Woodpeckers and Crawdads Split Saturday Doubleheader
Fayetteville, N.C. - The Fayetteville Woodpeckers (16-17, 52-47) and Hickory Crawdads (21-14, 54-46) split the results in their Saturday doubleheader. The Woodpeckers mounted a middle-inning comeback to grab a 3-2 victory in the completion of Friday's contest in game one, but the Crawdads got revenge and won 5-1 in game
Fayetteville, N.C. - The Fayetteville Woodpeckers (16-17, 52-47) and Hickory Crawdads (21-14, 54-46) split the results in their Saturday doubleheader. The Woodpeckers mounted a middle-inning comeback to grab a 3-2 victory in the completion of Friday's contest in game one, but the Crawdads got revenge and won 5-1 in game two to earn the split.
GAME ONE:
After rain forced a suspension of Friday's game with the Crawdads leading 2-0 in the top of the first, the Fayetteville pitching staff stepped up to give the bats enough time to battle back.
Anthony Cruz took over on the mound upon the resumption, and he stifled Hickory's lineup throughout his outing. In his scoreless 5.1-inning appearance, he surrendered just one hit, striking out seven in the process.
Meanwhile, the Woodpeckers came to life offensively in the bottom of the fifth. Hector Salas opened the frame with a double, and Jason Schiavone cashed it in with a two-out two-bagger of his own, cutting the Crawdad lead in half at 2-1.
The very next inning, the top of the order found their power swings to propel Fayetteville in front. Anthony Huezo led off by launching a leadoff home run to tie the game at two, and the very next batter, Caden Powell, followed suit. His solo shot cleared the right field wall, handing the Woodpeckers a 3-2 advantage.
That was all the run support Leomar Rosario needed, as he emerged from the bullpen to lock down the final nine outs and secure the win. The right-hander allowed just one base runner on an error, racking up three strikeouts to register his first professional save.
GAME TWO:
In the early stages, Fayetteville starter Parker Smith worked around traffic on the base paths to hold Hickory in check. In his first three innings, he managed to strand four Crawdads base runners, surrendering only one hit while striking out four.
However, at the start of the fourth, the Woodpecker pitching staff ran out of luck. Hickory struck for five unearned runs, breaking open the seven-inning ballgame at its midway point.
Fayetteville plated its lone run in the bottom of the fifth. Following back-to-back singles from German Ramirez and Kedaur Trujillo, Huezo lined a base hit to right field, surging Ramirez home from second to break the shutout.
The Woodpeckers concluded their first-ever series against the Crawdads on Sunday at 5:05 PM. RHP Joan Ogando gets the ball for Fayetteville opposite Hickory RHP Ismael Agreda. In addition to Sunday Funday presented by Magic 106.9, where kids can run the bases and families can play catch in the outfield after the game, it is also Dino Day, and Ed's Dinasaurs Live will make an appearance at Segra Stadium.