Crawdads Clip Shorebirds 6-4

Hickory, NC- Maxton Martin and Esteban Mejia led a 10-hit attack while Thomas Ireland matched a season-high with five innings pitched, as the Hickory Crawdads got past the Delmarva Shorebirds 6-4 at LP Frans Stadium on Saturday night.

The Crawdads, seeking their fourth win in five outings against the Shorebirds, fell behind early as Nate George launched an opposite field two-run homer to right, giving Delmarva a 2-0 lead.

George, who leads the club with seven hits in the series, also picked up an RBI triple in the eighth inning.

The Crawdads would respond in the third frame, as Hector Osorio lifted a homer beyond the glove of Delmarva outfielder Kevin Guerrero, putting the Crawdads on the board against starter Michael Caldon.

The third-inning rally continued for Hickory with the first of two extra-base hits from Maxton Martin, who scored on a Delmarva error to level the contest at 2-2.

In the fifth, Martin's second double of the night would be redeemed, as Pablo Guerrero singled home the Crawdads outfielder, taking a 3-2 lead.

Caden Scarborough started for the Crawdads, tossing three innings before handing the ball to Thomas Ireland. Ireland proved to be the right call for Hickory manager Carlos Maldonado, as the Canadian southpaw pitched five innings to earn the win, surrendering two runs on three hits while striking out three hitters.

The outing for Ireland was his longest since April 16, when he tossed five scoreless frames in a no-decision against Charleston.

The Crawdads picked up some insurance in the seventh, as Ben Hartl and Esteban Mejia collected run-scoring hits to put Hickory ahead for good at 6-2.

Jesus Gamez closed out the contest for Hickory (35-32,2-0), claiming his first save of 2025.

Jack Crowder pitched four innings of relief for Delmarva (27-41,0-2) but was saddled with the loss to fall to 1-3 on the year.

The 10-hit attack was their second straight game of double-figure knocks for Hickory, as eight players collected safeties on the night.

Tomorrow, the 'Dads look to secure their fifth win of the series at 2pm against the Shorebirds.