The Charleston RiverDogs fell 6-5 in ten innings to the Columbia Fireflies in front of 3,562 fans at Joseph P. Riley Jr, Park on Tuesday night.
Cooper Flemming had a strong night at the plate overall, finishing 3-for-4 with two runs batted in. The performance marked his first career three-hit game and third multi-hit showing of the year.
Despite trailing 1-0 after the top of the first inning, Charleston provided a quick response. With one out in the bottom of the frame, Caden Bodine and Flemming launched back-to-back doubles to even the score at 1-1. Bodine extended his hit streak to Carolina-League high eight games in the process.
Later in the frame, Daniel Pierce stepped to the plate with runners at second and third and sent a soft tapper to first. As the pitcher Jose Gutierrez fumbled the feed from his first basemen, two runs came around to score to push the RiverDogs ahead 3-1.
Columbia tacked on another run in the second before the RiverDogs rallied again in the bottom of the second.
After singles from Bodine and Flemming placed runners on the corners, Taitn Gray sent a sacrifice fly to center to put Charleston ahead by two again.
Columbia tacked on one more in the fifth and sixth innings to tie the game at five.
Charleston punched back immediately in the bottom of the frame when Flemming lined another RBI single to right to make it 6-5.
RiverDogs starter Aidan Cremarosa was stout for the second straight start, completing five innings with nine strikeouts. Through two outings this season, he has fanned 21 hitters with no walks over ten frames.
In the top of the eighth the Fireflies placed runners at the corners after a double and single ahead of Roni Cabrera who sent a sacrifice fly to left that knotted the game at 6-6.
After a scoreless ninth, Columbia took the lead in the top of the tenth when Roni Cabrera topped a soft grounder to right field, bringing home the ghost runner and capping scoring at 7-6.
With the loss, Charleston fell to 5-5 while the Fireflies moved the 6-4. The two return to The Joe tomorrow night for game two of the series with first pitch slated for 7:05 p.m. Coverage begins at 6:50 p.m. on the Marauders Broadcast Network.
Ballpark Fun:
Dog Day Tuesday kicked off the homestand in style, as more than 3,500 fans, and plenty of four-legged friends, packed the park for a night full of fun. One of the night’s most memorable moments came during a mid-inning promotion, when two dogs, guided by their owners, raced mini Chevy trucks up the third-base line, sending the crowd into a frenzy.
The energy only built from there. When the RiverDogs recorded their tenth strikeout of the game, the celebration was on for the first time this year. Free goodies flew into the stands, sparking a lively, can’t-miss moment to close out the sixth inning. With every punchout, a new “K” card was added beneath the press box behind home plate, and fans nearby eagerly took part, hanging each one as the strikeout tally climbed.