Top Storylines
- Augusta tapped the Uno Reverse card for Thursday’s game. After Columbia took a 9-0 lead through the first two innings Wednesday, the GreenJackets jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the first two innings Thursday.
- Moises Amezquita turned in one of his top outings of the season in his second appearance for Columbia. The southpaw spun 2.2 innings and struck out four Augusta GreenJackets. He now has seven strikeouts in 3.2 innings this week.
- Catcher Gabriel Silva is first position player to pitch in a game this season for Columbia. Silva worked 0.2 innings without allowing a run. Now has 2.2 scoreless innings across three innings in his career.
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Catcher Gabriel Silva closed out the game with his third-career scoreless outing on the mound as the Fireflies fell to the Augusta GreenJackets 15-3 Thursday night at SRP Park.
Silva recorded a pair of outs, allowed a single and walked a pair without surrendering a run. The backstop’s fastball reached up to 93 in his third appearance over the last two seasons.
Ivan Sosa was the main highlight for Columbia as he scored the first run off an error and drove in the final two runs with a double in the ninth inning.
The Play-by-Play
The GreenJackets came out in a flurry offensively. Eight batters hit in the first inning and five came around to score. Jose Gutierrez allowed two soft singles and walked a pair to get things started, but the big blow was a Cooper McMurray grand slam that capped off the five-run frame.
The home bats weren’t done burning there. Cody Miller added a two-run blast to plate Joe Olsavsky in the second inning to make it 7-0 in favor of Augusta. With another run in the fourth for the GreenJackets, Augusta held an 8-0 lead when Gutierrez left the game for Columbia. The righty’s final line was 3.1 innings, five hits, four walks and eight earned runs, six of which came off the two blasts in the first two innings.
Columbia got on the board in the top of the fifth frame. Ivan Sosa mashed a double to left-center to kick-off the top of the fifth inning. He then stole second and scored on a throwing error from catcher Nick Montgomery to cut Augusta’s lead to 8-1.
The Fireflies scored their final runs in the top of the ninth inning. Roni Cabrera reached on a fielding error before Connor Rasmussen drew a walk. Then Sosa clubbed a double to right-center to plate the pair and make it a 15-3 game.
The GreenJackets scored seven runs in the seventh and eighth frame. All of the runners were placed on the basepaths via a free pass.
On Deck
The Fireflies continue their series with the Augusta GreenJackets tomorrow night at SRP Park at 7:05 pm. LHP Darwin Rodriguez (5-5, 3.61 ERA) toes the rubber for Columbia and Augusta counters wtih RHP Brody Fowler (0-1, 9.64 ERA).
The Fireflies return home for a series with the Myrtle Beach Pelicans Tuesday, August 4 until Sunday, August 9. Head to Segra Park for Bluey at the Ballpark presented by Cassell Brothers Home Services with a live appearance from Bluey and Bingo Saturday, August 8 and Darlington NASCAR Night featuring $1.50 Budweisers and $1.50 hot dogs during the game. Buy tickets starting at just $6 at FirefliesTickets.com.