning. Moreno ripped a line drive just over the railing in right field for a solo home run (5). Hickory (7-2, 48-27) starter Yerry Rodriguez (L, 7-3) responded to the longball by retiring the next 14 Columbia hitters. In fact, Moreno's homer was the only hit of the ballgame up until the bottom of the sixth.
Szapucki pitched masterfully out of the gates. The southpaw allowed just one baserunner, a free pass issued to Pedro Gonzalez in the second inning. Szapucki ultimately heaved a season-high four frames. The 22-year-old recorded a strikeout for each inning he pitched.
Megill took over for Szapucki in the fifth. The first man he faced out of the pen smoked a frozen rope deep into right field. The fly ball could have gone for extra bases, but Gerson Molina made a leaping catch at the wall to keep the potential no-no alive. Megill went on to produce 4.1 shut-out innings. The righty punched out five Crawdads batters and allowed just one walk.
Columbia added to its lead in the bottom of the sixth. Brian Sharp and Molina led off the frame with back-to-back base hits. Sharp scored when Moreno grounded into an RBI 6-4 fielder's choice. Molina followed Sharp by touching home on a sacrifice fly to center from Wagner Lagrange.
The Fireflies struck yet again an inning later. Shervyen Newton worked a two-out walk to extend the seventh. Two batters later, Sharp cracked a base hit into right, scoring Newton from second. The four runs for Columbia proved to be more than enough to earn the win.
The Fireflies continue their series against Hickory on Saturday. Right-handed pitchers Simeon Woods-Richardson (1-7, 5.17) and Hans Crouse (2-0, 3.10) earn the start for their respective teams. The two prospects (Woods-Richardson, 6th - NYM...Crouse, 1st - TEX) offer a potentially titillating pitcher's battle. First pitch is at 6:05 ET. You can tune in at FirefliesLiveStream.com or at MiLB.TV.
Saturday is also the first game of two in Columbia's Negro League Celebration. The Fireflies will take the field as the Newark Eagles, a former Negro League club that played from 1936 to 1948. Tickets for Saturday's contest can be found at columbiafireflies.com.
South Atlantic League Stories from June 28, 2019
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- Late Rally Lifts Dogs over Tourists in Historic Rout - Charleston RiverDogs
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- Fireflies Toss Near No-No against Hickory - Columbia Fireflies
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- Bats and Bullpen Lead Kannapolis to 7-4 Victory - Kannapolis Cannon Ballers
- Rodriguez Homers as Power Falls to Kannapolis - Charleston Dirty Birds
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- 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
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