Crawdads Hang on for 3-2 Win in Lakewood
Published on August 2, 2009 under South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Hickory Crawdads News Release
LAKEWOOD, N.J. - The Hickory Crawdads hung on for the 3-2 win against the Lakewood BlueClaws before 5,011 fans at FirstEnergy Park on Sunday evening. The start of the game was delayed by an hour due to rain.
For the third straight game, the Cradwdas (20-15, 53-51) got on the board first, scoring a run against RHP Justin De Fratus (5-4) and the BlueClaws in the top of the third inning. C Leonel De Los doubled to start the inning. SS Leury Garcia then laid down a sacrifice bunt, which De Fratus fielded off the mound, but slipped as he scooped it up and fired wide of first, enabling De Los Santos to score on the miscue.
LHP Martin Perez cruised through the first four innings, striking out eight batters and keeping Lakewood off the board. However, the BlueCalws (19-17, 61-44) mustered a run against Perez in his final inning of work in the fifth. SS Troy Hanzawa brought in LF T.J. Warren, who started the inning with a walk, on a ground out to short, tying the game, 1-1. Perez struck out the final batter he faced to end the inning, tying a season-high with nine strikeouts, before RHP Corey Ragsdale (1-0) took over on the mound.
Ragsdale tossed a scoreless sixth and then the Crawdads bats broke the tie with a pair of runs in the top of the seventh. 3B Matt West started the inning with a walk and took second on a single by RF Miguel Alfonzo. Both runners then advanced on a sacrifice bunt by De Los Santos, before Garcia brought West in from third with an RBI fielder's choice to second base. CF Cody Podraza worked a walk after a lengthy plate appearance, loading the bases for 2B Mike Hollander, who drove a pitch to deep right field for the sacrifice fly to score Alfonzo and make it 3-1.
Ragsdale pitched a scoreless seventh and RHP Cody Eppley put in a shutout eighth, before Lakewood tried to battle back in the bottom of the ninth. Eppley surrendered back-to-back singles to start the frame but then worked out of it with a sacrifice bunt, an RBI ground out by RF D'Arby Myers and a strikeout of CF Anthony Gose to end the contest and close the 3-2 win for Hickory. Ragsdale earned his first win of the season and Eppley logged his fourth save for the Crawdads, while De Fratus was tagged with the loss for Lakewood.
South Atlantic League Stories from August 2, 2009
- Intimidators blow late lead, win in 10 innings, 6-5 - Kannapolis Cannon Ballers
- Cardiac Claws Fall Short - Jersey Shore BlueClaws
- Crawdads Hang on for 3-2 Win in Lakewood - Hickory Crawdads
- Drive Escape Augusta with 4-2 Win in Finale - Greenville Drive
- Drive Earn Series Split with 4-2 Win - Augusta GreenJackets
- Mollicone Adds to RBI Total Sunday - Bowling Green Hot Rods
- Rain Victorious in Sunday's RiverDogs Game - Charleston RiverDogs
- Sunday's game rained out - Rome Emperors
- Sunday's Power doubleheader cancelled - Charleston Dirty Birds
- Suns' Sunday doubleheader cancelled - Hagerstown Suns
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