Crawdads stall Intimidators with 9-5 win
The Crawdads (6-4) exploded right out of the gates, striking for six runs in the top of the first against RHP Matt Heidenreich (L, 0-1). Eleven Crawdads came to the plate during the rally, all started by a leadoff double from CF Teodoro Martinez, who later in the frame doubled in a run. In between Martinez's doubles, LF Jake Skole slapped an RBI single, then with two outs, RF Josh Richmond was hit by a pitch, 2B Odubel Herrera singled in a run, 3B Christian Villanueva was plunked, 1B Jhonny Gomez worked a bases-loaded, RBI walk, and Jonathan Roof came through with a two-run single, before Martinez capped the big inning with his run-scoring double.
Kannapolis (7-2) began chipping away against RHP Justin Grimm with a leadoff homer by CF Trayce Thompson in the first and an unearned run in the third, cutting the Crawdads lead to 6-2 through three.
The Crawdads struck back with three runs in the top of the fifth, pushing the lead to 9-2. C Tomas Telis started the frame with a single, and then was pushed to third as DH Andrew Clark and Richmond were consecutively hit by pitches. Herrera then pulled a two-run double to right field, scoring Telis and Clark while advancing Richmond to third. Richmond came in the final ninety feet on a sacrifice fly by Villanueva, putting Hickory in front by seven.
However, the Intimidators refused to go away quietly. Kannapolis plated one in the fifth against RHP Andres Perez-Lobo in his Crawdads debut, then brought home two unearned runs against RHP Colby Killian (W, 1-0) in the seventh, pulling back within four, 9-5.
LHP Kevin Johnson took over for the 'Dads and closed the door with two scoreless frames in the eighth and ninth, inducing a game-ending 6-4-3 double play to nail down the 9-5 win for Hickory.
Crawdads Clippings:
The 'Dads look to make it two in a row in Kannapolis on Sunday at 5:05 p.m. Catch all the action live on The Big Dawg 92.1FM and Hickorycrawdads.com, and tune in 15 minutes before First Pitch for Crawdads Countdown.
The 'Dads return home for a nine-game homestand on Monday, April 25 against the Augusta GreenJackets! It will be 2-for-1 Senior Night, presented by 63 Big Ways 630AM, with bingo! Also, all kids get to eat for free with a ticket purchase. First Pitch is 7 p.m., gates open at 6 p.m.
Get Tickets:
Individual tickets, corporate partnerships, group outings and ticket plans for the 2011 season are available right now at the Crawdads Front Office or by calling (828) 322-3000. You can even purchase and print your tickets from the comfort of your home on Hickorycrawdads.com!