Hickory, NC- Pablo Guerrero mashed a solo homer in the eighth inning to propel the Crawdads to a 5-4 win on Saturday night at LP Frans Stadium.
Jormy Nivar got the start on Saturday and was his usually dependable self. The right-hander wiggled out of a first inning jam to retire the next six batters he faced.
Nivar finished his night with four innings completed, allowing no runs on just two hits and a walk.
The Crawdads were gifted a run in the third inning, as Deward Tovar scored on an errant pickoff attempt at first from Wilson starter Jarrette Bonet.
However, things turned around abruptly for Wilson in the fifth, as Alexander Frias lifted a breaking ball well beyond the right field wall for a grand slam, giving the Warbirds a 4-1 advantage.
The grand slam was the fourth homer for Wilson in the series, accounting for all nine runs through the first two games.
Time and again, the Hickory Crawdads have had an uncanny knack of finding Frans' magic this season.
Tonight was no different!
In the fifth, the 'Dads would come off the deck with a two-run frame, capped by a two-run single from Paulino Santana.
In the sixth inning, Hickory got a sacrifice fly from Sebastian Baquera to knot the game at 4-4.
The Crawdads have found much of their success this season with stellar work from the bullpen and tonight was no exception, as Geury Rodriguez and Louis Marinaro blanked the Warbirds, facing the minimum in the final three innings.
In the eighth, Pablo Guerrero hit a prodigious blast over the batter's eye to seize the lead again for Hickory (51-36, 17-6), bringing the fans to their feet and sending the dugout into a frenzy.
The Crawdads would find a fitting exclamation point in the ninth, as the game ended on a strike 'em out, throw 'em out double play.
Marinaro (4-2) claimed the win for Hickory, as the club has won 10 of their last 11 at home.
Joey Broughton was tagged with the setback for Wilson (47-41, 11-11), dropping his record to 0-1 on the season.
The series concludes tomorrow at 2pm, as Daniel Keaney looks for his third win of 2026 versus Diustin Mayorquin of Wilson.