The Hickory Crawdads jumped out early but could not solve Salem pitching the rest of the way, falling 5-1 to the Salem RidgeYaks on Saturday night at Carilion Clinic Field. The loss snapped Hickory’s momentum after winning three of the first four games in the series and dropped the Crawdads to 28-20 on the season.

Hickory looked poised for a big night in the opening inning. Paulino Santana was hit by the first pitch of the game, and walks to Hector Osorio and Yolfran Castillo quickly loaded the bases with nobody out. Josh Springer delivered the game’s first run with an RBI single to center, giving the Crawdads a 1-0 advantage. However, Salem starter Leighton Finley escaped further damage by striking out the next two hitters and limiting Hickory to just the one run despite the bases-loaded threat.

The RidgeYaks answered immediately. Leadoff hitter Starlyn Nunez launched the first pitch he saw from Hickory starter AJ Russell over the fence in right-center field, tying the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the first. Salem then moved in front for good in the second inning when Avinson Pinto scored on an RBI single by Ilan Fernandez.

Russell settled down after the early damage and kept the Crawdads within striking distance, but Hickory’s offense could never regain the rhythm it showed in the first inning. The Crawdads managed only a handful of hits over the final eight innings as Finley and the Salem bullpen consistently worked out of trouble.

The decisive blow came from Nunez once again. The Salem leadoff man added his second homer of the night later in the contest, finishing with two long balls and two RBIs. The RidgeYaks added insurance runs to build a four-run cushion and close out the 5-1 victory. Salem collected 10 hits in the win while Hickory was held to a single run after its opening-frame rally.

Despite the defeat, Hickory again received production from the top of its lineup. Springer accounted for the club’s lone RBI, while Santana, Osorio and Castillo helped create early scoring opportunities. The Crawdads will look to bounce back in the series finale as they continue their road trip through Virginia.