HICKORY, N.C. (Interstat) — The Columbia Fireflies visit the Hickory Crawdads on Tuesday at L.P. Frans Stadium in the opener of a six-game series, with first pitch scheduled for 7 p.m. under cloudy skies and 80-degree heat.

Columbia (32-31) arrives having won six of its last seven games, including an 8-5 victory over Delmarva on Sunday. The Fireflies are 3-3 against Hickory this season but dropped four of six games in the previous head-to-head matchup in May, though they did win the final contest of that set 8-7.

Hickory (33-28) holds a slight edge in the season series at 6-3 overall. The Crawdads capped a road trip with a 10-6 win at Charleston on Sunday, taking three of six games from the RiverDogs. Hickory has struggled against Columbia at home this year, splitting a two-game set April 2-3.

Players to watch: Columbia reliever Andy Basora has been effective out of the bullpen, tossing 2 1/3 scoreless innings in Sunday’s win, and has allowed only one earned run over his last four appearances covering 5 2/3 innings. Hickory shortstop Angel Arredondo enters on a hot streak, going 5-for-9 with five RBIs in the last two games, including a 3-RBI performance Sunday.

The game marks the first of six straight meetings between the teams, with the series continuing through Sunday before both clubs face Kannapolis next week.

Interstat’s game simulator forecasts a 7-4 victory for Columbia.