Marco Mashes Crawdads to 4-2 Win

Hickory, NC- Marco Argudin's three-run homer in the fifth inning propelled the Crawdads to a 4-2 win over the Delmarva Shorebirds on Sunday afternoon at LP Frans Stadium.

The Crawdads, seeking their tenth win in twelve starts against the Shorebirds, sent Josh Owens to the bump, marking the right-handers mound debut for the 'Dads in 2026.

Owens showcased an upper-90's fastball in two innings, tossing a pair of scoreless frames for a Hickory squad that was looking to maintain a 6.5 game lead in the South Division standings with thirteen games remaining on the year.

Delmarva got on the board first as Stiven Martinez hit a solo homer to right-center field off Crawdads' reliever Will Whelan for a 1-0 lead.

The homer for Martinez was his second of the week and his twelfth of the year for Delmarva (42-78, 19-35).

In the fifth, the Shorebirds doubled their lead to 2-0 as Jimmy Anderson reached on a Kolby Branch throwing error, plating Jhomnardo Reyes.

From there, Jesus Lafalaise settled in over the next five frames to allow just one run on two hits, while striking out six Delmarva batters.

The Crawdads offense, who managed just five hits on the day, finally broke into the scoring column in the fifth inning, as Marco Argudin drove a Francisco Morao (0-1) pitch beyond all four tiers in right-center to put Hickory (71-46, 37-16) in front for good with his fifth homer of the season.

With the Crawdads ahead 3-2 in the seventh, Kolby Branch would score on a balk from Marao to close out the scoring for the Crawdads at 4-2.

William Privette claimed his first save of 2026 with a scoreless ninth, preserving the win for Lafalaise (2-5), his second win of the season.

Daniel Flames led the five-hit attack with three safeties, en route to the club's fifth win of the homestand.

The win for the Crawdads keeps their lead at 6.5 games with thirteen to play, as the club travels to Wilson to open a seven-game series beginning Tuesday.

The victory also shrinks the club's magic number to 7, as Kannapolis pummeled Fredericksburg 17-4 on Sunday to win their series.

Tuesday's opening contest will be the resumption of a suspended game from July 19, with Wilson holding a 6-0 lead in the first inning, followed by a seven-inning game for the nightcap.

The Crawdads return home Tuesday, September 1st, to open their final homestand of the 2026 regular season against the Fayetteville Woodpeckers, Class-A affiliate of the Houston Astros. First pitch is set for 7pm.