Mendez Knocks First Homer in Loss

Hickory, NC- Mac Guscette collected three hits for the Augusta while Brett Sears pitched four innings of scoreless relief, as the GreenJackets won on a Friday night at LP Frans Stadium against the Crawdads.

Hickory, playing as the Llamas for the first time at the Frans this season, was attempting to win the third contest in four outings against Augusta to open the home schedule, while the GreenJackets were looking to level the six-game set.

Ethan Bagwell pitched into the fifth inning for Augusta, allowing only one run in the contest. The run came off the bat of Wady Mendez, who drilled his first home run of the year to trim the Augusta lead to 3-1.

For Hickory starter Mason Molina, he ran into trouble in the third against a GreenJackets squad who got some timely hitting from Guscette, who tucked a ball just inside the third base bag to plate two runs against the Crawdads southpaw, giving the GreenJackets a lead they would not relinquish.

Bagwell would be lifted for Sears in the fifth after giving up consecutive walks to the Crawdads. Sears, the Iowa native making his second appearance of the year, tossed four scoreless frames, striking out five in the process, to claim his first win of 2025.

Molina, would leave the game in the fourth, suffering the loss for Hickory.

Mason Guerra lifted a two-run homer in the eighth to give the GreenJackets some breathing room with his first dinger of the new campaign.

For Hickory, Mendez homer was part of a two-hit performance, alongside Beycker Barroso's pair of knocks.

Tomorrow, Hickory's Aneudis Mejia challenges Rayven Antonio of the Green Jackets. First pitch time is slated for 7pm on the Bally Sports Live app and MiLB.TV. Saturday will be a LR themed jersey giveaway courtesy of Cloninger Ford and will have post-game fireworks.