Guerrero parks Drive with career-long 8.0 IP

Intimidators come from behind to beat Greenville in series opener

By Josh Feldman

April 28, 2015

KANNAPOLIS, N.C. (April 28, 2015) - Intimidators starting pitcher Jordan Guerrero worked a career-long 8.0 innings to put the Drive in park as Kannapolis earned a 3-2 win over Greenville on Tuesday at CMC-NorthEast Stadium. Guerrero (3-0), who limited the Drive to one run while scattering six hits, earned his third straight win, striking out five batters and walking two.

Brad Salgado took the mound in the top of the ninth and eventually secured the save (2). Greenville extended the game when Michael Chavis reached base on a strikeout-wild pitch that would have otherwise been the game's final out. Javier Guerra followed with an RBI-double to pull the Drive within a run, 3-2, before Salgado retired Joseph Monge for the final out.

Kannapolis overcame a 1-0 deficit with two runs in the bottom of the sixth, chasing Drive starter Jamie Callahan from the game. Eddy Alvarez drew a leadoff walk, and two batters later, Christian Stringer tied the game with a double to the gap to left-center field, cashing Alvarez. After Chris Curley reached on a strikeout-wild pitch that moved Stringer to third, Mason Robbins put the Intimidators ahead with an base hit into shallow right field on a broken-bat bloop, scoring Stringer for a 2-1 advantage.

Callahan (0-2) opened with five scoreless innings before getting into trouble in the sixth. He finished the night with 5 and 1/3 innings of work, giving up two runs on five hits with seven strikeouts and two walks in a losing effort.

The Drive struck first with a run in the top of the fourth. Nick Longhi led off the inning with a base hit and raced home from first on a Rafael Devers double to the right-center field gap. Devers was thrown out at third trying to stretch for a triple, and two batters later, the Intimidators got out of the inning with another out at the hot corner as Guerra was also nabbed trying to turn a double into three bases.

Guerrero's eight innings of work is the longest outing by a Kannapolis pitcher this season. The South Atlantic League Pitcher of the Week for April 9-19, he now leads the league in innings pitched with 26.0 this season. The White Sox selected Guerrero in the 15th round of the June 2012 First-Year Player Draft.

The Intimidators continue this 3-game series against the Drive on Wednesday as Kannapolis sends RHP Spencer Adams (0-1, 6.17) to the mound against Greenville's LHP Jalen Beeks (0-0, 3.07). For tickets and promotional information, call the F&M Bank Box Office at (704) 932-3267 or visit IntimidatorsBaseball.com.