Crawdads Held in Check in 3-1 Loss

Hickory, NC - The Hickory Crawdads and their potent offense were held in check by the visiting Kannapolis Intimidators Thursday night, as the 'Dads were contained to five hits and eight total base runners in their 6-3 loss in front of 2,673 fans at L.P. Frans Stadium.

The loss gave the Crawdads consecutive defeats for the first time since dropping 6-straight games from May 4 - 9. During the 5-week stretch since then, the 'Dads had spun off separate winning streaks of 12 and 9 games while posting a 33-10 record. Despite the loss Hickory still ends with a series split against Kannapolis, marking the 12^th straight series the Crawdads have either won or split.

The Intimidators struck for the first runs of the game in the 2^nd, when second baseman Christian Stringer lined a 2-out, 2-RBI double to right-center for a 2-0 Kannapolis lead. The Crawdads cut their deficit in half in the home half of the 4^th, when left fielder Ryan Cordell roped a 2-out, solo home run to right-center to make the score 2-1.

Kannapolis tacked on an insurance run in the 7^th when Stringer snuck a triple past diving Hickory center fielder Lewis Brinson to score Carl Thomore for a 3-1 score. The Crawdads put multiple men on base in both the 5^th and 6^th frames, but failed to score as Intimidators relievers Andre Wheeler and Jose Brito combined to toss four shutout innings while leading their team to the 3-1 win.

Kannapolis starting pitcher Jordan Guerrero (5-0) earned the win while making his first start of the season after holding the 'Dads to one run on three hits, two walks, and four strikeouts over five innings pitched. Crawdads starter Ricardo Rodriguez (5-2) took the tough loss after giving up two runs on six hits, one walk, and four strikeouts during his five innings on the mound. Brito (2) picked up the save for Kannapolis with two shutout frames.

Cordell paced the Hickory offense with a 2-4 night including his fifth homer of the season, while Brinson also finished with a multi-hit game going 2-4 with a stolen base.

The Crawdads (6-2) still lead the South Atlantic League's Northern Division as they stay at home to host the Greenville Drive for a four-game series over the weekend. First pitch Friday night against the Drive is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.

 

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