Columbia 3 - Charleston 2

COLUMBIA, SC – Columbia and Charleston played much of Saturday night’s game tied. With the score knotted at two a piece in the bottom of the eighth, Hayden Senger (pictured / Photo: Tom Priddy) slashed a double that scored what proved to be the go-ahead run. The Fireflies picked up their first win of the season, defeating the RiverDogs, 3-2.

Walter Rasquin led off the eighth with a double of his own off of Charleston (2-1) reliever Jio Orozco (L, 0-1). AfterMark Vientos was hit by a pitch, Senger blasted an 0-2 fastball into the left-center field gap. The hit gave Rasquin plenty of time to score.

Ezequiel Zabaleta (S, 1) closed out the ballgame with a scoreless top of the ninth. Senger’s drive sunk the visitors, but it was Columbia’s (1-2) pitching that kept the home team in it all night. After Charleston scored twice in the first frame, Jaison Vilera, Bryce Hutchinson (W, 1-0) and Zabaleta then combined to shut out the RiverDogs the remainder of the night and hold them to three hits.

Down 2-0 in the third, the Fireflies offense finally ignited. Jose Miguel Medina and Anthony Dirocie both worked one-out walks.Ronny Mauricio plated Medina with a single and moments later Rasquin scored Dirocie on a ground out to second base.

Vilera punched out five over five frames and Hutchinson – freshly added to the roster on Saturday – didn’t allow a hit over three innings.

Senger and Mauricio each finished with a pair of hits. That’s the second multi-hit game of the year for both just three games into the season.

Columbia aims for a series split with Charleston on Sunday afternoon. First pitch in the finale is slotted for 2:05 ET. Right-handerChristian James starts for the Fireflies.