'Dads Begin 2nd Half with Walk off Win
Published on June 25, 2015 under South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Hickory Crawdads News Release
Hickory, NC - The Hickory Crawdads began the second half of the South Atlantic League season in much the same fashion as they spent the first half, as the 'Dads carried over their winning ways Thursday night in the form of a walk-off 8-7 win over the Lakewood BlueClaws at L.P. Frans Stadium.
The Crawdads ended the season's first half with an SAL-best record of 44-24 and a Northern Division Championship. It took two separate ties, five lead changes, and all nine innings, but the 'Dads were able to add to that win total when All-Star Jose Trevino tripled off the right field wall with one out in the 9th before coming home to score the winning run on a walk-off RBI single from fellow All-Star Luke Tendler for an 8-7 Hickory victory.
The back-and-forth contest began with a big opening frame from Lakewood, as the visiting BlueClaws jumped on Crawdads starting pitcher Nick Gardewine for three runs on four hits in the 1st for a 3-0 score. The 'Dads took a bite out of their deficit in the 2nd, when Rock Shoulders crushed a 2-run home run to right to make the score 3-2. Hickory then took their first lead of the night in the home half of the next inning, as Tendler delivered on a 2-RBI double to right-center for a 4-3 Crawdads advantage.
Lakewood responded in the top of the 5th with a 2-run homer by Herlis Rodriguez for a 5-4 lead, but the 'Dads came right back with the game-tying run in the bottom of the frame when Trevino scored from third on a ball thrown off his back to deadlock the game at 5-5.
The 'Claws made one final offensive push in the top of the 7th, when they plated two runs on three hits off of Hickory reliever Austin Pettibone to re-take the lead at 7-5. The Crawdads once again rallied to tie the score in the 8th however, as Jairo Beras led off the frame with a double to center before Jose Cardona drove him in two outs later on an RBI double then scored himself on an RBI base knock from Michael De Leon to knot the contest once more at 7-7.
That set the stage for the 'Dads heroics in the 9th and the team's 7th walk-off win of the season.
Tendler finished the game 3-5 with a double and 3 RBI, while Trevino went 2-5 with a triple and three runs scored. Cardona (3-5, 2B, RBI, R) and Eduard Pinto (2-4) both finished with multi-hit games as well, while Shoulders ended the night 1-4 with his 4th homer of the year and 2 RBI.
Hickory reliever Scott Williams (2-0) earned the win with two perfect innings out of the bullpen. Lakewood reliever Matt Hockenberry (1-2) took the loss after allowing the game-winning run in the 9th.
The Crawdads (45-24/1-0) and BlueClaws (33-36/0-1) will match up again Friday night for game two of the five-game series, with first pitch scheduled for 7:00 pm.
South Atlantic League Stories from June 25, 2015
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