NORTH AUGUSTA, SC – Quinn Brodey’s go-ahead home run in the eighth on Tuesday delivered Columbia a 2-1 series-clinching victory over Augusta. The Fireflies defeated the GreenJackets three times during the four-game set and are now 7-5 in the second half.
The home run was exclusively how Columbia (7-5, 41-38) sunk Augusta (4-9, 41-40) on Tuesday at SRP Park. The only other run the Fireflies scored was a solo home run drilled by Matt Winaker in the first – his fourth of the year. Brodey then went yard after seven straight scoreless frames. The former Stanford outfielder also homered on Monday, marking the second time this season the Fireflies leader in homers (10) has gone deep in consecutive games.
The only other score was Augusta’s in the bottom of the first. Columbia starter Chris Viall struck out three batters in the frame, but did allow three runners to reach on an error, hit by pitch and walk respectively. It was Augusta’s Manuel Geraldo who reached on the error. The shortstop stole second, reached third on a passed ball then scored on a wild pitch.
The game featured many heart-pounding moments. Each team loaded the bases with one out or fewer twice. No runs scored on all four occasions! The finale also featured more total walks (13) than hits (10).
Columbia’s pitchers –Viall, Ronald Sanchez, Joshua Payne (W, 4-1) and Carlos Hernandez (S, 1) – struck out 15 total batters. Payne hurled 1.2 shut-out innings and stranded the bases loaded in the sixth when he entered the game out of the bullpen. The righty did the same in the following inning, too. Hernandez was just as brilliant in the final two frames of the game. Viall struck out 10 of his own over five innings.
J.J. Santa Cruz (L, 0-1) allowed the home run to Brodey in the eighth and was dealt the loss.
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