Crawdads stay hot with 5-game win streak

The Hickory Crawdads’ offense seemed to be firing on all cylinders during a recent five-game winning streak, as the Single-A Carolina League club averaged more than 11 runs per game during its streak before falling by a 7-5 final at the hands of the visiting Augusta (Ga.) GreenJackets on Wednesday at L.P. Frans Stadium.

As a result, Hickory entered Thursday’s late home game against Augusta — which preceded additional matchups between the teams on Friday, at 7 p.m. tonight (Saturday, Aug. 8), and at 2 p.m. on Sunday prior to the Crawdads’ six-game road series against the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers that begins on Aug. 11 — with an overall record of 61-40 and a Carolina League-leading 27-10 mark since the second half of the season started on June 19.

At press time, the Crawdads’ second-half record was 5 1/2 games better than the mark posted by the GreenJackets, who tied Hickory for second place in the South Division during the season’s first half. The Charleston (S.C.) RiverDogs finished two games ahead of both clubs to win the division’s first-half title.

Here’s more information from the games that the Crawdads played between July 30 and Aug. 5 …

THURSDAY, JULY 30

Hickory 11, Delmarva 2

After splitting a doubleheader in Salisbury, Md., the previous day, the Crawdads outhit the host Shorebirds 15-2 and scored in seven of nine innings en route to a nine-run victory.

Yolfran Castillo (two RBIs, two runs, SB), Marco Argudin (two RBIs, two runs, SB), and Kolby Branch (run) each had three singles for Hickory, which also received one hit apiece from Pablo Guerrero (solo home run), Paulino Santana (double, RBI, run), Daniel Flames (single, RBI, run, SB), Deward Tovar (triple, two runs), Noah Franklin (double, run, SB), and Sebastian Baquera (single).

Starter Evan Siary (4-2) earned the win on the mound after allowing one run with seven strikeouts and three walks in 5 1/3 hitless innings.

FRIDAY, JULY 31

Hickory 14, Delmarva 2

The Crawdads pounded out 16 hits in another offensive explosion, capping their big night with five runs in the top of the ninth.

Santana finished with a three-run homer, a triple, a single, four RBIs, and two runs scored, while Argudin had three singles, an RBI, and two runs scored. In addition, Hickory got two hits each from Guerrero (two singles, three RBIs), Kaden Carpenter (solo homer, double, RBI, two runs), Flames (two doubles, RBI, two runs), and Curley Martha (two singles, run) as well as a single apiece from Castillo (three RBIs, run) and Baquera.

Jormy Nivar (5-0) picked up the win following five innings of scoreless, three-hit relief during which he struck out two, issued one walk, and hit a batter.

SATURDAY, AUG. 1

Hickory 7, Delmarva 0

Three Crawdads pitchers combined on a two-hit shutout, with Moises Morales (7-2) earning the win thanks to five innings of scoreless, hitless relief during which he had five strikeouts and no walks.

Other pitchers used by Hickory were Jacob Johnson (2 IP, 2 H, 3 K) and Michael Trausch (2 IP, BB, 4 K), while Franklin (three singles, run) led the Crawdads at the plate.

Hickory also received multi-hit performances from Guerrero (solo homer, double, two RBIs, run), Martha (double, single, two RBIs), and Argudin (solo homer, single, RBI, two runs), with Tovar (double, RBI, run) and Carpenter (single, run) adding one hit apiece.

SUNDAY, AUG. 2

Hickory 16, Delmarva 11

A high-scoring affair saw the Crawdads erase a four-run deficit by plating nine runs in the ninth.

Hickory tallied 11 hits as a team behind a triple, two singles, three RBIs, and two runs scored from Argudin, while Guerrero had a three-run homer, a double, four RBIs, and three runs scored, and Santana finished with a triple, a single, three RBIs, three runs scored, and a stolen base. Furthermore, the Crawdads got one hit each from Tovar (single, two RBIs, run), Luis Marquez (single, RBI), Franklin (single, two runs), and Martha (single, run).

Six different pitchers saw time on the mound for the Crawdads, with Louis Marinaro (6-2) earning the win after allowing one run on two hits with a strikeout and a walk in 1 1/3 innings of relief.

TUESDAY, AUG. 4

Hickory 8, Augusta 7 (10 innings)

The Crawdads edged the GreenJackets when Carpenter scored on a two-out single from Flames in the bottom of the 10th, crossing the plate for the second time on the night.

Flames scored a run of his own earlier in the contest, while Hickory received three hits from Castillo (double, two singles, RBI, run, SB), two apiece from Baquera (double, single, three RBIs, run), Guerrero (two-run homer, single, two RBIs, two runs), and Argudin (two singles, run), and one each from Flames, Santana (single), and Franklin (single).

Ben DeTaeye was the seventh and final pitcher used by the Crawdads, with the left-hander earning his first win with Hickory after striking out all three batters he faced.

WEDNESDAY, AUG. 5

Augusta 7, Hickory 5

Despite outhitting the GreenJackets 9-6, the Crawdads lost for the first time since the nightcap of the aforementioned July 29 doubleheader, with Santana (solo homer, single), Argudin (two singles, RBI, run), and Carpenter (two singles, run) each recording two hits.

Also tallying hits for Hickory were Franklin (single, RBI, run), Castillo (single, RBI), and Marquez (single).