PREVIEW: HICKORY CRAWDADS vs. HILL CITY HOWLERS

HICKORY, N.C. (Interstat) — The Hickory Crawdads host the Hill City Howlers on Tuesday at L.P. Frans Stadium, with first pitch set for 7 p.m. under partly cloudy skies and 83-degree temperatures.

Hickory (37-30) enters the game with a six-game advantage over Hill City (31-38) in the standings. The Crawdads have won four of their past five games, including a 4-3 victory over Columbia on Sunday. Right-hander Evan Siary earned the win in that outing, allowing one earned run on six hits over four innings while striking out two.

Siary has been steady over his last three appearances. In a 10-6 win at Charleston on June 14, he surrendered five earned runs on six hits across four frames, and on June 7 against Kannapolis, he tossed five innings of two-run ball with four strikeouts.

Hill City is coming off a 5-8 loss at Augusta on Sunday. Right-hander Miguel Flores tossed 3 2/3 scoreless innings, yielding no hits and striking out two. It was a bounce-back effort after Flores struggled in his previous start June 14 against Wilson, allowing five earned runs on four hits in three innings.

Tuesday’s matchup is the first meeting between the teams since April, when Hill City took three of six games in a home series. The Howlers won the most recent contest 9-8 on April 26.

According to Interstat’s game simulator, Hickory is projected to win Tuesday’s game 5-3.

The two teams are scheduled to play five consecutive games through Sunday, with Hill City visiting Hickory for each. The Howlers then return home for a six-game set against Fayetteville starting June 30. Hickory will host Hill City through Sunday before traveling to Myrtle Beach for a six-game series beginning June 30.