Late Rally Falls Short and Leads to Doubleheader Split

Columbia, SC – The Fireflies split a doubleheader with the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers Friday night at Segra Park. The home team won game one 8-3 before losing game two 5-3.

Game One

The Fireflies bats led the way to an 8-3 game one victory over the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers. The Fireflies used a pair of homers to score five runs to highlight game one.

Once the game was restarted Friday, Diego Guzman kept the momentum on Columbia’s side. The left fielder tattooed his second blast of the season to the right field lawn to score Lizandro Rodriguez and advance Columbia’s lead to 7-2.

The bats weren’t done there though. After Derlin Figueroa led off the fifth with a single, Erick Pena scored him with a sacrifice fly to right field to make it 8-2 in favor of Columbia.

Thursday night’s game at Segra Park started and ended with rain, as the game began with a one hour and nine minute rain delay and closed out heading to the bottom of the third as the tarp again went on the field with the Fireflies leading 5-2.

Columbia’s offense started on a roll, adding more in the second inning. Lizandro Rodriguez started the frame with a lead-off single and Erick Torres walked to set the table for Blake Mitchell’s 14^th blast of the season to put the Fireflies in front 5-2.

The Kannapolis lead didn’t stand long. The Fireflies got three-consecutive hits from Blake Mitchell, Austin Charles and Derlin Figueroa to load the bases before a Carlton Perkins wild pitch allowed Mitchell to score to tie the game. After a Hyunchan Um walk loaded the bases again, Sam Kulasingam lined a sacrifice fly to deep center to plate Charles and put the Fireflies in front 2-1.

Jonatan Bernal allowed a pair of solo homers in three innings before the rain ended his outing, but when Julio Rosario picked it back up in the fourth inning Friday, he was on a roll. Rosario went through three hitless innings with just 27 pitches. He walked one batter but erased him on the base paths thanks to a double play.

Henson Leal added a pair of scoreless innings from the bullpen before Nick Regalado finished game with a one-run ninth to give the bullpen six frames of one-run baseball in game one.

The next inning, TJ McCants smacked a solo homer in his first Carolina League at-bat to tie the game 2-2.

George Wolkow broke things open in the top of the first inning. The Kannapolis outfielder slapped his ninth homer of the season to push the visitors in front 1-0.

Game Two

A late rally wasn’t enough for Columbia as they fell to the Cannon Ballers 5-3 in game two of the doubleheader despite all three runs scoring in the last three innings.

The Fireflies started their rally in the fifth inning. Erick Pena laced an opposite field double off the wall in left to start the frame. Next, Lizandro Rodriguez singled to put runners on the corners. Brennon McNair slapped an RBI single to score Pena to get Columbia on the board. Next, Jake Peppers (W, 5-5) issued a wild pitch to score Rodriguez and move Columbia within a run.

In the sixth, Blake Mitchell jumped on a fastball to send his 15^th round tripper over the right field lawn to make it a one-run ball game.

The next inning, George Wolkow matched Mitchell’s feat to push Kannapolis’s lead to a pair. That was enough as Columbia left the tying run at the plate in the bottom of the seventh to split the doubleheader.

Kannapolis jumped on the board first in game two. Sam Antonacci led the game off with a walk and then Jeral Perez laced a double to put runners at second and third for Alec Makarewicz. The third baseman poked a single through the infield to plate the two runners and push Kannapolis to a 2-0 lead.

The Cannon Ballers added on to their lead in the third. George Wolkow and Makarewicz started the frame with back-to-back singles. Ronny Hernandez singled to score Wolkow to make the lead 3-0 in favor of Kannapolis and then Mauricio Veliz issued a bases loaded walk to Albertson Asigen to push Kannapolis’ lead to 4-0 in the fourth.

The Fireflies continue their series with the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers tomorrow night at 6:05 pm at Segra Park. RHP Felix Arronde (4-6, 3.35 ERA) takes the ball for the Fireflies and Kannapolis counters with southpaw Frankeli Arias (2-4, 5.12 ERA).

Tomorrow is Nickelodeon’s PAW Patrol Night. Come and meet and take photos with Chase who’ll be in attendance and stick around after the game for a dazzling fireworks show. Buy your tickets now at ColumbiaFireflies.com.