Fireflies Fall to Intimidators, 5-4 (7)
By: Fireflies
COLUMBIA, SC (Fireflies) — The Fireflies endured their first rain-shortened game at Spirit Communications Park and fell to the Intimidators Sunday afternoon, 5-4. The rain delay lasted 35 minutes and the game was called after seven innings. In his Fireflies debut, outfielder Enmanuel Zabala scorched two doubles and scored a pair of runs.
Rain delay at #SpiritCommPark pic.twitter.com/bYwHe76mIp
— Columbia Fireflies (@ColaFireflies) May 1, 2016
The two teams traded runs during the game’s early stages. Columbia (13-11) got on the board first when David Thompson’s ground ball brought J.C. Rodriguez home. Kannapolis (10-14) knotted the score up at 1-1 in the third. Dante Flores grounded a single off the first-base bag that allowed Tyler Sullivan to score from second base.
The home team turned to the newest addition to its roster in the bottom of the third. Zabala stroked a double down the left-field line off of lefty Tanner Banks (W, 5-0). Fellow Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, native Rodriguez followed suit by ripping a two-bagger to right field that scored Zabala and gave the Fireflies a 2-1 advantage.
The Intimidators wasted no time to even the score again. In the top of the fourth, Daniel Gonzalez plated Brad Strong. It was the only earned run Columbia’s Joe Shaw allowed in his five innings of work.
With the game tied, 2-2, going into the sixth, Johnny Magliozzi (L, 1-1) replaced Shaw. After Magliozzi allowed consecutive hits to the visitors, the right-hander then let up a three-run home run to Micker Adolfo.
The Fireflies rallied for a run in the sixth and seventh innings to pull within one score. That included Dash Winningham driving in his 11th run of the season with a single.
The Fireflies close their series with the Intimidators on Monday night at Spirit Communications Park starting at 7:05 p.m. Right-hander Chase Ingram (2-1, 2.45) takes the hill for Columbia and faces Kannapolis lefty Johnathan Frebis (2-1, 4.22).
You can listen to the action on WGCV 620 AM, 105.1 and 96.3 FM, ColumbiaFireflies.com and the TuneIn Radio app starting at 7:00 p.m.
