SAL1 Greenville Drive

Trio of Drive Pitchers Mow Down Intimidators, 2-0

Published on June 1, 2010 under South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Greenville Drive News Release


Kannapolis, NC - A night after being shutout in Hagerstown, MD, the Drive (26-27) returned the favor to a new team in a new state. With Kendal Volz taking the bump as Greenville's starter and teaming with relievers Jeremiah Bayer and Cesar Cabral, the Drive blanked the Kannapolis Intimidators (26-26) 2-0 Tuesday night.

In earning his first victory since April 25th, Volz (4-2) stymied the Intimidators sixth ranked offense over 5.0 strong innings. The former Baylor Bear retired the first six batters of the game, before allowing a single to Rafael Vera to leadoff the third.

With the Drive leading 1-0 after Reynaldo Rodriguez sent a first pitch offering from Matt Wickswat (5-4) over the leftfield wall in the top of the third, the Intimidators threatened to tie the game in the bottom of the fourth.

Following a leadoff single by Jesus Villegas and a bunt single by Kyle Colligan, Kannapolis put runners on the corners when Ian Gac grounded into a force out, but Michael Almanzar had a throwing error on the play. Volz, however, was able to get through the trouble by inducing Brady Shoemaker to hit into an inning-ending double play.

The Drive added an insurance run, which was also the game's final run, the top of the sixth when Jeremy Hazelbaker laced a one out triple to right field. The speedy outfielder would score as Derrik Gibson followed with an RBI-single.

Bayer took over right where Volz left off, tossing 3.0 scoreless frames out of the bullpen, but not without a little drama. In his first inning of relief, the bottom of the sixth, the Intimidators put runners on first and third with two outs, but the right-hander made sure a run would not score.

After going quietly in the seventh, Kannapolis recorded back-to-back singles by Villegas and Colligan in the eighth with one out. But once again, Bayer kept the Intimidators off the scoreboard.

With Cabral taking the mound in the final inning, the Intimidators didn't even sniff out a hit. The South Atlantic League's most dominant reliever retired the three batters he faced in order, including two strikeouts, to lower his ERA to 0.30 and pickup his fifth save. The southpaw hasn't allowed a run since April 23rd, a span of 10 appearances and 22.0 innings.

The Drive and Intimidators meet again Wednesday with an early morning matchup at Fieldcrest Cannon Stadium, with first pitch at 10:05 AM. Left-hander Manuel Rivera (2-4, 3.11 ERA) will toe the slab for Greenville, while Kannapolis counters with right-hander Justin Collop (2-4, 7.06 ERA).

Following their road trip, the Drive return home to Fluor Field on Saturday, June 5th for a four-game series with the Augusta GreenJackets. For more information regarding single-game tickets, group outings, and luxury accommodations, visit www.GreenvilleDrive.com or call (864) 240-4500.

Check out the Greenville Drive Statistics

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South Atlantic League Stories from June 1, 2010


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