Pitchers blank BlueClaws over final 8 innings

Leonards -- a 21st round selection in 2014 -- finishes 2-3, RBI

By Josh Feldman

July 28, 2014

LAKEWOOD, N.J. (July 28, 2014) - Kannapolis overcame an early deficit as three pitchers combined to shutout the Lakewood BlueClaws over the final eight innings in an Intimidators win, 5-3, on Monday at FirstEnergy Park. The victory clinched a series win for Kannapolis (50-55, 21-17 Second Half) with one game left in the 5-game set.

Starting pitcher Brandon Brennan recovered from a 3-run first inning to toss five scoreless frames. He finished with 6.0 innings of work, allowing three runs on seven hits with five strikeouts and two walks. Brennan (2-0) earned his second straight win in his third start since rejoining the team from Advanced Rookie Great Falls on July 15.

Dylan Chavez took over in the seventh and tossed 2.0 scoreless frames before Brad Salgado struck out the side in order in the bottom of the ninth for the save (2).

Ryan Leonards, a 21st round pick of the White Sox in the June 2014 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of Louisiana-Lafayette, finished 2-3 with an RBI and a run scored, and Zach Voight collected a pair of hits, going 2-4 with an RBI and a run scored.

The Intimidators pulled ahead with two runs in the sixth inning. Jeremy Dowdy and Carl Thomore each hit 1-out singles, and Voight followed with a double down the left-field line to cash Dowdy for a 4-3 lead. Leonards then lifted a fly ball to deep right field, scoring Thomore for a 5-3 advantage, but Voight was thrown out at home, trying to take advantage of a lax throw from the outfield on the play.

After Brennan struck out the first two batters in the first inning, Lakewood rallied for three runs with two outs, including a 2-run triple by Mitch Walding.

Danny Hayes put the Intimidators on the board with his team-leading 10th home run of the season to lead of the fourth inning.

Kannapolis tied the game in the fifth. Voight, Leonards and Adam Engel loaded the bases with three straight singles to open the inning. Back-to-back fielder's choice ground balls by Christian Stringer and Trey Michalczewski scored Voight and Leonards to even the score, 3-3.

The Intimidators and BlueClaws conclude this 5-game series on Tuesday at 11:05 a.m. at FirstEnergy Park. The game will be broadcast live on the Kannapolis Intimidators Baseball Network. The team returns to Kannapolis on Thursday for a 7-game home stand against the Augusta GreenJackets (Giants) and Hickory Crawdads (Rangers). For ticket and promotional information, call the F&M Bank Box Office at (704) 932-3267 or visit IntimidatorsBaseball.com.