Preview: Hickory Crawdads at Kannapolis Cannon Ballers

KANNAPOLIS, N.C. (Interstat) — The Hickory Crawdads will look to build on their early season momentum when they visit the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers on Friday night at Atrium Health Ballpark.

First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m. under clear skies with a game-time temperature of 63 degrees.

The Crawdads (4-2) took the series opener 3-0 on Thursday behind dominant pitching and will send right-hander Evan Siary (0-0) to the mound for his first start of the season. He will be opposed by a Cannon Ballers squad seeking to even its record at home after a 2-4 start.

A key player to watch for Hickory is reliever Alejandro Chiquillo, who has been exceptional in two appearances. He tossed four scoreless innings with four strikeouts in a win over Columbia on April 4 and added two more perfect frames with two strikeouts in Thursday’s victory over Kannapolis.

The Cannon Ballers will counter with right-hander Max Banks, who has been a bright spot despite an 0-2 record. Banks has not allowed an earned run in eight innings this season, striking out 10 while surrendering just five hits. He fired four innings of one-hit ball with seven strikeouts in a hard-luck loss to Hill City on April 2.

The teams have split the first three games of this six-game series, with Hickory winning 4-3 on Tuesday, Kannapolis responding with a 4-0 shutout Wednesday, and the Crawdads claiming Thursday’s pitcher’s duel.

According to Interstat, the game simulator projects a narrow 5-4 victory for Hickory. However, the same service’s ELO rating system gives Kannapolis a slight edge, projecting a 53.6% probability to win.

Following Friday’s contest, the series continues through Sunday before both clubs hit the road for new opponents next week.