Mieses Mashes, Crawdads Walk It Off 5-2

Hickory, NC- Luis Mieses drilled a walk-off three-run homer for the Hickory Crawdads, securing a sweep on Sunday afternoon by a 5-3 final at LP Frans Stadium in ten innings.

The three game sweep of the Grasshoppers continues a six-game win streak at the Frans for the Crawdads that dates back to July 1st, when Cam Cauley walked off the Winston-Salem Dash with a RBI single, lifting Hickory to a 3-2 win in eleven innings.

Yosy Galan got Hickory on the board first with a two-run blast to left field, giving starting pitcher Ryan Lobus a 2-0 lead going to the third. The homer for Galan was his eighth of the season.

Lobus pitched well on Sunday, logging six frames with seven punchouts. A PJ Hilson homer in the fifth was his only mistake, as the Georgia native led a quintet of pitchers who didn't yield a walk throughout the entire game.

With Lobus unable to claim the victory, Damian Mendoza stepped up for Hickory (13-11,41-49), tossing a perfect tenth inning, setting the scene for the Crawdads heroics.

In the tenth, Cam Cauley started at second as the inherited, tiebreaking runner. Following a pop up from Tucker Mitchell, Sebastian Walcott was walked intentionally by Greensboro (16-8, 55-34), bringing Mieses to the plate.

Ballgame!

Mieses lifted the Jaycob Deese offering out to right field, bouncing the pitch off the NC Education Lottery sign to secure the sweep. Mieses would be met at the plate by numerous containers of sports drink and water, as the remaining patrons celebrated the jubilant outcome.

Mendoza advanced his mark to 2-0 on the year, with Deese being saddled with the setback to fall to 2-3.

Mitchell, returning from injury dating back to May, collected a pair of hits, as did Anthony Gutierrez. Walcott finished the contest with three safeties, reaching base four times.

The three RBI for Mieses puts him in a tie for the team lead with Yeison Morrobel at 36 on the season.

The Grasshoppers, SAL leaders in both home runs and walks, were held to just seven runs, three homers and six walks across the three games. Greensboro averages nearly five walks per contest while homering 27 more times than second place Asheville.

After a day off Monday, the Crawdads welcome the Greenville Drive to LP Frans Stadium for a six-game series that could play a role in both teams postseason prospects. First pitch on Tuesday is slated for 7pm, with Crawdads Pregame airing at 6:45pm on MiLB.TV, the Bally Live app and hickorycrawdads.com.