Despite being down 4-0 going into the bottom of the second inning, the Intimidators (51-40, 11-11) used two home runs and a three-run sixth inning to hold off the Hagerstown Suns, 7-6, Monday night at Intimidators Stadium.The first inning proved to be an inning that Zach Lewis and the Intimidators
Despite being down 4-0 going into the bottom of the second inning, the Intimidators (51-40, 11-11) used two home runs and a three-run sixth inning to hold off the Hagerstown Suns, 7-6, Monday night at Intimidators Stadium.
The first inning proved to be an inning that Zach Lewis and the Intimidators would have liked to forget, as Yasel Antuna and Cole Freeman used back-to-back doubles to score the first run of the ball game. Next up, Gage Canning hit a two-hopper that Justin Yurchak misplayed at first base, rolling all the way to the right field corner, allowing Freeman to score and Canning to advance to third on the three-base error. One batter later, Jake Scudder hit a hard groundball to second baseman Tate Blackman, as Blackman's backhand attempt proved to not be successful, allowing Canning to score to put Hagerstown up 3-0.
One inning later, Kameron Esthay led off the second with a homer to right field, increasing the lead to four runs heading into the bottom of the second. After being down in the count, 1-2, Michael Hickman got popped on the leg to lead off the inning against RHP Tomas Alastre (L, 3-5), putting a runner on for the 5-foot-11 power-hitting right fielder, Tyler Frost. On the first pitch of his at-bat, Frost skied a homer over the right field wall, pulling the Intimidators within two runs.
In the third, Luis Curbelo reached on soft line drive into right field with one out, as Craig Dedelow cranked the first pitch of his at-bat with Alastre to right field, just clearing the wall to tie the game, 4-4.
After two walks and sacrifice fly off the bat of Antuna, scoring Paul Panaccione to help the Suns regain the 5-4 lead, the Intimidators jumped all over Alastre in the sixth inning, started by a Blackman double into left field.
Two batters later, Frost singled on a line drive into right field, scoring Blackman and advancing to second on the throw home. With the score now tied, Yurchak walked, followed by an Evan Skoug line-drive single into right field, scoring Frost to give the I's a 6-5 advantage. One batter later, Nolan Brown singled on a groundball up the middle and by a diving Antuna, scoring Yurchak for the Intimidator's second insurance run, up 7-5.
Bennett Sousa (W, 1-0) made his Intimidators debut for 1.2 innings, striking out three batters, while allowing just one hit on 30 pitches. Joe Mockbee (H, 3) and Jose Nin (S, 5) also pitched well out of the bullpen for skipper Justin Jirschele and Kannapolis, holding off the Hagerstown batters for just five hits on the night.
Kannapolis will look for the series victory Tuesday at 12:05 p.m. against the Suns, as the Intimidators will lean on LHP Drew Harrington (5-4, 4.82 ERA) against RHP Andrew Lee (3-2, 4.93 ERA) for Hagerstown (35-57, 8-16).
