Hickory, NC – Four Hickory Crawdads pitchers combined to throw a nine-inning no-hitter, defeating the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers 5-0 in front of 3,246 fans on Saturday at LP Frans Stadium.
AJ Russell got the start for the Crawdads, who currently sit in first place in a close division race to close out the first half.
Russell was electric in his effort, as the right-hander tossed 3.1 hitless innings, striking out five Ballers batters on just 47 pitches.
The Crawdads got an early lift from Angel Arredondo in the second inning, as the third baseman hit a laser shot to left field for his sixth home run of the year, giving Hickory a 1-0 lead.
Geury Rodriguez came in to relieve Russell with one out in the fourth inning and pitched into the fifth before JD McReynolds turned away Kannapolis with a strikeout of Efren Teran on three consecutive changeups.
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The Crawdads would offer the relief corps some extra insurance, scoring two runs in the fifth and two in the sixth, stretching their advantage to 5-0 heading to the seventh frame.
The Crawdads’ 12-hit attack was paced by Marcos Torres and Daniel Flames, as the right side of the infield accounted for three hits each en route to the win.
Jormy Nivar took over for McReynolds in the seventh inning, looking to maintain the momentum built by the offense.
In the seventh, Nivar surrendered a one-out walk to James Taussig before coaxing a 5-4-3 double play off the bat of Alexander Albertus, keeping the no-no intact.
In the eighth, Nivar chopped down the Ballers with two punchouts and a ground ball to set up the historic finish on Saturday night.
In the ninth, Nivar returned and got a ground ball from Abrahan Nunez for the first out of the frame.
Jaden Fauske dribbled a ball just shy of the mound, where Nivar fired to Marcos Torres for out two.
Nivar completed the job, forcing Javier Mogollon to ground to Yolfran Castillo, who delivered an accurate throw to Torres at the bag, sending the Crawdads racing out to the field to celebrate the gem in front of the partisan Hickory crowd.
The win for Hickory was coupled by an Augusta loss, putting the 'Dads up two games in the first-half race for the Carolina League's South Division crown. The Crawdads (31-23) are two games clear of Augusta and Charleston and four games ahead of Kannapolis.
Nivar claimed the win for Hickory, pushing his record to 3-0 on the year, while Max Banks (4-1) was tagged with the loss.
Hickory and Kannapolis will close out the series on Sunday as Evan Siary takes the ball for the Crawdads in the 2 p.m. finale.
