Bratt Deals, Crawdad Steals, Propels Club to Wednesday Win
Hickory, NC- Mitch Bratt spun six sterling innings while the Crawdads got some timely hitting from a host of players to claim a 4-1 over the Asheville Tourists at LP Frans Stadium last night. Bratt, a southpaw from Canada, struck out eight Asheville hitters in a sensational performance that snapped
Hickory, NC- Mitch Bratt spun six sterling innings while the Crawdads got some timely hitting from a host of players to claim a 4-1 over the Asheville Tourists at LP Frans Stadium last night.
Bratt, a southpaw from Canada, struck out eight Asheville hitters in a sensational performance that snapped a brief two-game losing skid. The effort was also highlighted by zero walks surrendered through the six frames.
The only blemish for Bratt was a second inning homer off the bat of John Garcia that gave the Tourists a 1-0 lead.
Offensively, Sebastian Walcott and Anthony Gutierrez collected two hits apiece in the win. Gutierrez also swiped three bags for Hickory that spurred the Crawdads to single runs in every even-numbered frame.
Daniel Mateo provided significant offensive support to Bratt's performance with three hits and a pair of RBI that created a lead in the fourth and extended the lead in the sixth.
In the eighth inning, Ben Blackwell singled home Gutierrez from second to provide the finishing touches on the nine-hit attack. The eighth inning run for Gutierrez was his third of the night.
The bullpen kept Asheville off the board in the final three frames, as Yohanse Morel earned his second save of the season.
The win for Bratt is his first on the year and levels the series at a game each heading into tomorrow's 11am matinee as the Crawdads will play their second Education Day, presented by Dippin’ Dots, contest of the new year. It will also be a Senior Day by OrthoCarolina. The game audio will be aired on www.hickorycrawdads.com, with MiLB.tv and the Bally's app bringing you the televised streaming option.