Hickory, N.C. — The Crawdads plated two runs in the eighth inning to defeat the Wilson Warbirds 7-5 on Friday night at LP Frans Stadium.
The Crawdads, fresh off a 7-5 road trip before the MLB All-Star break, were looking for their 50th win of 2026 while the Warbirds were looking to maintain their lofty perch at the top of the North Division race in the Carolina League.
Brady Ebel got Wilson off to a flying start, hitting a pair of homers in his first two at-bats. The Brewers' first-round pick of 2025 collected four RBI, staking Wilson (47-40, 11-10) to a 4-0 lead.
The Crawdads came back quickly, scoring twice in the third inning and tacking on a three-spot in the fourth to take a 5-4 lead.
Paulino Santana led off the fourth inning with a prodigious blast to left-center field, bringing the 'Dads back to 4-3.
Later in the frame, Daniel Flames doubled home Jay McQueen, who was making his Hickory debut, to level the score at 4-4.
Yolfran Castillo added a run-scoring single later in the frame, plating Flames to give the 'Dads a 5-4 advantage.
The lead was short-lived, as Filippo Di Turi hit his second home run of 2026, knotting the game at 5-5.
From there, the bullpens took center stage, silencing the opponents' bats while striking out 12 batters in the process.
The Crawdads finally broke through in the eighth, scoring the eventual game-winning runs without putting a ball in the outfield.
Santana opened the stanza with a walk, followed by a bunt single from McQueen to put runners at first and second.
Wilson reliever Enderson Mercado hit Deward Tovar, loading the bases with no one out.
Sebastian Baquera scored Santana on a ground ball to give Hickory a 6-5 lead.
Castillo scored McQueen on a fielder's choice to give Hickory (50-36, 16-6) needed insurance, upping the lead to 7-5.
From there, Luimy Munoz (3-0) claimed his third win of the season, retiring six of the seven batters he faced.
Mercado (4-6) was tagged with the loss, as Wilson lost its first-ever game played at LP Frans Stadium.
The brief three-game set resumes tomorrow at 7 p.m., as Jormy Nivar opposes Jarrette Bonet in the middle contest at the Frans.
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Hickory Crawdads
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