Comeback Comes Up Short in 5-4 Loss
Hickory, NC- Maxton Martin's solo homer in the 9th inning was not enough for the Crawdads, falling 5-4 to Columbia on Friday night at LP Frans Stadium. Gabriel Silva's two-run homer was the difference for the Fireflies, as the Columbia catcher launched his first home run of the year against
Hickory, NC- Maxton Martin's solo homer in the 9th inning was not enough for the Crawdads, falling 5-4 to Columbia on Friday night at LP Frans Stadium.
Gabriel Silva's two-run homer was the difference for the Fireflies, as the Columbia catcher launched his first home run of the year against Caden Scarborough, stretching the lead to 5-2.
Hickory fell behind in the second inning as Brennon McNair singled home a pair of runs for Columbia. The hit was McNair's first of the series and started a three-run outburst that allow the Fireflies to never trail in the contest.
Rafe Perich and Yeremy Cabrera would drive home runs in the third frame to trim the lead to 3-2. The run scoring single for Perich was part of a multi-hit game, giving the third baseman eight hits in the series.
After Silva's homer, the Crawdads (28-26) would never recover, despite making things interesting with Martin's long ball in the ninth.
In that ninth inning, Martin hit a majestic drive to right field for his fifth homer of the season making it a 5-4 game. Martin's blast was part of a three-hit night for the Washington native.
In the end, Perich closed out the contest with a deep drive to left field that was caught on the track by McNair to give the Fireflies a split of the first four meetings at the Frans.
For Columbia (28-27), Augusto Mendieta earned his first win this year, pitching a pair of scoreless innings, facing one over the minimum. Fraynel Nova earned save number two of the campaign, with his two-inning performance.
Scarborough absorbed the loss for Hickory, falling to 0-4 in 2025.
Tomorrow, Mason Molina takes the hill for the Crawdads in the 5pm matchup with Columbia. David Shields will go for the Fireflies, seeking his second win of the campaign.