HICKORY, N.C. (Interstat) — Gabriel Rodriguez hit a grand slam in a five-run first inning, but the Hickory Crawdads stormed back for an 11-10 victory over the Hill City Howlers on Tuesday at L.P. Frans Stadium.

Hill City jumped ahead 5-0 in the first, with Rodriguez’s homer capping the outburst. Tyler Howard added a solo shot in the fourth to make it 6-1. Hickory answered with Angel Arredondo’s two-run homer in the fourth and surged ahead with four runs in the sixth, including Curley Martha’s two-run blast and a run-scoring triple by Daniel Flames.

Hill City scored three in the ninth to pull within one, but Luimy Munoz recorded the final out for his second save. J.D. McReynolds (3-2) earned the win with 1 2/3 scoreless innings. Zane Petty (5-1) took the loss. Hickory outhit Hill City 14-7.

Arredondo finished 2-for-3 with a homer and three RBIs. Marco Argudin also homered for the Crawdads. The Crawdads improved to 38-30, the Howlers fell to 31-39. Attendance was 1,503. The game lasted 2 hours, 49 minutes.