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On this date in local sports history.

July 4, 2023:

The Hickory Crawdads Baseball Club played at the Winston-Salem Dash in front of 10,200 fans. The Dash fans had to wait until after 11pm for the fireworks because Hickory won 6-4 in 14 innings.

The first pitch of that game was at 7:03. Time of game was 3 hours and 51 minutes. Each team would score a single run in the 10th, 11th, and 12th innings. There were no runs scored in the 13th, but Hickory scored two in the 14th and Winston-Salem could not get a run across as the Crawdads won.

Tonight, please stay safe.

Illegal Fireworks homer fireworks

On this date in local sports history

July 3, 2022:

Hickory native and PGA Tour professional J.T. Poston won the 2022 John Deere Classic. Poston won wire-to-wire, leading after all four rounds and securing his second career PGA Tour victory by a three-stroke margin at 21-under-par.

As you likely know, Poston just won his fourth PGA event, The Memorial, just under a month ago in a playoff at the Muirfield Village Golf Club.

Due to the heat today, fans are welcome to bring one unopened plastic bottle of water into the stadium to help stay hydrated.

We'll see you at the match—stay cool, stay hydrated, and let's make some noise!🌞

On this date in local sports history

July 2, 1985:

R.W. "Red " Watkins passed away on this date. A member of the inaugural class of the App State Athletics Sports Hall of Fame in 1975, Hawkins wrestled for the Mountaineers as a student, and later returned to coach football in 1940-1941, coached baseball from 1934-1940, and was the athletic director in 1940 and 1941 as well.

On this date in local sports history

June 29, 2004

Happy birthday to recent Hickory Crawdads Baseball Club pitcher AJ Russell who was born on this date.

The right handed pitcher was selected by the Texas Rangers in the second round of the 2025 MLB Draft out of the University of Tennessee and pitched for the Crawdads during the first half of the 2026 season. Russell contributed significantly by starting and pitching 3.1 hitless innings to set up the Hickory Crawdads' combined no-hitter against the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers on June 6, 2026.

Last week (6/23), Russell was promoted to the High-A, Hub City Spartanburgers.

On this date in local sports history

June 28, 1958:

Lee Petty, the father of the King, Richard Petty wins the NASCAR Cup Series event at Hickory Motor Speedway. It was the 26th race of that season for the NASCAR Cup Series (then known as the Grand Nationals)

On this day in local sports history

June 27, 1902:

Albert Spurlock was born on this date. An inaugural member of the Lenoir-Rhyne Bears Sports Hall of Fame in 1977, he compiled an extraordinary athletic record during his years at Lenoir-Rhyne College.

He starred in football, basketball, baseball and track until his graduation in 1927. Known during his college days as the "premier toe artist of the South," Spurlock was credited with punts as long as 87 yards in the air - this in addition to being the football team's leading rusher and scorer. Spurlock also excelled in baseball and track and was also the ace pitcher.

After graduation, he taught and coached for several years before serving a stint in the Army Air Corps and working for Rand McNally Publishing Company. In 1951, he launched a 24-year career as Education Coordinator for Catawba County Schools.

This week in local sports history

June 26, 1914:

Walter Rabb was born on this date in Lenoir. He went on to coach the UNC Tarheels baseball team for 31 years and went 540-358-9 in that time frame.