The Hill City Howlers wrapped up their home schedule with a dominating performance over the Kannapolis CannonBallers, winning 8-1 on Sunday afternoon.
From start to finish, the Howlers had full control behind Ryan Prager, who finished with five innings of one run baseball. The bullpen followed with four shutout innings, allowing just one hit while striking out four.
Hill City struck early as Alejandro Blasco drove home Alejandro Garza for the game's first run. In the second, Kannapolis tied things up courtesy of Bradon Holcumb who crushed his second home run of the year in his first game returning from injury.
Knotted at one, Ben Cleary delivered in the bottom of the fourth inning. His RBI single scored Deiten LaChance, putting the Howlers in front for good.
The sixth inning saw Hill City exercise their demons, pouring six runs on the board to break the game wide open. LaChance dealt the first blow, knocking a two-run blast to the pine in left field for his second of the season. Gabriel Rodriguez drove home the next with a single to move the Howlers in front 5-1.
Pedro Dalmagro continued his hot stretch at the plate with a double that plated Rodriguez. To wrap things up, Alejandro Garza doubled to right, scoring two more and giving Hill City the comfortable seven-run advantage.
The rest of the afternoon went smoothly for the Howlers as they cruised to their first series win since May.
Hill City hits the road for their final series of the season, taking on the Salem RidgeYaks beginning on Tuesday for a six game set. The Howlers will return home on Friday, April 2, 2027 for their home opener against the Kannapolis CannonBallers. To stay up to date on all things Hill City, fans can visit hchowlers.com.