Cauley Powers, Bratt Pitches ‘Dads to Victory

Hickory, NC- The Hickory Crawdads slugged three home runs for a second consecutive night and Mitch Bratt subdued the Winston-Salem Dash (4-8, 35-43) for five innings to carry the Hickory Crawdads to a 5-1 win in front of 4,476 fans at LP Frans Stadium.

The crowd was the largest for a Crawdads game since July 4, 2021. The crowd came looking for fireworks and Cam Cauley provided them long before the sun went down.

Cauley led off the first inning with a deep drive to left field, putting the Crawdads on the board. The homer was his third of the season and would mark the start of his fourth consecutive multi-hit game.

In the third, he followed up his first blast with a second homer to right center field, giving the 'Dads a 2-0 lead.

In the fourth inning, Marcus Smith left the yard for a second day in a row with a solo shot to left center field, stretching the lead to 4-0.

From there, Bratt would toss five scoreless frames, allowing a fifth inning single to Mario Camilleti as the lone base hit in his effort. Celebrating his 21st birthday, the Canadian southpaw struck out seven hitters for his fifth win of 2024.

Jesus Moreno would offer Bratt some offensive support, as the backstop collected two RBI on a 1-3 night that bumped his average to .318 on the year.

The win for Hickory (7-5,35-43) is their fifth consecutive win, marking the second time they have reached that feat. The previous five-game run occurred on June 4-8. The win tonight also marks the first three-game series sweep at LP Frans Stadium this season.

Tomorrow, the Crawdads celebrate Independence Day in Winston-Salem against the Dash, opening a three-game set against the Chicago White Sox High-A affiliate. Ryan Lobus gets the ball for Hickory, with first pitch set for 7pm. The game can be heard on www.hickorycrawdads.com, with the Crawdads Pregame Show beginning at 6:45pm.