Fireflies Finish First Half of Season with 7-4 Win Over Asheville
ASHEVILLE, NC (Fireflies) — The Fireflies climbed back from a three-run deficit on Father’s Day and scored the go-ahead runs in the ninth inning to notch a 7-4 win over the Asheville Tourists.
Ivan Wilson’s three-run home run with one out in the top of the ninth broke a 4-4 tie and helped Columbia end the first half of the season on a high note. The Fireflies finish with a 36-34 record heading into the all-star break.
Once down 4-1, the visitors rallied in the later innings and ventured into the ninth trailing by just a run. Jeff Diehl – who blasted a game-tying home run in the ninth inning on Saturday – rolled a ground ball off of reliever Brian Lawrence (L, 2-5) to the second baseman Scotty Burcham. Burcham bobbled and threw wide of the first base bag, enabling Diehl to reach second on the error. Two batters later, Milton Ramos singled, moving Diehl to third base and then Manager Jose Leger called for a pinch-hitter. J.C. Rodriguez knocked a base hit to right field that plated Diehl and tied the game at 4-4.
Wilson delivered the knockout blow moments later, launching his sixth long ball of the season over the 36-foot right-field wall at McCormick Field, clearing the bases. The three-run homer put the Fireflies up for good.
Wilson (3-for-10) and Diehl (6-for-14) proved to be the most valuable sluggers in the four-game series. The pair bashed three homers and plated eight total runs. Diehl also walked three times in the series and all of Wilson’s hits were extra-base hits against Asheville (34-35) pitchers.
Columbia hitters rocketed five home runs in the series and totaled 19 extra-base hits.
The visitors were on the board first. Dash Winningham socked one of those extra-base hits in the second, a double off of the right-field wall. He later scored when Tourists third baseman Chris Keck committed a throwing error.
Asheville responded with a four-run fourth inning. Outside of that frame, starter Tyler Badamo was superb. The righty had to pitch down three runs the next three frames, but never wavered after the fourth-inning hiccup. Badamo kept his team in the game as the Fireflies hitters mounted the comeback. That’s the fifth time this season Badamo lasted seven innings in a start.
Natanael Ramos tripled and scored in the fifth inning to cut the deficit back to two runs, and then Luis Ortega blasted his second home run of the series in the sixth to pull within one.
Tyler Bashlor (W, 2-1) picked up the win after a scoreless eighth inning and Alex Palsha (S, 11) recorded his 11th save of the year – in 11 opportunities – striking out a pair of batters in the ninth.
Columbia is off for the next three days during the all-star break. P.J. Conlon, Palsha, Vinny Siena and David Thompson will represent the Fireflies at the 57th annual South Atlantic League All-Star Game in Lexington, Kentucky, at Whitaker Bank Ballpark on Tuesday, June 21, at 7:05 p.m.
The Fireflies return to action to begin the second half of the year on June 23 at Spirit Communications Park. Columbia welcomes the Augusta GreenJackets for a four-game series beginning Thursday at 7:05 p.m.
