Hickory

The Hagerstown Suns aren't just winning. They are physically knocking people out of the way to do it. Steven Souza Jr.'s played enforcer for the Suns by bowling over Hickory catcher Kellin Deglin to score the first run in a three-run fourth inning to lead Hagerstown to a 4-0 rain-shortened victory over the Crawdads on Tuesday at Municipal Stadium. The game was called after 5 1/2 innings following a 35-minute rain delay. The three-run outburst broke a scoreless tie and set the stage for Hagerstown starter Alex Meyer to a six-inning, two-hit complete game.

Steven Souza knows how to make an entrance. The Hagerstown outfielder came up with his second three-hit game since coming off the disabled list to lead the Suns to an 8-6 victory and a three-game sweep of Hickory on Wednesday. Souza is 6-for-10 - including two home runs and seven RBIs - since being activated Tuesday after being placed on the disabled list after suffering a shoulder impingement, caused from making two diving catches against Augusta on May 6. It still pales in comparison to Souza's April 25 debut with the Suns when he had four hits and nine RBIs to ignite a 24-2 victory over Rome.

Each month, one student from each classroom at Hickory Elementary School is designated as a Character Counts! Good Citizen of the month. Students are nominated by classroom teachers for demonstrating one of the six pillars of character. Students selected for the award were honored with an ice-cream sundae party and an afternoon of bingo on April 30. The character trait recognized for the month of April was loyalty. The following is a list of students who received the award for the month: Chuck Wible, Joseph Burlas, Destiny Woodlan, Brithney Paniagua, Corey Keith, Mark Obitts, Maleena Hawkes, Madelyn Carr, Hugo Paniagua, Hannah Danner, Leanne Jones, Johnny Marshall, Delaney Purdham, Jymeisha Castle and Brandon Mongan.

Matt Skole went 4-for-4 with five RBIs to lead the Hagerstown Suns to a 12-4 rout of Hickory on Tuesday to assume sole possession of second place in the South Atlantic League's Northern Division. Skole hit two home runs to pace the Suns (20-15) to their third-straight victory to move one game ahead of the Crawdads. The Suns remain six games behind division-leading Greensboro. Stephen Souza lent a hand in the Suns' 13-hit onslaught with three hits, with a pair of doubles and a homer, and three RBIs as Hagerstown scored at least one run in six of the nine innings.

Hickory Elementary School recently participated in a candy drive. Students collected 413 bags of candy to be sent overseas to U.S. troops. Karen Cox's third-grade class won first place with 96 bags of candy. Class members included Kaitlyn Hoover, Isabella Wegman, Mariah Naugle, Emilee Shoop, Jordan Rohrer, Diamante Caldwell, Karina Canela, Kaiden Echeverry, Haley Bui, Eric Wang, Will Quebedeaux, Hayleigh Burgey, Spencer Lane, Tea Talor, Athena Pike and Mary Frances Troast.

During January, students were recognized for the character trait of trustworthiness at Hickory Elementary School. Students and families were invited to school for a “pinning ceremony,” which included certificates, pencils and erasers, followed by ice cream sundaes and family bingo. Honored were Elijah Green, Makaya Robinson, Sonya Zarefoss, Caleb Rohrer, Corry Nelson, Lizzie Pierce, Jeremiah Wolfe, Airam Santiago, Emilee Shoop, Aleya Bullard, Samuel Kline, Hailey Dawson, Garrett Shoemaker, Lumisa Bista and Corbin Weaver.

Each month, one student from each classroom at Hickory Elementary School is named a Character Counts! Good Citizens of the Month. Students are nominated by classroom teachers for demonstrating one of the six pillars of character. Students were nominated in the month of October for displaying the character trait of responsibility. The students selected and their parents/guardians were honored with a celebration assembly Oct. 24. Here is a list of those students selected in October: Anna Kesselring, Dylan Kesler, Talon Koerting, Lucy Kotler, Yadira Parada, Torieana Sumlin, Logan Adkins, Alexia Heagy, Eric Wang, Abby Blickenstaff, Emily Shartzer, Owen Wood, Sophie Butts and Lydia Carr.

Hickory honors students Each month at Hickory Elementary School, one student from each classroom is designated as a Character Counts! Good Citizens of the month. Students are nominated by classroom teachers for demonstrating one of the six pillars of character. Those selected are honored with a celebration assembly with parents, ice-cream sundaes and an afternoon of bingo. The following is a list of those students who received the award for the month of September: Hunter Glenn, Megan Shartzer, Skyler Knox, Carter Younger, Kristian Holloway, Moses Carr, Max Larkin, Madelyn Carr, Madelyn Porter, Hailey Bui, Stanley Reed, Chloe Carr, Kevin Weddle, Molly Martz and Charlotte Larkin.

Call it natural balance. Every ying has its yang. Every hero seems to have its adversary … or adversaries. It's a relationship that keeps things honest and exciting while being extremely aggravating, especially when things don't go the right way. Superman had Lex Luthor, who had kryptonyte. Batman couldn't go anywhere without Riddler, Joker and Penguin … among others. A trio of foes - Greensboro, Kannapolis and Hickory - has all but Bam! Zonk! and Splat! the Hagerstown Suns out of South Atlantic League playoff contention.