Suiter's hitting streak reaches 17 in loss

White Sox fourth round pick Erwin makes Class A debut with 2.0 IP

By Josh Feldman

August 7, 2015

GREENSBORO, N.C. (August 7, 2015) - Michael Suiter extended his career-best hitting streak to 17 games, but Greensboro starting pitcher Michael Mader kept Kannapolis quiet in a 3-0 Hoppers win on Friday at NewBridge Bank Park. Mader (5-10) spun 7 and 1/3 scoreless innings as Kannapolis (22-19 Second Half, 57-53) suffered only its fourth shutout loss of the season.

Greensboro broke a scoreless tie in the home half of the fifth inning. Brian Schales led off with a base hit, and two batters later, Austen Smith was hit by a Thad Lowry pitch. Ryan Aper followed with an RBI-double, and Zach Sullivan added a two-run base hit for a 3-0 advantage.

Lowry (11-6) worked six innings, giving up three runs on four hits with no walks and two strikeouts while taking the loss.

Mader struck out five and walked one while limiting Kannapolis to four hits. After Jose Velez recorded the final two outs of the eighth inning, Kyle Fischer spun a scoreless ninth for the save (8).

Suiter, who has hit safely in every game since July 19 and in 21 of 22 games with Kannapolis since rejoining the team from Winston-Salem, singled with two outs in the top of the third to extend his streak. He is the first Intimidator with a 17-game hitting streak since Trey Michalczewski hit safely in 17 straight games from May 27 to June 14, 2014.

Left-handed pitcher Zack Erwin made his Class A debut with Kannapolis in the bottom of the seventh. The fourth round pick and the first member of the White Sox June 2015 draft class to join the Intimidators, Erwin matched his career-high with three strikeouts while giving up a hit in two scoreless innings.

The Intimidators continue this four-game series in Greensboro on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. with RHP Luis Martinez (4-10, 5.29 ERA) starting for Kannapolis against the Grasshoppers' LHP Gabriel Castellanos (0-0, 5.40 ERA). The Intimidators return to Kannapolis on Friday, August 14, for a three-game series against the Hagerstown Suns. For ticket and promotional information, call the F&M Bank Box Office at (704) 932-3267 or visit IntimidatorsBaseball.com.