Crawdads Split Series with Kannapolis
Published on June 7, 2026 under Carolina League (CarL)
Hickory Crawdads News Release
Hickory Crawdads outfielder Marcos Torres
(Hickory Crawdads)
Hickory, NC - Hickory, NC- A two-run eighth inning propelled the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers to a 5-3 win over the Hickory Crawdads on Sunday afternoon at LP Frans Stadium.
Jaden Fauske impacted the Ballers offense on a couple occasions today, as the outfielder opened the scoring with a ground rule double that plated Abraham Nunez to put Kannapolis in front 1-0.
His second hit tied the game at 3-3 in the eighth inning, scoring Nunez a second time, putting the Ballers in position to surge ahead of Hickory for good.
Adrian Gil's solo homer in the ninth would give the Ballers needed insurance, preserving the win for Marco Barrios (4-2).
The Crawdads were led by Hector Osorio's three-hit effort, including a fifth-inning dinger to give Hickory their lone lead of the day.
The homer for Osorio was his 13th, placing him in a tie for league honors. His two-RBI day gives him 45 on the season, good for first place in the Carolina League.
The Crawdads had a couple opportunities to rally in the latter innings, but Kannapolis (29-28) reliever Landen Payne buckled down to claim his fourth save of the campaign.
In the eighth for Hickory, Paulino Santana doubled to right field, moving Osorio to third with nobody out.
Payne would manage to keep Hickory (31-24) off the board with a pop up of Angel Arredondo, a fly out by Josh Springer and a ground out by Curly Martha to end the threat.
In the ninth, Hickory rallied yet again but came away empty as Payne coaxed a fly ball from Osorio and a strike out of Santana, earning the split for the Cannon Ballers.
Michael Trausch (4-2) was tagged with the loss for Hickory, as the Crawdads will journey to Charleston for a critical series against the RiverDogs.
The results from next week's series will have a direct impact on the Crawdads chances of claiming a first-half title in the Carolina League's South division.
The Crawdads return home June 16 to open a six-game series at 7pm against the Columbia Fireflies, Class A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals.
Images from this story
 Hickory Crawdads outfielder Marcos Torres |
Carolina League Stories from June 7, 2026
- RiverDogs Take Eighth Straight, Move into Tie for First Place - Charleston RiverDogs
- Offense Erupts in 16-2 Win over Fayetteville - Columbia Fireflies
- Crawdads Split Series with Kannapolis - Hickory Crawdads
- Skid Continues as Jackets Shut out to End Series - Augusta GreenJackets
- Delmarva Shuts out Augusta for the Second Time, Securing Fifth Straight Win - Delmarva Shorebirds
- FredNats Clinch First Half Title, Beat Hill City 8-6 - Fredericksburg Nationals
- Wilson Victorious over Salem in Slugfest - Wilson Warbirds
- Columbia Fireflies Game Notes at Fayetteville 6.7 - Columbia Fireflies
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