LYNCHBURG, Va. (April 21, 2026) (Interstat) — Anthony Martinez homered and drove in three runs as the Hill City Howlers held off the Hickory Crawdads 7-6 on Tuesday at Bank of the James Stadium.

Martinez’s two-run homer capped a four-run first inning for Hill City. Hickory chipped away, tying the game at 6 in the seventh on Josh Springer’s RBI single. The Howlers took the lead for good in the sixth on Luis De La Cruz’s run-scoring single.

Luke Fernandez earned the win in relief for Hill City. Angel Perez secured the save despite allowing a ninth-inning run. Aneudis Mejia took the loss for Hickory. The game lasted 2 hours, 51 minutes before an announced crowd of 685. Hill City improved to 10-6, while Hickory fell to 12-4.