COLUMBIA, S.C. (June 22, 2017) - Yosmer Solorzano worked six innings as the Kannapolis Intimidators opened the Second Half with an 8-5 win over the Columbia Fireflies on Thursday night at Spirit Communication Park in Columbia, S.C. Kannapolis (1-0 Second Half, 40-29) took advantage of three Columbia errors and scored
COLUMBIA, S.C. (June 22, 2017) - Yosmer Solorzano worked six innings as the Kannapolis Intimidators opened the Second Half with an 8-5 win over the Columbia Fireflies on Thursday night at Spirit Communication Park in Columbia, S.C. Kannapolis (1-0 Second Half, 40-29) took advantage of three Columbia errors and scored five runs in the fifth inning provide a cushion en route to victory.
Solorzano (2-5) earned the win, allowing two runs on seven hits with a walk and four strikeouts over 6.0 innings. Fireflies starter Blake Taylor (0-7) took the loss, while Matt Foster - one of seven new Intimidators on the roster Thursday - tossed a scoreless ninth for the save (1).
After Columbia plated the game's first run in the bottom of the first, Kannapolis jumped ahead in the second inning. Micker Adolfo led off the frame with his league-lead-tying 21st double and moved to third on a Brandon Dulin base hit. Following a pair of strikeouts and a walk issued by Fireflies' starting pitcher Blake Taylor, Sam Dexter singled to left field, driving in Adolfo and Dulin for a 2-1 lead.
The Intimidators lit up the Fireflies with five runs in the fifth inning. With the bases loaded and two outs, Adolfo and Dulin drew back-to-back bases-loaded walks to end Taylor's evening. Zach Remillard welcomed reliever Adam Atkins to the game with a line drive single to left field, scoring Mitch Roman and Adolfo for a 6-1 lead. Grant Massey singled to right field to cash Dulin for a 7-1 advantage.
Tim Tebow used a pair of doubles to jump-start the Fireflies offense in the fifth and seventh innings. In the bottom of the fifth, the former Heisman Trophy winner led off with a double and later scored on a Jacob Zanon base hit to pull Columbia within five, 7-2. The Fireflies then plated three runs off Intimidators reliever Mick VanVossen in the seventh to cut the lead to 7-4. Tebow doubled and scored on Zanon's first home run of the season. Columbia tacked on another run thanks to a Kannapolis error. Tebow finished the game 2-for-4 with a pair of runs scored.
In the ninth, Dexter led off with a walk and moved from first-to-third on a Tebow throwing error. Dexter then scored an insurance run on a Roman grounder back to relief Joseph Zanghi, whose throw home was not in time to prevent Dexter from scoring for an 8-5 lead.
Taylor gave up seven runs (two earned) on four hits while striking out eight and walking three in 4 and 2/3 innings for the Fireflies. Columbia relievers Atkins, Matt Pobereyko, and Zanghi combined for nine strikeouts over the final 4 and 1/3 innings as the Fireflies set a new franchise record with 17 strikeouts in a 9-inning game.
Kannapolis continues this 4-game series at Columbia on Friday at 7:05 p.m. as LHP Bernardo Flores (7-4, 3.13 ERA) takes the mound for the Intimidators against the Fireflies' RHP Harol Gonzalez (4-4, 4.11 ERA). The team returns to Intimidators Stadium supported by Carolinas HealthCare System on Monday, June 26, to open an 8-game home stand. Tickets are available by calling the F&M Bank Box Office at 704-932-3267 or by visiting IntimidatorsBaseball.com.
