Top Storylines
- Sean Gamble RBI extends his RBI streak to seven-consecutive games. It’s tied with Joe Tuschak for the longest RBI streak in franchise history. Tuschak reached in seven-straight games from April 12-20, 2016.
- Josh Hammond finished 2-4 with a double to extend his hitting streak to 10-consecutive games. The streak began July 26 and Hammond is hitting .425 in 40 at-bats during the run.
- Michael Braswell had another good outing in Columbia. He spun 2.1 innings with three strikeouts without allowing a run.
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Sean Gamble extended his RBI streak to seven-consecutive games with a groundout in the bottom of the first inning to score Henry Ramos in a 10-1 loss to the Myrtle Beach Pelicans Sunday. It is tied for the longest RBI streak in Fireflies franchise history. Joe Tuschak had RBI in seven consecutive games from April 12-20, 2016.
Gamble isn’t the only Fireflies player who’s riding a streak. With Josh Hammond’s third inning double, the infielder now has a hit in 10-consecutive games. It’s the second-longest hitting streak for the Fireflies this season behind Brooks Bryan who hit in 11-straight games before being placed on the injured list.
While Columbia’s pitching staff had trouble with the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, Michael Braswell posted another strong outing for Columbia. He slowed the game down after Darwin Rodriguez allowed six earned runs in the start and spun 2.1 innings without allowing a run for his second scoreless outing of the series.
Play-by-Play
The Fireflies hopped on the scoreboard first in the bottom of the first inning. Henry Ramos reached on a fielding error from pitcher Anhaur Garcia. After that, Yandel Ricardo was hit by a pitch to move Ramos into scoring position and a wild pitch from Garcia put runners on second and third. Next, Sean Gamble dribbled a ball to second that allowed Ricardo to score and the Fireflies to take a 1-0 lead.
The next half inning, Myrtle Beach got their runs back. Corey Nunez walked to start the rally then came around on a Derik Alcantara triple to tie the game 1-1. Next, Fernando Cruz doubled to left center to plate Alcantara and give the Pelicans their first lead of the game 2-1.
Myrtle Beach’s big inning came in the fourth. Myrtle Beach got on the board thanks to a bases loaded walk to take a 3-1 lead and then Ethan Conrad had a back breaking two out double to clear the bases scoring Fernando Cruz, Jan Luis Reyes and Jose Silva to push the Pelicans to a 6-1 advantage and usher Darwin Rodriguez (L, 5-6) out of the game.
The Pelicans added on three runs on an eighth inning Conrad homer to take a 9-1 lead. Conrad finished the night 3-5 with a career-best six RBI. The final run came off Randy Ramnarace in the ninth inning.
Anhuar Garcia dazzled for the Pelicans. The righty spun four innings without allowing an earned run and tallied a career-best seven strikeouts before David Bracho, Jordan Henriquez and Sam Mettert finished out the game for Myrtle Beach.
On-Deck
Columbia heads to Wilson Tuesday to play their first series against the Warbirds. First pitch is set for 7:05 pm from Wilson Ballpark. Both teams have yet to name their starters for the series.
The Fireflies close out their homeslate with a 12-game homestand from August 18-30. The two week stretch is riddled with fun promotions like Synchronized Hippos Night Thursday, August 20, Faith & Family Night with a pre-game Sam Wesley Concert Saturday, August 22, Harry Potter Night with a Mason Wizard Bobblehead giveaway, Saturday, August 29 and Fan Appreciation Night Sunday, August 30. Don’t miss out on the last chance to catch the Fireflies at Segra Park this season. Tickets are available at FirefliesTickets.com.