Columbia Blanks Red Sox in Finale

COLUMBIA, SC – The Fireflies pitching staff worked their first shutout of the 2022 season Sunday night in a 2-0 win over the Salem Red Sox at Segra Park.

The shutout was the Fireflies first shutout in a year and a day. Their last shutout came from Adrian Alcantara and A.J. Franklin, who blanked the Myrtle Beach Pelicans August 27, 2021. Today, it started with Luinder Avila (W, 6-9), who spun five scoreless frames while striking out three batters. Then Ben Wereski spun a pair of hitless innings from the pen before Ben Sears hauled through the eighth and Brandon Johnson (S, 1) earned his first professional save in his third appearance since throwing the final pitch in the College World Series.

The Fireflies scored both of their runs in the fourth inning on Juan Daniel Encarnacion (L, 10-5). Encarnacion had spun 16.1 consecutive scoreless innings against the Fireflies prior to throwing a wild pitch to Dayton Dooney that allowed Cayden Wallace to score from second. Next, Kyle Hayes doubled to plate David Hollie, giving the Fireflies a 2-0 lead that they held for the remainder of the contest.

Lizandro Rodriguez finished the game 0-4, snapping his 2022 Fireflies’-best 11-game hitting streak. Carter Jensen was able to keep his on-base streak rolling though. The designated hitter had three walks to reach safely in his 17th-consecutive game.

Columbia journeys to Five County Stadium for the first time to face the Carolina Mudcats in the penultimate series of the year Tuesday at 7 pm. RHP Jonatan Bernal (0-1, 3.70 ERA) gets the nod for Columbia. Carolina has yet to name their starters for the series.

The Fireflies return to Segra Park for their final homestand of the season September 6-11 to face the Charleston RiverDogs as they fight for their first playoff berth in franchise history. Join the Fireflies for the final fireworks show of the year, a t-shirt giveaway and Wands and Wizards night to close out the regular season! Tickets are available at FirefliesTickets.com.