Five-Run Third Fuels Fantastic Friday Night Fireflies Victory

COLUMBIA, SC - Columbia came into play on Friday night still elated from its dramatic 3-1 win in the prior contest. Fireflies fans were held on the edge of their seats until the eighth inning when Columbia finally got on the board. On Friday night, however, the Segra Park crowd endured a much shorter wait to crack the scoreboard. A five-run third inning propelled the team to a 6-2 victory against Rome.
Columbia (25-29, 49-71) brought eight men to bat in the frame. Seven of the eight hitters in the inning either reached base or brought home a run.
Brian Sharp delivered the initial blow with a two-run double. Jose Medina followed with an RBI groundout to short. The rally reached its climax a batter later when Chase Chambers jolted a two-run homer well over the wall in right field.
Meanwhile, Jose Butto and Alec Kisena (W, 4-2) continued their dominant run as a one-two punch. The Fireflies are now 4-0 in games in which the duo performs in an opener and piggyback role, respectively.
Butto shut out Rome (26-28, 56-67) through the first two frames. Kisena followed with five strong innings in relief. The Seattle native allowed just two runs on six hits. Kisena was also forced to sit through a 28 minute lightning delay prior to the seventh. He returned to the mound after the interruption and held his team's three-run advantage.
The back end of Columbia's bullpen followed the lead of its predecessors.  Cole Gordon (H, 3) struck out the side in the eighth to register his fourth consecutive scoreless outing.
The Fireflies offense added an insurance run in the bottom half of the inning. Hayden Senger slapped a two-out, RBI single to pad Columbia's lead. Allan Winans took the hill to close the door in the ninth, and did so successfully.
The Fireflies have now won back-to-back games and six straight against the Braves. Another win against Rome tomorrow would give Columbia a series victory. First pitch for game three is set for 6:05 ET, with coverage beginning at 5:45 ET at FirefliesLiveStream.com and MiLB.TV.
Saturday is also Game Show Night at Segra Park. Fireflies fans will be treated to a post-game firework display presented by Blanchard Machinery. Additionally, the jerseys worn by the team on Saturday will be raffled off to lucky fans in attendance. Tickets for Saturday's game can be found at Firefliestickets.com.