KANNAPOLIS, N.C. (WHKY) — For 10 innings Sunday afternoon, the Hickory Crawdads and Kannapolis Cannon Ballers couldn’t push a single run across the plate.

Then neither team could stop answering the other.

Kannapolis erased Hickory leads in the 11th, 12th and 13th innings, with Grayson Fitzwater’s two-run triple in the bottom of the 13th finally giving the Cannon Ballers a 6-5 walk-off victory at Atrium Health Ballpark.

Hickory (66-45) took a two-run lead into the bottom of the 13th after Curley Martha delivered an RBI single and Luis Marquez followed with a sacrifice fly. But for the third consecutive inning, the Crawdads couldn’t hold the advantage.

With Jake Berkland beginning the bottom of the 13th at second base, Jaden Fauske immediately doubled him home to cut Hickory’s lead to 5-4. Matthew Boughton walked before Fitzwater drove a triple to right field, scoring both runners and ending the 3-hour, 41-minute marathon without an out being recorded in the inning.

The dramatic finish came after the teams combined for 10 scoreless innings.

Hickory starter Jesus Lafalaise set the tone, allowing only three hits over six shutout innings. He walked three and struck out six while throwing 48 of his 75 pitches for strikes.

Brandon Jaenke, Louis Marinaro and J.D. McReynolds continued the shutout work out of the Hickory bullpen. McReynolds also escaped perhaps the most dangerous situation of the scoreless portion of the game.

Kannapolis began the bottom of the 10th with the automatic runner at second, and a Hickory throwing error put runners at the corners with nobody out. McReynolds induced a groundout and struck out Rylan Galvan before Michael Trausch entered and retired Steven Lancia on a groundout, keeping the game scoreless.

Hickory finally broke through in the 11th.

Kaden Carpenter began the inning at second and Deward Tovar immediately doubled to right, scoring Carpenter for a 1-0 Crawdads lead. Tovar advanced to third on a wild pitch but was stranded there.

That proved important when Kannapolis answered in the bottom half. Efren Teran advanced from second to third on Berkland’s sacrifice bunt and scored with two outs on Trausch’s wild pitch, tying the game at 1-1.

The Crawdads went back in front in the 12th, this time with two outs. Paulino Santana singled to put runners at first and second before Pablo Guerrero ripped a two-run double to left, giving Hickory a 3-1 advantage.

Again, Kannapolis responded.

Fitzwater doubled home Boughton to make it 3-2 before a wild pitch moved him to third. After Christian Gonzalez walked and Frank Martinez replaced Trausch, Clay Burdette dropped a bunt single in front of the plate that scored Fitzwater and tied the game at 3-3.

Hickory escaped further trouble despite Kannapolis eventually loading the bases, with Martinez striking out Berkland to force a 13th inning.

For the third straight inning, the Crawdads grabbed the lead.

Carpenter started at second, Tovar walked and Noah Franklin reached on an error to load the bases with nobody out. Martha’s soft single to center scored Carpenter for a 4-3 lead, and Marquez’s sacrifice fly brought Tovar home to make it 5-3.

Kolby Branch grounded into an inning-ending double play, however, preventing Hickory from adding to the advantage.

Kannapolis needed only three batters to erase it.

Fauske’s double scored Berkland before Boughton walked. Fitzwater then sent a fly ball to right that went for a two-run triple, bringing Fauske and Boughton home and setting off the Cannon Ballers’ walk-off celebration.

Guerrero finished 2-for-6 with a double and two RBI for Hickory, while Tovar went 2-for-5 with a double, an RBI, a run and a walk. Carpenter was 2-for-6 with a double and scored twice, while Martha and Marquez each drove in a run.

Hickory collected 10 hits but went 3-for-20 with runners in scoring position and stranded 14 runners. The Crawdads also struck out 14 times.

Martinez (0-4) took the loss and was charged with a blown save after allowing three runs, two earned, in the 13th. Nick Weyrich (1-1) earned the victory for Kannapolis.

The Cannon Ballers improved to 60-54 overall, while the Crawdads fell to 66-45.