Crawdads Walk Off to 6-5 Win in Second Half Opener
Published on June 25, 2009 under South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Hickory Crawdads News Release
HICKORY, N.C. - The Hickory Crawdads kicked off the second half of the season with a walk-off win, 6-5, in the bottom of the ninth innnig against the Kannapolis Intimidators before 1,838 fans at L.P. Frans Stadium. DH Mike Hollander registered two RBIs on the game, including the game-winning sacrifice fly in the ninth inning.
After falling behind, 1-0, in the top of the first, the Crawdads (1-0) came right back and tied the game in the bottom of the first against RHP Stephen Sauer. 2B Erik Morrison extended the inning with a two-out double and quickly scored on an RBI single by RF Mike Bianucci.
Hickory plated another in the bottom of the second, when LF Cristian Santana got a hold of a curveball and drove it over the left-center field wall. The solo shot by Santana moved the Crawdads into a 2-1 lead through two innings.
However, Kannapolis (0-1) overtook the Crawdads with a three-run inning in the fifth, chasing starter RHP Neil Ramirez, who made his first start of the season, from the mound and putting the Intimidators ahead, 4-2. The damage was done on a three-run homer hit by RF Justin Greene just inside the left field foul pole. RHP Carlos Pimentel took over on the mound and quickly got out of the inning.
The Crawdads again responded quickly, plating a pair in the bottom of the fifth to square the score, 4-4. Santana reached on an error to start the inning and moved to second on a wild pitch. C Leonel De Los Santos then doubled to left-center, advancing Santana to third base. 1B Jared Bolden legged out an infield single to load the bases with no one out. SS Leury Garcia then hit a slow grounder to the right side of the mound and beat it out for an RBI infield single, which brought in Santana from third. An out later, with the bases still loaded, DH Mike Hollander grounded into a fielder's choice, plating De Los Santos and tying the game at four runs apiece.
Kannapolis once again moved in front, scoring an unearned run against Pimentel in the top of the eighth. With 3B Jon Gilmore on at second base and two outs, DH Keny Williams drove a pitch to left field. Santana fired a bullett home from left field, as Gilmore tried to score on the play. The throw beat Gilmore to the plate, however De Los Santos missed the tag, and was subsequently charged with an error, as Gilmore slid home safely to put Kannapolis ahead, 5-4.
The Crawdads had an answer yet again, tying the game for the third time in the bottom of the eighth. Facing RHP Tyson Corley (3-1), Hollander sparked the comeback with a leadoff double and moved to third base on a Morrison ground out to short. Bianucci, at this point a perfect 3-for-3 with an RBI, continued his perfect game at the plate, collecting another RBI single for his fourth hit of the evening, scoring Hollander and tying the game, 5-5.
Pimentel, who dealt 3.2 innings with only one unearned run allowed while striking out five, was relieved by RHP Tyler Tufts (3-1) to start the ninth inning. Tufts made quick work of the three Intimidators he faced in the three-up, three-down frame, inducing a pair of fly ball outs to center and a ground out to short, while keeping the 5-5 tie intact for the bottom of the ninth.
With one out in the bottom of the ninth, Bolden got things going with a single and quickly moved to second base on an infield single from Garcia. CF David Paisano was then hit by a pitch, loading the bases with still only one out. Hollander ensured extra innings would not be necessary, ending the game with a walk-off sacrifice fly to left field to bring in Bolden from third and lift the Crawdads to the 6-5 win. Tufts earned the win for Hickory, while Corley was tagged with the loss for Kannapolis.
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