Crawdads limit Hoppers to 3 hits

HICKORY, N.C. (July 2, 2018) -- The Grasshoppers were held to three hits in a 5-1 loss to the Crawdads on Monday night at L.P. Frans Stadium in Hickory. Crawdads pitchers combined to strike out 13 batters. 
Greensboro (40-40, 6-5 Second Half) scored its lone run in the top of the first inning when Garvis Lara singled with one out, stole second base, moved to third on a Jhonny Santos base hit, and came home on a wild pitch.
Hickory responded with three runs in the home half of the first on the strength of a pair of home runs. Miguel Aparicio belted a solo blast (3) to right field with one out in the frame, and Yohel Pozo added a 2-out, 2-run home run (8) to cap the frame. The Crawdads added runs in the fifth and sixth to pull away in the win. 
Crawdads starting pitcher Tyler Phillips (5-5) struck out nine batters over 5.0 innings, limiting the Grasshoppers to a run on three hits with one walk. Hickory relievers Joe Barlow and Tyler Ferguson each tossed 2.0 scoreless innings to close the game, combining for four strikeouts along the way.
Hoppers starter Scott Sebald (0-2) took the loss, giving up three runs on seven hits over 4.0 innings, striking out three and walking none. Reliever Sean Guenther allowed a pair of runs over 3.0 relief innings, and Gabriel Castellanos tossed a scoreless eighth to close the game on the mound for Greensboro.
Hickory's Tyreque Reed finished 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI as the Crawdads pounded out 14 hits on the night, including a pair of doubles, a triple, and two home runs. 
The Grasshoppers wrap up this 4-game road series against the Crawdads on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. at L.P. Frans Stadium before returning to First National Bank Field on the Fourth of July. General admission tickets for the Hoppers game on July 4 are still available online at gsohoppers.com.