SALISBURY, Md. — Trailing by four runs entering the ninth inning, the Hickory Crawdads delivered one of their most remarkable comebacks of the season, erupting for nine runs in the final frame to defeat the Delmarva Shorebirds 16-11 on Sunday afternoon at Arthur W. Perdue Stadium.

The victory improved Hickory to 60-39 on the season and capped a 5-1 series victory over the Shorebirds. The Crawdads overcame deficits of 4-0, 5-4, 6-5, 10-7 and 11-7 in a game that featured six lead changes and a tie before exploding for nine runs in the ninth inning.

Delmarva jumped on starter Jesus Lafalaise early, scoring twice in the first inning on RBI singles by Miguel Rodríguez and Luis Almeyda before adding two more runs in the second on Stiven Martinez’s two-run single for a 4-0 advantage.

Hickory began chipping away in the third. Curley Martha opened the inning with a single before Marco Argudin drove home the Crawdads’ first run with an RBI single. Paulino Santana followed with a two-run single to cut the deficit to 4-3.

The Crawdads tied the game in the fourth when Noah Franklin scored after Sebastian Baquera worked a bases-loaded walk. Delmarva reclaimed the lead in the bottom half on Martinez’s RBI groundout, but Hickory answered immediately in the fifth.

Santana tripled to open the inning and scored on Pablo Guerrero’s RBI double to even the game at 5-5. Franklin followed with a single before Luis Marquez laid down a successful sacrifice bunt that plated Guerrero, giving Hickory its first lead of the afternoon at 6-5.

The back-and-forth continued as the Shorebirds tied the game in the fifth on a run-scoring walk and wild pitch before Hickory regained a 7-6 lead in the sixth when Baquera reached on an error and eventually scored on Santana’s sacrifice fly.

Delmarva answered once again, tying the game in the sixth on Junior Aybar’s RBI triple before taking control with three runs in the seventh and another in the eighth. RBI singles from Jemone Nuel and Jaiden Lo Re helped build a 10-7 lead, and Rodríguez’s sacrifice fly in the eighth made it 11-7 entering the ninth.

Then came the inning Hickory won’t soon forget.

Santana, Guerrero and Franklin each drew walks to load the bases before Deward Tovar lined a two-run single to center, trimming the deficit to 11-9. After a groundout moved the runners into scoring position, Baquera reached on a throwing error by third baseman Elvin Garcia, allowing two more runs to score and tying the game at 11-11.

Following another walk and a wild pitch, Argudin delivered the biggest hit of the afternoon, ripping a two-run triple to right field that gave Hickory a 13-11 lead. Santana then walked and stole second before Guerrero put the finishing touches on the rally, crushing a three-run home run to right field for a 16-11 advantage.

The Crawdads sent 13 batters to the plate in the inning, scoring nine runs despite collecting just three hits, as five walks, a costly error and two wild pitches fueled the comeback.

Guerrero finished 2-for-4 with a double, a three-run homer and four RBIs, while Argudin went 3-for-5 with a triple and three RBIs. Santana added two hits, including a triple, scored three runs and drove in three while also stealing a base. Tovar contributed a key two-run single during the decisive ninth inning.

Louis Marinaro (6-2) earned the victory after recording the final four outs, while Ben DeTaeye retired the final two batters to secure the win. Brendan Parks was charged with the loss after surrendering five runs in two-thirds of an inning during Hickory’s ninth-inning outburst.

The Crawdads return home Tuesday night to begin a six-game series against the Augusta GreenJackets at L.P. Frans Stadium.