Crawdads Win in Extras 5-4
Hickory, NC- The Hickory Crawdads picked up a walk-off win Thursday afternoon, defeating the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers 5-4 at LP Frans Stadium. Playing their second Education Day game of 2025, the Crawdads' Pablo Guerrero scored on an errant throw from Kannapolis reliever Liam Paddack in the 10th inning to claim
Hickory, NC- The Hickory Crawdads picked up a walk-off win Thursday afternoon, defeating the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers 5-4 at LP Frans Stadium.
Playing their second Education Day game of 2025, the Crawdads' Pablo Guerrero scored on an errant throw from Kannapolis reliever Liam Paddack in the 10th inning to claim the win. The extra-inning win for Hickory (17-18) was their first of the campaign, having lost their previous two extra-inning affairs.
Kannapolis took a 3-0 lead in the fourth, as Ronny Hernandez and George Wolcow hit back-to-back homers against Hickory starter J'Briell Easley. A third run in the frame scored as Jorge Corona made it home on a single from Arnold Prado, chasing Easley from the game.
In the fifth, however, the Crawdads would collect four base-hits, including a two-run base knock from Chandler Pollard to pull even at 3-3. Two batters later, Beycker Barroso singled home Jhocsuanth Vargas to gain their first lead at 4-3.
The Ballers would answer in the seventh as Mikey Kane was hit by a Luke Savage pitch, scoring Miguel Santos, leveling the game at 4-4.
The game would go to extra innings knotted at 4-4, as William Privette and Paddack each pitched a clean ninth inning to take the game past regulation.
In the tenth, Privette got a failed bunt attempt, a flyout and a strike out to keep the Ballers off the board, while giving the 'Dads a chance to win.
Beycker Barroso attempted to bunt the tie-breaking runner Pablo Guerrero to third, but Paddack, who looked at Guerrero advancing to third, hurried a throw to first. The throw made its way into foul ground on the right side, scoring Guerrero for the game-winning run.
Barroso and Erick Alvarez collected multi-hit games for the Crawdads, leading the six-hit attack.
Privette claimed the win for Hickory, moving his mark to 2-1. For Kannapolis (19-17), Paddack suffered the setback, falling to 0-2.
Tomorrow, the series resumes as Caden Scarborough opposes Justin Sinibaldi at 7pm. The game will feature post-game fireworks courtesy of Courtyard by Marriott and KICKS 103.3.