Fireflies Erase Six-Run Deficit in Dramatic Saturday Affair

COLUMBIA, SC – Saturday night was a wild one at Segra Park. The Fireflies rallied from down 6-0, but gave up three in the top of the ninth as they fell 9-6 to the RiverDogs.

Trailing 6-0 to Charleston (16-21) in the bottom of the fifth, the Fireflies needed a spark offensively. Austin Charles got the ball rolling with a no-doubt, solo homer to left field. The round-tripper was Charles’ fourth in the series, and third in two days.

The infielder’s success at the plate has pushed him to the top of the Carolina League Leaderboard. Charles ranks in the top five in the league in homeruns (6, tied-2nd place) and RBIs (27, tied-4th place).

In the bottom of the seventh, Columbia pushed their way back to a tie. The Fireflies plated five runs on four hits, a walk, a hit-by-pitch and an error to tie the score 6-6.

Chris Brito led off the inning by earning a free pass. Charles reached first as well after taking a pitch between the shoulder blades. Brito scored a hitter later when Jhonny Perdomo reached base on a fielder’s choice and advanced to second on a throwing error. The Fireflies continued the rally with four consecutive singles, including RBI base-hits by Brennon McNair, Milo Rushford and Blake Mitchell.

The five-run inning was the most scored in a single frame since Wednesday of this week, when Columbia had another five-run display. The Fireflies won that game, 9-5.

Charleston regained control in the top of the ninth. The RiverDogs scored two runs on an Adrian Santana double, then added another on a Blake Robertson sacrifice fly. The three-run frame pushed the RiverDogs to a 9-6 lead heading to the bottom of the ninth.

Jonalbert Rumbol (W, 1-0) closed out the game for the RiverDogs, allowing a pair of hits in 2.2 scoreless innings. Drew Dowd worked six one-run innings to earn his third-consecutive quality start, but got a no decision after Will Stevens blew his third save opportunity of the year, getting only one out and allowing five earned runs.

Felix Arronde had some trouble on the bump, allowing six earned runs in five frames. Next, Josh Hansell worked two perfect innings with two punchouts to bridge the gap for Columbia. Doug Kirkland (L, 0-3) went 1-2-3 in the eighth, but walked the first two batters of the ninth before handing the ball to Jarold Rosado. Rosado allowed both inherited runners to score plus one of his own to close out the night.

The Fireflies conclude their series with the Charleston RiverDogs tomorrow night at Segra Park at 5:05 pm. LHP Hunter Patteson (2-2, 2.84 ERA) gets the nod for Columbia and Charleston counters with right-hander Chandler Murphy (1-0, 1.31 ERA).

We’ll also wrap up our Copa de la Diversion celebration tomorrow thanks to Southern Recipe Small Batch pork rinds. We’ll host a pre-game player autograph session, we’ll have a musical Latin Caravan for a third-straight night and we’ll also have Sincopao Flamenco dancing on the main plaza at the start of the game! After the game, kids can run the bases thanks to Bang Back Pinball Lounge.