HobbsDailyReport.com
HICKORY — With two regular season games to play, the Hickory Crawdads are one game out of first place in South Atlantic League (SAL) baseball.
REMAINING REGULAR SEASON GAMES
Sunday, 5 p.m.: Greensboro
Monday, 1 p.m.: Greensboro
Hickory played twice on Saturday at L.P. Frans Stadium, beating Greensboro 4-0 in the completion of a game suspended on Friday night before the Grasshoppers won the nightcap 2-0.
The results send the Crawdads (64-74, 36-30 second half) into Sunday’s 5 p.m. home game against Greensboro (73-61, 36-30) with both clubs one game back of West Virginia (38-30) in the Northern Division title chase.
The Power beat Delmarva (Md.) 6-0 in a rain-shortened five-inning game on Saturday.
Hickory and Greensboro also play at 1 p.m. on Monday in a regular-season finale.
If Hickory and West Virginia end up tied, a one-game playoff is scheduled Tuesday night at West Virginia.
If Hickory and Greensboro or Greensboro and West Virginia end up tied, the Grasshoppers will win the title – and a postseason bid – based on winning percentage (Greensboro has two rained out games that will not be made up).
Hickory 4, Greensboro 0: In a game that resumed in the third inning with a 4:30 p.m. start, the Crawdads added two runs.
Hickory was up 2-0 when rain suspended Friday’s game in the bottom of the third inning.
When play resumed, Alex Kowalczyk drove in a run with a groundball out to extend the Crawdads’ lead to 3-0.
Hickory scored again in the sixth inning. After an error, Yohel Pozo singled and the run scored on a groundball out by Andretty Cordero.
The Crawdads finished with eight hits, three by Pozo and two by Franklin Rollin.
Luis Pintor had two of Greensboro’s six hits.
Reliever Christian Torres (4-2) gained a win for Hickory, going six innings. He gave up four hits, on runs, walked none and struck out nine.
Kolton Mahoney (6-7) took the loss for the Grasshoppers. He pitched two innings, allowing four hits, three runs (two earned) with no walks and three strikeouts.
Greensboro 2, Hickory 0: A crowd of 2,225 enjoyed 70-degree weather as the Grasshoppers rode a home run by James Nelson to victory.
Both teams had just four hits with Brian Miller going 2-for-2 and walking twice for Greensboro.
Kowalczyk, Ricardo Valencia, Cordero and Blaine Prescott each had a hit for Hickory.
Greensboro was up 1-0 via a first inning run when Nelson, who went 2-for-3, hit a solo home run in the sixth inning (his seventh of the season).
Michael Mentz (9-1) pitched 2 1/3 innings in relief of Ethan Clark to get the win for Greensboro. He gave up one hit and walked one. Clark worked 4 2/3 innings, giving up three hits, walking one and striking out five.
Reiver Sanmartin was tagged with a loss for Hickory. He pitched five innings, allowing two hits, a run (earned), walking two and striking out five.
GAME 1 BOX
http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2017_09_01_gboafx_hicafx_1&t=g_box&sid=t448
GAME 2 BOX
http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2017_09_02_gboafx_hicafx_1&t=g_box&did=milb&sid=t448