Trio Of Columbia Fireflies Combine For No-Hitter

What a way to get your team’s first win.

On Saturday night at Joseph P. Riley Stadium, the trio of Thomas McIlraith, Alex Palsha and Johnny Magliozzi combined to no-hit the Charleston RiverDogs in a 10-0 victory.

“Boy, I was trying not to think about it (in the ninth),” manager Jose Leger said in a press release. “This was special. McIlraith led the way with good command of his stuff. Palsha’s fastball looked great, and gave us two good innings, and Magliozzi, he was in sync.”

The win was also the team’s first as the Fireflies. The Mets low Class A affiliate, the team moved to Columbia after 21 seasons in Savannah, Ga. Then the Sand Gnats, the franchise has been affiliated with the Mets since 2007.

“And a lot of credit (goes) to ( catcher Jose) Garcia,” Leger said. “He called a great game. And the pitchers followed his plan.”

McIlraith, the Mets’ 20th-round selection last year out of the University of Oklahoma, walked two in his six innings before handing the ball to Palsha and Magliozzi.

The two relievers retired all nine Charleston hitters they faced and fanned seven hitters, including the game’s final five. The no-hitter ended when Magliozzi whiffed Charleston outfielder Jeff Hendrix.

Here’s how the final out sounded, as called by broadcaster Kevin Fitzgerald.