'Dads Make It Four Straight with Wild 11-4 Victory
July 27, 2015 - South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Hickory Crawdads News Release
Lexington, KY- The Hickory Crawdads fell behind early for a second time in as many nights in Lexington on Sunday, yet powered back offensively to win a fourth consecutive road contest by a final of 11-4. With the victory, the 'Dads are assured of a winning road trip and at least a split of the four game series with the Legends.
It was a rocky beginning for Crawdads righty Austin Pettibone (W, 2-3), who gave up three runs in the first, including a home run to Wander Franco. Consistent production from Hickory across the balance of the contest would pick the starter up. The Crawdads outscored Lexington 11-3 the rest of the way, allowing Pettibone (6.0 IP, 7H, 4ER, BB, 4K) to notch his second win of the season.
Hickory pounded out fourteen hits and left eleven additional runners stranded on the base paths against a combination of starter Foster Griffin (L, 0-4), lefty reliever Emilio Ogando and right-hander Jake Newberry. The Crawdads ended the night 7-for-18 with runners in scoring position and every member of the lineup reached base.
A return to the starting lineup for catcher Jose Trevino alongside the arrival of third baseman Edwin Garcia provided the offensive spark. The duo combined for ten of the 'Dads fifteen hits, scoring six times and driving in over half the club's runs. Both players also secured round-trippers, though very different in nature.
Trevino, who provided the team's first hit and first run scored in the second, capped his four hit night with a two-run homer in the sixth. The blast into the left field bleachers was his team leading twelfth on the year. Trevino ended up 4-for-5 with four runs score and two driven in.
Garcia was activated in place of the injured Xavier Turner, who was placed on the disabled list earlier Sunday. His memorable seventh inning at bat served as a snapshot of the wild contest, in which both teams were charged with three errors.
With the Crawdads leading 9-4 in the seventh, Garcia lined a one out single into right, eluding Brandon Downes long enough to rush the outfielder's throw to second base, which missed both cut-off men. In the process of advancing to second, Garcia noticed third base was vacant since Wander Franco was in shallow left retrieving the errant throw. Legends catcher Chad Johnson raced up the third base line to receive a throw from Franco for a bang-bang play, ultimately leaving the plate uncovered. As Johnson paused to argue the safe call at third, Garcia scampered home with Hickory's tenth run.
The twenty-four year old Venezuelan was perfect at the plate and on the base paths, logging a 5-for-5 performance. Garcia was also responsible for two runs scored and four driven home in his first action for Hickory since the 2012 campaign.
In addition, the nearly three hour game saw Carlos Arroyo come home to score after reaching base on a dropped third strike and having an errant throw glance off his batting helmet when he appeared to be picked off during the four run second inning. The Crawdads defense would later snuff out a potential rally by retiring a runner at the plate to end the fifth inning when the game was still in doubt.
Crawdads reliever Joe Filomeno (S, 1) sealed the deal with three scoreless frames to pick up his first save in 2015. The southpaw faced ten batters without allowing a hit, working around an error in the eighth. Pettibone and Filameno combined to retire twelve of the final thirteen Legends hitters.
The Crawdads (60-38/16-14) continue the series in Lexington (44-53/13-15) with game three tomorrow night at 7:05 p.m.
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- 'Dads Make It Four Straight with Wild 11-4 Victory - Hickory Crawdads
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