PREVIEW: Fireflies at Crawdads

HICKORY, N.C. (Interstat) — The Columbia Fireflies visit L.P. Frans Stadium on Saturday to face the Hickory Crawdads in a 6 p.m. matchup. The forecast calls for 83 degrees and cloudy.

Columbia (34-32) is expected to start right-hander Shane Van Dam (1-4). Hickory (34-30) has not announced its probable pitcher. The Fireflies also have right-hander AJ Russell (1-1) available out of the bullpen.

The teams are in the midst of a six-game series. Hickory won the opener 9-5 on Wednesday. Columbia answered with a 7-3 win Tuesday and a 6-4, 10-inning victory Thursday. Hickory bounced back with a 4-0 shutout Friday.

Players to watch

Columbia right-hander Ryan McDonagh threw five innings of one-hit ball in Thursday’s win, allowing two earned runs while striking out four. He will likely see action again Saturday.

Hickory right-hander Jesus Lafalaise took the loss Thursday despite a strong start: six innings, four hits, one earned run, five strikeouts. He has a 1-3 record over his last four outings, including a 4.1-inning start June 4 against Kannapolis where he allowed three earned runs.

Series trends

The clubs have split eight meetings this season, with each team winning four. Columbia has outscored Hickory 46-41 in those games. The Fireflies have won three of the last four at L.P. Frans.

Columbia is 8-2 in its last 10 games overall, while Hickory is 4-6 over the same stretch.

Projection

Interstat’s game simulator projects a 7-3 Columbia victory.

Up next

The series concludes with a 5 p.m. game Sunday at L.P. Frans Stadium. Columbia then travels to Kannapolis for six games starting Tuesday. Hickory returns home to host Hill City for a six-game set beginning Tuesday.