8th Inning Explosion Leads 'Dads to 9-5 Win
Published on May 12, 2015 under South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Hickory Crawdads News Release
Hickory, NC - The Hickory Crawdads utilized a 5-run 8th inning to turn a tight, one-run deficit into a runaway victory Tuesday afternoon, with the 'Dads finishing off their series win over the Savannah Sand Gnats with a 9-5 victory in front of an Education Day crowd 4,023 at L.P. Frans Stadium.
The Crawdads entered the penultimate inning trailing 5-4, but the 'Dads jumped on Savannah relievers Ben Griset and Jimmy Duff for five runs on five hits and two walks to take their first lead of the day. All nine Crawdad batters went to the plate in the frame, with Jairo Beras and Josh Morgan each picking up two RBI while Jose Cardona drove in a run of his own. The five run outburst tied the largest single inning for Hickory this season, while the five hits in the frame were the most by the 'Dads in an inning this year.
The late offensive output finished off a back and forth game that had twice seen the Crawdads tie the score only to have the Sand Gnats re-take it. Savannah jumped on Hickory starter Ariel Jurado in the top of the 2nd, scoring three runs on five single for a 3-0 advantage. The 'Dads responded with a solo home run by Kevin Torres in the bottom of the 2nd and a 2-run shot from Travis Demeritte in the 3rd to tie the game at 3-3.
The Gnats took back the lead with a single run on a sacrifice fly in the 4th for a 4-3 score, before the Crawdads once again answered with an RBI fielder's choice groundout by Luke Tendler in the 5th to plate Cardona and tie the score at 4-4. The 'Dads looked like they might even take the lead in the inning as Jose Trevino lined a ball off the top of the left field wall. Tendler raced around the bases in an attempt to score from first, but was thrown out at the plate to keep the game tied.
Savannah once again made the tie short lived with another run in the top of the 6th for a 5-4 advantage. The inning had the potential to be much larger for the Sand Gnats as they had the bases loaded with only one out, but Crawdads reliever Kelvin Vasquez settled down and ended the frame with a double play and a ground out to keep the 'Dads close and set up the 8th inning rally.
Vasquez (2-1) earned the win for the Crawdads with one run allowed on one hit over three innings pitched. Duff (0-1) took the loss for the Gnats after allowing four of the 'Dads five runs in the 8th.
Morgan finished the game 2-4 with a pair of RBI. Cardona (2-4, 2B, 2 R, RBI), Demeritte (2-5, HR, 2 RBI), and Trevino (2-4, 2 2B, R) all ended the day with multi-hit games as well.
The Crawdads (22-9) finish their series with the Sand Gnats (12-19) with three wins in four games, giving the team a 6-1 home stand. The 'Dads have an off day on Wednesday, May 13th, before starting a four-game weekend series in Augusta versus the GreenJackets on Thursday, May 14th.
South Atlantic League Stories from May 12, 2015
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- Suns Shutout by Drive in Series Finale, Split Series - Hagerstown Suns
- Delmarva Swept in Twinbill Finale - Delmarva Shorebirds
- Power Outage: RiverDogs Fall 10-3 in Series Finale - Charleston RiverDogs
- 8th Inning Explosion Leads 'Dads to 9-5 Win - Hickory Crawdads
- Greensboro Over Rome 2-1 - Rome Emperors
- Power Close Stand with Romp - Charleston Dirty Birds
- Sand Gnats Look to Reinflate In-Game Contests - Savannah Sand Gnats
- WV Power Game Notes: May 12, 2015 vs. Charleston - Charleston Dirty Birds
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