SAL1 Kannapolis Cannon Ballers

I''s Sweep Sunday Double Header, Take 3 of 4 from Lakewood to Begin Season

Published on April 8, 2018 under South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Kannapolis Cannon Ballers News Release


KANNAPOLIS, NC - Game 1: Backed by a strong performance on the mound from LHP John Parke (W, 1-0), the Intimidators breezed by the Lakewood BlueClaws in the first game of the double header, 5-1, Sunday afternoon at Intimidators Stadium supported by Atrium Health.

Lakewood (1-3) struck first in the third inning off of Parke as Malvin Maton scored on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Jake Scheiner after reaching on a double. After Matos's double with no outs in the third, Parke settled in and retired the last 15 batters, finishing with six strikeouts on just 73 pitches (game shortened to 7 innings due to double header).

The I's offense got on the board in the third after Luis Gonzalez sent a ball soaring over the right field wall, staying fair by just a few feet to tie the game, 1-1. Kannapolis' offense wasn't done in the third, as Johan Cruz scored later in the inning when Craig Dedelow drove him in with a single to give the Intimidators a 2-1 lead.

Fast forwarding to the fifth inning, Nolan Brown reached base with a leadoff single, then went on to steal second base to get in scoring position with Cruz back up at the dish. Cruz, who reached base all three times, smacked another single to score Brown from second, giving Parke a 2-run cushion.

The Intimidators (3-1) added on two runs in the bottom of the sixth when Evan Skoug led off the inning with a double, followed by a walk from Mike Hickman. After Laz Rivera roped a double down the left field line, scoring Skoug, Brown reached on an error that scored Rivera to give the Intimidators a 5-1 lead.

Game 2: Timely hitting from the Intimidators in the middle innings, followed by a strong back end of the bullpen, helps Kannapolis hang on to a 4-3 victory Sunday evening in game two of the double header at Intimidators Stadium supported by Atrium Health.

Daniel Brito and the BlueClaws jumped out to an early lead in the second after a solo home run from Daniel Brito off of starter Blake Battenfield. The Intimidators responded, per usual, with a run of their own in the second, using a passed ball and a wild pitch to score Rivera who reached on a single with two outs in the inning.

After retiring four straight Lakewood batters, Luis Ledo (W, 1-0) replaced Battenfield in the fourth, getting roughed up once he stepped on the mound. Despite giving up two runs on three hits in two innings, Ledo received run support in the fourth inning from his offense.

Hickman led off the inning with a single, followed by a Tate Blackman RBI double, giving the Intimidators a 2-1 lead. After a Rivera groundout to first that moved Blackman to third, Brown hit a sacrifice fly to left field, scoring Blakeman to give the I's a 3-1 advantage after four frames.

Tied 3-3 in the fifth, Anthony Villa plated Tyler Frost from first base with a double to give Kannapolis a slim 4-3 lead over Lakewood. Manager Justin Jirschele went to his two big right-handed pitchers, bringing in Jake Elliot (H, 1) and Tyler Johnson to shut the door on the fighting BlueClaws.

The Intimidators will keep their homestand alive when they host the Asheville Tourists for a three-game series starting Monday at 6:35 p.m.

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South Atlantic League Stories from April 8, 2018


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