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CarL Kannapolis Cannon Ballers

Back-And-Forth Ballgame Yields Kannapolis' Sixth Consecutive Victory on Wednesday

April 20, 2023 - Carolina League (CarL)
Kannapolis Cannon Ballers News Release


KANNAPOLIS, N.C. - Winning for the sixth game in a row, the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers clinched an 8-7 victory in Wednesday's Education Day matchup over the Charleston RiverDogs at Atrium Health Ballpark.

With the win, Kannapolis moves into, at worst, a tie for first place in the Carolina League South Division in the young season. It is also the sixth game in a row that the Ballers have notched at least five runs on offense.

LHP Shane Murphy delivered a quality outing in his start Wednesday, striking out an astonishing nine RiverDogs in five innings of work, walking none while allowing three runs on five hits. RHP Mark McLaughlin followed up Murphy's stint on the mound with 1.2 innings of his own, running into some trouble in his second frame of the day. The former Tennessee Volunteer allowed four runs on three hits, walking three and striking out four.

Wednesday's game was a back-and-forth affair for both lineups, with Charleston wasting little time in getting on the board. Dominic Keegan began the scoring with a solo home run in the top of the first inning, putting the RiverDogs on top 1-0.

The hot bat of Tim Elko answered quickly in the bottom of the first, handing Kannapolis their first run of the game on an RBI double that scored Jordan Sprinkle to knot the game at 1-1.

Just a short time later, in his first at-bat of the day, Logan Glass took advantage of runners on base and blasted his second home run of the season, a three-run shot in the bottom of the second inning to push the Ballers ahead at 4-1.

The RiverDogs answered in the top of the fourth with an RBI double off the bat of Jalen Battles, who drove in Cooper Kinney and Estanli Castillo to inch closer into the Ballers lead at 4-3.

Drake Logan added his fourth RBI of the season in the bottom of the fifth, sending Sprinkle home on an RBI single to extend Kannapolis' lead to 5-3. One batter later, Troy Claunch drove in a run on an RBI groundout, scoring Brooks Baldwin to put the Ballers on top 6-3.

In the bottom of the sixth, Wilber Sanchez hustled home on a wild pitch from Charleston's RHP Junior William to extend Kannapolis' lead even further to 7-3, a number that gave the home team some confidence.

Charleston worked back from down four runs in the top of the eighth, rallying for four runs on three hits. Kinney started the rally with an RBI single with an RBI single to score Julio Meza and Chandler Simpson, narrowing the gap to 7-5. Just one batter later, Battles contributed his third RBI of the day on an RBI single that scored Keegan to pull the score to 7-6. Later in the frame, after a Kannapolis pitching change, Cristopher Barete walked with the bases loaded, allowing Kinney to cross the plate and tie the score at 7-7.

After RHP Zach Cable (W, 1-0) tossed a gem of a ninth inning, the Ballers stepped to the plate in the bottom half in search of the win. After Baldwin drew a leadoff walk and swiped second base, Mario Camilletti advanced Baldwin to third with a groundout, making it two outs in the bottom of the ninth. With Logan at the plate, a wild pitch off the arm of RHP Matt Wyatt (L, 0-2) allowed Baldwin a narrow window to hustle home and slide in safely, securing the victory for Kannapolis at home.

The Ballers are back in action on Thursday night against the Charleston RiverDogs in the third of their six-game Opening Week homestand. First pitch in the first Thirsty Thursday matchup of the season is slated for 7:00 p.m., with Kannapolis sending out RHP Drew McDaniel (2-0, 2.25 ERA) to start the evening on the mound.

Fans can purchase tickets for Thursday's game or any other remaining home games at kcballers.com or at the F&M Bank Box Office located at Atrium Health Ballpark

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Carolina League Stories from April 20, 2023


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