Fireflies Smash Franchise-Record Five Homers, Drop to Asheville

ASHEVILLE, NC – Columbia mashed a franchise-record five homers on Sunday but fell to Asheville in an offensive slugfest, 11-10. The two teams combined for 21 runs and 20 hits in the finale at McCormick Field.

The Tourists won in walk-off fashion. With the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the ninth, Casey Golden was hit by a pitch, bringing in the winning run from third base.

Columbia (17-25, 51-58) had drilled four homers in a game just twice before in franchise history. The Fireflies had tallied four long balls by the seventh inning on Sunday. Jose Brizuela golfed the fifth over the right-field wall in the eighth inning. Brizuela and Matt Winaker both went yard twice and became the fourth and fifth Fireflies to notch a two-homer game this season (joining Dionis Paulino, Jeremy Vasquez and Quinn Brodey).

Winaker finished with three hits on Sunday and nine hits in the four-game series. The lefty went 9-for-18 at the dish in Asheville (22-20, 49-62) with three doubles, two homers and 6 RBI. Winaker’s on-base streak is now 17 games long.

Brizuela and Paulino both finished with a pair of hits in the game. Columbia was bested, though, by a Tourists offense that bounced back from deficits of 6-2, 8-3 and 10-7.

Tommy Doyle (W, 7-5) picked up the win for Asheville and Joshua Payne (L, 4-3) was handed the loss for Columbia.

The Fireflies are off on Monday but return to action against the Greenville Drive on Tuesday. That series opener begins at 7:05 ET at Spirit Communications Park. Right-hander Tony Dibrell (4-5, 3.16) is scheduled to throw on Tuesday against Greenville.

Fireflies Media Relations contributed to this post.