SAL1 Kannapolis Cannon Ballers

Game Notes: Kannapolis Intimidators (White Sox) vs. Charleston RiverDogs (Yankees) - June 29, 2014

Published on June 29, 2014 under South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Kannapolis Cannon Ballers News Release


KANNAPOLIS INTIMIDATORS vs. CHARLESTON RIVERDOGS

7-3, 36-41 (Chicago White Sox)

3-7, 36-44 (New York Yankees)

Sunday, June 29, 2014 - 5:05 p.m.

CMC-NorthEast Stadium - Kannapolis, N.C.

2nd Half Game #11 (78 of 137)

LH Jeff McKenzie (0-0, 0.00) vs. RH Rookie Davis (3-7, 4.86)

. Today's Preview: The Intimidators (A, White Sox) have won four straight and can clinch a series win today over the RiverDogs (A, Yankees) as Jeff McKenzie makes his Class A debut for Kannapolis against Charleston's Rookie Davis. Kannapolis is coming off a walk-off win on Saturday night after T.J. Williams blasted a 2-out home run to beat the RiverDogs. Kannapolis has not won five straight games since early May. This current 4-game win streak has kept the Intimidators a game back of three teams in the SAL Northern Division, as Hickory, Hagerstown, and West Virginia are all 8-2, just ahead of Kannapolis (7-3).

Intimidating Starters: Jeff McKenzie, 23, makes his first Class A start and third start of the season when he faces the RiverDogs today. McKenzie made two starts with Advanced Rookie Great Falls to open this season, going 1-0 with a 1.54 ERA before earning a promotion to Kannapolis on June 21. He made his professional debut in 2013, going 4-0 with a 1.44 ERA (4 ER/25 IP) in 16 games, converting all six save chances as the Voyagers closer. The White Sox drafted McKenzie in the 28th round of the June 2013 First-Year Player Draft out of Cal State Bakersfield, where he was college teammates with Intimidators 2B Tyler Shryock. McKenzie was named Western Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Year and became CSU Bakersfield's first All-American baseball player by going 13-2 with a 1.88 ERA (24 ER/114.2 IP), six complete games (four shutouts) and 88 strikeouts in 2013.

Dealin' Dog: Rookie Davis, 21, makes his 15th start of the season and second against Kannapolis after giving up three runs over 4.0 innings against the Intimidators in the Second Half opener on June 19. He is coming off 6.0 strong innings, allowing a run on four hits in a hard-luck loss against Savannah on June 24. A native of Sneads Ferry, N.C., he suffered a string of six straight losing decisions from April 26 to June 8 before snapping that skid in his final start before the All-Star break. Davis is holding left-handed hitters to a .233 average while righties are batting .296 against him. The Yankees selected him in the 14th round of the June 2011 draft out of Dixon High School, and he made his pro debut in 2012 with the GCL Yankees, going 2-1 with a 265 ERA in 7 games (one start). He split 2013 between Short-A Staten Island (2-4, 2.36 ERA in 11 starts) and Charleston (0-0, 0.00 in two starts).

About Last Night: The Intimidators survived another late Charleston rally as DH T.J. Williams hit a walk-off home run (5) with two outs in the ninth to beat the RiverDogs, 4-3, on Saturday. Williams, who had struck out in three previous at-bats, hit his second home run in as many games to nullify Charleston's 3-run eighth inning that tied the game. Kannapolis committed three errors during the RiverDogs' 3-run frame. Jeremy Dowdy added a two-run single and Danny Hayes homered (6).

Walk-Off Williams: T.J. Williams hit his first career walk-off home run on Saturday while also homering in consecutive games for the first time in his career. It was the first walk-off bomb for the Intimidators since Jacob May on Sept. 2, 2013, with a 10th-inning shot to beat Hagerstown.

Walk-Off Winners: Kannapolis is now 6-11 in games decided in the final at-bats included 3-5 in walk-off games. It's the second time this season Kannapolis has beaten Charleston in the final at-bats. On June 22, Nolan Earley's ninth inning RBI tied the game and Hunter Jones drew a go-ahead hit-by-pitch in an eventual 6-5 win over the RiverDogs. The Intimidators two other walk-off wins came on May 18 against Hickory when Trey Michalczewski's sac-fly scored Cleuluis Rondon, and on April 29 in the first game of a doubleheader against West Virginia when Carl Thomore's 2-out single scored Adam Engel.

Hammerin' Hayes: Danny Hayes ripped another home run on Saturday, tying Trey Michalczewski for the team lead with six home runs. Hayes, who leads the SAL with 43 walks, has now hit three home runs since the All-Star Break (10 games) after hitting three in 62 games during the First Half. Hayes is now batting .338 (23-68) in 20 games in June, upping his season average to .300 (75-250) in 72 games.

Robinson Rules: Starter Robinson Leyer continues to lower his ERA. He posted 6.0 scoreless innings on Saturday in a no decision, lowering his ERA below 3.00 for the first time this season (2.82), which ranks ninth in the South Atlantic League. After Leyer's season got off to a rocky start (0-2 with an 18.00 ERA in two games), the right-hander has been one of the best pitchers in all of Minor League Baseball, going 4-2 with a 1.59 ERA (13 ER/73.2 IP) in his last 13 starts. His 1.59 ERA since April 16 ranks sixth among all full-season Minor League Baseball pitchers, behind four Triple-A arms and one Double-A pitcher.

Broadcast: This season, all 70 home games and select road games are broadcast on the Kannapolis Intimidators Baseball Network available at IntimidatorsBaseball.com and on the TuneIn Radio App with Josh Feldman, now in his fourth season with the team.

Independence Day Fireworks: Thursday, July 3, Intimidators face the Delmarva Shorebirds to wrap up this 7-game home stand followed by fireworks presented by the City of Kannapolis and Centralina Orthopaedics. On Friday, July 4, fans are invited back to CMC-NorthEast Stadium for our All-American Community Celebration & Fireworks presented by the City of Kannapolis. Independence Day festivities include inflatables for the kids, a dunk tank, an apple pie baking contest, a little league game, a patriot parade for kids, and the best fireworks show of the entire year.

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South Atlantic League Stories from June 29, 2014


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