Greensboro Grasshoppers Pick Up Win Against Lakewood BlueClaws 19-18

MLN Newswire - www.mlntherawfeed.com - Greensboro, N.C. – Being on base is nothing new to Greensboro’s Tom Hickman; in fact, he’s done it in each of his last 18 games. But driving in the game-winning run is something the Rome, Ga., native has only recently become accustomed to.

 

 It was a three-run, bases clearing double on Sunday; Monday’s game-winning hit may have only been an RBI single, but the result was still the same as the Hoppers (20-17) picked up their second consecutive victory, 7-5, over Lakewood (19-18) in game one of the four-game set.

 

 The BlueClaws jumped out to an early 3-0 lead after two innings of play, but Greensboro starter Brett Durand plowed one and although he gave up five runs in six innings of work, only one was earned.

 

 Lakewood’s lead was short-lived; however, as Greensboro responded with four runs in the home-half of the third and another in the fourth to put the Hoppers up 5-3. But a two-run fifth for the BlueClaws set the stage for Hickman’s heroics.

 

 Bryan Petersen led off the sixth and singled to left-center field off of Lakewood reliever Yen-Feng Lin. Lin retired Ryan Curry and gave up a hit to Hunter Mense to put two runners on base with Hickman stepping to the plate.

 

 After a wild pitch advanced both runners, Hickman singled home Petersen to put the Hoppers ahead for good. Hickman finished the night 2-for-5 to extend his consecutive games on base streak to 18. He was joined in the two-hit column by Petersen, Mense and Ryan Anetsberger, who hit his first home run since Sept. 7 of last season.

 

 Durand (5-1) picked up the win after six innings of work and allowed all five Lakewood runs, only one was earned, on six hits. The Greensboro bullpen took over in the seventh inning and Steven Cishek and Garrett Parcell combined to toss three scoreless innings in relief.

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