(Interstat) — Hickory Crawdads at Salem RidgeYaks, Tuesday, May 26, 2026, Carilion Clinic Field, Salem, Va.

Hickory (25-18) opens a six-game road trip against Salem (20-25) at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Carilion Clinic Field. The weather forecast calls for 72 degrees and rain.

Right-hander Barrett Morgan (2-1) is the probable starter for the Crawdads. Salem’s probable pitcher was not announced.

Hickory won four of six games against Salem in April, including three of the last four. The RidgeYaks won the most recent meeting 4-2 on April 19. The Crawdads have won five of their last six overall.

A player to watch for Hickory is pitcher AJ Russell. In his last appearance Sunday, Russell threw 3.2 scoreless innings, allowing one hit and striking out six in a 4-0 win over Charleston. He has a 0.66 ERA over his past two outings, with 11 strikeouts in 5.2 innings.

For Salem, pitcher Cole Tolbert is a key arm. He tossed four innings Sunday in a 10-2 win at Hill City, allowing three hits and one earned run with four strikeouts. Over his past two appearances, Tolbert has a 2.57 ERA with nine strikeouts in seven innings.

Salem enters having lost six of its past 10 games. Hickory has won four straight, outscoring opponents 21-5 in that span.

First baseman Esteban Mejia leads the Hickory offense. He went 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBIs in Sunday’s win.

The game is the first of six consecutive meetings between the teams, with games scheduled through May 31. The Interstat game simulator projects an 8-3 Hickory win.