James Posts Finest Outing of the Season, Spins Six Shut-Out Frames
May 26, 2019 - South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Columbia Fireflies News Release
CHARLESTON, SC - Christian James notched his best start of the season in Charleston and arguably the best of his minor-league career. The right-handed starter spun six shut-out innings on Sunday, walked just one and struck out four. Columbia fell to the RiverDogs, though, 5-3.
The game featured a couple late turns. Both James and Charleston (27-23) starter Nolan Martinez posted five scoreless frames to start the night. The Fireflies then scored three times over the next two innings to take a 3-0 lead into the bottom of the seventh. The home team pulled ahead for good with a five-run frame. Columbia (19-31) couldn't recover and failed to score another run the rest of the night.
The last time James logged six or more shut-out innings in a start was August 24, 2018. Pitching for the Brooklyn Cyclones, James posted eight scoreless frames. James' ERA dropped to 4.53 on Sunday.
After five innings without a run, Columbia scored first in the sixth. Juan Uriarte was hit to begin the inning and moved over to second when Chandler Avant dropped down a successful sacrifice bunt. With the table set, Ronny Mauricio drove in Uriarte with a double. Columbia wasn't down. The next batter, Hansel Moreno, bounced a Martinez pitch up the middle. The ball caromed off of Eduardo Torrealba's glove and into center field. The error allowed Mauricio to score.
The Fireflies added one more run in the seventh. After knocking in two runs on Saturday, Uriarte laced a two-out double off of Bryan Blanton (W, 1-1) and scored Shervyen Newton. Uriarte has been on a tear of late. The catcher is now hitting .341 in the month of May.
Charleston then exploded for five in the bottom of the seventh. The inning was capped off with a two-run homer by Kyle Gray that gave the home team a 5-3 advantage.
The Fireflies and RiverDogs will play at 5:05 ET on Memorial Day. The Mets second-round draft choice from a year ago, Simeon Woods-Richardson (0-6, 6.89) will face Charleston right-hander Jio Orozco (4-2, 2.53). Listen to the action on FirefliesLiveStream.com.
South Atlantic League Stories from May 26, 2019
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