Game 10 Recap: Coming Up Short

This Saturday night game was my first ever Fireflies home game I missed. This is partly because I was taking pictures for USC Sumter softball in the afternoon, and they somehow managed to go three hours for a 7 inning softball game. But they won 13-8! So after that I was not going to leave the DH early, and they won the second game 5-4 as well! At that time it was 5:15. If I had then headed over to Spirit Communications Park and traffic and parking wasn't a hassle, I would get there at 6:15, plenty of time before first pitch. But this was the first ever Saturday game in Spirit Communications Park's history, so there would be lots of traffic. The two games I had been to I arrived two hours before first pitch, so from what I have read I could not easily count on getting in easily less than an hour from game time. And besides, trying to make all 70 home games is a lot of unnecessary pressure for me. So it was probably good to not make this game.

And that was somewhat reflected in the home team's performance as well. Kevin Canelon started, and could not match the success of the rest of the rotation so far. According to MiLB's game log, Michael Chavis drove in two runs on a single, including Chad De La Guerra who was on first. Would like to know how that happened. Perhaps De La Guerra advanced to second on a throw on the previous play, and the Fireflies didn't score that which seems in character for them so far.

But in the bottom of the 3rd, Joe Tuschak became the first ever Firefly to homer at Spirit Communications Park! It's not that big a milestone, as the Fireflies already had one homer before (David Thompson in Game 3 at Charleston) and two home runs previously at Spirit Communications Park (Josh Ockimey had the first). But the first home team home run was by Tuschak, who needs it as he's in his 6th year of pro ball. That apparently shook the confidence of Greenville starter Daniel Gonzalez, who then walked the next two batters with J.C. Rodriguez tying the game at 2-2.

 Unfortunately, the game wouldn't stay tied long as Roldani Baldwin would homer off Canelon the next inning. The Drive drove balls quite easily off the bullpen as well, with the Longwood Lancer Kyri Washington homering off Tyler Bashlor as he entered the game in the 6th as well as Trent Kemp going long for the second straight day, this time off Nicco Blank. At least Blank was able to pitch with good control, which neither Bashlor or Canelon did particularly well at. That's still an issue the Mets coaches need to work with the Fireflies on.

The Fireflies stayed alive though, as Vinny Siena hit a ball that got through Washington in left field and David Thompson got yet another RBI to make it 5-3 Greenville in the bottom of the 9th. But Dash Winningham then popped out with Jeff Diehl ending the game with a double play. The Fireflies have looked good at times, but are starting to struggle again which isn't good to see in Columbia.

The Fireflies' main issue this game was hitting. Joe Tuschak has stepped up to keep his pro career going, and seems to have joined Siena and Thompson as the team's reliable hitters. Everybody else however still has yet to get going for the most part. Now the updated Firefly all-time player list.

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	30	15	2	2	9	2	1	0	0	154
David Thompson	3B	20	7	10	5	0	0	24	8	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	144
Thomas McIlraith	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	32	8	3	3	2	7	1	0	1	138
Johnny Magliozzi	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	9	5	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	120
P.J. Conlon	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	32	5	2	2	12	2	1	0	0	119
Joe Shaw	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	18	8	2	2	5	0	1	0	0	99
Vinny Siena	2B	13	8	2	8	0	0	20	7	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	92
Tyler Badamo	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	18	2	1	1	5	0	1	0	0	91
Tyler Bashlor	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	15	5	1	1	3	4	0	1	0	83
Seth Davis	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	21	7	2	2	4	4	0	0	0	74
Joe Tuschak	LF	12	3	5	3	0	1	16	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	69
Alex Palsha	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	14	9	4	3	3	4	0	1	1	55
Kevin Canelon	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	27	13	5	5	10	6	0	0	1	41
Craig Missigman	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	17	7	3	3	4	6	0	0	0	38
Ivan Wilson	CF	11	3	4	4	1	2	27	11	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	37
Kevin Kaczmarski	RF	10	5	3	4	0	1	30	9	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	28
Nicco Blank	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	9	0	1	1	1	1	0	0	0	27
Dash Winningham	1B	8	6	2	3	0	0	30	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	24
J.C. Rodriguez	DH	4	1	3	4	1	0	23	6	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	10
Jeff Diehl	DH	4	2	1	5	0	0	16	8	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	10
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
Milton Ramos	SS	4	2	4	1	0	0	20	9	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4
Tyler Moore	C	3	2	1	3	0	1	16	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Tucker Tharp	RF	1	0	0	0	0	0	3	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	-4
Christian Montgomery	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	6	4	6	5	4	5	0	0	0	-43
Witt Haggard	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	2	3	3	3	3	0	0	2	-58