Columbia Fireflies fall in final game, 8-2
COLUMBIA, S.C. — The Fireflies fell 8-2 after surrendering a four-run ninth to the Lynchburg Hillcats in the deciding game of the Carolina League Championship Series. Columbia has been eliminated from playoff contention and the Hillcats are Carolina League Champions.
The Hillcats tallied five hits and two walks to score four runs in the ninth, punctuated by a two-run single from designated hitter Cannon Peebles. The run pushed the Fireflies from trailing 4-2 to 8-2 with only three outs in the game remaining.
The Lynchburg Hillcats broke things open in the top of the first inning. Kendry Chourio issued a lead-off walk to Juneiker Caceres and then Riley Nelson clobbered a ball to right field to put Lynchburg in front by a pair.
Lynchburg added to their lead in the third. Caceres started the game with a cue ball single down the third baseline before Dean Curley tripled him home. The next batter, Cannon Peebles, doubled to left-center to put the Hillcats up 4-0. After Chourio walked Aaron Walton, Columbia went to Kamden Edge and the Fireflies bullpen. Edge stranded the two inherited runners to give Chourio a final line of 3.1 innings of five-hit baseball with four earned runs and four strikeouts.
Edge ended up spinning 1.2 scoreless frames for Columbia to keep the Fireflies in the game before Dash Albus entered in the top of the fifth. Albus kept the bullpen moving in the right direction. He went 2.2 innings on 29 pitches, 25 of which were strikes. He only allowed two hits before turning things over to Bryson Dudley with the score still at 4-1.
Columbia chased Melkis Hernandez from the game after 3.1 innings. The lefty only allowed one run. It came across after Hyungchan Um drew a bases loaded walk in the fourth to score Jose Cerice to get The Fireflies on the board.
After Hernandez, Will McCausland (W, 2-0) settled things down again, stranding the bases loaded in the fourth with a pair of strikeouts before he blazed through 3.2 scoreless innings with seven strikeouts. Cam Schuelke (S, 2) worked the last two innings to close out the game.
Ramon Ramirez kicked off the eighth inning in style. The backstop scorched a homer over the homerun porch to left field to make it a 4-2 game. After that, Stone Russell drew a two out walk and Hyungchan Um laced a double to the right field corner to put the tying runner in scoring position. Cam Schuelke struck out Yandel Ricardo to end the frame and send it to the ninth.
