Hickory, NC- The Hickory Crawdads overcame a 5-0 deficit on Friday night to defeat the Salem Red Sox 7-5 at LP Frans Stadium in front of 2,277 fans.
The Crawdads, who own the Carolina League's best record at 10-2, fell behind instantly when Starlyn Nunez lifted a leadoff homer to right field, giving Salem a 1-0 lead off Evan Siary. In the second, Avinson Pinto launched a two-run homer to stretch the Salem advantage to 3-0. The home run was Pinto’s first of the year in support of RidgeYaks starter Madinson Frias.
Salem continued the drumbeat in the third with a two-run double from Andrews Opata, boosting the lead to 5-0. The Crawdads finally got on the board in the fourth inning when Hector Osorio—one of last night's stars—played hero again on "Hero Night" with a two-run homer to right field, cutting the deficit to 5-2.
In the fifth, the air in the ballpark shifted as Marcos Torres left the yard for the second time this year. His prodigious clout brought the fans to their feet and shifted the momentum squarely to the home team. Later in the frame, the 'Dads pulled even with an unearned run, knotting the game at 5-5.
Wily Villar entered the game in the fifth and immediately established bullpen dominance for Hickory (11-2), tossing two scoreless frames. In the sixth, Paulino Santana and Yolfran Castillo each collected RBI singles to complete the comeback, giving Hickory a 7-5 lead heading into the seventh.
Kamdyn Perry, making his 2026 debut for the club, was sensational in earning the save. Perry surrendered just one hit during his stint on the mound and struck out two. Villar claimed the win for Hickory—their eighth consecutive victory—upping his record to 2-0 on the campaign. Ethan Walker was saddled with the loss, falling to 1-1 in 2026.
The Crawdads seek their ninth straight win tomorrow night as AJ Russell takes the mound for Hickory. First pitch at the Frans is set for 7pm.