The Charleston RiverDogs rallied late to take their second straight win against the Columbia Fireflies in front of 3,731 fans at Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park on Thursday night.
Columbia leveraged the game early scoring two in the second and one in fourth behind starter Blake Wolters who delivered five dominant innings. The right hander fanned seven RiverDogs hitters while allowing one unearned run to lower his season ERA to 0.75.
The RiverDogs began to chip away after forcing Columbia’s bullpen into the game. With runners at second and third in the bottom of the sixth, Brendan Summer sent a roller up the first base line that brought home Alberth Palma to cut the deficit to 3-1.
In the bottom of the sixth, Taitn Gray opened the frame emphatically, blasting a triple into left center. After reaching base twice, he extended his on-base streak to 11 straight games, tied for the second longest in the Carolina League
The next hitter was Brody Donay who was hit by a pitch, ahead of Brailer Guerrero, who pierced an RBI double to right, bringing Charleston within one.
With runners at second and third, Nicandro Aybar followed by grounding a single through the drawn-in infield to score two and give the RiverDogs a 4-3 lead.
After a hit batter and wild pitch set up another second-and-third spot, Summerhill chopped a two-run single to center to push the RiverDogs ahead 6-3.
Despite scoring a run in the top of the eighth, the Fireflies went down quietly in the ninth after Mason Nichols faced the minimum with two punchouts to slam the door on his second save of the season.
Win the win, Charleston moved to 7-5 while Columbia fell to 6-6. The two return to the diamond tomorrow for game four of the series with first pitch set for 7:05 p.m. Coverage beings at 6:50 on the RiverDogs Broadcast Network.
Ballpark Fun:
The ballpark filled with fans wearing their favorite college colors for College Colors Night. Around the stadium, school spirit showed through jerseys, hats, and other gear representing a wide range of programs.
On the concourse, a field-goal challenge gave fans a chance to test their skills and add to the night’s energy. As part of the Thirsty Thursday festivities, attendees could also “buy their college a beer,” creating a highly conteseted competition to see which fan base showed the most support by the end of the evening. The College of Charleston took home the honors.