Cola Bats Stay Quiet As They Drop Third Straight To Hickory

Hickory Crawdads @ Columbia Fireflies

August 12, 2017

Edgar Arredondo @ Martin Anderson

Teams	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Hickory	1	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0		3	7	0
Columbia	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0		1	4	1

W: Arredondo (6-5, 3.84 ERA); L: Anderson (0-2, 7.62 ERA); Save: Pelham (9)

Boxscore

The Stats:

Pitchers

Marty Anderson (L, 0-2, 7.62 ERA) – 5.2 IP, 7 H, 3 R (2 ER), 1 HR, 10 TB, 2 BB, 8 K (6 K/Sw), 8 GB: 4 FB: 2 LD: 2 PU, 108 Pitches (72 Strikes), 10 Swinging, 19 Called, 9.3% SwStr, 18.9% Whiff/Swing, 19.1 Pitches/IP, 27 BF

Joseph Zanghi (2.38 ERA) – 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 K (2 K/Sw), 3 GB: 1 FB: 1 PU, 21 Pitches (16 Strikes), 5 Swinging, 3 Called, 23.8% SwStr, 38.5% Whiff/Swing, 9 Pitches/IP, 7 BF

Matt Blackham (1.65 ERA) – 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 K (1 K/Sw), 1 GB: 1 PU, 14 Pitches (10 Strikes), 2 Swinging, 3 Called, 14.3% SwStr, 28.6% Whiff/Swing, 14 Pitches/IP, 3 BF

Table 1 – Anderson pitch stats by inning

	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	Total
Total	15	19	20	23	20	11	108
Strikes	10	13	14	14	15	6	72
Swinging*	0	3	2	2	3	0	10

*9.3% Swinging strike rate; 18.9% Whiff/Swing rate

Batters

DH - Gene Cone - 1-4, 1 2B, 4.75 Pitches/PA

2B - J.J.  Franco - 0-4, 5.3% SwStr, 12.5% Whiff/Swing, 4.75 Pitches/PA

SS - Luis Carpio - 0-3, 1 BB, 2 K, 10.5% SwStr, 40% Whiff/Swing, 4.75 Pitches/PA

1B - Dash Winningham - 1-4, 1 K, 11.8% SwStr, 25% Whiff/Swing, 4.25 Pitches/PA

CF - Jacob Zanon - 1-3, 1 2B, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 GIDP, 4.8% SwStr, 11.1% Whiff/Swing, 5.25 Pitches/PA

C - Dan Rizzie - 0-4, 1 K, 11.1% SwStr, 20% Whiff/Swing, 2.25 Pitches/PA

LF - Jay Jabs - 1-3, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K, 15.8% SwStr, 33.3% Whiff/Swing, 4.75 Pitches/PA

3B - Colby Woodmansee - 0-2, 1 BB, 2 K, 15.4% SwStr, 33.3% Whiff/Swing, 4.33 Pitches/PA

RF - Arnaldo Berrios - 0-3, 2 K, 54.5% SwStr, 75% Whiff/Swing, 3.67 Pitches/PA

Recapish

            Marty Anderson put the Columbia Fireflies in a 3-0 hole early Saturday evening and the Cola bats couldn’t rally for a comeback as they dropped a third straight to Hickory. Only two of those runs were earned and Anderson finished with eight strikeouts over 5.2 IP for a nice overall outing, but it wasn’t enough. Columbia has struggled to find consistent offense with many of their first half leaders promoted (Michael Paez) or unavailable due to injury (Desmond Lindsay for the rest of the year and, until tonight, Dash Winngham and Gene Cone), and that theme continued Saturday night.

            The Crawdads struck for a run in each of the first three runs to take a hold on this game that they would never relinquish. Leody Taveras coaxed a walk and worked his way around for the first run of the game. Recently acquired Brendon Davis launched his first homer in the Rangers org. to make this a 2-0 game. The third Hickory run was unearned and came on an E5 with two outs in the 3^rd. Although he fell behind 3-0 over the first three innings, Anderson racked up his first five strikeouts.

K #1

K #2

K #3

Davis

K #4

K #5

            Anderson added two more strikeouts while working around some trouble in the 4^th and then pushed his total to eight with a strikeout in the 5^th. Although this is his first season in affiliated ball, it was not a minors career high for Anderson, who reached ten during his first appearance for Brooklyn (and eight thee games later).

K #6

K #7

Carpio at SS

K #8

            The Fireflies finally broke through for a hit in the 4^th when Dash Winningham singled with two outs. Jacob Zanon followed with a double, but Dash had to hold up at third and the Fireflies couldn’t get any runs on the board in the frame.

Dash

Zanon

            Jay Jabs did get the Fireflies on the board in the 5^th when he led off the inning with a solo blast. Gene Cone connected on a double later in the frame and it was the last Cola hit of the game.

Jabs

Cone

            Joe Zanghi took over for Anderson with two gone in the 6^th, as Columbia’s starters pitch count was up to 108 . Zanghi has been lights out lately and continued that trend by retiring all seven batters faced. He hasn’t allowed an earned run since 7/9, a span of nine appearances: 18.1 IP, 10 H, 1 R (0 ER), 21 K: 4 BB, .384 OPS allowed, 17% Swinging strike rate, 68 BF. He struck out two in this appearance.

K #1

Woodmansee at third

K #2

            Matt Blackham finished the pitching side of things for Columbia with a perfect 9^th and a strikeout. He hasn’t allowed an earned run since 6/27, a span of twelve appearances: 19 IP, 8 H, 1 R (0 ER), 29 K: 2 BB, .313 OPS allowed, 18% Swinging strike rate, 66 BF.

Carpio at SS

            Looking ahead, the Fireflies will try to salvage one from Hickory Sunday behind Justin Brantley. Game time is scheduled for 5:05 PM and the Fireflies hit the road for Augusta after the game.

Jabs busted it on the final out of the game

  

X marks the spot for the Red Rectangle #nebula, an unusual cloud of gas flowing from a dying star #SpaceOut https://t.co/RrifhiLg97 pic.twitter.com/xctMoOmk77

— HubbleTelescope (@HubbleTelescope) August 15, 2017