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FredNats, Columbia Fireflies split Sunday doubleheader to conclude six-game series

fredericksburg nationals The Fredericksburg Nationals and Columbia Fireflies split a doubleheader on Sunday, with the Fireflies taking Game 1, 6-1, and the FredNats taking Game 2, 9-1.

Game 1 was a resumption of Saturday’s game, which was suspended by rain after a Brett Squires homer had put Columbia up, 4-1, in the third.

After the resumption of play on Sunday, the Fireflies bullpen locked things down, putting up six scoreless frames.

The FredNats, the Low-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals, came out guns blazing in Game 2. Right away in the bottom of the first, Jonathan Thomas walked and stole second base, and Cortland Lawson singled to put runners on the corners with nobody out.

Daylen Lile then laced a single into right field to drive in Tuda, putting the Freddies up 1-0. Sammy Infante followed with an RBI on a fielder’s choice, before Roismar Quintana and Murphy Stehly drove in runners with RBI groundouts.

The offense stayed hot in the second inning. Zion Pettigrew led off with a triple, then Tuda got him across on a sacrifice fly. Cortland Lawson doubled after that, and Daylen Lile collected his second RBI in as many innings with another single to push Fredericksburg ahead, 6-0.

Lile swiped second base and alertly moved to third on a fielder’s choice, before Elijah Green knocked him in with another RBI groundout to make it a 7-0 edge.

That was plenty of cushion for starter Cole Henry, who was making his second appearance of the week in a rehab assignment. The right-hander fired four scoreless frames with six strikeouts and no walks, showcasing the dominant stuff that had gotten him to Triple-A Rochester.

Squires got the Fireflies a run in the sixth inning with a towering solo home run to right field.

Next week, the Nationals travel to Salem to begin their first series of the year against the Salem Red Sox.

Chris Graham

Chris Graham

Chris Graham is the founder and editor of Augusta Free Press. A 1994 alum of the University of Virginia, Chris is the author and co-author of seven books, including Poverty of Imagination, a memoir published in 2019, and Team of Destiny: Inside Virginia Basketball’s Run to the 2019 National Championship, and The Worst Wrestling Pay-Per-View Ever, published in 2018. For his commentaries on news, sports and politics, go to his YouTube page, or subscribe to his Street Knowledge podcast. Email Chris at [email protected].