HICKORY, NC – Columbia and Hickory combined for 21 runs and 24 hits on Wednesday, but it was the home team that took game one of the three-game series by a final score of 11-10.Scott Manea and Ali Sanchez both pounded solo home runs, each time, coincidentally, leading off an inning. The long ball is what won the game for Hickory, though. In his first at-bat as a Crawdad, 6-foot-2, 260-pound infielder Tyreque Reed blasted a pinch-hit, bottom-of-the-ninth, walk-off home run to clinch the victory.
The Fireflies – who had once led 8-2 – found themselves down by two entering the ninth inning. The club rallied. The first three Fireflies to the plate in the ninth – Sanchez, Matt Winaker, Rigoberto Terrazas – all singled and suddenly the tying run was in scoring position. Raphael Gladu dug into the left-hand batter’s box to face new reliever Sal Mendez. Gladu walked and pushed a run across the plate. The next batter, Edgardo Fermin, chopped a Mendez pitch to second baseman Kole Enright. Enright began the double play, but Fermin beat out the relay throw back to first. In the meantime, Winaker scored to tie the game at 10-10.
Press Release:
HICKORY, NC – Columbia and Hickory combined for 21 runs and 24 hits on Wednesday, but it was the home team that took game one of the three-game series by a final score of 11-10.Scott Manea and Ali Sanchez both pounded solo home runs, each time, coincidentally, leading off an inning. The long ball is what won the game for Hickory, though. In his first at-bat as a Crawdad, 6-foot-2, 260-pound infielder Tyreque Reed blasted a pinch-hit, bottom-of-the-ninth, walk-off home run to clinch the victory.
The Fireflies – who had once led 8-2 – found themselves down by two entering the ninth inning. The club rallied. The first three Fireflies to the plate in the ninth – Sanchez, Matt Winaker, Rigoberto Terrazas – all singled and suddenly the tying run was in scoring position. Raphael Gladu dug into the left-hand batter’s box to face new reliever Sal Mendez. Gladu walked and pushed a run across the plate. The next batter, Edgardo Fermin, chopped a Mendez pitch to second baseman Kole Enright. Enright began the double play, but Fermin beat out the relay throw back to first. In the meantime, Winaker scored to tie the game at 10-10.
It was a valiant comeback, but pinch hitter Tyreque Reed squashed the rally in the bottom of the ninth.
Sanchez (3-for-5, HR, 2 RBI, 3 runs) and Manea (2-for-5, 2B, HR, 3 RBI) both had wonderful days at the plate. Manea’s on-base streak has now reached 14 straight games.
Wednesday’s rollercoaster of a game began with five total runs in the opening inning. Blake Tiberi worked a one-out walk against Hickory (10-19) starter Tyree Thompson and then Quinn Brodey doubled. Tiberi scored from third when Thompson balked and Sanchez knocked in Brodey with a single. Later in the inning, Terrazas slashed an RBI base hit and the visitors held a 3-0 edge.
The Crawdads did score twice in the home half before Columbia (17-15) starter Marcel Renteria struck out Enright with the bags full.
Columbia’s lead grew in the fourth inning. Manea started the frame with a solo blast – his third home run of the year – which landed well beyond the left-field wall. The next batter, Raphael Gladu, singled to right field and raced to third when the outfielder Miguel Aparicio booted the ball. Two batters later, Tiberi stroked a single which scored Gladu. The Fireflies were in front, 5-2.
Sanchez led off in the top of the fifth and delivered the same punch Manea did right out of the gates in the prior frame. Sanchez blasted his fifth career homer (and first of the year) over the left-field fence. That dinger chased Thompson, and the next Hickory arm – reliever Demarcus Evans – had little success, too. The righty walked consecutive hitters and watched both score on Manea’s double down the left-field line. Columbia was ahead, 8-2.
The momentum swung back in favor of the home team a few innings later. Hickory scored eight unanswered runs in the sixth and seventh to take a 10-8 lead. The Crawdads hung a six-spot up on the board in the sixth. Fireflies hurlers walked five in the frame (three of those bases-loaded walks).
Columbia continues its series against Hickory on Thursday with first pitch at L.P. Frans Stadium scheduled for 7:00 p.m. Righty Tony Dibrell (0-1, 4.91) is expected to start for the Fireflies and face right-hander Alex Eubanks (1-3, 9.55) for the Crawdads.
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