Crawdads blank Tourists, 3-0
August 24, 2009 - South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Hickory Crawdads News Release
HICKORY, N.C. - The Hickory Crawdads completed their 10th shutout win of the season with a 3-0 blanking of the Asheville Tourists, before 774 fans at L.P. Frans Stadium on Monday evening. RHP Neil Ramirez, LHP Yoon-Hee Nam (9-1) and RHP Cody Eppley combined to strike out 10 batters, while only scattering four hits on the evening.
Ramirez started the game and shut out the Tourists (35-20, 61-63) through his five innings of work. The native of Virginia Beach struck out five, and only allowed three hits and one walk. Nam then took over on the mound to start the sixth inning, and tossed three perfect frames of relief, striking out three and retiring all nine batters he faced in order, giving the Crawdads bats time to heat up.
Asheville starter RHP Dan Houston (7-9) no-hit Hickory through the first 6.1 innings to match Ramirez and Nam, but the Crawdads (26-30, 59-66) struck for the only runs in the game in the bottom of the seventh. OF Cristian Santana sparked the offense with a one-out single, breaking up the Houston no-hitter and getting himself to first base. 1B/CF Jared Bolden then belted an RBI double to left-center field, plating Santana from first and cracking the scoreless tie. LF David Christensen couldn't pick the ball up cleanly on the warning track, enabling Bolden to take third base on an error on the double. After Houston dealt a strike out to put two outs on the board, C Leonel De Los Santos extended the inning with an RBI single that he lined the opposite way to right field, bringing in Bolden and making it 2-0. LF/1B Ed Koncel then came through with an RBI double that he bashed to straight-away center field, scoring De Los Santos all the way from first and capping the three-run inning for Hickory.
Nam came back out for the eighth and tossed his third consecutive three-up-three-down inning, before RHP Cody Eppley slammed the door with a shutout in the top of the ninth, completing the 3-0 victory for the Crawdads. Nam earned the win, adding to his team-leading total of nine, and Eppley recorded his fifth save for Hickory, while Houston was tagged with the loss for Asheville.
South Atlantic League Stories from August 24, 2009
- BlueClaws swept in doubleheader - Jersey Shore BlueClaws
- Power surge past Drive 12-6 in series finale - Greenville Drive
- Five 10th-inning runs down Jackets - Augusta GreenJackets
- Five-run tenth gives RiverDogs series in 7-2 win - Charleston RiverDogs
- Power use six-run first inning to beat Drive - Charleston Dirty Birds
- Crawdads blank Tourists, 3-0 - Hickory Crawdads
- Braves salvage final game of series - Rome Emperors
- Greensboro earns series split with 5-0 win over Legends - Greensboro Grasshoppers
- Houston shines in Asheville loss - Asheville Tourists
- Seven-year-old puts 'Claws over one million fans - Jersey Shore BlueClaws
- Kannapolis game with Bowling Green cancelled Monday - Kannapolis Cannon Ballers
- Brett Myers pitches, but BlueClaws lose 2-0 - Jersey Shore BlueClaws
- Hot Rods-Intimidators rained out Monday night - Bowling Green Hot Rods
- Suns-Shorebirds Finale Postponed - Hagerstown Suns
- Legends open final homestand of 2009 Tuesday - Lexington Legends
- Wiley Joins Team - Rome Emperors
- Tourists Playoff Tickets on Sale Tuesday at 10 a.m. - Asheville Tourists
- Santana named SAL Player of the Week - Hickory Crawdads
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