On a night where the Hickory Crawdads potent offense was held to only one run on five hits the 'Dads pitching staff proved up to the challenge, as the Crawdads shutout the Rome Braves Saturday night in a 1-0 win at State Mutual Stadium.

Hurlers Ricardo Rodriguez, Kevin Pucetas, and Cody Kendall combined to throw the 5th shutout of the year for the 'Dads. Hickory now boasts a perfect 3-0 record in the second half of the season while also riding a six game winning streak. The Crawdads have also won 18 of their last 19 games, dating back to May 31st.

The lone run of the ballgame came in the 4th, when left fielder Ryan Cordell singled to start the frame, stole second, and moved to third on a throwing error by Rome catcher Victor Caratini. Two batters later, Cordell scored the deciding run on a RBI sacrifice fly by Travis Demeritte for the 'Dads 1-0 lead.

Both teams had multiple opportunities to score throughout the game, with the Crawdads stranding seven men on base while the Braves left nine. Rome actually placed the potential tying and winning runs on base in the 9th, before Kendall forced Blake Brown into a game-ending double play for the 'Dads 1-0 victory.

Rodriguez (5-1) earned the win with five shutout innings pitched, allowing only three hits, two walks, and two strikeouts. Rome starter Steve Janas (2-1) took the loss after giving up one run on four hits, three walks, and two Ks over 4 frames on the mound. Kendall (6) earned the save for the second straight night with the scoreless 9th.

Demeritte finished the game 0-2 with a walk and a RBI, while Cordell ended the night 1-4 with a stolen base and the night's lone run.

The Crawdads will go for the 4-game series sweep over the Braves (0-3) I the series finale Sunday afternoon at 2:00 pm.

The Hickory Crawdads put together another winning combination Friday night, as outfielder Nomar Mazara provided the offense while pitchers Anyelo Leclerc, Ryne Slack, and Cody Kendall kept the Rome Braves bats at bay in the 'Dads 4-2 win over the Braves at State Mutual Stadium.

Mazara drove in three of the four Hickory runs in the win, going 3-5 with home run and a run scored. Mazara now boasts 10 homers and 48 RBIs on the season, ranking the slugger in the top five of the South Atlantic League in both categories. The offensive support was enough for the pitching trio of Leclerc, Slack, and Kendall, who held the Braves to a pair of runs while striking out 10 total batters.

Both the Crawdads and Braves struck for a run in the 1st, with Mazara plating the Hickory tally with a RBI single to right before Rome shortstop Johan Camargo doubled and scored on an error to tie the score at 1-1. The tie would last all the way until the 5th, when Mazara mashed a 2-run blast to right to give the 'Dads a 3-1 lead. The advantage grew to 4-1 the next frame, as Luis Marte singled home Travis Demeritte.

The Braves picked up their final run in the bottom of the 6th, when Carlos Franco drove in Ross Wilson with an RBI base knock to right for the final 4-2 score. The Hickory pen would shut the door from there, with Slack holding Rome scoreless over the next two innings before Kendall struck out the side in the 9th for his fifth save of the year.

Leclerc (1-0) earned the win after allowing just one run on three hits, two walks, and four strikeouts over five innings pitched. Rome starter Matt Marksberry (0-4) took the loss with three runs allowed on five hits, three walks, and six strikeouts.

Joe Jackson joined Mazara with a multi-hit night, going 2-5, while Marte ended the game 1-3 with a RBI, walk and stolen base.

The Crawdads (2-0) have now won five straight games and 17 of their last 18 contests. The 'Dads and Braves (0-2) will play each other again on Saturday at 7:00 pm in game three of the four game series.