GREENSBORO, N.C. (June 14, 2018) -- Greensboro pitchers combined to strike out 10 batters, but Hickory's consistent offense proved too tough in a 6-4 loss on Thursday in front of 6,1,62 fans at First National Bank Field. The Crawdads scored one run in six different innings, the most by a
GREENSBORO, N.C. (June 14, 2018) -- Greensboro pitchers combined to strike out 10 batters, but Hickory's consistent offense proved too tough in a 6-4 loss on Thursday in front of 6,1,62 fans at First National Bank Field. The Crawdads scored one run in six different innings, the most by a Grasshoppers opponent this season.
Brandon Miller (2-6) struck out seven batters -- one shy of his season high -- and walked none while taking the loss. The Greensboro starter allowed five runs on 11 hits, scattered across 6.0 innings of work. After tossing a scoreless opening frame, Miller allowed single tallies in the second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth innings.
Chris Reed, a former Major Leaguer with the Marlins who last pitched in 2016, returned to the mound in the seventh inning. The left-handed London-native worked 1 and 2/3 innings, allowing a run on four hits while striking out two and walking one.
Hickory scored the game's first run when Preston Scott led off the second inning with a solo home run (2). Tyler Ratliff provided the last run against Miller with another 'Dads home run (4) in the sixth.
Trailing 4-0 heading into the bottom of the fifth inning, Greensboro's bats came alive for the home half of the frame. Cameron Baranek led off with a base hit and moved into scoring position on a Reid Anderson wild pitch. Marcos Rivera followed with an RBI-single to put the Grasshoppers on the board. Garvis Lara added a base hit that allowed Rivera to go first-to-third. Anderson uncorked another wild pitch, allowing Rivera to score, cutting the Crawdads lead to 4-2.
Thomas Jones slapped an infield single to third base, legging out to the play and allowing Lara to score, pulling Greensboro within a run. Jones, who moved to second base on a Hickory error, raced home from second base on a Jose Devers ground out, beating the throw from first base home to tie the game, 4-4.
Ratliff's home run led off the sixth inning, putting Hickory back in front, 5-4. Ryan Dorow added an RBI-single off Reed in the eighth, scoring Ratliff, for a 6-4 advantage.
Anderson (2-4) earned the win, allowing four runs (three earned) on six hits over 6.0 innings. Tyler Ferguson tossed a scoreless ninth for the save (1).
Greensboro finishes the First Half of the 2018 season with a 3-game series at Kannapolis beginning on Friday at 7:05 p.m. First National Bank Field will take the weekend to prepare for the 59th Annual South Atlantic League All-Star Game presented by Pizza Hut on Tuesday, June 19. Gates open at 4:00 p.m. for player autographs, a home run derby, the game, and post-game fireworks, and tickets are available online at gsohoppers.com.
