The BlueClaws took three of four at Hickory with a 6-4 win on Monday. ---
The BlueClaws took three of four at Hickory with a 6-4 win on Monday.
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HICKORY, NC - Madison Stokes hit a grand slam to put the BlueClaws ahead and Lakewood held off a late Hickory rally in a 6-4 win over Hickory on Monday afternoon at LP Frans Stadium.
The BlueClaws (34-16/75-44) took three of four in the series from Hickory (30-21/60-59) and now lead the Crawdads by 4.5 games with 19 left in the season. They are 31-games over .500 for the first time in their 18-year franchise history.
Zach Warren got the last three outs for his 12th save - and second in as many days - after the Crawdads cut a 6-1 deficit to 6-4 with three runs in the eighth inning. Warren has allowed two earned runs in 20.2 innings so far in the second half while saving 11.
After Hickory got a run in the fourth inning, the BlueClaws took the lead in the sixth. With runners on second and third and two out, Crawdads manager Matt Hagen elected to intentionally walk Nick Maton, setting the stage for Madison Stokes. The first-year pro got a breaking ball from Joe Kuzia (1-3) and smashed it over the left field wall for a grand slam.
The Stokes grand slam was his first BlueClaws home run and his second professional home run. It was also the second grand slam of the year hit by the BlueClaws after Colby Fitch's on April 10th in West Virginia.
Lakewood added two more in the seventh one on a Simon Muzziotti groundout and one when Nick Maton was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.
Spencer Howard (8-7) gave up one run in six innings to earn his eighth win of the season. He did not walk a batter and struck out eight.
Hickory got three in the eighth, two on a Bubba Thompson home run, and pulled to within 6-4. Tyler Fallwell, however, got the last two outs of the inning and Warren came on to get the save.
Jhailyn Ortiz, Colby Fitch, and Josh Stephen all had two hits in the win for the BlueClaws.
The BlueClaws will head home and open a series with Rome on Wednesday night at FirstEnergy Park.
- BlueClaws -
