BeerMongers Unable to Climb Back in 7-3 Loss to Hickory

SALEM, Va. – The Salem BeerMongers (21-27) struck first on Thursday night, but the Hickory Crawdads (27-19) answered quickly and never relinquished the lead, defeating Salem 7-3 at Carilion Clinic Field.

Salem opened the scoring in the bottom of the first inning when Starlyn Nunez led off with a double and later crossed the plate on an RBI single from Andrews Opata, giving the BeerMongers an early 1-0 advantage.

It marked the third consecutive game in which Salem scored in the bottom of the first inning. However, the hits from Nunez and Opata would be all the offense the BeerMongers could get until the fifth inning.

The 1-0 lead was short-lived, as Hickory responded with a two-run homer from Marcos Torres in the second inning. Torres launched his seventh home run of the season to right-center field off starter Jason Gilman, plating Esteban Mejia and putting the Crawdads ahead 2-1.

Hickory added to its lead in the third inning. Paulino Santana connected on a solo home run to left field before Mejia delivered an RBI single later in the frame, extending the Crawdads' advantage to 4-1.

The Crawdads pushed another run across in the fifth when Josh Springer lined an RBI double to right field, scoring Mejia to make it 5-1.

Salem chipped away in the bottom half of the inning. Adonys Guzman doubled and came home on Frederik Jimenez's RBI double to right field, trimming the deficit to 5-2.

After Hickory's Hector Osorio launched a solo homer in the seventh inning, Jimenez answered immediately for Salem. The first baseman crushed a 422-foot solo shot to center field in the bottom of the frame, his second homer of the season, bringing the BeerMongers within 6-3.

Jimenez finished 2-for-3 with a double, a home run, two RBI, and a walk. Opata added a pair of hits and an RBI, while Nunez and Guzman each collected doubles.

The Crawdads added an insurance run in the eighth inning when Angel Arredondo doubled home Cal Stark, pushing the lead to 7-3.

Hickory starter Jesus Lafalaise (1-4) earned the victory after allowing two runs on five hits across six innings. Reliever Frank Martinez picked up his second save with three innings of relief.

Salem starter Jason Gilman (0-1) suffered his first professional loss, allowing four runs on five hits over 3.2 innings. Calvin Bickerstaff and Nicolas De La Cruz combined to cover the final 5.1 innings out of the bullpen.

The Crawdads finished with 11 hits, including three home runs from Torres, Santana, and Osorio. Salem recorded seven hits and left four runners on base.

The RidgeYaks and Crawdads continue their six-game series on Friday night at Carilion Clinic Field. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. ET. It's Fireworks Friday at the ballpark, and Salem will wear specialty Star Wars-themed jerseys. Right-hander Jose Bello is scheduled to start for the RidgeYaks against Hickory's Aidan Deakins.

Game Notes:

• Salem has now scored first in each of its last three games, plating a run in the bottom of the first inning each time
• Frederik Jimenez recorded his second multi-hit game and second multi-RBI game of the season
• Both of Jimenez's two-RBI games this season have come this week (May 24 at Hill City and May 28 vs. Hickory)
• Jimenez’s 422-foot home run to center field is the longest home run by any Salem player this season
• Hickory's three home runs were the second-most allowed by Salem pitchers in a game this season and the most since April 18 at Hickory
• Salem pitchers allowed double-digit hits for the eighth time this season
• Andrews Opata went 2-for-4, extending his on-base streak to 12 games and recording his 10th multi-hit game of the season
• Six of Salem's seven hits went for extra bases
• Salem's five doubles were its second-most in a game this season, trailing only the six doubles recorded on April 21 against Fredericksburg
• Jason Gilman's four runs allowed were the most he has surrendered in an outing this season
• Calvin Bickerstaff pitched at Carilion Clinic Field for the first time since Sept. 6, 2025

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