Fireflies Bookend 2022 Season with Walk-Offs
September 11, 2022 – Carolina League (CarL) – Columbia Fireflies News Release
Javier Vaz of the Columbia Fireflies
(Columbia Fireflies)
COLUMBIA, SC – The Fireflies scored a pair of runs and took home Sunday’s season finale vs the Charleston RiverDogs 4-3 on a walk-off wild pitch Sunday evening.
The Fireflies started the ninth inning with a Cayden Wallace double off Aneudy Cortorreal to kick up the pressure on Charleston. Next, Javier Vaz singled to put runners on the corners with nobody out. Dayton Dooney slapped a groundout to first that allowed Wallace to score and then Levi Usher dribbled a ground out to second to bring the winning run to third. Cortorreal threw back-to-back pitches in the dirt, the final one, squirming away from catcher Kenny Piper, allowing Vaz to score and earn Columbia’s ninth walk-off win of 2022. The Fireflies won via the walk-off on opening day and the final game of the season this year.
Jonatan Bernal (W, 2-2) spun the final three innings for Columbia without allowing an earned run to earn the win.
Columbia got on the board in the bottom of the fifth inning. Dayton Dooney started the inning with a walk and moved to third on a double from center fielder Levi Usher to the left-center gap. With two outs, Jean Ramirez muscled a single over the head of third baseman Willy Vasquez to score a pair of runs and cut Charleston’s lead to 3-2.
Charleston got things started in the top of the second inning. Bobby Seymour blooped a lead-off single to shallow left field before starter Luinder Avila walked the bases loaded for Ryan Spikes. Spikes grounded into a 5-4 doubleplay that scored Seymour, allowing Charleston to take a 1-0 lead before the end of the frame.
The RiverDogs were able to double their lead in the fourth from a two-out solo homer off the bat of backstop Kenny Piper. Piper’s fifth blast of the campaign made the Fireflies deficit 2-0. The next inning, Carson Williams got aboard, moved to second on a wild pitch and scored on a single from Bobby Seymour, making the score 3-0 in favor of the RiverDogs.
For more information about events at Segra Park and current and former Columbia Fireflies players, visit ColumbiaFireflies.com.
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