COLUMBIA, SC - The Fireflies won their fourth straight over the Drive on Saturday night in front of 4,553 fans at Spirit Communications Park. The club flew past Greenville 9-2 in game two of this series and is 5-0 against its fellow Southern Division rival this season.Anthony Kay (W, 2-2)
COLUMBIA, SC - The Fireflies won their fourth straight over the Drive on Saturday night in front of 4,553 fans at Spirit Communications Park. The club flew past Greenville 9-2 in game two of this series and is 5-0 against its fellow Southern Division rival this season.
Anthony Kay (W, 2-2) mastered a career-high seven innings on the mound for the home team. The 2016 Mets first round pick also recorded a career-best eight strikeouts, only allowed one walk, and yielded just one run. Kay threw 96 pitches in his eighth start of the season.
Shortly after a brief 20-minute rain delay in the second inning, Columbia's offense exploded and scored a combined seven runs in the third and fourth frames.
Raphael Gladu walked with one out in the third and then stole second - his team-leading eighth steal this season - while Blake Tiberi was at the dish. After Tiberi struck out, Ali Sanchez reached base on a fielding error from Greenville's third baseman Frankie Rios. Moments later, Gladu scored the first run of the game on a wild pitch (Sanchez also moved up to second on the play). Jeremy Vasquez smacked a single into center field and knocked in Sanchez. The next batter, Wuilmer Becerra , extended frame and legged out an infield single. The four-run third inning was capped off by Matt Winaker's two-run triple down the right-field line.
The Fireflies piled up three more runs in the fourth. Tiberi hit a ground ball towards Greenville's shortstop Ricardo Cubillan, who only had time to get a force out at second base. This allowed Rigoberto Terrazas to score. The inning lengthened even more when Vasquez reached on a throwing error from Greenville's second baseman Tanner Nishioka. Even with the wide throw, first baseman Michael Osinski still had a chance to get Vasquez out, but the 21-year-old dodged the tag. Tiberi scored on the play. Lastly, Sanchez tallied the third run of the frame on a balk. Columbia held a convincing 7-0 lead after four stanzas.
The offense put the icing on the cake with a pair of runs in the eighth. Scott Manea's sharp single into left field kicked off the frame. In his final plate appearance of the game, Gladu smashed a single into right field and the Fireflies had runners at first and second. This hit extended Gladu's hitting steak to 12 games - the longest in franchise history. The 22-year-old passed Terrazas and 2016 Firefly David Thompson who each had 11-game hitting streaks at one point. Tiberi brought in Manea with a single and on the same play, Gladu came across home plate on a throwing error from right-fielder Marino Campana.
Columbia won not once, but twice on Saturday night. The Fireflies welcomed "Screaming Eagles" to the ballpark and held a scrimmage before the game. Screaming Eagles Athletics is designed to provide a home for kids with special needs. For more information on this organization, email Jenny Bowers at [email protected] or check out their Facebook Page.
The Fireflies resume their series with the Drive on Sunday evening at Spirit Communications Park. First pitch is slated for 6:05 p.m. and you can listen to the action starting at 5:45 p.m. on FOX Sports Radio 1400 AM, or columbiafireflies.com. The game is also available to watch on MiLB.tv. David Peterson (1-2, 1.91) is scheduled to start for Columbia and Greenville sends Denyi Reyes (3-3, 2.66) to the mound.
