The Charleston RiverDogs fell 5-2 to the Columbia Fireflies in front of 5,030 fans at Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park on Friday night.
For the fourth straight contest, Columbia struck first with two runs in the top of the second on an RBI single from Henry Ramos, and a first-and-third steal play.
In the bottom of the third, the RiverDogs responded when Derek Datil walked and scored on a ringing double off the bat of Brailer Guerrero. Guerrero has now doubled in three straight games.
After Columbia broke the game open by pushing across three in the top of the fifth, their pitching staff kept the RiverDogs’ bats quiet for through the seventh.
Leading off the bottom of the eighth, Caden Bodine blasted a solo homer to right, capping scoring at 5-2. The homer marked his second of the season, and the RiverDogs’ first at home this year.
Fireflies starter Hiro Wyatt was stout, tossing five innings of one-run ball. Their bullpen also delivered four innings while limiting Charleston to one-run.
RiverDogs relievers Dylan Lesko and Mason Auer delivered strong outings out of the pen, each completing two scoreless frames.
With the loss, Charleston fell to 7-6 while Columbia moved to 7-6. The two return to The Joe on Saturday for game five of the series. First pitch is slated for 6:05 p.m. with coverage beginning at 5:50 p.m. on MiLB.TV and the RiverDogs Broadcast Network.
Ballpark Fun:
More than 5,000 fans filled the Joe on Friday night as the RiverDogs paid tribute to those who serve and have served. The crowd fully embraced the one-hit wonder theme, with iconic throwbacks echoing throughout the ballpark and fueling lively between-inning promotions. A fun moment came during the “Name That Song” challenge, as the crowd sang along to help a lucky contestant attempting to guess the tune. The evening wrapped up with a dazzling postgame fireworks show that lit up the Charleston night.