Wild Walk-Off Win Gives 'Dads Series Victory
Published on August 24, 2025 under Carolina League (CarL)
Hickory Crawdads News Release
Hickory Crawdads celebrate a walk-off win
(Hickory Crawdads)
Hickory, NC - The Hickory Crawdads scored in every inning but one on Sunday afternoon but needed a ninth inning wild pitch to defeat the Lynchburg Hillcats 9-8 at LP Frans Stadium.
The Crawdads plated runs in all but the third inning to claim the series win over Lynchburg, despite walking 13 batters and committing three errors in the contest.
Pablo Guerrero reached base four times in the game, a single and three walks, to put consistent pressure on the Lynchburg pitching staff.
Marcos Torres collected two hits, scored a run and drove home a run in the winning cause for Hickory(63-56, 30-24).
The game, the 2025 finale between the two clubs, featured four lead changes and two ties. The two clubs accounted for 36 batters reaching in the see-saw battle.
Gavin Fien led off the ninth inning with a leadoff double, his second extra-base hit in as many games. He advanced to third on a Yolfran Castillo groundout, setting the scene for the dramatic finish.
After Hector Osorio popped to foul ground for the second out, Lynchburg reliever Logan McGuire walked Pablo Guerrero to send Marcos Torres to the plate.
During the Torres at-bat, McGuire delivered a pitch in the dirt that eluded catcher Tyler Howard. Fien broke for home, but Howard delivered a toss to McGuire at the plate that appeared to beat the runner home. Fien, however. managed to avoid the tag, as the Crawdads would empty the dugout in celebration of the walk-off.
The win for Hickory was the ninth in twelve games against Lynchburg(63-54, 22-29), as the 'Dads claimed both series wins on the schedule.
William Privette took the win for the Crawdads, pushing his record to 3-3 on the year. Logan McGuire absorbed the loss for the Hillcats, falling to 6-4.
Other news and notes:
Yeremy Cabrera had his nine-game hitting streak snapped on Sunday, as the outfielder finished the week 7-24 with five walks in the six games.
Paxton Kling's first time in Hickory was productive, if not short-lived. the Pennsylvania outfielder played ten games, batting .369(14-38) with 6 XBH and 5 RBI.
Paulino Santana showed us glimpses of what has the Rangers' brass so intrigued in the Dominican outfielder. The 18-year-old stroked five hits in 12-at bats this week, all of which went for extra bases. After a slow start last week, Santana upped his average 119 points during the six games this week.
Gavin Fien made his Hickory debut Saturday and immediately showed the fans at the Frans why the Rangers picked him with the #12 overall pick in this year's MLB Draft. Fien tripled in his first at-bat, earned a multi-hit game and plated three runs in the 8-1 win.
After tomorrow's day off, the Crawdads make their final journey of 2025, heading to Columbia for a six-game set beginning Tuesday. The 'Dads return home on September 2nd to play their final homestand against the Charleston River Dogs.
Images from this story
 Hickory Crawdads celebrate a walk-off win |
Carolina League Stories from August 24, 2025
- Pelicans Walk-Off the RiverDogs in Eleven Inning Thriller - Myrtle Beach Pelicans
- FredNats Drop Second Straight to Fayetteville, 6-3 - Fredericksburg Nationals
- Cannon Ballers Roar Back in Final Inning to Steal Finale from Shorebirds - Delmarva Shorebirds
- RiverDogs Late Leads Slip in Chaotic Series-Ending Loss in Myrtle Beach - Charleston RiverDogs
- Fireflies Churn Ahead 6-5 in Extras - Columbia Fireflies
- Wild Walk-Off Win Gives 'Dads Series Victory - Hickory Crawdads
- Sox Clinch Series with Late 3-2 Win over Carolina - Salem Red Sox
- Salem Splits Doubleheader with Carolina, Taking Game One and Dropping Game Two - Salem Red Sox
- Late Rally Sends Salem Past Carolina - Carolina Mudcats
- Columbia Fireflies Game Notes 8.24 at Augusta - Columbia Fireflies
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
