Columbia 2 - Charleston 1

Press Release:

CHARLESTON, SC – The Fireflies stole a victory right out of Charleston’s grasp on Thursday night at Joe Riley Park. Columbia turned a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 lead – which wound up being the final score – in the eighth inning to clinch a come-from-behind win. The Fireflies are now three games above .500 for the first time in 10 days.

The turn-around eighth inning began when Charleston (17-22) reliever Anderson Severino (L, 1-1) walked Rigoberto Terrazas. Then Edgardo Fermin drove his teammate in with a roaring triple down the left-field line (his team-best fifth of the year). That was the first of back-to-back extra-base hits: shortly afterward, Raphael Gladu doubled down the right-field line and plated Fermin. Columbia (21-18) jumped ahead, 2-1.

Conner O’Neil struck out the side in the bottom of the eighth and Stephen Villines (S, 4) nailed down the win with a scoreless ninth. The Fireflies played in its fifth straight one-run game and ninth (in 15 games) in the month of May. Columbia is now 7-7 in games decided by one score.

Not to be forgotten was Tony Dibrell’s (W, 1-2) efforts on the mound. The starter lasted a career-best seven innings and punched out seven. Dibrell scattered four hits and picked up his first win of the season.