Crawdads Shelled 17-1
The game was a total breakdown of pitching and offensive production for Hickory as they surrendered a season high seventeen runs on nineteen hits on the night. Offensively, Hickory once again managed very little as they supplied only three hits while scoring only one unearned run in the fourth inning. Over the past 36 innings, the Crawdads have been retired in order 19 times.
Meanwhile, West Virginia brutalized Hickory pitching as they hit for eleven extra base hits on the night including four home runs. Power catcher Eric Fryer reached base six times in seven plate appearances as he hit for the cycle.
The Power sent 25 batters to the plate in the first three innings to build a 14-0 lead.
Rafael De Los Santos allowed three walks, hit a batter and surrendered two hits leading to a five run first for West Virginia. After the bases were loaded on a pair of walks and a hit batsman, Steffan Wilson singled in a pair of runs followed by a run-scoring double by Crawdads nemesis Caleb Gindl. De Los Santos retired only one batter before his removal from the game. The inning's scoring was completed on a bases loaded walk issued to Matt Cline by reliever Adam Simon, and a sacrifice fly by Lee Haydel.
With the Crawdads pen short on available arms, Simon was left in the absorb the brunt of the West Virginia offensive wrath as he allowed nine runs over the next two innings. The Power scored five runs in the second, highlighted by a two run homer by Wilson and a two run single by Curt Rindal. They added four more runs in the third as Zelous Wheeler supplyed the big blow with a three run homer off Simon.
Hickory scored their only run when Eric Huber reached on an error. Huber worked his way to third on a walk and fly ball out before Austin McClune brought him home with a sacrifice fly.
Fryer hit the home run portion of his cycle in the 4th inning off Charles Benoit and Ulrich Snijders hit a two run blast in the 8th to complete the scoring onslaught for the Power.
Michael Bowman (2-1) picked up the win for West Virginia pitching five innings of three hit ball, allowing only the one unearned run. Pedro Lambertus and Curtis Pasma combined to shut out the Crawdads over four innings of relief pitching allowing only one baserunner, that on an error. De Los Santos took the loss dropping his record to 2-9 on the season.
Hickory closes out the series in Charleston Sunday evening at 6:05 pm. The game will be broadcast on 92.1 FM WMNC and on hickorycrawdads.com with Mike Janela providing the play by play.