Daily goes 3-4, drives in 2 in loss to 'Dads

HICKORY, N.C. (August 13, 2015) - The Intimidators rallied to overcome a four-run deficit in the seventh inning, but Hickory's Luke Tendler hit a three-run home run in the bottom of the frame to lead the Crawdads to a 9-6 win on Thursday at L.P. Frans Stadium. Kannapolis (23-23 Second Half, 58-57) dropped the three-game series in Hickory while finishing a week's worth of commuter road games 2-5.

Trailing 6-2, the Intimidators rallied for four runs in the top of the seventh to tie the game against Crawdads reliever Kelvin Vasquez. Cody Daily ripped a two-run double down the left field line to score Mason Robbins and Toby Thomas, and Michael Suiter followed with a two-run single to tie the game, 6-6.

Daily finished the game 3-for-4, and Suiter extended his career-best hitting streak, already the longest on record in Intimidators history, to 22 games since July 19. He is now tied for the third-longest hitting streak in Minor League Baseball in 2015.

In the bottom of the seventh, the 'Dads put two on base against Jacob Morris before Tendler left the park against Kelvis Valerio for a 9-6 lead. Morris (4-3) took the loss while Hickory reliever Joe Filomeno (2-1) earned the win with 2 and 2/3 relief innings of scoreless ball, working around a hit and a walk while striking out five.  

The Intimidators wasted little time getting on the scoreboard. Suiter reached base to open the game, being plunked by a Collin Wiles pitch, and Louie Lechich singled before Ryan Leonards drove a two-out double to the left-centerfield gap to plate both runners for a 2-0 lead.

Hickory responded in the fourth inning by sending 10 men to the plate and collecting seven hits for a five-run frame. Jose Trevino's RBI-triple put the Crawdads on the board, and Tendler singled in Trevino to tie the game, 2-2. Jonathan Meyer, Carlos Arroyo, and Chuck Moorman strung together three straight run-scoring hits for a 5-2 lead.  

Thad Lowry opened with three scoreless frames before giving up five runs in the fourth. He finished his night after 4.0 innings of work, allowing five runs on eight hits with no walks or strikeouts.

Wiles bounced back from a two-run first inning to toss six strong frames, retiring the final 13 batters he faced. The Hickory starter allowed two runs on three hits with no walks and four strikeouts over 6.0 innings while taking no decision. 

Kannapolis returns to Intimidators Stadium supported by Carolinas HealthCare System on Friday for a three-game series against the Hagerstown Suns. Friday's game is Get Healthy Kannapolis featuring discounted healthy snacks off the Ballpark Fit & Fresh Menu, and fans can take our physical challenge to earn a reserved ticket for only $5.00. For ticket and promotional information, call the F&M Bank Box Office at (704) 932-3267 or visit IntimidatorsBaseball.com.