Columbia Fireflies (1-0) vs. Augusta GreenJackets (0-1)
RHP Joe Cavallaro (0-0, 0.00) vs. RHP Garrett Cave (0-0, 0.00)
Friday, April 6, 2018 — Spirit Communications Park — First Pitch 7:05 p.m. — Game 2
LISTEN: Fox Sports Radio 1400 AM / ColumbiaFireflies.com / iHeartRadio App
WATCH: MiLB.TV
ABOUT LAST GAME: The Fireflies opened up the 2018 season with a 4-2 victory over the Augusta GreenJackets on Thursdaynight. Columbia’s starter, Tony Dibrell, was impressive in his debut on the mound. The righty lasted four shut-out innings and recorded six strikeouts. The Fireflies erupted for five extra-base hits in the win. This included a triple from Edgardo Fermin - the first in team history on an Opening Day. Blake Tiberi (left, photo: Tom Priddy) clubbed the first home run of the season in the seventh inning last night.
2017 SEASON RECAP
The 2017 season proved to be a banner year for the Columbia Fireflies at Spirit Communications Park. For a second straight season, Fireflies fans proved once again why they’re the most valuable in all of Minor League Baseball. Spirit Communications Park hosted a new franchise-record 315,034 fans in 2017 – good for 4,773 per game.
The crowd of 8,412 that arrived for opening day on April 6 was immediately treated to quite the spectacle when former Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow belted a two-run home run in his first professional at-bat. The left-fielder appeared in 64 games for the Fireflies before his promotion to the advanced-A St. Lucie Mets in June.
It was the first glimmer during a year that featured countless shining moments. Spirit Communications Park was home to the 58th-annual South Atlantic League All-Star Game on June 20, a game in which 2017 Fireflies first baseman Dash Winningham was named Most Valuable Player. In all, six Fireflies were named to the All-Star Game in their home park: right-handed pitchers Merandy Gonzalez, Jordan Humphreys, Max Kuhns and Adonis Uceta and infielders Michael Paez and Winningham.
The culmination of one of the most highly-anticipated afternoons in the city of Columbia’s history occurred at the park on August 21. A single-game record 9,629 fans attended Spirit Communications Park for ‘Total Eclipse of the Park,’ to watch the Fireflies battle the Rome Bravesduring a total solar eclipse.
The Fireflies experienced the success on the field as well during a first-half playoff race. At one point in June, Columbia won a franchise-record nine consecutive games (including a five-game sweep of the Charleston RiverDogs from June 9-12). The stretch helped the club finish the first half with a 40-28 mark, the best in the franchise’s short two-year history.
Columbia’s pitching staff was untouchable at times in 2017. The right-handed duo of Gonzalez and Humphreys tormented South Atlantic League batters. At one point in the season, the starters were the only pair of teammates in professional baseball – major and minor league – each with eight wins. Humphreys’ sterling 2017 outing occurred on April 24 when the Floridian struck out a franchise-record 12 batters in just 6.2 innings. In September, Humphreys garnered the NYM Sterling Award, an honor given to the most outstanding player at every Mets minor league level.
Gonzalez, on the other hand (who has since been traded to the Miami Marlins organization), was just as filthy in 2017. The righty chased a league record his first five outings of the season: he hurled 28.2 consecutive scoreless innings (April 9-May 3), which ended up falling 11 scoreless innings shy of the SAL record (39.2).
The highlights were not just captured on the mound. A Spirit Communications Park fan favorite, Dash Winningham, had one of the richest days at the plate on May 29. His career day morphed into a franchise-record day against the Augusta GreenJackets when the first baseman became the first Firefly to whack two home runs in a game (a feat he accomplished again on June 8). He also drove in six runs and tallied 10 total bases, also single-game records.
An injury-plagued Fireflies team finished the 2017 season 68-70 overall.
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