Intimidators fail to clinch first half, lose fifth straight at home

Despite only needing one win over the weekend to clinch the first half championship in the northern division of the South Atlantic League, the Kannapolis Intimidators lost for the fifth-straight day, 3-1, to the Greensboro Grasshoppers Sunday night at Intimidators Stadium supported by Atrium Health.
Lincoln Henzman got the start on the bump for Kannapolis, piecing together another great outing, throwing 6.0 innings of five-hit ball, with the only run he surrendered coming in the second inning on a Will Allen solo homer to left-center field.
After striking out four batters through four innings, part of his five punchouts on the day, the Intimidators offense finally got going in the bottom of the fourth, as Tate Blackman whacked a one-out double to left-center. Following a wild pitch from LHP Trevor Rogers, Anthony Villa smoked a ball off the right field wall, scoring Blackman with ease, while tying the game, 1-1.
The Intimidators leaned on Tyler Johnson to keep the Greensboro bats quiet in the seventh and eighth innings, striking out three batters along the way, lowering his ERA to a team-best, 1.33. In the bottom of the eighth, Kannapolis had their best chance to score, as Luis Robert scorched a ball into left field to lead off the inning. Next up, Laz Rivera laid down a sacrifice bunt to the first baseman Micah Brown, as Brown mishandled the bunt that allowed Rivera to reach safely.
With no outs and two runners on, Craig Dedelow got the bunt sign and popped up the first pitch back to the diving pitcher, Colton Hock, who then got up quickly and threw Robert out at second base with no problem for the double play.
After a balk from Hock that sent Rivera to second, Blackman walked and Villa got hit by a 3-2 pitch, loading the bases for Tyler Frost. The former Gonzaga Bulldog hit a hot shot down the first base line, but Brown made up for his early-inning blunder by snagging the ball and beating Frost to first to end the threat.
With the loss, the Intimidators are now losers of five-straight games at home going into the All-Star break, as the Lakewood BlueClaws clinched the first half championship with Sunday's loss.