Columbia Comes Back, But Charleston Walks Off

CHARLESTON, SC - The Fireflies trailed for a majority of Monday's series opener before making a comeback in the eighth inning. Columbia scored a pair of runs to knot the game up but fell in extra innings to the Charleston RiverDogs, 5-4.
The visitors had trailed since the second inning and walked into the eighth down 4-2. The inning began with an Arnaldo Berrios single. He scored moments later on Andrés Giménez's triple that was ripped to the right-center field gap. Christian Morris than walked J.J. Franco and the reliever was lifted for David Sosebee. The righty fared no better, though. The next hitter, Jacob Zanon , also drew a free pass and the Fireflies had the bases loaded. Dan Rizzie looped a single into centerfield, scoring the tying run. There were still no outs in the inning, but Sosebee retired the next three batters.
Joe Zanghi hurled a one-two-three bottom of the eighth and Matt Blackham (L, 4-2) did the same in the ninth. Columbia (55-49) and Charleston (58-48) headed to extras tied, 4-4.
Outside of a Dan Rizzie single, the Fireflies went down quietly in the top of the tenth. Blackham walked Hoy Park to start the home half. Diego Castillo then bunted the runner over. It was then Donny Sands at the plate with the go-ahead run at second. Blackham eventually struck out Sands, but Columbia's catcher, Rizzie, dropped the baseball. Park raced to third as Rizzie retrieved the ball. His throw to the first base bag bounced away from Brandon Brosher and Park took off for the plate. He slide in ahead of Brosher's throw home, and Charleston walked off without a hit in the frame.
Columbia dropped to 3-3 in extra-inning games this season.
The Fireflies punched two runs across in the opening inning. Zanon scorched a run-scoring triple - one of his two extra-base hits on Monday - that brought in Gimenez. Charleston attempted to throw Zanon out at third, but a wild heave skipped into the seats behind third base. The error allowed Zanon to score.
The RiverDogs answered expediently. Charleston scored three in the second to take a lead, an inning highlighted by Park's two-run home run. Park had been 0-for-his-last-20 before the dinger. It was a 3-2 Charleston lead.
The home team loaded the bases in the fifth. Starter Marty Anderson was relieved for Keaton Aldridge , and the righty immediately induced a double play ball off of Oswaldo Cabrera's bat (which allowed Diego Castillo to score). Aldridge then retired Carlos Vidal to escape the jam.
Aldridge (2 IP, 0 H, 0 R) and Joe Zanghi (2 IP, 1 H, 0 R) were electric out of Columbia's bullpen.
The Fireflies are back at Joe Riley Park on Tuesday for game two of its series with Charleston. Right-hander Gabriel Llanes (4-9, 3.64) starts for Columbia and faces RiverDogs righty Nick Green (7-6, 3.88).
You can listen to the action on ESPN Columbia 94.9 FM and 1230 AM, ColumbiaFireflies.com and the TuneIn Radio app starting at 6:45 p.m.