1
0 Hickory, NC- The Hickory Crawdads used a pair of four-run frames to overcome an early five-run deficit to defeat the Hill City Howlers 11-10 at LP Frans Stadium on Tuesday night.
Final Score from SRP Park. #HowlOutLoud🐺 #434IsForBaseballLovers❤️ #MiLB⚾️ pic.twitter.com/OSG6TILIB1
— Hill City Howlers (@HCHowlers) June 21, 2026
The Crawdads, seeking to win their fourth straight game to open the second half of the 2026 schedule, fell behind early as the Howlers took a 5-0 lead in the first inning.
Final Score from Augusta, South Carolina. #HowlOutLoud🐺 #434IsForBaseballLovers❤️ #MiLB⚾️ pic.twitter.com/RjeOvlPu9W
— Hill City Howlers (@HCHowlers) June 19, 2026
The highlight of the frame for Hill City came off the bat of Gabriel Rodriguez, who slugged a grand slam to left. The restlessness for the home crowd subsided quickly, as the Crawdads scored a single run in the first inning, followed by a four spot in the third, tying the game at 5-5.
The big shot for Hickory came from Marco Argudin, whose two-run laser down the right field line trimmed the Hill City lead to 5-3. The homer was the first for Argudin in the Carolina League. With the game knotted at five, Tyler Howard left the yard in the fourth inning for Hill City (0-4, 31-39), his first clout of the calendar, putting the Howlers back on top at 6-5.
Aces lined up for the week! pic.twitter.com/S1GtinaJZG
— Hickory Crawdads (@HickoryCrawdads) June 23, 2026
The ‘Dads responded immediately in the bottom half of the same inning as Angel Arredondo lifted a two-run shot to left field, giving Hickory (4-0,38-30) their first lead at 7-6. After a single run for Hill City tied the score at 7-7, the ‘Dads answered again with a four-run outburst in the sixth inning, to put the Crawdads ahead for good.
In that pivotal frame, Daniel Flames hit a sinking line drive to right that rolled all the way to the wall, scoring Argudin and Arredondo, to make it a 9-7 lead for the home team. Curley Martha would put his stamp on the game with a two-run homer to left-center field, his first, pushing the Hickory lead to 11-7.
In the ninth, Hill City plated three runs to cut the lead to 11-10, but Luimy Munoz got a strikeout of Yaikel Mijares to seal the win for Hickory. JD McReynolds picked up the win in relief for the Crawdads, with Munoz earning his second save of 2026.
Zane Petty suffered his first setback of the campaign, as the loss dropped his record to 5-1 on the year.
Crawdads claw back against Howlers to win 11-10!
📰: https://t.co/Wfvp9Z2PbI pic.twitter.com/WD1utiwAvZ
— Hickory Crawdads (@HickoryCrawdads) June 24, 2026
Five players led the 14-hit attack for Hickory, as Flames collected three knocks in the contest. Paulino Santana, Argudin, Arredondo and Marcos Torres supported the comeback with two hits each.
Game two of the series is set for 7pm Wednesday at the Frans.
About the Author
