Dads fall in extras to Columbia in 10th-inning loss

Hickory, NC- Columbia scratched across three runs in the tenth inning, giving the Fireflies a 6-4 win over the Hickory Crawdads on Thursday night at LP Frans Stadium.

The game was highlighted by two solid pitching performances and clutch hitting by Columbia's Stone Russell.

Columbia starter Ryan McDonagh, making his Single-A debut, pitched five innings, surrendering two runs on one hit for the Fireflies. The Ontario, Canada, native had four separate 1-2-3 frames, retiring his final 11 batters in the effort.

Hickory starter Jesus Lafalaise, not to be outdone, went six innings, allowing two runs while striking out five for Hickory. The Dominican right-hander walked a single Columbia batter on 79 pitches, 51 for strikes.

Neither pitcher, however, factored in the decision on the final night of the Carolina League's first half.

Russell doubled home Josh Hammond for the go-ahead run against Hickory reliever Jake Jekielek in the eighth inning.

With Columbia holding a 3-2 lead through eight innings, a storm rolled through the Unifour, putting the game into a 53-minute delay.

The Crawdads returned to action in the ninth, as Aneudis Mejia tossed a frame to give the 'Dads a chance to come back.

In the bottom half of the ninth, Deward Tovar singled to left-center, plating Luis Marquez and knotting the score at 3-3.

The hit for Tovar was part of a multi-hit game that saw the outfielder drive home two runs in the contest for Hickory (34-30).

Russell slugged a two-run double in the tenth to put the game out of reach for the Fireflies, who finished the first half with a 34-32 record.

Dash Albus (2-1) claimed the win for Columbia, as the Fireflies have taken two of the first three games in the six-game set.

Mejia suffered the loss for Hickory, dropping his record to 1-5 in 2026.

Tomorrow, the two clubs open the second half of the 2026 schedule with a 7 p.m. first pitch at the Frans.