Grits Rally to 2-1 Win over Kannapolis
June 12, 2025 - Carolina League (CarL)
Columbia Fireflies News Release
Columbia Fireflies pitcher Yeri Perez
(Columbia Fireflies)
COLUMBIA, S.C. - The Columbia Fireflies scored a pair of runs in the bottom of the seventh to beat the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers 2-1 Thursday night at Segra Park. With the Fireflies win, they've overtaken Hickory in the standings and are percentage points behind Augusta in third place. The team is one game behind first place Kannapolis with six games remaining in the first half.
Yeri Perez posted his best outing of the season for Columbia. The righty spun a season-best four innings without allowing a run before handing the ball to Dash Albus and the Fireflies bullpen. Albus penned a pair of scoreless innings. After that, Nick Conte allowed one run in the seventh and left the game with a pair of runners aboard and two outs.
Henson Leal (W, 3-3) came in and punched out Javier Mogollon to end the inning and strand a pair of Kannapolis base runners.
In the home half of the inning, Stone Russell charged his third round-tripper of the campaign to left to tie the game in the first at-bat of the inning. Next, Brennon McNair hustled around the base paths to turn a single into a double to left field. Jorge Hernandez sacrificed him from second to third before Dionmy Salon broke the stalemate with a single down the right field line to plate McNair.
Leal worked a scoreless eighth and Elvis Novas came out to save the game with a 1-2-3 ninth. It was Novas's second save of the season and his 11th of his Fireflies career. He's now tied for second on the Fireflies-career saves list. Cooper McKeehan, Allan Winans and Adonis Uceta all had 11 saves in a Fireflies uniform. Novas only trails Alex Palsha who had 14 saves for Columbia in 2016.
Justin Sinibaldi (L, 2-3) spun 6.1 innings and was tagged for the loss after giving up a pair of runs. He twirled the second-consecutive quality start for Kannapolis.
The Fireflies continue their series with the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers tomorrow night at Segra Park at 7:05 pm. LHP David Shields (1-1, 1.45 ERA) takes the bump for Columbia and Kannapolis counters with RHP Ricardo Brizuela (3-5, 5.65 ERA).
Tomorrow is the start of Copa de la Diversion weekend presented by Southern Recipe Small Batch. Come early as the first 1,000 fans through the gates will receive a Sugar Skull Bobblehead thanks to Southern Recipe Small Batch and stay late for a drone show after the game presented by Elite Lawn and Landscape. Cheer on the Los Chicharrones de Columbia as there will be live music and dancing to celebrate baseball's LatinX culture at the ballpark. Buy your tickets now at FirefliesTickets.com.
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 Columbia Fireflies pitcher Yeri Perez |
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