Brosher Lifts Fireflies To 4-1 Win Over RiverDogs

CHARLESTON, SC - The Fireflies edged the RiverDogs, 4-1, on Friday night at Joseph P. Riley Park. Columbia has won 16 of its last 19 games and remains in first place with a half-game lead over Greenville. The club can clinch a first half Southern Division title with a win Saturday and a Drive loss.
Columbia (40-26) faced a deficit early, but Brandon Brosher  lifted the squad in the fourth inning. The catcher blasted a three-run homer and broke a 1-1 tie against Charleston (32-36). Brosher finished with two hits in the game. The visitors held a 4-1 advantage and did not let that vanish.
Adonis Uceta  came out of the bullpen in the eighth inning and slammed the door. The 23-year-old recorded two strikeouts and stranded the bases loaded in the frame. Uceta pitched a scoreless ninth and earned his team-leading sixth save of the season. The righty has thrown 16.2 scoreless stanzas over his last ten appearances. Taylor Henry  and Cam Griffin combined to allow four hits out of the bullpen, but did not absorb a run.
Jordan Humphreys  (W, 10-1) pitched six innings and only allowed one run in his 11^th start of the season. Columbia starters have lasted at least six frames in each of the previous 12 games. The club has nine wins during this span.
Six of Columbia's nine hits came from the bottom three hitters in the batting order. Milton Ramos  registered his second three-hit game of the season. Tim Tebow  had a single and Brosher finished with two hits.
The Fireflies are back in action for game two of their three-game series against the Charleston RiverDogs on Saturday night. First pitch is scheduled for 6:05 p.m. at Joseph P. Riley Park. Thomas Szapucki  (1-0, 4.35) starts on the mound for Columbia and faces Charleston's righty Brian Keller (4-5, 3.97).
You can listen to the action on ESPN Columbia 94.9 FM and 1230 AM, ColumbiaFireflies.com and the TuneIn Radio app starting at 5:45 p.m.