Late Offense Sparks 7-1 Win Over Mudcats

COLUMBIA, SC – The Columbia Fireflies bats ignited, scoring six runs in the final four innings to upend Carolina 7-1 Wednesday night at Five County Stadium.

Columbia took the lead in the top of the sixth inning. With two outs, Gavin Cross singled to right off Edwin Jimenez (L, 4-7). Next, Cayden Wallace sent a towering triple off the top of the 25’ center field wall at Five County Stadium to break the 1-1 tie. The inning didn’t stop there though, Guillermo Quintana doubled to give the Fireflies some insurance, taking a 3-1 lead to the bottom of the sixth.

Columbia added some insurance in the top of the eighth as Quintana drew a bases-loaded walk to put the visiting club on top 4-1. More runs came in the top of the ninth. Javier Vaz drove a double to the left field corner, plating Daniel Vazquez and Lizandro Rodriguez to put the Fireflies in front 6-1. A wild pitch would bring Vaz around to close out the scoring.

Frank Mozzicato (W, 2-6) ran into some trouble early, putting the go-ahead run at third twice in five innings, but he stood firm, spinning five frames, allowing a single earned run while punching out a career-high eight batters.

The pen remained phenomenal. Ben Sears went through a pair of one-hit innings before handing the ball to Luis Barroso (S, 9), who worked the eighth and ninth innings. The Columbia pitching staff has now allowed a single run in their last three games (0.33 ERA).

The Fireflies jumped out first. Carter Jensen laced a one-out double to right, then moved to third on a Gavin Cross strike out and subsequent wild pitch that allowed the outfielder to reach at first. Next, the two attempted a double steal where both runners reached their respective bases safely and Columbia took a 1-0 lead.

The lead didn’t last long. In the bottom of the second, Carolina countered. Following a Jesus Chirinos walk and Eduarqui Fernandez single, the Mudcats had the table set for Hedbert Perez, who smacked a double to center, scoring Chirinos and tying the game. After that, Frank Mozzicato fanned the side to escape the inning with the game still tied.

Columbia continues their series with the Carolina Mudcats tomorrow night at 7 pm at Five County Stadium. RHP Ben Kudrna (2-4, 3.38 ERA) takes the slab for Columbia and Carolina counters with RHP Jacob Misiorowski, who is making his Carolina League debut.

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.