HobbsDailyReport.com
CRAWDADS VS. INTIMIDATORS
They’ve played seven games this season that have been decided by one run with Hickory’s five wins being 2-1, 1-0, 5-4, 1-0 and, again on Wednesday night, 1-0.
KANNAPOLIS – One run was enough on Wednesday night because of the effort of pitchers Walker Weickel and Christian Torres.
The duo combined on a three-hitter — and Hickory scored the game’s only run in the seventh inning — as the visiting Crawdads nipped Kannapolis 1-0 in a South Atlantic League (SAL) baseball game before 415 fans.
It was the seventh one-run game of the season between Hickory and the Intimidators, with the Crawdads winning five of those, and the Crawdads are 12-12 this season in games decided by one run.
WEICKEL
On Wednesday night, Weickel (1-1) went 6 2/3 innings, allowing three hits but no runs, with one walk and seven strikeouts to gain the eighth win of a minor league career that began in 2012. He is 1-1 with 17 strikeouts and an ERA of 3.15 in his last five games.
Torres gained his second save of the season after going 2 1/3 innings and issuing one walk. Other than the walk, he got the Intimidators (43-32, 4-3 second half Northern Division) out handily, and that included a 1-2-3 ninth inning.
Hickory (31-46, 4-3) got five hits and won despite going 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position. The Crawdads’ hits were by Leody Taveras, Carlos Garay (double), Richardo Valencia, Blaine Prescott and Yeyson Yrizarri.
Prescott had a one-out triple in the seventh inning and scored on Yriaarri’s single.
Mitch Roman, Daniel Gonzalez and Grant Massey each had a hit for Kannapolis, which had only two runners in scoring position.
Jake Elliott took the loss for the Intimidators in relief of starter Kelvis Valerio (6 innings, two hits, no runs, two walks, three strikeouts). Elliott worked three innings, giving up three hits, a run (earned) with no walks and four strikeouts.
The outcome left Hickory and Kannapolis tied with Delmarva (Md.) for second place in the Northern Division, just back of division-leading Hagerstown (Md.).
Hickory plays at Kannapolis at 7:05 p.m. on Thursday to close the series before going to Charleston, W. Va., to start a series on Friday night. After playing the Power through Monday, the Crawdads will head home.
Hickory’s next homestand begins on July 4 against Kannapolis (three games) and then Delmarva visits for four games.
Click the link below for Wednesday night’s boxscore and follow more on the Crawdads after Mark Parker (crawdadsbeat.com) returns from his vacation.
http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2017_06_28_hicafx_kanafx_1&t=g_box&sid=t448