SAL1 Kannapolis Cannon Ballers

Game Notes: Kannapolis Intimidators (White Sox) at Hagerstown Suns (Nationals) - August 7, 2014

August 8, 2014 - South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Kannapolis Cannon Ballers News Release


KANNAPOLIS INTIMIDATORS at HAGERSTOWN SUNS

53-61, 24-23 (Chicago White Sox) 73-44, 29-18 (Washington Nationals)

Friday, August 8, 2014 - 7:05 p.m.

Municipal Stadium - Hagerstown, Md.

2nd Half Game #48 (115 of 137)

LH Chris Freudenberg (1-0, 1.50) vs. RH Nick Pivetta (12-7, 4.39)

Today's Preview: The Intimidators (A, White Sox) send left-hander Chris Freudenberg to the mound in his second South Atlantic League start as Kannapolis looks to bounce back against the Suns (A, Nationals) in Game 2 of this 4-game series. Hagerstown took Thursday's series opener at Municipal Stadium, 8-1, and they now lead the season-series 9-games-to-6. Suns starter Nick Pivetta makes his team-leading 21st start of the season as he takes the mound in search of his first win against the Intimidators following two losses at the hands of Kannapolis hitters.

Intimidators Starter: Chris Freudenberg, 21, makes his second start with the Intimidators and 11th of the season. The left-hander earned a win in his Class A debut on Aug. 3, limiting Augusta to a run over 6.0 innings. He was promoted from Advanced Rookie Great Falls to Kannapolis on Friday after going 3-3 with a 3.17 ERA (17 ER/48.1 IP) in nine games (nine starts) for Great Falls. Overall this season, he is 4-3 with a 2.98 ERA (18 ER/54.1 IP). He is in his second season with the White Sox after being drafted in the eighth round of the June 2013 First-Year Player Draft after graduating from South Mountain Community College in Phoenix. Last season with Advanced Rookie Bristol, Freudenberg went 1-3 with a 5.40 ERA in nine games (six starts) in the Appalachian League. He graduated from Saguaro High School in Scottsdale, Ariz., in 2011.

Hagerstown Hurler: Nick Pivetta, 21, makes his team-leading 21st start of the season and third against the Intimidators. He is ranks second in the South Atlantic League lead with 12 wins but is 0-2 against Kannapolis, posting a 12.27 ERA (10 ER/7.1 IP) with seven strikeout and five walks in two starts. He also ranks tied for third in the SAL with 13 home runs allowed. In his last seven starts, he is 2-4 with a 6.06 (24 ER/35.2 IP) since July 1, including both his losses to Kannapolis in the month of July. He spent split last season with the GCL Nationals & Short-Season Auburn, going a combined 1-1 with a 2.91 ERA in nine games (eight starts). The Nationals drafted Pivetta in the fourth round of the June 2013 First-Year Player Draft out of New Mexico Junior College. Pivetta, a native of Victoria, British Columbia, was born on Valentine's Day, Feb. 14, 1993.

About Last Night: Danny Hayes hit his team-leading 11th home run to help Kannapolis avoid a shutout in Thursday's 8-1 loss in Hagerstown. The Suns pounded out 13 hits with five doubles, featuring 3-hit games by leadoff man Rafael Bautista and Carlos Lopez. Jimmy Yezzo helped break the game open with a 3-run double during a 4-run third inning. Hagerstown battered Kannapolis starter Jeff McKenzie (2-4) to the tune of seven runs on eight hits over 3 and 1/3 innings in the loss. Jose Brito spun 3 and 2/3 of scoreless relief, limiting the Suns to a pair of singles. Andrew Mitchell did not walk a batter while allowing a run on three hits while tossing the eighth inning. Reynaldo Lopez continued his impressive return to the South Atlantic League with his third straight scoreless start. Lopez (2-1) worked 6.0 innings of 1-hit ball to pick up the win. He has now worked 17.0 scoreless innings since returning to Hagerstown in late July.

Hammerin' Hayes: First baseman Danny Hayes now leads the Intimidators with 11 home runs this season, one more than Trey Michalczewski. He is now one long ball shy of matching the most by last season's team leader Jason Coats, who hit 12 in 133 games with the Intimidators in 2013. Chris Curley led Kannapolis with 11 bombs in 2012. The last Intimidators sluggers with more than a dozen home runs in a season came in 2011 when Trayce Thompson led the team with 24 home runs, and Dan Black chipped in 18.

Brito Bounces Back: Kannapolis reliever Jose Brito tossed a season-high 3.2 innings of scoreless ball on Thursday in Hagerstown, his longest outing since a 5-inning start in his final game of the 2013 season with Advanced Rookie Great Falls. It was the 6'7" right-hander's longest career relief appearance. His career-long outing came in a start with the DSL White Sox on Aug. 11, 2010, when the then 6'0" starter tossed 6.0 innings against the DSL Rockies.

Adam Back At It: Adam Engel, who saw his 10-game hitting streak and career-long 23-game on-base streak come to an end with an 0-4 night on Wednesday, went 2-4 on Thursday to get back on the horse. He has now hit safely in 23 of his last 25 games, batting .315 (34-108) with four home runs, three doubles, three triples and 13 RBI since July 11.

Game Broadcasts: This weekends games will be carried live on the Hagerstown Suns Baseball Network, which is available through HagerstownSuns.com. This season all 70 home games and select road games will be broadcast on the Kannapolis Intimidators Baseball Network available at IntimidatorsBaseball.com & on the TuneIn Radio App with Josh Feldman, now in his fourth season as the Voice of the Intimidators.

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South Atlantic League Stories from August 8, 2014


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