HobbsDailyReport.com
GREENSBORO – The first two batters in Greensboro’s lineup went 5-for-10, and the No. 3 hitter drove in two runs on Thursday night, as the Grasshoppers downed visiting Hickory 8-3.
Corey Bird went 3-for-5 with an RBI, Mason Davis had two hits and an RBI and James Nelson drove in two runs to lead Greensboro (36-29) to a South Atlantic League (SAL) win before 5,653.
Hickory now heads to Lakewood, N.J., for games on Friday and Saturday at 7:05 p.m. and at 1:05 p.m. on Sunday to close the SAL Northern Division first-half schedule.
Greensboro is in a tight Northern Division race for a first-half title, trailing Kannapolis by one game, and the Grasshoppers are tied for second with Hagerstown (Md.)
A four-run fourth inning sparked Greensboro against Hickory, boosting its lead to 5-1. Adding two runs in the fifth inning, Greensboro led 7-1.
Eric Jenkins and Anderson Tejeda each had two hits for the Crawdads (27-40), who are in last place in the Northern Division, and Jose Almonte hit a home run, a solo shot in the third inning. Almonte has six home runs this season.
Boo Vasquez added two hits and two RBIs and hit a two-run home run in the sixth inning for the Grasshoppers, his sixth of the season.
Crawdads starter Matt Ball (0-1) took the loss, going four innings. He gave up eight hits, seven runs (four earned) with a walk and two strikeouts.
Greensboro starter Dustin Beggs (5-4) gained a win after throwing six innings. He gave up six hits, three runs (all earned) and walked one and struck out four.
Click on the link below for Thursday’s box.
Visit crawdadsbeat.com, a personal blog by Mark Parker, for more on the Crawdads.
http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2017_06_15_hicafx_gboafx_1&t=g_box&did=milb&sid=t448