Crawdads cruise to 6-1 win against Lakewood
Published on May 3, 2009 under South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Hickory Crawdads News Release
HICKORY, N.C. - LHP Martin Perez (1-2) only allowed one run on two hits in 5.1 innings to pace the Hickory Crawdads to the 6-1 win against the Lakewood BlueClaws before 752 fans at L.P. Frans Stadium on Sunday afternoon, after a 20-minute delay before the game due to rain. 3B Matt West went 3-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs to help lead the offense.
The Crawdads (12-12) got on the board first with a run in the second and third innings, taking an early 2-0 lead. West led off the second frame with a single and scored on a 1B Clark Murphy RBI base hit later in the inning. With one swing of the bat in the third, 2B Jake Kaase made it 2-0, hitting a towering solo home run down the right field line for his first homer of the year.
Hickory continued to pour it on against Lakewood starter RHP Heitor Correa (0-1) with a pair of runs in the fifth inning to move ahead 4-0. West and 3B Erik Morrison strung together back-to-back RBI singles to bring in CF David Paisano and Kaase, who had reached base on a walk and single, respectively, to start the inning.
After Perez retired 16 of the first 17 batters he faced, the BlueClaws (13-10) were able to plate one run in the sixth inning to get on the board. Perez allowed just one hit in the inning, a one-out double to LF Leandro Castro, before being replaced by RHP Cody Eppley on the mound. Eppley gave up a single to the first batter he faced, which advanced Castro to third, and then induced a run-scoring ground out, making it 4-1. Eppley quickly got out of the inning, before giving way to RHP Jake Brigham in the seventh.
Brigham retired the side in scoreless fashion in the seventh, and the Crawdads bats struck for two more tallies in the bottom of the inning. LF Eric Fry reached on a one-out walk and moved to second on a balk called against Lakewood reliever RHP Jake Diekman to spark the rally. West promptly plated Fry with an RBI double, his third hit and second RBI of the game. Morrison then brought West across the plate with an RBI triple hit to left-center field for his second hit and second RBI of the afternoon, pushing the Crawdads lead to 6-1.
Brigham denied the BlueClaws of any opportunity to stage a late come back, as he dealt three scoreless innings with just three hits allowed, one walk and one strikeout to nail down the 6-1 win for Hickory. Brigham registered the first professional save of his career and Perez picked up his first win of the season, while Correa was tagged with the loss for Lakewood.
Click here for the complete box score.
Crawdads Clippings:
The Crawdads now hit the road for an eight-game road trip, with consecutive four-game sets in Lake County and Lakewood this week. The trip kicks off with the series opener in Lake County against the Captains on Tuesday evening at 6:30 p.m. All Crawdads games are broadcast live on the Big Dawg 92.1 FM and Hickorycrawdads.com, and be sure to tune in 15 minutes early for Crawdads Countdown!
Hickory returns home on Thursday, May 14 to open an eight-game homestand at L.P. Frans Stadium. It will be $1 Beverage Night at the ballpark, as the Crawdads host the Lake County Captains for the first time this season! Gates open at 6 p.m., first pitch is at 7 p.m.
Single game tickets for all Crawdads games are on sale now at the Crawdads Ticket Office and online at Hickorycrawdads.com and start at just $6! Season tickets, mini-plans and group outings are available at the Crawdads office, located at 2500 Clement Blvd. NW or by calling 322-3000.
South Atlantic League Stories from May 3, 2009
- Adams Drives Home Two As RiverDogs Shutout Drive - Charleston RiverDogs
- Adams Drives Home Two As RiverDogs Shutout Drive - Charleston RiverDogs
- Legends roll past Greenjackets 15-6 - Lexington Legends
- Kannapolis one hit short in 4-3 loss to Lake County - Kannapolis Cannon Ballers
- Sunday's Game Rained Out - Charleston Dirty Birds
- Crawdads cruise to 6-1 win against Lakewood - Hickory Crawdads
- Crawdads Silence BlueClaws Bats for Series Split - Jersey Shore BlueClaws
- Braves Race Past Hot Rods - Rome Emperors
- Kaplan, Ratliff Lead Gnats to Victory - Savannah Sand Gnats
- Suns-Power Postponed on Sunday - Hagerstown Suns
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