Tom Poole’s solo homer in the ninth, followed by a two-run tenth inning propelled the Charleston RiverDogs to a 9-8 win in game one of the Carolina League’s Southern Division Championship Series on Tuesday night (September 8) at LP Frans Stadium.
The Crawdads came into the series as one of the hottest teams in all of minor league baseball, having won fifteen straight to close out the 2026 regular season.
Seong-Jun Kim got the start for Hickory and got a first-hand look at a potent Charleston offensive attack.
The RiverDogs pushed a run across in the first inning on an RBI triple from Taitn Gray, scoring leadoff hitter Slater de Brun.
In the second inning, Charleston pushed their lead to 5-0, scoring four unearned runs off Connor O’Hara.
The Crawdads would slow down the RiverDogs offense, as O’Hara pitched the next three innings in scoreless fashion.
That set the scene for a furious Crawdads’ comeback, as Hickory scored three runs in the fifth, two in the sixth and two more in the seventh inning to take their first lead of the game at 7-6.
Daniel Flames’ two-run single in the sixth knotted the game at five, the second of two, two-out rallies for the second half division champs in the middle frames. In the seventh, Dean Moss singled home Tom Poole to give Charleston a 6-5 advantage. The leadoff double from Poole was part of a three-hit night for the first baseman, with his biggest swing coming later in the contest.
In the bottom of the seventh, the Crawdads took their first lead on a ground ball to Cooper Flemming, who threw over the head of Poole, allowing Yolfran Castillo to score from second. Sensing an opportunity to take the lead, manager Nick Janssen sent Santana dashing home.
The throw beat the Crawdads’ outfielder to the plate, but Santana’s dive home dislodged the ball from JD Gonzalez’ mitt, giving the ‘Dads their first lead. In the ninth, Tom Poole played villain, hitting a solo homer to open the ninth for Charleston, tying the game at 7-7.
A scoreless ninth for Hickory took the game to extra frames, where Charleston plated two runs to carry a 9-7 lead to the bottom of the inning. Slater de Brun singled home a run through the left side of the infield, part of a four-hit night, to push Charleston back on top at 8-7. de Brun would score on a sacrifice fly from Taitn Gray to give the ‘Dogs a needed insurance run.
The Crawdads final push netted a run on an RBI triple from Deward Tovar, scoring Yolfran Castillo, to cut the lead to 9-8.
In the end, eventual winning pitcher Efrallin Ramos struck out Josh Springer to end the contest, giving Charleston the one game lead as the two teams head to Charleston for game two on Thursday night.
Poole and de Brun combined for seven hits on the night for Charleston, as Tovar and Springer teamed for five of Hickory’s nine hits on the evening. Brandon Jaenke suffered the game one loss, his first in a Crawdads uniform this season.
Game two of the series is set for 7:05 p.m. tonight (September 9) at Joseph Riley stadium, as Hickory needs to win to force a decisive third game in the Southern Division Championship Series.