Woods homers, Beatty thrills in I's win
HICKORY, N.C. (July 3, 2016) - The Kannapolis Intimidators earned their first series split of the season against the Hickory Crawdads with a 3-1 win Sunday night at L.P. Frans Stadium. The Intimidators (6-5, 30-51) recorded ten hits for the second consecutive night while holding Hickory (4-7, 42-39) to just four.
Max Beatty dominated for the Intimidators on the mound. The righty, in just his second start of the season, shutout the Crawdads over his 5 and 2/3 innings of work while striking out six, a new season high, and walking none.
Through the first five innings Beatty (1-1) had faced the minimum number of Crawdads and left with two out in the sixth having allowed only two hits.
Johnathan Hernandez made his third start of the season against the Intimidators and labored through his 4 and 1/3 inning performance.
Hernandez (7-6) allowed two runs, on five hits, while walking three and striking out six and was hung with his sixth loss of the season.
Kannapolis took an early lead in the top of the second. Landon Lassiter and Micker Adolfo leadoff the frame with singles and were followed by Max Dutto who was hit by a 1-1 pitch from Hernandez. The Intimidators scored their first run of the night on a Grant Massey double play ball which was followed by a two-out RBI single from Tyler Sullivan.
K.J. Woods added an insurance run with a mammoth home run to right in the top of the seventh inning. It was Woods second of the season and has yet to land.
Hickory was shutout through the first eight innings until, down to their final out, Dylan Moore homered off Taylore Cherry for his seventh homer of the season.
Cherry recorded the final out of the game on the next batter to register his fifth save of the season.
The Intimidators head home for a 3-game series against the Hagerstown Suns that begins on Monday, July 4th. RHP Luis Martinez (2-7, 4.62 ERA) will take the ball for Kannapolis against Hagerstown's RHP Joan Baez(5-5, 4.34 ERA) with first pitch at 7:05 p.m.
The Fourth of July festivities will the 3-game home stand highlighted by an Independence Day Fireworks Extravaganza presented by the City of Kannapolis following Monday's game against the Suns. First pitch on Monday is at 7:05 p.m. with gates opening for this Fourth of July game at 6:00 p.m. To order tickets while they last, call the F&M Bank Box Office or 704-932-3267 or visit IntimidatorsBaseball.com.