Reyes Sets Career-Mark in 6-2 Loss

19-year-old has 15 punchouts in his first nine innings for Columbia

By John Kocsis Jr.

August 4, 2023

COLUMBIA, SC – Despite Emmanuel Reyes’ career-best nine strikeouts for Columbia tonight, the Fireflies couldn’t emerge on top as they fell 6-2 to the GreenJackets Friday evening at SRP Park. Reyes (L, 0-2) went 4.1 innings allowing four runs, three of which were earned. After his first two starts, he

COLUMBIA, SC – Despite Emmanuel Reyes’ career-best nine strikeouts for Columbia tonight, the Fireflies couldn’t emerge on top as they fell 6-2 to the GreenJackets Friday evening at SRP Park.

Reyes (L, 0-2) went 4.1 innings allowing four runs, three of which were earned. After his first two starts, he has 15 strikeouts in his first nine innings in a Fireflies uniform.

Columbia jumped on top in the first inning thanks to back-to-back doubles from Lizandro Rodriguez and Austin Charles to give the club a 1-0 lead. The club closed out their scoring in the seventh. Brett Squires singled to lead-off the inning. After he advanced on a wild pitch, Hayden Dunhurst laced a base knock to right to cut Augusta’s lead to 6-2.

The GreenJackets rallied in the fourth inning. Cade MaGee’s first hit in the Carolina League was a two-run homer that plated Drew Compton and gave the GreenJackets a 2-1 lead over Columbia. In the fifth inning, Nick Clarno hit a lead-off single and scored on a Jace Grady double. Grady later came around on a throwing error from third baseman Trevor Werner. At the end of the fifth, Augusta led 4-1.

Augusta closed out their scoring in the sixth. MaGee led the inning off with a double. After Cory Acton walked, the two executed a double steal, allowing EJ Exposito to hit a sacrifice fly to score MaGee and a Jair Casanova base knock to plate Acton, making Augusta’s lead 6-1.

Marcus Olivarez closed out the game with two hitless innings in relief, punching out a pair of batters to give Columbia’s bats a chance to rally.

The Fireflies kick-off a doubleheader with the Augusta GreenJackets tomorrow at SRP Park at 5:35 pm. LHP Oscar Rayo (3-0, 1.61 ERA) gets the ball in game one and southpaw Ryan Ramsey (1-0, 0.32 ERA) takes the hill in game two for the Fireflies. Meanwhile, Augusta counters with LHP Samuel Strickland (4-1, 3.26 ERA) in game one and RHP Hurston Waldrep (debut) in game two.

Columbia returns home for a 12-game homestand vs the Charleston RiverDogs and Myrtle Beach Pelicans August 8-20 at Segra Park. Join us for Nickelodeon’s PAW Patrol Night August 12, a Ben Kudrna Bobblehead night August 18 and Faith & Family Night August 19. Tickets are available at FirefliesTickets.com.