Hickory, NC- The Hickory Crawdads scored seven times in the first two innings to take down the Hill City Howlers 7-1 in a rain-shortened contest at LP Frans Stadium on Friday night.
The Crawdads, fresh off a 13-1 thumping the night before, continued to punish Howlers pitchers, scoring five times in the first inning.
Daniel Flames got Hickory on the board with a single through the middle of the infield to score Marco Argudin and Paulino Santana, giving the 'Dads a 2-0 advantage.
The next batter, Deward Tovar launched a majestic drive to right-center field to up the Crawdads lead to 5-0. The homer for Tovar was his 11th of the season.
In the second inning, Sebastian Baquera blooped a single on the right field line to open the frame for Yolfran Castillo, who lifted a deep drive to left-center, boosting the Hickory (7-0, 41-30) lead to 7-0.
Daniel Keaney, making his second start of the season for the home team, tossed 4.1 innings of shutout ball to aid the Crawdads' pursuit of their eighth win in ten games in the current homestand.
JD McReynolds earned the win for the 'Dads, pushing his 2026 record to 4-2. Erigaldi Perez was tagged with the loss in his first start for Hill City (0-7,31-42), as the win for Hickory clinches the series.
Tomorrow, Aidan Deakins gets the ball for Hickory, seeking his sixth win of the year. First pitch time is set for 7pm at the Frans.