Lobus and Long Balls Propel ‘Dads to 7-2 Win

Hickory, NC- The Crawdads launched three homers in a 10-hit attack while the pitching staff flirted with a franchise record on Wednesday as the Crawdads took down the Asheville Tourists 7-2 at LP Frans Stadium.

Ryan Lobus earned his first win in a Hickory uniform on Wednesday to even his record at 1-1 on the year. The Georgia native surrendered three hits and a pair of runs in the first frame but locked in with an outstanding final four frames to secure the win. Lobus struck out 12 Asheville batters on the night while leaving the Tourists hitless for four consecutive innings.

The offense would heat up in their second time around the order against Asheville’s Derek True as Yeison Morrobel continued his torrid pace with a homer in the third that left the Frans with plenty to spare, cutting the Asheville lead in half at 2-1.

In the fourth, Alejandro Osuna continued to stake his claim as the club’s cleanup hitter with a solo shot to left center field, tying up the game at 2-2.

Following a Quincy Scott free pass, Ian Moller hit his first Burke County bomb of 2024, giving the 'Dads a 4-2 advantage. The Moller dinger was his second of three hits on the night, raising his average 27 points.

In the seventh, with the Crawdads clinging to that tenuous 4-2 lead, Jackson Kelley was called on to stall an Asheville rally. With the bases loaded and one down, Kelley would blank the Tourists in the frame with a pair of punchouts to maintain the 4-2 lead.

From there, Morrobel was back at it in the bottom half of the seventh, singling on a ball to right that scored Ben Blackwell and Jayce Easley to extend the Hickory lead to 6-2.

Moller would provide a bit more insurance in the eighth, as his third knock of the contest drove Osuna home to score the game's final run and secure a 7-2 victory.

Kelley would toss a perfect ninth to earn his second save of the year.

On the night, Crawdad's pitchers struck out 19 Asheville hitters, two shy of a 2021 franchise high.

Moller and Morrobel's three-hit performance paced the offense with both players driving home three runs each. For Morrobel, the three RBI gives him the team lead (19) and has lifted his average 53 points since May 9.

The Crawdads will send Mitch Bratt to the bump tomorrow for a 7pm first pitch against Asheville. The Crawdads Pregame Show will air at 6:45pm on MiLB.TV, the Bally Live app and hickorycrawdads.com.