Previewing the Kannapolis Intimidators

Aside from tonight's game (which could be hot), the other games this series look to be problematic weather-wise. Fortunately I was wrong earlier in the week and this is a four game series that ends Monday. Sunday is the worst day for weather, so hopefully Monday will be okay for a potential DH. If I get to any games this series it will be in the later portion as I will stick with college games earlier in the weekend. Attendance subsequently could be hurt by USC having a very important series this weekend against Florida.

Batters

Player	Position	PA	OPS	AVG	HR	RBI	Round Picked	Age	College	Home State/Country
Corey Zangari	1B	97	0.713	0.216	5	14	6	18		Oklahoma
Tyler Sullivan	OF	95	0.841	0.307	1	6	14	23	Pacific	California
Antonio Rodriguez	OF	87	0.526	0.235	0	4	IFA	20		Dominican Republic
Cody Daily	1B	81	0.751	0.273	0	8	NDFA	23	Southern Illinois	Illinois
Landon Lassiter	OF	73	0.896	0.365	0	9	21	22	North Carolina	North Carolina
Seby Zavala	C	68	0.662	0.25	0	6	12	22	San Diego State	California
Zach Fish	Utility	55	0.555	0.18	1	4	11	23	Oklahoma State	Michigan
Micker Adolfo	OF	50	0.465	0.204	0	2	IFA	19		Dominican Republic
Johan Cruz	SS	21	0.563	0.222	0	3	IFA	20		Dominican Republic
Casey Schroeder	C	17	0.602	0.077	1	1	8	22	Coastal Carolina	Ohio
Dante Flores	2B	13	0.795	0.222	0	3	18	23	Southern Cal	California
Cleuluis Rondon	SS	12	0	0	0	1	IFA	22		Venezuela
Daniel Gonzalez	C	4	0	0	0	0	IFA	20		Venezuela
Bradley Strong	SS	0	NA	NA	NA	NA	28	23	Western Carolina	Virginia

Unlike the Fireflies which have had remarkable roster continuity, Kannapolis has had a lot of guys move up and down from High A Winston-Salem. That might be a result of the distance between Kannapolis and Winston-Salem being significantly shorter than that between Columbia and Port St. Lucie. For the most part Kannapolis has decent hitting for average with little power, aside from recent high school pick Corey Zangari who is one of only two high school guys on the Intimidators. Zangari has excellent power as a DH most often but hasn't developed consistency hitting for contact. Casey Schroeder who played for Coastal would be a local player of note except he's injured right now. Bradley Strong who played in the SoCon with Western Carolina got called up just today to make his full-season debut. Kannapolis has two players on their roster from UNC for those who care about that school up there. My dad might find Cody Daily an interesting player of note with his Southern Illinois ties.

Pitchers

Player	IP	W	L	S	ERA	Round Picked	Age	College	Home State/Country
Tanner Banks	25.33	4	0	0	2.13	18	24	Salt Lake CC	Utah
Johnathan Frebis	21.33	2	1	0	4.22	33	23	Middle Tennessee State	Tennessee
Luis Martinez	20.67	0	3	0	4.35	IFA	21		Venezuela
Zach Thompson	17.33	0	2	0	6.23	5	22	UT Arlington	Texas
Ryan Riga	15.33	0	1	0	9.98	13	23	Ohio State	Ohio
Brannon Easterling	15	1	1	1	2.4	20	25	St. Edward's	Texas
Taylore Cherry	13	0	0	1	0.69	32	22	North Carolina	Ohio
Alex Katz	13	0	0	1	3.46	27	21	St. John's	New York
Drew Hasler	12.67	0	2	1	2.13	34	22	Valparaiso	Indiana
Matt Ball	10	0	1	1	7.2	11	21		California
Ryan Hinchley	9.67	1	0	0	7.45	9	23	Illinois-Chicago	Illinois
Jaider Rocha	9.67	0	2	0	0.93	IFA	22		Colombia
Yelmison Peralta	8.67	0	0	0	1.04	IFA	21		Dominican Republic

Not much to say about the pitchers, other than the it seems just like the batters that it's mostly college and Latin America guys. Most of the college players on Kannapolis weren't highly touted, which might explain why they are 8-13. The starters are all somewhat fair while the bullpen has some really good pitchers with some others not so good.

Game 21 Recap: Can't Let Up

Despite most weather forecasts calling for a 40 or 50 percent chance of storms this Thursday evening, it was mostly clear skies at Spirit Communications Park this evening. So I head to the ballpark and got a seat to the right of the tunnel that separates the Fireflies dugout from the home team stands.

While the Fireflies have been playing better, tonight's starting pitcher in Thomas McIlraith has not had a good trajectory. The former Oklahoma Sooner pitched most of a no-hitter in his first start, but then lost his second start and gave up 5 runs in just 3+ innings in his third start. He needed a better start this game.

After Tyler Moore threw out Samir Duenez to end the top of the 1st, the usual combination got the Fireflies' a run in the first. Vinny Siena tripled and scored on a David Thompson groundout. But then Chase Vallot, who also homered Tuesday, went deep against McIlraith to tie the game at 1-1. Seems that the same guys always go deep against the Fireflies dating back to Josh Ockimey's success for Greenville.

But Lexington starter Scott Blewett (perhaps a name only bettered by his teammate Amalani Fukofuka) was like a lot of Legend starters off. Tyler Moore drove in J.C. Rodriguez to give the Fireflies the lead again, and a Joe Tuschak triple in the third made it 4-1 Fireflies. Don't know where Spirit Communications Park ranks in triples per game, but it's got to be high. The Fireflies themselves though rank only tied for third in the SAL in triples.

But while McIlraith struck out a lot (9 in 6 innings) he was not unhittable like in Charleston. A passed ball by Moore set up a Ben Johnson double to score Samir Duenez and make it 4-2 in the 4th. And Duenez homered in the 6th to cut the lead to 4-3. McIlraith did get half of his outs by strikeout and slightly lowered his ERA as well. But he also fell behind a lot of hitters and allowed six hits (1 per inning), which is respectable but not that good either. It also meant that it would be up to the Fireflies' bullpen, which is always dangerous to rely on. By contrast, while Lexington has terrible starting rotation their bullpen is at least comparatively decent. After Blewett left after the 5th, Kyle Kubat came in and allowed only one baserunner in 4 innings pitched, which was when Thompson drilled a pitch off the railing separating the outfield wall and the berm in left center for a home run. Surprisingly that was just Thompson's first home run in 18 games and his first ever at Spirit Communications Park.

If there was one pitcher I felt okay coming in, it was Seth Davis. Davis is not who you would expect to be a big-time pitcher, being only 5-10 and having pitched for a D3 college in Illinois. But coming into this game Davis was 1-0 with a save and a 2.19 ERA, plus 12 strikeouts (nearly one per inning) to 5 walks. But Davis struggled to get out of trouble in the 7th, though he made a nice play to deny Jecksson Flores a bunt single and keep the Fireflies ahead. But that couldn't happen in the 8th against the middle of the order. Samir Duenez continued his big night with his second home run (Duenez went 4 for 5 with 3 runs and 2 RBIs, if not for getting caught stealing in the 1st it would probably be considered one of the best minor league single-game performances I've seen) to make it a one run game. That shook Davis' confidence, who walked Vallot and then made an error off a Fukofuka bunt trying to make a heroic fielding effort again. Ben Johnson then drove in Vallot, and after Davis was successful in turning a DP he then gave up a double to Cody Jones to put the Legends up 6-5.

Because of his error, Davis only had one earned run allowed so his ERA wasn't hurt too bad. But he gave up four hits and two walks in less than two full innings, and fielding is part of the game and it was his fielding that gave the Legends two runs (and perhaps saved a couple runs the previous inning). While Alex Palsha came in and did alright, Davis couldn't avoid the loss as Lexington won 6-5. I don't typically like the win/loss statistic for pitchers, but it seemed warranted this game as Davis did not do what he had to pitching or fielding to keep the Fireflies ahead.

But the loss wasn't all on Davis. It may have been partly on McIlraith, who let the Legends get closer before Davis first entered the game. It may have also been largely because of the Fireflies' hitters, who completely froze up especially on breaking balls in the second half of the game. Ivan Wilson got kicked out after complaining about past calls when he struck out swinging in the 6th (which was not acknowledged by the official scorer or PA announcer until Ramos batted in his place in the 9th). Sitting near the dugout, it seems that the Fireflies were playing frustrated and frequently slammed their helmets and/or bats into the cubby hole. Aside from Thompson and Siena, nobody has been that consistently solid at the plate for the Fireflies. The lesson may be from this game (and others I've seen this year, some including the Fireflies) is that you can't let up. If you get off to a good start, make sure it's a great start or your lead probably won't last as your pitching wears out. And that is what happened this game.

Here's the updated look at the all-time Firefly player standings. Starting to have some separation between the top four guys and everybody else, though Joe Shaw could get back in the mix with a good start Sunday.

Player	Position	TB	R	RBI	BB/HBP	SB	CS	0 for 1	SO	Outs	K	R	ER	H	BB/HBP	W	S	L	Score
P.J. Conlon	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	71	18	3	3	24	2	3	0	0	343
David Thompson	3B	40	19	25	10	1	0	52	18	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	338
Vinny Siena	2B	37	21	8	21	1	1	40	17	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	301
Chase Ingram	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	66	28	8	6	21	5	2	0	1	279
Joe Shaw	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	48	21	5	5	16	3	2	0	1	209
Seth Davis	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	42	12	6	4	11	9	1	1	1	169
Tyler Bashlor	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	27	12	2	2	5	6	0	2	0	168
Alex Palsha	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	32	19	6	5	7	6	1	1	1	159
Thomas McIlraith	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	60	18	12	10	17	11	1	0	1	151
Ivan Wilson	CF	29	11	7	7	2	2	49	21	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	147
Johnny Magliozzi	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	24	6	4	4	8	2	1	2	0	142
Dash Winningham	1B	24	9	10	9	0	0	50	7	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	135
J.C. Rodriguez	DH	20	8	9	7	3	0	51	12	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	122
Joe Tuschak	LF	25	6	11	4	0	1	43	12	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	119
Tucker Tharp	RF	19	8	5	2	2	1	29	13	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	110
Kevin Canelon	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	45	19	7	7	14	7	0	0	1	106
Jeff Diehl	DH	18	7	8	10	0	0	41	19	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	94
Tyler Badamo	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	53	10	10	10	23	3	1	0	1	86
Nicco Blank	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	16	4	1	1	2	2	0	0	0	66
Kevin Kaczmarski	RF	14	10	3	7	0	2	41	12	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	52
Christian Montgomery	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	27	12	9	6	8	7	0	0	0	50
Milton Ramos	SS	13	5	8	5	0	0	41	14	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	49
Craig Missigman	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	31	13	8	8	10	9	0	0	0	37
Vicente Lupo	LF	7	4	2	4	0	0	16	11	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	34
Tyler Moore	C	11	6	3	3	0	1	36	8	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	24
Jose Garcia	C	4	2	1	3	0	0	12	7	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	13
Natanael Ramos	C	4	1	1	2	0	0	10	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	13
Witt Haggard	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	2	3	3	3	3	0	0	2	-58

Game 20 Recap: Keeping It Going

For only the second time ever, Spirit Communications Park had a game but I wasn't there. One of my biggest sports-related hobbies is going to see stadiums I haven't seen before. That is why it was special for me that my 500th stadium visit happened to be at the first professional baseball game within 40 miles of my hometown in 12 years. But that's now been done, so I visited a college park not seen before in Division II Armstrong State. Ironically that meant going to the city that the Fireflies abandoned the year before. And as a result, I could not pair up the Armstrong game with a minor league game. But the opening of Spirit Communications Park and the birth of the Fireflies means that I will see Minor League Baseball more routinely, especially in the summer.

So it was up to the Fireflies to keep it going. And the Fireflies first got going by David Thompson driving in Vinny Siena, adding to both Thompson's impressive RBI total and Siena's impressive total in runs scored. P.J. Conlon, probably the best pitcher early on for the Fireflies, was pretty effective as well for the most part again. But the Legends did get some hits off him, and tied the game after Cody Jones tripled to start the 3rd. But while Conlon allowed 7 hits in 7 innings, he kept his control throughout and struck out 7 as well to avoid anymore trouble.

While Emilio Ogando has been Lexington's most effective starter this season, he could not handle Siena and Thompson who again teamed up for a run to give the Fireflies a 2-1 lead in the 6th. Thompson would then score after two bad plays by Legends catcher Chase Vallot to make it 3-1. The Fireflies then got to the easy part of the game when they touched up Julio Pinto for 4 runs in two innings, which meant an uncharacteristically shaky Tyler Bashlor and Johnny Magliozzi had no problem closing out a 7-2 win.

The only negative to comment on is that the crowd was just 2,033. I know that I wasn't there, in part because it's not summer yet and there is still college baseball going (the Gamecocks weren't playing though like they will be this weekend). There have been a number of low attendances throughout the SAL as well. But it seems like the Fireflies will struggle in their first season to finish in the top half of the SAL in attendance which is not good. My concern is that some of the public (especially those in the suburbs) does not like Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin and feels that his project with the Bull Street Property has been wasteful. But the Fireflies are something this area desperately needs in the summer when USC isn't going. Hopefully things will pan out once that is realized in the summer by more in the Midlands.

So here's the updated all-time player standings. It's looking clear that Siena and Thompson are the two big bats on this team with P.J. Conlon and Chase Ingram being the big arms on this team.

Player	Position	TB	R	RBI	BB/HBP	SB	CS	0 for 1	SO	Outs	K	R	ER	H	BB/HBP	W	S	L	Score
P.J. Conlon	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	71	18	3	3	24	2	3	0	0	343
David Thompson	3B	36	18	23	10	1	0	49	18	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	309
Vinny Siena	2B	32	20	8	21	1	0	38	16	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	281
Chase Ingram	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	66	28	8	6	21	5	2	0	1	279
Joe Shaw	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	48	21	5	5	16	3	2	0	1	209
Seth Davis	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	37	12	3	3	7	7	1	1	0	195
Tyler Bashlor	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	27	12	2	2	5	6	0	2	0	168
Ivan Wilson	CF	29	11	7	6	2	2	47	19	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	150
Johnny Magliozzi	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	24	6	4	4	8	2	1	2	0	142
Alex Palsha	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	28	18	6	5	6	6	1	1	1	141
Dash Winningham	1B	24	8	10	8	0	0	47	7	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	133
Tucker Tharp	RF	19	8	5	1	2	1	27	13	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	111
Kevin Canelon	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	45	19	7	7	14	7	0	0	1	106
J.C. Rodriguez	DH	17	6	9	7	3	0	49	12	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	101
Joe Tuschak	LF	22	6	9	4	0	1	40	11	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	101
Jeff Diehl	DH	18	7	8	10	0	0	39	18	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	99
Thomas McIlraith	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	42	9	9	8	11	10	1	0	1	87
Tyler Badamo	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	53	10	10	10	23	3	1	0	1	86
Nicco Blank	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	16	4	1	1	2	2	0	0	0	66
Kevin Kaczmarski	RF	14	10	3	7	0	2	41	12	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	52
Milton Ramos	SS	13	5	8	5	0	0	40	14	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	51
Christian Montgomery	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	27	12	9	6	8	7	0	0	0	50
Vicente Lupo	LF	7	4	2	4	0	0	12	8	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	45
Craig Missigman	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	31	13	8	8	10	9	0	0	0	37
Jose Garcia	C	4	2	1	3	0	0	12	7	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	13
Natanael Ramos	C	4	1	1	2	0	0	10	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	13
Tyler Moore	C	8	6	2	3	0	1	34	8	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	8
Witt Haggard	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	2	3	3	3	3	0	0	2	-58

I'll be at tonight's game, unless the weather is threatening. Shame that the two worst days for weather this week are on series finale days, which would be harder to make up (at least at home).

Game 19 Recap: Getting Better With Time

The Fireflies after a rough start (sans a sweep in Rome) have started to improve as of late, particularly in hitting the ball harder. After their first scheduled day off, it was time to come home for the second homestand. This time the Fireflies would play an unfamiliar opponent in the Lexington Legends. It was a battle of two SEC cities in MiLB, plus the Class A affiliates of last year's World Series teams.

I came out to this game, which I probably won't do all the time now until college season ends. I drove straight to the stadium rather than eating at a restaurant due to Altec utility workers deciding they had to close US-378 over US-601 for some reason. Also, it took about five minutes to buy a single ticket with nobody in front of me for some reason as well. Other than that, things went fine.

As I said yesterday during the series preview, the Lexington Legends have a very young team, relying on either high schoolers or marginal college prospects. They looked early like they might have a shot against Chase Ingram, who was struggling with his control early. But Ingram mostly worked his way out and avoided trouble. After 2015 first round pick Nolan Watson got the first four Fireflies out, the Fireflies had no trouble beating him up. A two out HR by J.C. Rodriguez in the 2nd set the stage for more Firefly power the following inning as Ivan Wilson and Tucker Tharp started up the 3rd with home runs as well. By 10 batters into the 2nd homestand the Fireflies had more homers than in the first homestand! Vinny Siena followed by getting on base as he has every game, this time with a hit-by-pitch. From there sloppiness took over Watson and the Legends and the Fireflies led 6-0 after 3 and continued to pull away from there. The Legends tried to bring Watson back out for the 4th, but the 19 year old may have been rushed into Class A too quickly. By comparison, no Mets' high school picks from last year have made it to Columbia yet. Everything that could go the Fireflies' way did, and they ended up with 13 runs on the game!

That allowed Chase Ingram to concentrate on making good pitches, and he mostly did aside from a HR in the 4th and some wildness that led to a run in his last inning in the 6th. The lack of pressure also allowed Christian Montgomery and Alex Palsha to get their ERAs back under control. Overall, it was a good 13-2 win for the Fireflies. Experience does not always make for better prospects, but it helped the Fireflies this night as they get better.

Below are the player standings again. Ingram is once again the top Firefly, but Thompson (who drove in or scored 5 runs this game), Conlon, and Siena all have the potential with a good game tonight to pass him again.

Player	Position	TB	R	RBI	BB/HBP	SB	CS	0 for 1	SO	Outs	K	R	ER	H	BB/HBP	W	S	L	Score
Chase Ingram	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	66	28	8	6	21	5	2	0	1	279
David Thompson	3B	33	17	21	9	0	0	48	17	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	269
Vinny Siena	2B	28	18	8	19	1	0	38	16	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	245
P.J. Conlon	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	50	11	2	2	17	2	2	0	0	232
Joe Shaw	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	48	21	5	5	16	3	2	0	1	209
Seth Davis	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	37	12	3	3	7	7	1	1	0	195
Tyler Bashlor	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	24	10	1	1	4	5	0	2	0	165
Ivan Wilson	CF	28	11	7	6	2	2	44	18	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	152
Alex Palsha	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	28	18	6	5	6	6	1	1	1	141
Johnny Magliozzi	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	21	6	4	4	8	1	1	2	0	130
Dash Winningham	1B	23	8	8	8	0	0	44	6	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	125
Jeff Diehl	DH	18	7	8	10	0	0	35	16	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	109
Kevin Canelon	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	45	19	7	7	14	7	0	0	1	106
Tucker Tharp	RF	18	7	4	1	2	1	23	11	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	106
Joe Tuschak	LF	22	6	9	4	0	1	40	11	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	101
Thomas McIlraith	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	42	9	9	8	11	10	1	0	1	87
Tyler Badamo	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	53	10	10	10	23	3	1	0	1	86
J.C. Rodriguez	DH	16	5	9	7	2	0	48	12	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	83
Nicco Blank	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	16	4	1	1	2	2	0	0	0	66
Milton Ramos	SS	13	5	8	5	0	0	38	13	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	56
Kevin Kaczmarski	RF	14	10	3	7	0	2	41	12	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	52
Christian Montgomery	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	27	12	9	6	8	7	0	0	0	50
Craig Missigman	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	31	13	8	8	10	9	0	0	0	37
Vicente Lupo	LF	5	3	2	2	0	0	11	8	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	26
Natanael Ramos	C	4	1	1	2	0	0	10	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	13
Tyler Moore	C	8	6	2	3	0	1	34	8	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	8
Jose Garcia	C	3	1	1	2	0	0	10	6	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	5
Witt Haggard	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	2	3	3	3	3	0	0	2	-58

Previewing the Lexington Legends

Finally the Fireflies play somebody not the Charleston RiverDogs or Greenville Drive as the Fireflies open their first ever not-first homestand! Here's a look at the Lexington Legends, from the Lexington in Kentucky that also has a SEC school and not the Lexington 20 miles west of Columbia where the Blowfish got shipped off to.

Hitters

Player	Position	PA	OPS	AVG	HR	RBI	Round Picked	Age	College	Home State/Country
D.J. Burt	2B	78	0.682	0.227	1	12	4	20		North Carolina
Samir Duenez	1B	72	0.747	0.277	1	13	IFA	19		Venezuela
Amalani Fukofuka	OF	72	0.663	0.269	1	8	5	20		California
Chase Vallot	C	67	0.931	0.283	3	9	1s	19		Louisiana
Marten Gasparini	SS	64	0.608	0.164	2	8	IFA	18		Italy
Cody Jones	OF	63	0.793	0.296	1	6	6	22	TCU	Texas
Ben Johnson	OF	55	0.753	0.234	1	11	11	21	Texas	Texas
Anderson Miller	OF	48	0.661	0.22	0	4	3	21	Western Kentucky	Kentucky
Mike Hill	3B	45	0.335	0.081	0	0	22	25	Long Beach State	California
Jecksson Flores	SS	39	0.722	0.27	0	4	IFA	22		Venezuela
Xavier Fernandez	C	33	0.751	0.222	1	3	11	20		Puerto Rico
Joshua Banuelos	1B	19	1.007	0.333	1	2	28	24	Fresno Pacific	California
Brandon Dulin	1B	12	1.235	0.364	1	4	12	23	Longview CC	Missouri
Tanner Stanley	OF	3	1	0.5	0	0	36	22	Richmond	Florida

An interesting very young lineup for the Legends, with a hometown guy in Anderson Miller (who likely won't play due to injury) stretching out to a rare European player in Italian Marten Gasparini. The Legends generally don't have reliable contact hitters like Thompson or Siena, but their lineup is generally deeper with more power up and down the lineup than the Fireflies have. Sadly the Legends however lack a player of local interest for Columbia fans.

Pitchers

Player	IP	W	L	S	ERA	Round Picked	Age	College	Home State/Country
Foster Griffin	22	1	2	0	3.27	1	20		Florida
Scott Blewett	17.67	1	2	0	5.6	2	20		New York
Yunior Marte	17.67	2	0	0	5.09	IFA	21		Dominican Republic
Corey Ray	16	0	1	0	6.75	5	23	Texas A&M	Texas
Emilio Ogando	14	2	0	0	2.57	12	22	St. Thomas	Florida
Nolan Watson	10.67	0	1	0	10.97	1	19		Indiana
Franco Terrero	10	0	0	0	6.3	IFA	20		Dominican Republic
Julio Pinto	9	0	2	0	13	IFA	20		Venezuela
Kyle Kubat	8.33	0	1	0	2.16	NDFA	23	Nebraska	Nebraska
Niklas Stephenson	8	1	0	1	6.75	NDFA	22		California
Torey Deshazier	7.67	0	1	0	5.87	NDFA	22	Arkansas Baptist	Arkansas
Jake Newberry	7.33	0	0	0	0	37	21		California
Jacob Bodner	5.33	1	0	3	0	27	23	Xavier	Kentucky

Again no notable players of local interest, unless you count Corey Ray who pitched in the SEC with Texas A&M. The Legends starter tonight will be Nolan Watson, who I saw make his professional debut in Burlington last year. Unlike most teams particularly the Fireflies, the Legends seem to have a better bullpen than a rotation. The Legends seem to be a very young team, as I guessed the Royals decided to draft high school guys now that the major league team is finally getting all the help they need at the top.

Game 18 Recap: Back to Earth

Often in unlikely fashion, the Fireflies recent results pushed their record up to 10-7 going into Sunday's series finale with 4 wins in a row (and 5 of the last 6). Could the Fireflies somehow keep that going?

Once again, the Fireflies got off to a bad start. Joe Shaw, perhaps the best starter through 2 rounds of the rotation, did not have a good day. Shaw and the Fireflies fell behind 3-0 after 2 innings, as Greenville both hit Shaw early with Shaw hitting batters as well. Milton Ramos and Tucker Tharp were able to produce a run in the third, But the Fireflies otherwise did not hit Logan Boyd much. Most importantly the Drive had no sloppiness, and the Fireflies were given nothing for free. As a result the Fireflies struggled just as much with Jake Cosart and Bobby Poyner, and the Fireflies lost 5-1.

There were still a few good performances to report, such as Vinny Siena going 2 for 4 to boost his batting average to .368 and his OBP to .487. The pitchers all did okay, but definitely not good enough to win. Craig Missigman struck out 5 of 13 batters faced, but also let 5 runners on as well as his ERA slipped to 6.97. Nicco Blank finished the game strong, but he still hasn't faced a really high leverage situation yet out of the bullpen.

Now here's the All-Time Firefly player standings, up-to-date and through three rounds of the rotation so know pitcher is favored through extra pitching time:

Player	Position	TB	R	RBI	BB/HBP	SB	CS	0 for 1	SO	Outs	K	R	ER	H	BB/HBP	W	S	L	Score
David Thompson	3B	30	15	18	9	0	0	45	16	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	236
P.J. Conlon	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	50	11	2	2	17	2	2	0	0	232
Vinny Siena	2B	28	16	8	16	1	0	36	14	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	232
Joe Shaw	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	48	21	5	5	16	3	2	0	1	209
Seth Davis	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	37	12	3	3	7	7	1	1	0	195
Chase Ingram	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	48	20	6	5	17	3	1	0	1	171
Tyler Bashlor	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	24	10	1	1	4	5	0	2	0	165
Johnny Magliozzi	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	21	6	4	4	8	1	1	2	0	130
Alex Palsha	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	25	15	6	5	6	6	1	1	1	117
Dash Winningham	1B	22	7	8	6	0	0	42	6	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	113
Kevin Canelon	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	45	19	7	7	14	7	0	0	1	106
Ivan Wilson	CF	23	9	6	6	1	2	43	18	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	104
Jeff Diehl	DH	17	6	7	10	0	0	31	14	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	104
Joe Tuschak	LF	21	5	8	4	0	1	36	11	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	94
Thomas McIlraith	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	42	9	9	8	11	10	1	0	1	87
Tyler Badamo	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	53	10	10	10	23	3	1	0	1	86
Nicco Blank	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	16	4	1	1	2	2	0	0	0	66
Tucker Tharp	RF	13	5	3	1	1	1	20	9	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	64
Milton Ramos	SS	13	5	8	5	0	0	38	13	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	56
J.C. Rodriguez	DH	12	4	7	6	2	0	45	10	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	53
Kevin Kaczmarski	RF	14	10	3	7	0	2	41	12	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	52
Craig Missigman	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	31	13	8	8	10	9	0	0	0	37
Christian Montgomery	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	21	10	9	6	6	7	0	0	0	24
Tyler Moore	C	8	6	2	3	0	1	29	7	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	19
Vicente Lupo	LF	4	2	2	2	0	0	11	8	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	16
Natanael Ramos	C	4	1	1	2	0	0	10	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	13
Jose Garcia	C	3	1	1	2	0	0	10	6	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	5
Witt Haggard	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	2	3	3	3	3	0	0	2	-58

Game 17 Recap: Outlast and Survive

The Fireflies have had their share of ups and downs so far, particularly as it comes down to how they finish. In this series at Greenville, the Fireflies seemed to always start poorly, but finished strong.

That was the case here, as Tyler Badamo despite his strength being control seemed to lose it early and let Greenville go up 2-0 after 1. Badamo settled down and worked well, and will need to continue to get better to make it to Port St. Lucie.

That would remain the score until Vicente Lupo showed that he still has it coming off an injury by doubling in a run to make it 2-1 Drive in the 4th. But it wasn't until much later that the Fireflies really got it going.

Badamo somehow lasted until the 7th, as the teams exchanged runs to make it 3-2 Greenville late. Seth Davis held things down like he normally does to set the stage for the 9th, where the Fireflies blasted Kuehl McEachern. Like on Thursday, the Fireflies entered the top of the 9th down 1 and left up 5. The big hit was a home run by Diehl, now the all-time leader in Fireflies home runs with 2. But it was Tucker Tharp's two out RBI single before that put the Fireflies ahead. Tharp and Diehl are both older players who needed games like this to keep their careers going. And ultimately that gave Columbia a 7-3 win and a series victory.

And now the updated player standings:

Player	Position	TB	R	RBI	BB/HBP	SB	CS	0 for 1	SO	Outs	K	R	ER	H	BB/HBP	W	S	L	Score
David Thompson	3B	29	15	18	9	0	0	42	16	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	237
P.J. Conlon	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	50	11	2	2	17	2	2	0	0	232
Vinny Siena	2B	26	16	8	16	1	0	34	12	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	228
Joe Shaw	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	36	16	2	2	9	0	2	0	0	223
Seth Davis	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	37	12	3	3	7	7	1	1	0	195
Chase Ingram	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	48	20	6	5	17	3	1	0	1	171
Tyler Bashlor	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	24	10	1	1	4	5	0	2	0	165
Johnny Magliozzi	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	21	6	4	4	8	1	1	2	0	130
Alex Palsha	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	25	15	6	5	6	6	1	1	1	117
Dash Winningham	1B	22	7	8	6	0	0	42	6	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	113
Jeff Diehl	DH	16	6	7	10	0	0	28	13	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	106
Kevin Canelon	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	45	19	7	7	14	7	0	0	1	106
Ivan Wilson	CF	23	9	6	6	1	2	43	18	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	104
Joe Tuschak	LF	21	5	8	4	0	1	32	9	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	104
Thomas McIlraith	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	42	9	9	8	11	10	1	0	1	87
Tyler Badamo	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	53	10	10	10	23	3	1	0	1	86
Tucker Tharp	RF	12	5	2	1	1	0	17	8	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	66
J.C. Rodriguez	DH	11	4	7	6	2	0	43	10	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	52
Kevin Kaczmarski	RF	14	10	3	7	0	2	41	12	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	52
Milton Ramos	SS	11	4	8	5	0	0	36	12	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	46
Nicco Blank	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	12	1	1	1	1	1	0	0	0	45
Vicente Lupo	LF	4	2	2	2	0	0	8	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	25
Christian Montgomery	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	21	10	9	6	6	7	0	0	0	24
Craig Missigman	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	23	8	6	6	7	7	0	0	0	23
Natanael Ramos	C	4	1	1	2	0	0	7	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	20
Tyler Moore	C	8	6	2	3	0	1	29	7	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	19
Jose Garcia	C	3	1	1	2	0	0	10	6	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	5
Witt Haggard	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	2	3	3	3	3	0	0	2	-58

Game 16 Recap: Pulling Through

I did not go to this game, or any game for that matter on this Friday evening. For much of the day, it looked like few games in the state would be played. But this game would be played. And for most of the game, it looked like the Fireflies would lose. But as was the case the night before, the Fireflies would be able to pull through late when it was needed.

In the first half of the game, the Fireflies were dominated. Kevin Canelon so far hasn't been one of the better starters so far for the Fireflies, and fell behind 2-0 on a home run yet again to Josh Ockimey. But Canelon wasn't to blame for the Fireflies being down 2-0 after 5, it was the offense. The only hit the first five innings for the Fireflies was in the first inning by Vinny Siena, who then got thrown out at second by forgetting it's hard to double to left in Greenville. Fluor Field at the West End is modeled after Fenway Park, which has the Green Monster in left ready to bounce back shots to left back to the left fielder. Jeff Diehl made the same mistake the night before. In Siena's case, I;m only guessing since I didn't see the play itself. But after that the Fireflies only managed reaching on an error in the 5th before finally getting to Greenville starter Marc Brakeman in the 6th.

As pitchers often do when tired, Brakeman started the 6th with a walk to the struggling Milton Ramos. Brakeman got the next two out (the second in which appeared to be a botched pop-up turned fielders' choice based on the play-by-play) before issuing another walk, this time to Siena. Joe Tuschak singled but not deep enough for a run, and Dioscar Romero relieved Brakeman with the bases loaded. Legendary Firefly David Thompson would add to his SAL leading RBI total by doubling in two runs to tie at 2-2.

Jeff Diehl would lead off the 7th with a home run, making him the 5th Firefly to do so and putting Columbia ahead 3-2 at the stretch. Magliozzi relieved Canelon and did not fare well initially, as hits to Kyri Washington and Joseph Monge made it tied again at 3-3 after 7. Magliozzi then gave up a leadoff double in the 8th as well. But after getting a flyout, the Fireflies made a smart move you don't see much in the minors as Ockimey was walked, taking away his bat and setting up a DP to get the Fireflies out of trouble.

After Winningham led off the 9th with a single, Dash was replaced by someone who could dash in outfielder Vicente Lupo, who is off the DL after Kevin Kaczmarski apparently got hurt the night before (funny how so far when a Firefly lands on the DL somebody is ready to come off it), Like the night before, Diehl walked, and then Greenville threw the ball away the second straight night on a bunt to allow the go-ahead run in the 9th to score. I hope that doesn't make the Firefly coaches overconfident in bunting, but the Drive couldn't handle it this series. Milton Ramos then capped the scoring by coming through with a RBI single, and Tyler Bashlor came in to continue a major resurrection of his career by getting the save as the Fireflies won 5-3.

Overall, baseball is about coming through when needed and being fundamentally sound. After not doing that the first weekend in Charleston, this team seems to be learning better. Now here is the updated player standings:

Player	Position	TB	R	RBI	BB/HBP	SB	CS	0 for 1	SO	Outs	K	R	ER	H	BB/HBP	W	S	L	Score
David Thompson	3B	29	15	18	8	0	0	38	13	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	245
P.J. Conlon	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	50	11	2	2	17	2	2	0	0	232
Joe Shaw	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	36	16	2	2	9	0	2	0	0	223
Vinny Siena	2B	24	15	6	16	0	0	32	12	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	197
Chase Ingram	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	48	20	6	5	17	3	1	0	1	171
Tyler Bashlor	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	24	10	1	1	4	5	0	2	0	165
Johnny Magliozzi	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	21	6	4	4	8	1	1	2	0	130
Seth Davis	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	30	10	3	3	7	6	0	1	0	127
Alex Palsha	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	25	15	6	5	6	6	1	1	1	117
Dash Winningham	1B	20	7	8	6	0	0	40	6	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	107
Kevin Canelon	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	45	19	7	7	14	7	0	0	1	106
Joe Tuschak	LF	21	5	8	4	0	1	32	9	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	104
Thomas McIlraith	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	42	9	9	8	11	10	1	0	1	87
Ivan Wilson	CF	20	7	6	6	1	2	41	18	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	83
J.C. Rodriguez	DH	11	4	7	6	2	0	38	8	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	64
Jeff Diehl	DH	12	4	4	7	0	0	27	12	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	55
Kevin Kaczmarski	RF	14	10	3	7	0	2	41	12	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	52
Nicco Blank	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	12	1	1	1	1	1	0	0	0	45
Tyler Badamo	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	33	5	7	7	16	0	1	0	1	45
Tucker Tharp	RF	11	4	1	1	0	0	17	8	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	41
Milton Ramos	SS	10	3	8	4	0	0	34	12	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	37
Tyler Moore	C	8	6	2	3	0	1	24	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	31
Christian Montgomery	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	21	10	9	6	6	7	0	0	0	24
Craig Missigman	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	23	8	6	6	7	7	0	0	0	23
Natanael Ramos	C	4	1	1	2	0	0	7	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	20
Vicente Lupo	LF	2	2	1	1	0	0	6	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	12
Jose Garcia	C	3	1	1	2	0	0	10	6	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	5
Witt Haggard	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	2	3	3	3	3	0	0	2	-58

Game 15 Recap: Fight Back

For the first time since Opening Night in Charleston, I made my way to see the Fireflies play as the visiting team by taking the drive to Greenville. I made the drive, could the Fireflies take the Drive?

The Greenville Drive get better attendance than the Fireflies. But that's largely because they have a season ticket base that the Fireflies haven't seem to gone after yet. There would be a good crowd for Thirsty Thursday, but mostly in the 500 Club down the RF line. I saw a couple Fireflies shirts there, and one family completely decked out in Mets attire that was also there to see the Fireflies, but more interested in their parent organization. The national anthem singers were a choir from Pelion High School in southern Lexington County, who agitated some of the home fans by cheering for their home metro area.

Both teams went down quickly in the first. That would not set the tone for the game however. In the top of the 2nd, David Thompson and Dash Winningham got started with hits followed by Jeff Diehl and Tyler Moore bringing them around for a 2-0 lead. That lead would not last at all as Josh Ockimey led the bottom half off with a home runs (considering he hit two home runs including the stadium's first last weekend, why were they not pitching more carefully?) and a throwing error by Milton Ramos who has been shaky of late tied it at 2-2 after 2. Then the Fireflies scored two more runs in the 3rd, capped by a David Thompson RBI (also surprised that the Drive gave Thompson anything to hit with a runner on third and first base open).But despite the Drive being unhappy with Joseph Monge being called out on attempting to advance on a potential wild pitch, Thomas McIlraith's lack of command led to Ockimey taking advantage with a RBI single. But again in the 3rd it was two more Firefly runs, this time on a home run by Ivan Wilson! Wilson is now tied for the all-time franchise lead in home runs with Thompson, Joe Tuschak, and J.C. Rodriguez with..... one. Unfortunately the Drive took advantage of McIlraith with yet another home run, this time by the Longwood Lancer Kyri Washington to make it 6-6 in the bottom of the 4th. McIlraith could not work himself out and Christian Montgomery had to take over.

The good news for the Fireflies? The Drive could not afford as much to take out struggling pitchers. Greenville the day before lost in 17 innings at Hickory where five different pitchers threw at least three innings. Greenville starter Daniel Gonzalez went five innings, even after the Fireflies retook the lead at 8-6 in the 5th off another double by a red hot Winningham. Montgomery stayed in and was showing the potential he had when he was picked by the Mets out of high school, throwing more strikes than usual with a good fastball. But the Fireflies couldn't hit reliever Austin Glorius initially as well as Gonzalez, and had to rely on Montgomery who overall hasn't been doing well. The bottom of the 7th inning started badly when Vinny Siena botched a routine ground ball. Montgomery then lost his confidence and got behind the next couple hitters, allowing a walk and single. And despite his recent hitting surge, Winningham couldn't keep it going in the field and threw a potential double play ball off the helmet of Ockimey and into left center allowing the Drive to tie it at 8-8. A Montgomery wild pitch gave Greenville a 9-8 lead, and after Montgomery came back to strikeout Luis Alexander Basabe, he was taken out for Alex Palsha. Palsha struck the next two out to get out of trouble, but the trouble had caused the Fireflies to fall behind with two innings left.

Glorius was able to keep it going through the 8th, while Palsha kept it a one run game going to the 9th. But the Fireflies had to score, and led off with Wilson who has been at times a liability at the plate. But he was on tonight and led off with a double to make it interesting. Tucker Tharp laid down a situational bunt, rare in the minors somewhat due to the games not counting as much as what individual players do. And Glorius gloriously threw the ball away, and Tharp made it to second with the game tied 9-9! (Note: this was scored officially as a hit and an error while in my scorebook I gave Tharp a SH rather than a single) Vinny Siena kept it going with a double to give the Fireflies the lead again and six total bases in five at-bats on the game. Joe Tuschak singled, bringing up Thompson with a chance to add to the lead. And Thompson delievered with a single, and Tuschak scored as well when Basabe threw the ball into the Firefly dugout trying to get Tuschak out at third. Then, and only then, was Glorius relieved in favor of Jake Cosart. We can thank the Hickory Crawdads for this win, as the Drive were hesitant to take out both Gonzalez and Glorius when they should have due to most of the bullpen being unavailable for this game.

The scoring was capped when Winningham got another RBI by driving in Thompson. The Fireflies took a 13-9 lead to the bottom of the 9th, which wasn't truly safe as Palsha already had one meltdown on the road in Charleston and the Drive were coming up with their big prospect trio in Michael Chavis, Ockimey, and Basabe. But aside from a walk to Ockimey, Palsha was able to get through and Siena redeemed his previous big error by making a nice play to get Basabe out to end the game. These Fireflies fought back well through a great team hitting effort. Siena, Thompson, Winningham, and Wilson combined for 14 hits and 23 total bases, an incredible total from a four man group. This team has times where they are a phenomenal and other times where they look substandard compared to college ball. The Fireflies are perhaps a classic minor league team.

So here is a look at the updated standings all-time of Firefly players, with lots of hitters adding to their totals:

Player	Position	TB	R	RBI	BB/HBP	SB	CS	0 for 1	SO	Outs	K	R	ER	H	BB/HBP	W	S	L	Score
P.J. Conlon	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	50	11	2	2	17	2	2	0	0	232
David Thompson	3B	27	15	16	8	0	0	35	13	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	231
Joe Shaw	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	36	16	2	2	9	0	2	0	0	223
Vinny Siena	2B	23	14	6	15	0	0	30	11	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	189
Chase Ingram	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	48	20	6	5	17	3	1	0	1	171
Seth Davis	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	30	10	3	3	7	6	0	1	0	127
Tyler Bashlor	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	21	8	1	1	3	5	0	1	0	119
Alex Palsha	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	25	15	6	5	6	6	1	1	1	117
Dash Winningham	1B	19	7	8	6	0	0	37	6	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	108
Joe Tuschak	LF	20	5	8	4	0	1	29	9	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	105
Johnny Magliozzi	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	15	5	3	3	4	0	0	2	0	100
Ivan Wilson	CF	20	7	6	6	1	2	37	17	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	92
Thomas McIlraith	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	42	9	9	8	11	10	1	0	1	87
J.C. Rodriguez	DH	11	4	7	6	2	0	38	8	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	64
Kevin Kaczmarski	RF	14	10	3	7	0	2	41	12	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	52
Nicco Blank	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	12	1	1	1	1	1	0	0	0	45
Tyler Badamo	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	33	5	7	7	16	0	1	0	1	45
Kevin Canelon	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	27	13	5	5	10	6	0	0	1	41
Tucker Tharp	RF	9	3	1	1	0	0	13	7	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	35
Tyler Moore	C	8	6	2	3	0	1	24	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	31
Milton Ramos	SS	9	3	7	3	0	0	32	11	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	29
Natanael Ramos	C	4	1	1	2	0	0	4	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	26
Christian Montgomery	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	21	10	9	6	6	7	0	0	0	24
Craig Missigman	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	23	8	6	6	7	7	0	0	0	23
Jeff Diehl	DH	8	2	3	6	0	0	25	12	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	21
Vicente Lupo	LF	2	1	1	1	0	0	6	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	7
Jose Garcia	C	3	1	1	2	0	0	10	6	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	5
Witt Haggard	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	2	3	3	3	3	0	0	2	-58

Game 14 Recap: A Good Morning

The last game of the first ever Fireflies' homestand was to be a 11:05 AM start at Spirit Communications Park. Why would a professional baseball team agree to such an early start? Maybe the visitors had to travel a long way. But the RiverDogs were only going back home to Charleston, just barely over 100 miles down I-26. Of course, there are no scheduled off days for the first 2 and a half weeks, so maybe both teams needed a full 24 hours before their next series. From a marketing standpoint, maybe the Fireflies wanted schools to take field trips to the stadium. But with April the month for standardized testing, only one or two schools showed up with small groups. So the crowd was very small as a result, more on that later.

The Fireflies starter was P.J. Conlon, who won the first ever game at Spirit Communications Park six days earlier. Conlon was not dominant, allowing five hits in six innings. But Conlon kept his control throughout, though he had to go many pitches on several batters. The closest the RiverDogs came to scoring on him was when Drew Bridges got a triple after Jeff Diehl was too slow fetching a ball hit down the right field line. But Kevin Kaczmarski was able to help him out when Bridges thought that Kendall Coleman had a sac fly to left by easily throwing out Bridges. Conlon in three starts is now 2-0 with a 1.08 ERA, which as seen in the table below makes him the greatest Firefly of them all.

At the plate, several Firefly hitters did well. But it was Dash Winningham who did the best, getting 3 total bases in 2 at-bats with 3 RBIs and two walks. Winningham, expected to be the power leader of this team, started a bit slow but has come on as of late. My tweets about Dash's success got me retweeted by his brother who also has a great name in Moose. But let's not forget David Thompson, who scored 3 runs and snapped a bit of a cold snap the last few games. Kaczmarski scored the first run and also got a big triple to keep the Fireflies going strong. Despite not doing particularly well in right field, Jeff Diehl finally started to get his bat going with two hits and a RBI.

When Conlon exited this game after the 6th inning, the Fireflies led 7-0. That kept the pressure off Tyler Bashlor, who I got to see for the first time. Despite missing two years due to injury, Bashlor has a great fastball and if he can maintain control could be a surprise success out of the bullpen. Johnny Magliozzi (who by the way plays the role of the pitcher in the Fireflies' intro video) then capped the win with a routine 9th inning. The Fireflies had taken the series over the RiverDogs. While Greenville has a history of taking Columbia's last team, the RiverDogs are probably the Fireflies' chief rival and the interaction between the two team's Twitter accounts this week reflected that. So after losing that opening weekend in Charleston, it was great to win this series.

If there was one negative though, it was the attendance. With school groups mostly not showing up and the Bull Street property still a year or two away from being developed for local businesses to take advantage, the attendance was 1,522. While that was only the third lowest attendance of the day in the SAL, a MiLB team in its first year should do better than that on season tickets alone. Fireflies president John Katz said to ABC Columbia that his goal was 375,000 fans for the season. That would work out to about 5300 per game, which is pretty unrealistic. The Fireflies after the first night did not get an attendance that high the rest of the homestand. The only SAL team that gets over 375,000 for the season regularly is Lakewood in densely populated New Jersey. Greensboro also got over that number after they opened their stadium ten years ago, but they don't get quite that now. A more realistic goal would be 300,000, with 200,000 more likely in future seasons. But right now the Fireflies are barely on track towards my realistic number of 300K on the season. I don't think we're going to be the next Wilmington Waves, which moved after one season due to not being able to secure a stadium aside from UNCW's. But given Hardball Capital's treatment of Savannah, I don't want to see what happens when they don't meet their goals. Columbia needs to do better, and perhaps more fans will come after USC's season ends in May (which is a change from Ray Tanner's teams which kept going in June).

So here is a look at the all-time Firefly player standings, with two weeks and four series in the books:

Player	Position	TB	R	RBI	BB/HBP	SB	CS	0 for 1	SO	Outs	K	R	ER	H	BB/HBP	W	S	L	Score
P.J. Conlon	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	50	11	2	2	17	2	2	0	0	232
Joe Shaw	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	36	16	2	2	9	0	2	0	0	223
David Thompson	3B	23	12	13	8	0	0	34	13	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	183
Chase Ingram	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	48	20	6	5	17	3	1	0	1	171
Vinny Siena	2B	17	12	4	15	0	0	29	10	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	142
Thomas McIlraith	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	32	8	3	3	2	7	1	0	1	138
Seth Davis	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	30	10	3	3	7	6	0	1	0	127
Tyler Bashlor	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	21	8	1	1	3	5	0	1	0	119
Joe Tuschak	LF	19	4	8	4	0	1	25	8	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	104
Johnny Magliozzi	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	15	5	3	3	4	0	0	2	0	100
Dash Winningham	1B	14	6	7	6	0	0	35	6	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	77
J.C. Rodriguez	DH	11	4	7	6	2	0	38	8	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	64
Kevin Kaczmarski	RF	13	9	3	7	0	2	40	11	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	45
Nicco Blank	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	12	1	1	1	1	1	0	0	0	45
Tyler Badamo	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	33	5	7	7	16	0	1	0	1	45
Kevin Canelon	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	27	13	5	5	10	6	0	0	1	41
Alex Palsha	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	17	10	6	5	5	5	0	1	1	40
Milton Ramos	SS	9	3	7	3	0	0	28	11	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	37
Ivan Wilson	CF	12	4	4	6	1	2	36	16	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	30
Tucker Tharp	RF	8	2	1	1	0	0	11	7	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	29
Natanael Ramos	C	4	1	1	2	0	0	4	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	26
Craig Missigman	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	23	8	6	6	7	7	0	0	0	23
Tyler Moore	C	7	5	1	3	0	1	21	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	23
Jeff Diehl	DH	6	2	2	6	0	0	22	11	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	13
Vicente Lupo	LF	2	1	1	1	0	0	6	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	7
Jose Garcia	C	3	1	1	2	0	0	10	6	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	5
Christian Montgomery	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	12	5	6	5	5	6	0	0	0	-18
Witt Haggard	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	2	3	3	3	3	0	0	2	-58