League-leading Crawdads on early-season tear

The Hickory Crawdads are off and running in 2026.

Through Wednesday, the Crawdads led the Single-A Carolina League with a 9-2 record, two games ahead of their closest competition for the league’s top spot. Not only that, but they won all six of the games they played between April 9-15, including three one-run victories as they improved to 5-0 in one-run games this season.

Below is a look at Hickory’s recent six-game winning streak, which the Crawdads looked to extend against the Salem (Va.) RidgeYaks late Thursday before continuing the six-game home series late Friday, tonight (Saturday, April 18) at 7 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. at L.P. Frans Stadium. Hickory will then travel to Lynchburg, Va., to face the Hill City Howlers, who won the 2025 Carolina League title, for six games beginning on Tuesday at 6 p.m.

THURSDAY, APRIL 9

Hickory 3, Kannapolis 0

The Crawdads’ first shutout win of the year saw three Hickory pitchers – Alejandro Chiquillo (4 IP, 2 H, BB, 4 K), Jormy Nivar (4 IP, 2 H, 5 K), and Louis Marinaro (IP, 2 BB, HBP, 2 K) – combine to limit the host Cannon Ballers to four hits, with Nivar earning his first win and Marinaro picking up his second save.

At the plate, Hickory received two hits from Marcos Torres (double, single) and one each from Luis Marquez (single, RBI, run), Angel Arredondo (single, RBI), Paulino Santana (double), Jhocsuanth Vargas (single), and Esteban Mejia (single).

FRIDAY, APRIL 10

Hickory 4, Kannapolis 3

With the game tied at 3-all with one out in the top of the fourth inning, a solo home run from Deward Tovar gave the Crawdads a lead that they would not relinquish as they overcame being outhit 6-4 and committing three errors on defense.

Hector Osorio added a three-run homer for Hickory, while Yolfran Castillo recorded a double, Santana singled and scored a run, and the aforementioned Tovar had the Crawdads’ only stolen base.

Luimy Munoz collected his first win thanks to two innings of scoreless, one-hit relief during which he had two strikeouts and one walk, with JD McReynolds (1 1/3 IP, 3 K) earning his second save.

SATURDAY, APRIL 11

Hickory 6, Kannapolis 5

The Cannon Ballers’ rally fell short against the Crawdads after Kannapolis trailed 6-2 halfway through the contest, with Hickory reliever Geury Rodriguez (2 IP, 3 K) earning the win to improve to 2-0 and Marinaro (1 2/3 IP, H, 4 K) notching his third save.

Wady Mendez (triple, double, two RBIs) was the only Hickory player to register multiple hits, while Josh Springer (single, RBI, two runs), Castillo (single, RBI, run, SB), Torres (single, RBI, run), Mejia (single, RBI), Tovar (double, two runs), and Santana (single, SB) finished with one apiece.

SUNDAY, APRIL 12

Hickory 7, Kannapolis 1

Torres highlighted a three-hit day with a three-run, ninth-inning homer, also finishing with a pair of triples and two runs scored as he paced an 11-hit outburst by the Crawdads’ offense.

Tovar (double, single, two RBIs), Castillo (double, single, RBI, SB), and Daniel Flames (double, single, run) each added two hits for Hickory, which also received one hit apiece from Juan Sulbaran (single, two runs) and Osorio (double, run). In addition, the Crawdads’ Wily Villar earned his first win following three innings of scoreless, one-hit relief during which he had four strikeouts, no walks, and one hit batsman.

TUESDAY, APRIL 14

Hickory 7, Salem 5

The Crawdads scored the final five runs against the RidgeYaks as they totaled nine hits in all, including three singles from Flames (two RBIs, two runs), two singles from Castillo (run), a solo homer from Tovar, a double from Torres (RBI, run, SB), and singles from Osorio (run) and Santana (SB).

Aneudis Mejia (1-1) was the winning pitcher thanks to four innings of one-run, two-hit relief with five strikeouts and two walks, while McReynolds (IP, BB, 2 K) matched Marinaro with his third save.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15

Hickory 5, Salem 4

Single runs in the bottom of the seventh and eighth innings lifted the Crawdads past the RidgeYaks, with Hickory getting a single and two RBIs from Tovar as well as a solo homer and two runs scored from Santana, a single and an RBI from Sulbaran, a single and a run scored from Flames, and singles from Springer and Danyer Cueva.

On the mound, Michael Trausch earned his first win following three innings of scoreless, hitless relief during which he struck out two and issued no walks.