Greenville 4 - Columbia 3

Box Score

COLUMBIA, SC – The Fireflies and Drive battled in a tightly-contested game on Wednesday afternoon. Greenville scored a late run and defeated the home team, 4-3. Hansel Moreno hit his second home run as a Firefly in 2019; his first-inning dinger was his second in a week.

It was another successful Reading Program Day at Segra Park – hosting the largest crowd of the season (6,603). The Reading Program, presented by Prisma Health Children’s Hospital, rewards area student for accomplishing reading goals during the school year.

Columbia (18-28) fought valiantly for two runs in the home half of the seventh inning to tie the score at 3-3. Trailing by a run, Brian Sharp ripped a base hit that plated Shervyen Newton (who had just driven in his own run moments earlier). Greenville, (18-27), answered with a run in the top of the eighth and did not relinquish the lead.

Columbia’s pitchers punched out nine on Wednesday – five for starter Simeon Woods-Richardson, three for Alec Kisena and one for Ezequiel Zabaleta (L, 1-1). Greenville reliever Yorvin Pantoja (W, 3-2) picked up the win after he tossed 2.1 effective innings of work.

SCORING SUMMARY:

Bottom 1: Hansel Moreno hit a solo home run down the right-field line. COL 1, GVL 0

Top 4: Tristan Casas grounds out to first, plates Devlin Granberg from third … Kole Cottam scores a run with a single, Jordan Wren scores. GVL 2, COL 1

Top 5: Devlin Granberg knocks in Tyler Esplin with a single to the outfield. GVL 3, COL 1

Bottom 7: Shervyen Newton (double) and Brian Sharp (single) rip run-scoring hits to tie things up. COL 3, GVL 3

Top 8: Cottam’s sacrifice fly into center scores Casas from third. GVL 4, COL 3

The series continues on Thursday at 7:05 ET. Right-hander Jose Butto (0-5, 5.21) is expected to take the mound for the Fireflies to face Drive righty Bryan Bello (1-3, 8.38). Thursday’s game is a Budweiser Thirsty Thursday™, featuring half-price draft beer and fountain drinks; it’s also A Night of Fire and Ice at Segra Park.  You can watch the action at MiLB.tv.