HICKORY, N.C. (Interstat) — The Kannapolis Cannon Ballers and Hickory Crawdads conclude their six-game series at 7 p.m. Friday at L.P. Frans Stadium. Clear skies are expected with a first-pitch temperature of 82 degrees.

Kannapolis (27-26) enters with a 27-26 record overall. Hickory (29-22) holds a two-game lead in the season series, having taken three of the first five meetings this week. The Crawdads won Tuesday 6-3, but the Cannon Ballers responded with an 8-3 victory Wednesday and a 4-3 win Thursday.

Kannapolis has not announced a starting pitcher. The Cannon Ballers have listed both right-hander Riley Eikhoff (4-4) and right-hander Aidan Deakins (4-0) as probable options. Eikhoff has pitched to a 4.02 ERA over his last five starts, while Deakins has yet to lose a decision this season.

Hickory will send right-hander Moises Morales to the mound. Morales (4-2) is coming off a rough outing Wednesday against Kannapolis in which he allowed four earned runs on three hits over 4⅓ innings. In his previous two starts, the right-hander allowed one earned run over 11 innings.

Players to watch

Kannapolis outfielder James Taussig has been the most productive hitter in the series. In Wednesday’s win, Taussig went 3-for-4 with two home runs and six RBIs. Over his last 10 games, Taussig is batting .348 (8-for-23) with three home runs and eight RBIs.

Morales will face a Kannapolis lineup that has scored 12 runs over the last two games. In the previous meeting between these teams in April, Morales did not face the Cannon Ballers.

Series history

Hickory leads the season series 4-3 after splitting six games in April. The Crawdads took four of six at Kannapolis from April 7-12, but the Cannon Ballers have won two straight at L.P. Frans Stadium.

Projection

Interstat’s game simulator projects a 5-4 Hickory victory. The Crawdads have outscored Kannapolis 19-18 in the series.

Up next

The teams meet again Saturday and Sunday to conclude the six-game set. After that, Kannapolis returns home for a six-game series against Fredricksburg starting Tuesday. Hickory travels to Charleston for a six-game series beginning Tuesday.