SAL1 Kannapolis Cannon Ballers

Game Notes: Kannapolis Intimidators (White Sox) at Hickory Crawdads (Rangers) - May 27, 2014

Published on May 27, 2014 under South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Kannapolis Cannon Ballers News Release


KANNAPOLIS INTIMIDATORS at HICKORY CRAWDADS

21-28 (Chicago White Sox)

24-25 (Texas Rangers)

Tuesday, May 27, 2014 - 6:00 p.m.

L.P. Frans Stadium - Hickory, N.C.

Game #50

RH James Dykstra (2-5, 4.34) vs. RH Tyler Smith (1-0, 3.03)

. Today's Preview: The Intimidators (A, White Sox) look to even this series against the Crawdads (A, Rangers) while trying to end the season's longest losing streak. Kannapolis has lost seven straight games entering Game 2 of this 3-game series at Hickory with its last win coming May 18 in a 10-inning walk-off win over the Crawdads. Hickory took Monday's series opener, 11-9, to take a lead in the season series against Kannapolis, 8-7.

Intimidating Starter: James Dykstra, 23, makes his ninth start of the season and fourth against Hickory. He is coming off a loss at Delmarva on May 22, allowing five runs in five innings. Dykstra has lost his last three decisions, including a loss to Hickory on May 3. In his three starts against the Crawdads, he is 1-2 with a 3.06 ERA (6 ER/17.2 IP) with 20 strikeouts and three walks. While he has a 4.34 ERA (22 ER/45.2 IP), nine of the 22 earned runs he has allowed have come in the sixth inning or later, meaning Dykstra has a 2.93 ERA (13 ER/40 IP) through the fifth inning this season. The White Sox selected Dykstra in the sixth round of the June 2013 draft out of Cal State San Marcos. As a senior in 2013, he went 9-4 with a 2.02 ERA in 13 starts, working 89 innings en route to being named All-Association of Independent Institutions (A.I.I.) First Team for the second straight year.

Hickory's Hurler: Tyler Smith, 22, makes his third start and 12 appearance of the season when faces Kannapolis today. The reliever-turned-starter opened the season in Hickory's bullpen, going 0-0 with a 3.04 ERA in nine relief appearances. He is 1-0 with a 3.00 ERA in two starts, both coming against Charleston. He struck out a season-high seven batters in his May 16th win in Charleston but took no decision against RiverDogs in his last outing on May 22. He ranks fifth among relievers in highest strikeout/9 IP ratio at 12.17 (32 SO/23.2 IP). Smith has faced Kannapolis three times, all in relief, working 8.1 scoreless innings, allowing four hits and three walks while striking out 11 Intimidators. Smith is in his second season with Hickory after going 4-5 with a 5.49 ERA in 26 games (11 starts) in 2013 with the Crawdads. He also made four relief appearances last season for High-A Myrtle Beach. The Rangers drafted him in the 19th round of the June 2012 draft out of the University of South Carolina-Sumter. Smith graduated from Sumter (S.C.) High School.

About Last Night: In the Intimidators highest-scoring game of the season, the Crawdads held on for an 11-9 win on Monday. Hickory overcame 4-0 and 6-4 deficits, eventually tying the game on a Ronald Guzman 2-run home run in the fourth and taking the lead on a Nomar Mazara 3-run home run in the fifth. Kannapolis was paced at the plate by Jacob Morris, who tied a league record with four doubles, going 4-5 with 3 runs scored and 2 RBI while Omar Narvaez went 3-3 with 2 RBI and a run scored. Tyler Barnette took the loss in his return to his hometown, lasting two batters into the fourth inning. Kelvin Vasquez beat Kannapolis for the second time, and knuckleballer Kevin Pucetas earned the save (1).

Double Your Pleasure: Jacob Morris tied a South Atlantic League record and set a new franchise mark by recording four doubles in Monday's game, becoming just the seventh Sally Leaguer to accomplish the feat and the first since Lakewood's Jeremy Slayden Aug. 20, 2006. Morris is the first Intimidators with three doubles in a game since Aug. 20, 2012, when Courtney Hawkins collected three against Hagerstown.

Offensive Outburst: After scoring just six runs during the entire 4-game series in Delmarva the Intimidators erupted for nine runs on Monday night. It was the highest scoring game Kannapolis has played this season, with 20 combined runs, surpassing the team's previous highest scoring game, also against Hickory, when the Crawdads won 10-6 on May 19.

Seven Game Slide: Kannapolis has lost a season-high seven straight games, the team's longest skid since dropping eight straight last season from April 25 to May 6, 2013.

Broadcast: This week's series in Hickory can be heard live on IntimidatorsBaseball.com with the Voice of the Intimidators, Josh Feldman. This season, all 70 home games as well as select road games can be heard live on the Intimidators Baseball Network. Today's pregame show begins at 5:45 p.m. with first pitch at 6 p.m.

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