The Lenoir-Rhyne Softball Team (37-8, 9-3) ran its winning streak to seven games with a South Atlantic Conference doubleheader sweep of Anderson (30-12, 8-6), 4-3 and 11-3, Saturday afternoon at Bears Field.

Game One – Lenoir-Rhyne 4, Anderson 3 (nine innings)
Lenoir-Rhyne junior second baseman Madison Poe (Siler City, N.C.) hit the game-winning sacrifice fly in the bottom of the ninth inning as the Bears rallied from a 3-1 deficit to take the win over the Trojans.

Lenoir-Rhyne sophomore outfielder Erin Boone (Creedmoor, N.C.) tied the score at three and forced extra innings with a game-tying, two-run home run in the bottom of the seventh inning. Boone finished with two hits and three runs batted in to lead the Bears offensively.

Lenoir-Rhyne freshman Sydney Miller (East Bend, N.C.) earned the victory on the mound after allowing just one earned run while striking out six batters in going the distance.

For Anderson, Cailah Niles (Phenix City, Ala.) hit an RBI double while Augie Pena (Geneva, Ala.) suffered the loss and fell to 13-5 on the year.

Game Two – Lenoir-Rhyne 11, Anderson 3 (six innings)
The Bears run-ruled the Trojans in six innings to complete the sweep. Lenoir-Rhyne ended the contest with a four-run sixth frame.

Lenoir-Rhyne was led offensively by junior third baseman Mackenzie Cates (Efland, N.C.) with a two-run home run and four runs batted in while senior first baseman Sydney Landreth (Disputanta, Va.) added three RBI as the Bears finished with 13 hits for the contest.

Miller (10-4) went the distance once again for the Bears while the Trojans' Randee Bettis (Hull, Ga.) fell to 6-3 after taking the loss. Niles had a solo home run for Anderson in the setback.

Lenoir-Rhyne travels to Hartsville, S.C., to take on Coker in a doubleheader on Tuesday beginning at 2:00 p.m.

Despite a 4-for-4 outing at the plate from Brian Bauk (Salisbury, N.C./Salisbury) and fine pitching, Appalachian State University baseball was unable to tie up the series, falling 5-2 on Saturday afternoon at Smith Stadium.

The Mountaineers (12-19, 3-8 Sun Belt) came out of the games with purpose, holding the Mavericks (16-16, 6-4 Sun Belt) to three scoreless innings to start the game.

UTA would strike first in the top half of the fourth, however, the Black and Gold would respond in the bottom half with Matt Vernon (Advance, N.C./Davie County (Florence-Darlington Tech)) and Matt Brill (Coal Valley, Ill./Moline) singles through the middle and left side put them in scoring position. Bauk then sent a shot through the middle to get his lone RBI on the day.

After two more scoreless, the Mavs put up two in the sixth to retake the lead, but Appalachian would remain within striking distance with a one-run response in the sixth. A Brill walk and Bauk’s second hit of the day put runners in scoring position before Tyler Stroup (Thomasville, N.C./East Davidson) batted them around to second and third with a sacrifice bunt. Conner Leonard (Winston-Salem, N.C./Reagan) got his RBI of the day, bringing home Brill, on a sacrifice fly.

The game was put out of reach in the seventh when UT Arlington scored two more in the seventh.

At the plate, four Diamond Apps were able to get extra-base hits on the night with Bauk leading all. Brill continued his hot-hitting, going 2-3 on the day while Calev Grubbs (Lexington, S.C./White Knoll), Jason Curtis (Waxhaw, N.C./Marvin Ridge) and Drake Zupcic (Waxhaw, N.C./Cuthbertson) all finished with doubles on the day.

On the mound, Colin Schmid (New Bern, N.C./New Bern) got his usual Saturday start and had a fine outing, going 6.1 innings and allowing just four hits, three earned runs and striking a tied-season-high batters. Reed Howell (Goldsboro, N.C./Rosewood), Tristan Helms (Pinecrest, N.C./Aberdeen) and Matt Schaeffer (Port St. Lucie, Fla./John Carroll Catholic (Tallahassee C.C.)).

The Wingate Baseball Team (17-22, 8-10) swept a South Atlantic Conference doubleheader from Lenoir-Rhyne (20-18, 6-12), 15-1 and 7-5, Saturday afternoon at Bears Field.

Game One – Wingate 15, Lenoir-Rhyne 1
The Bulldogs exploded with a nine-run fourth inning and added six runs in the ninth frame for insurance in a decisively easy victory.

Colby Barnette (Monroe, N.C.), Trent Wynn (New Bern, N.C.) and Reece Daniel (Asheboro, N.C.) all drove in three runs while Hunter Morgan (Summerfield, N.C.) (5-3) earned the victory on the mound after allowing just one run while striking out eight batters in eight innings of work for the Bulldogs.

Lenoir-Rhyne's lone run was driven in by junior third baseman Fred Wadsworth (Columbia, S.C.) in the fifth frame while junior Landon Whitson (Marion, N.C.) fell to 2-3 after taking the loss.

Game Two – Wingate 7, Lenoir-Rhyne 5 (seven innings)
Barnette hit a two-run home run as part of a four-run first inning as the Bulldogs never looked back on their way to the sweep of the Bears. Barnette finished with three runs batted in.

Lenoir-Rhyne cut the lead to two runs twice – 4-2 and 7-5 - but couldn't get any closer. Junior outfielder Marcus Shoemaker (Colfax, N.C.) and sophomore pinch hitter Matthew Freeman (Belews Creek, N.C.) drove in runs for the Bears in the setback.

Wingate's Cameron Smetak (Monroe, N.C.) (1-0) won for Wingate in relief while Cameron Price (Indian Trail, N.C.) notched his second save of the season. Lenoir-Rhyne freshman John Grigg (Lawndale, N.C.) fell to 2-3 after taking the loss.

Lenoir-Rhyne hits the road to take on Augusta University on Wednesday, April 12, at 5:00 p.m., in Augusta, Ga.

The Lenoir-Rhyne Women's Tennis Team (8-11, 2-7) fell to Anderson (15-4, 8-2) by a 7-2 score Saturday afternoon on the road in South Atlantic Conference action.

Lenoir-Rhyne did pick up victories at No. 4 singles courtesy of sophomore Sara Kalkenova (Astana, KARAKHSTAN) and second doubles thanks to sophomores Taylor Fredrickson (Valdese, N.C.) and Emily Murchland (Mount Victoria, NEW ZEALAND).

Lenoir-Rhyne hosts Catawba in a South Atlantic Conference match on Tuesday at 2:00 p.m., while Anderson takes on Lincoln Memorial in a league contest Tuesday afternoon beginning at 1:00 p.m.

NCAA Division II Women's Tennis Final
Anderson 7, Lenoir-Rhyne 2
Saturday, April 8, 2017
Anderson, S.C. (Anderson Tennis Complex)

Singles competition:
1. Laura Dean (AU) def. Iulia Ponomareva (LR), 6-2, 7-5
2. Rebecca Bruning (AU) def. Marta Escanero Funes (LR), 6-2, 6-0
3. Ivey Welborn (AU) def. Emily Murchland (LR), 6-2, 6-0
4. Sara Kalkenova (LR) def. Delaney Wiggins (AU), 6-3, 6-2
5. Jacqueline Olivia (AU) def. Taylor Fredrickson (LR), 8-5
6. Jennifer Holcombe (AU) def. Jessica Rumple (LR), 8-1

Doubles competition:
1. Laura Dean/Rebecca Bruning (AU) def. Iulia Ponomareva/Sara Kalkenova (LR), 8-1
2. Taylor Fredrickson/Emily Murchland (LR) def. Delaney Wiggins/Jacqueline Olivia (AU), 8-6
3. Ivey Welborn/Jennifer Holcombe (AU) def. Sophia Aguilar di Camillo/Marta Escanero Funes (LR), 8-5

Records: Lenoir-Rhyne (8-11, 2-7 SAC), Anderson (15-4, 8-2 SAC)

The Anderson Men's Tennis Team (17-4, 7-3) won its fourth straight match with a 6-3 victory over Lenoir-Rhyne (10-9, 3-6) Saturday afternoon on the road.

Lenoir-Rhyne won three singles matches including sophomore Hamed Gandouz (Hammam Sousse, TUNISIA) over Anderson's Ignacio Bidegain (Buenos Aires, ARGENTINA) by scores of 6-3 and 6-3 at first singles. Gandouz has won four straight No. 1 singles matches, all against league foes.

Lenoir-Rhyne hosts Catawba in a South Atlantic Conference match on Tuesday at 2:00 p.m., while Anderson faces Lincoln Memorial in Harrogate, Tenn., on Tuesday afternoon at 1:00 p.m.

NCAA Division II Men's Tennis Final
Anderson 6, Lenoir-Rhyne 3
Saturday, April 8, 2017
Anderson, S.C. (Anderson Tennis Complex)

Singles competition:
1. Hamed Gandouz (LR) def. Ignacio Bidegain (AU), 6-3, 6-3
2. Nicolas Ascarrunz (AU) def. Tomas Hons (LR), 6-4, 3-6, 6-4
3. Juan Carracedo (AU) def. Shane O'Dea (LR), 5-7, 6-4, 6-1
4. Jeffrey Dayton (AU) def. Alex Ayguavives (LR), 6-1, 6-1
5. Tales Miranda (LR) def. Fabricio Lanza (AU), 6-1, 6-3
6. Preston Morpeth (AU) def. Alex Crespo Sanchez (LR), 6-1, 6-1

Doubles competition:
1. Nicolas Ascarrunz/Jeffrey Dayton (AU) def. Tomas Hons/Shane O'Dea (LR), 8-4
2. Hamed Gandouz/Paul Lenz (LR) def. Ignacio Bidegain/Fabricio Lanza (AU), 8-3
3. Juan Carracedo/Preston Morpeth (AU) def. Alex Crespo Sanchez/Tales Miranda (LR), 8-3

Records: Lenoir-Rhyne (10-9, 3-6 SAC), Anderson (17-4, 7-3 SAC)

North Piedmont Conference:
Alexander Central: 10
North Lincoln: 0

Northwestern Conference:
Fred T. Foard: 5
Hibriten: 0

Patton: 5
St. Stephens: 2

Watauga: 6
Freedom: 2

South Mountain Athletic Conference:
Draughn: 11
Chase: 5

Southern District 7:
East Lincoln: 10
Bunker Hill: 7

Lincolnton: 6
Bandys: 4

Maiden: 5
West Caldwell: 3

Newton-Conover: 4
West Lincoln: 3

Non-conference:
Lockport (Il.): 10
Hickory: 2

North Piedmont Conference:
Alexander Central: 19
North Lincoln: 4

Northwestern Conference:
Hibriten: 14
Fred T. Foard: 8

Patton: 12
St. Stephens: 11

Watauga: 5
Freedom: 4

South Mountain Athletic Conference:
Chase: 11
Draughn: 0

Southern District 7:
East Lincoln: 9
Bunker Hill: 6

West Caldwell: 13
Maiden: 10

West Lincoln: 6
Newton-Conover: 4

Northwestern Conference:
Fred T. Foard: 2
Hibriten: 1

Hickory: 2
South Caldwell: 1

South Mountain Athletic Conference:
Chase: 5
Draughn: 0

Non-conference:
Freedom: 1
East Rutherford: 0

The Hickory Crawdads lost on the road to the Greensboro Grasshoppers Friday night on the road, 6-4.

Ti'Quan Forbes led the Crawdads offense with a two-for-four at the plate, including a home run in the second inning. Ricardo Valencia also had a two-for-four night batting with two doubles and an RBI.

Starter Kyle Cody took a no decision with four innings pitched, allowing three runs on three hits, striking out two and walking three. Demarcus Evans suffered the loss pitching the fifth inning and two batters into the sixth, allowing no hits but four walks, allowing two runs to score.

Hickory falls to 0-2 to open the season. The Crawdads stay in Greensboro through Sunday. Hickory travels to Columbia for a three game series against the Fireflys on Monday. The Crawdads first home game of the season at L.P. Frans Stadium will be Thursday against Kannapolis.

Appalachian State University baseball couldn’t overcome the offensive explosion of UT Arlington, falling 18-1 on a gusty Friday night at Smith Stadium.

The Mountaineers (12-18, 3-7 Sun Belt) wouldn’t be able to get back on track after a five-run first inning and a four-run second inning by the Mavericks (15-16, 5-4) to start the game. Six errors would also doom the Black and Gold as they tried to rally back.

Appalachian would get on the board to avoid the shutout in the second when Drake Zupcic (Waxhaw, N.C./Cuthbertson) was able to get a leadoff double to start. A Matt Brill (Coal Valley, Ill./Moline) flyout advanced him to second before a shot to left field by Conner Leonard (Winston-Salem, N.C./Reagan) brought him across the plate.

Despite only being able to plate one, App State was able to get seven hits on the night. Matt Vernon (Advance, N.C./Davie County (Florence-Darlington Tech)) finished with a fine 2-for-4 showing, while Calev Grubbs (Lexington, S.C./White Knoll) and Zupcic both finished 1-for-4 with a double apiece. Leonard’s RBI single was his lone at-bat of the evening.

On the mound, Travis Holden (Advance, N.C./West Forsyth) got the usual Friday start, going 3.1 innings and facing 25 batters. Dallas DeVrieze (Moline, Ill./Moline), Thomas Young (Cary, N.C./Panther Creek (Wingate)) and Seth Hardin (Climax, N.C./Providence Grove) all provided relief efforts on the night, with DeVrieze leading all with four strikeouts.

The Lenoir-Rhyne Baseball Team (20-16, 6-10) opened a South Atlantic Conference weekend series with a 10-1 victory over Wingate (15-22, 6-10) Friday night at Bears Field.

Lenoir-Rhyne senior Thomas St. Clair (Winston-Salem, N.C.) improved to 9-2 on the year after going the distance and allowing just three hits and one run on the night. St. Clair also fanned nine batters and broke his own school single-season record for strikeouts with 99.

Lenoir-Rhyne sophomore first baseman Alex Reynolds (Kings Mountain, N.C.) hit two solo home runs and senior second baseman David Newcomer (Archdale, N.C.) added a two-run home run and drove in four runs to lead the Bears on offense.

Newcomer and Reynolds hit home runs as part of a four-run first inning and the Bears never looked back. In addition, fourth-year mentor Tom Fleenor picked up his 100th victory as Lenoir-Rhyne Head Baseball Coach.

For Wingate, Micah Goodwin (Rougemont, N.C.) hit a solo home run while Brandon Donahue (Charlotte, N.C.) fell to 6-5 after taking the setback.

Appalachian State University men’s tennis junior Scott Webster (Perth, Australia/Scotch College) cracked the top 10 as the sixth-best Australian men’s tennis student-athlete according to universaltennis.com on Friday.

Webster is one of two juniors on the list while joining other student-athletes from schools such as Oklahoma, North Carolina, Illinois, Tennessee and Virginia Tech. The Mountaineers’ leader in singles wins clocked in at a 13.78 on the Universal Tennis Rating (UTR) scale, which rates players on a scale level of 1-16. Webster was .02 of a point from joining the top five and 1.08 from the top spot, held by Illinois’ Aleksandar Vukic (14.76).

It comes to no surprise that Webster cracked the list of the top Australian men’s tennis student-athletes, as the third-year Mountaineer is 43-12 (.782) in singles action and 36-16 (.692) in doubles play for his career.

With two regular-season matches left in the season, Webster and the Mountaineers have been playing some of their best tennis with the Sun Belt Tournament fastly approaching, boasting an 8-2 mark over their last 10 matches after starting the season 3-5. Webster leads the team with a 12-4 mark in singles play, including an 8-1 record over his last nine contests. In addition, Webster is second on the team with 11 wins in doubles action.

App will host Gardner-Webb on Monday at 2 p.m. at Stadium Courts.

Appalachian State director of athletics Doug Gillin announced a new three-year contract for Appalachian State wrestling head coach JohnMark Bentley on Friday. The new three-year deal begins on July 1, 2017 and runs through July 30, 2020.

“I am excited that JohnMark Bentley will remain the leader of our wrestling program,” Gillin said. “The growth and success of the program under JohnMark in both the Southern Conference and at the national level continues to be impressive.

On top of all of the success on the mat, I am especially proud of the commitment that our wrestling program makes to campus and community involvement as well as its work in the classroom,” Gillin continued. “I’m thankful to Coach Bentley for his continued commitment to Appalachian State and am thrilled that he and his family will remain a part of the Appalachian family.”

A three-time Southern Conference Coach of the Year, Bentley has been at the helm of Appalachian State wrestling for the past nine years, guiding them to three SoCon regular season championships and one SoCon Tournament championship.

“Appalachian is a very special place to me and my family,” Bentley said. “I am excited to continue the work of growing the App State wrestling tradition.”

The Mountaineers are coming off back-to-back historic seasons, garnering the team’s first national ranking in the USA Today/NWCA poll at No. 23 in 2015-16 and then pushing that further in 2016-17 by climbing all the way up to No. 20 in the country. In the national rankings, App State also reached No. 16 this season in InterMat while also making No. 6 in the newly formed NWCA/National Duals Selection Committee Mid-Major Top 20 Poll.

Appalachian has gone 13-1 in the SoCon the previous two seasons and won 22 of 27 dual matches for exceptional recent dominance in the mid-majors, downing five Power 5 programs and two top-25 teams. In back-to-back years, the Black and Gold have been selected to participate in the NWCA National Duals, which pits the nation’s top wrestling programs against Big Ten teams each year. This year, Boone and wrestling home Varsity Gym played host to the big stage, welcoming Indiana University to the mountain to cap off the season.

Under Bentley’s tutelage, Mountaineer wrestling has had three NCAA All-Americans, a SoCon Tournament Most Outstanding Wrestler, two SoCon Freshmen of the Year, four SoCon Wrestlers of the Year, 10 wrestlers named SoCon all-freshmen, 18 named SoCon all-conference and 17 SoCon Champions.

Lenoir-Rhyne University’s Abbey Hartsell has been named the 2017 South Atlantic Conference Women’s Golfer Of The Year, league officials announced today as part of its annual honors.

Hartsell, a sophomore from Taylorsville, N.C., has the league’s lowest scoring average so far this year (75.70 strokes per round).

In addition, Hartsell has won two events this year – the Tusculum Fall Classic (Sept. 26-27) and Patsy Rendleman Invitational (Oct. 10-11) – and posted four top-five finishes overall. Hartsell also posted the lowest round of any league player this year: a 68 (-4) at the Patsy Rendleman Invitational in Salisbury, N.C.

Hartsell, the 2016 SAC Freshman Of The Year and the championship runner-up last spring, is the first Lenoir-Rhyne player to earn women’s golfer-of-the-year accolades since All-American Meghan Jolly in 2002.

The 2017 South Atlantic Conference Championship is scheduled for Sunday, April 9, through Tuesday, April 11, at the Link Hills Country Club in Greeneville, Tenn.

2017 All-South Atlantic Conference

Women’s Golf Teams

FIRST TEAM

Abbey Hartsell, Lenoir-Rhyne

Elizabeth England, Carson-Newman

Ciara Ratana, Tusculum

Kate Hill, Anderson

Natalie Pleyerova, Queens

SECOND TEAM

Katie Tomassoni, Tusculum

Diana McDonald, Wingate

Cristina Casanella, Wingate

Angela Luna, Coker

Tiffany Elam, Anderson

HONORABLE MENTION

Reagan Greene, Lincoln Memorial

Mikaela Hadaway, Wingate

Taylor Hayes, Carson-Newman

Katie Kasper, Wingate

Laura Nunez, Wingate

GOLFER OF THE YEAR

Abbey Hartsell, Lenoir-Rhyne

FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR

Kate Hill, Anderson

COACH OF THE YEAR

Erin Thorne, Wingate

The Lenoir-Rhyne Men's Tennis Team (10-8, 3-5) fell to Wingate (13-3, 8-1) by a 6-3 score Thursday afternoon in a South Atlantic Conference match at Hickory High School.

The Bulldogs are ranked No. 42 in NCAA Division II. The match began on Wednesday but was halted due to rain and thunderstorms.

Despite the loss, sophomore Hamed Gandouz (Hammam Sousse, TUNISIA) earned a victory at first singles while sophomore Alex Crespo Sanchez (Valencia, SPAIN) and freshman Tales Miranda (Sao Paulo, BRAZIL) prevailed at No. 3 doubles for the Bears.

Lenoir-Rhyne travels to Anderson, S.C., to take on Anderson in a league match Saturday afternoon at 1:00 p.m., while Wingate plays Coker in Hartsville, S.C., on Saturday at 1:00 p.m., as well.

NCAA Division II Men's Tennis Final
#42 Wingate 6, Lenoir-Rhyne 3
Wednesday, April 5, 2017
Hickory, N.C. (Hickory High School)

Singles competition:
1. Hamed Gandouz (LR) def. Filippo Pezzoli (WU), 6-2, 6-3
2. Daniel Belsito (WU) def. Tomas Hons (LR), 6-1, 6-0
3. Shane O'Dea (LR) def. Theo Dessacs (WU), 6-2, 6-0
4. Josh DuToit (WU) def. Alex Ayguavives (LR), 6-2, 6-3
5. Amir Zari (WU) def. Tales Miranda (LR), 3-6, 6-0, 6-2
6. Nicholas Oliveira (WU) def. Alex Crespo Sanchez (LR), 1-6, 6-2, 6-3

Doubles competition:
1. Daniel Belsito/Josh DuToit (WU) def. Tomas Hons/Shane O'Dea (LR), 8-1
2. Amir Zari/Tyler Schofer (WU) def. Hamed Gandouz/Alex Ayguavives (LR), 8-4
3. Alex Crespo Sanchez/Tales Miranda (LR) def. Duncan Addison/Theo Dessacs (WU), 8-5

The Lenoir-Rhyne Women's Tennis Team (8-10) lost to Wingate (13-2, 9-0) by a 7-2 score Thursday afternoon in a South Atlantic Conference match at Hickory High School.

The Bulldogs, ranked No. 33 in NCAA Division II, remained in sole possession of first place in the league standings while the contest was completed over two days.

Lenoir-Rhyne did earn victories at No. 2 and No. 4 singles courtesy of sophomores Marta Escanero Funes (Guardamar Del Segura, SPAIN) and Emily Murchland (Mount Victoria, NEW ZEALAND) despite the loss.

In the next round of South Atlantic Conference games on Saturday beginning at 1:00 p.m., Lenoir-Rhyne travels to Anderson, S.C., to face Anderson while Wingate plays on the road against Coker.

NCAA Division II Women's Tennis Final
No. 33 Wingate 7, Lenoir-Rhyne 2
Wednesday, April 5, 2017
Hickory, N.C. (Hickory High School)

Singles competition:
1. Claudia De Andreis (WU) def. Iulia Ponomareva (LR), 6-2, 6-1
2. Marta Escanero Funes (LR) def. Andrea Ternera (WU), 2-6, 6-4, 7-5
3. Elena Pellegrini (WU) def. Sara Kalkenova (LR), 6-2, 6-2
4. Emily Murchland (LR) def. Oroma Womeodu (WU), 9-7
5. Layla Tanik (WU) def. Sophia Aguilar di Camillo (LR), 6-0, 6-0
6. Sydney Homan (WU) def. Taylor Fredrickson (LR), 8-1

Doubles competition:
1. Oroma Womeodu/Maria Garcia (WU) def. Iulia Ponomareva/Sara Kalkenova (LR), 8-1
2. Andrea Ternera/Sydney Homan (WU) def. Emily Murchland/Taylor Fredrickson (LR), 8-2
3. Claudia De Andreis/Layla Tanik (WU) def. Marta Escanero Funes/Sophia Aguilar di Camillo (LR), 8-2

Records: Wingate (13-2, 9-0 SAC), Lenoir-Rhyne (8-10, 2-6 SAC)

Non-conference:
Alexander Central: 10
Patton: 0

Draughn: 10
McDowell: 7

Lincoln Charter: 11
Bandys: 10

Northwestern Conference:
South Caldwell: 29
Hickory: 0

Southern District 7:
Bandys: 7
St. Stephens: 0

West Caldwell: 12
Newton-Conover: 3

North Piedmont Conference:
North Lincoln: 2
Alexander Central: 1

Northwestern Conference:
Watauga: 9
Freedom: 0

South Mountain Athletic Conference:
Burns: 2
East Burke: 1

Southern District 7:
Lincolnton: 3
Bandys: 0

Maiden: 4
West Caldwell: 3

The Hickory Crawdads lost their season opener to the Greensboro Grasshoppers on the road Thursday night, 14-4. The Grasshoppers jumped out to a 7-1 lead after two innings and coasted from there.

Anderson Tejeda led the offense for the Crawdads. The shortstop went one-for-three with two runs scored and hit the Crawdads first home run of the season in the third inning. Ti'Quan Forbes alsoed added a home run, a two run shot, in the fourth inning.

Jonathan Hernandez took the loss on the mound for the Crawdads, pitching only two innings allowing seven runs on seven hits, striking out three and walking three.

The Crawdads stay in Greensboro through Sunday. Hickory travels to Columbia for a three game series against the Fireflys on Monday. The Crawdads first home game of the season at L.P. Frans Stadium will be Thursday against Kannapolis.