Columbia, SC – The RiverDogs bats were quieted in their 8-1 loss to the Columbia Fireflies on Thursday night at Segra Park.
Columbia jumped in front early after a Sean Gamble two-run homer and Ricson Gonzalez RBI single made it 3-0.
Starter Jacob Kuhn quickly settled in for Charleston, finishing the night completing 4.2 innings, marking the second time in his pro career that he’s pitched into the fifth. In the process, he threw a career-high 81 pitches.
The Fireflies rallied again in the bottom of the sixth, pushing across four runs to extend their lead to 7-0.
Columbia pitching held Charleston off the board through the first two thirds of the contest. After Slater de Brun led off the game with a single, the Fireflies allowed just one base runner and kept Charleston out of the hit column through the sixth.
The RiverDogs ended the Fireflies’ shutout bid in the bottom of the seventh when Angel Mateo lined an RBI double to right that scored Andres Torres.
Columbia tacked on one more in the seventh to cap scoring at 8-1.
de Brun finished the night reaching base three times, and collected his 17th stolen base of the season.
With the loss, the RiverDogs fell to 68-55 and 31-26 in the second half, while Columbia moved to 61-61, and 26-30 in the second half. The two return to the park tomorrow for game four of the series. First pitch is slated for 7:05 p.m. with coverage beginning at 6:50 on the RiverDogs Broadcast Network.
Let Freedom Bark
After clinching the Carolina League South first half title, the RiverDogs have secured a spot in the 2026 postseason, presented by Nucor Steel Berkeley. The best-of-three Division Series begins on Tuesday, September 8. Thanks to their first-half division title, the RiverDogs are guaranteed to host Game 2, and, if necessary, Game 3, at Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park on September 10 and 11.
Single-game postseason tickets are on sale now. For more information, visit RiverDogs.com.