Click here for Game 1 boxscoreKANNAPOLIS, NC - The Delmarva Shorebirds dropped both ends of a doubleheader to the Kannapolis Intimidators, falling 5-0 in the opener and 5-2 in the nightcap on Tuesday night at Intimidators Stadium.Game OneLincoln Henzman (6-3) turned in a masterful performance for the Intimidators, allowing one
Click here for Game 1 boxscore
KANNAPOLIS, NC - The Delmarva Shorebirds dropped both ends of a doubleheader to the Kannapolis Intimidators, falling 5-0 in the opener and 5-2 in the nightcap on Tuesday night at Intimidators Stadium.
Game One
Lincoln Henzman (6-3) turned in a masterful performance for the Intimidators, allowing one hit over a seven-inning complete-game shutout. Brenan Hanifee (4-3) also pitched a complete game in a losing effort, the first of the year for the Shorebirds, allowing five runs (four earned) on six hits in six innings.
Kannapolis got to Hanifee early and often, scoring in each of their first four innings. In the bottom of the first, Craig Dedelow doubled with one out, and Tate Blackman brought him home on a single to make it 1-0. In the second, Luis Curbelo tripled and scored on a sac fly, and in the third, Laz Rivera led off with a triple and came home on a Dedelow single, making it 3-0.
The Intimidators got two more in the fourth on a wild pitch and Tyler Frost sac fly.
Henzman retired 14 in a row to begin the game before Chris Shaw doubled with one out in the fifth. Shaw's two-sacker was the only hit and baserunner of the game for Delmarva. Henzman faced just one over the minimum and needed a mere 67 pitches in the complete-game performance, finishing the Shorebirds off in just 1:23.
Dedelow led the way for Kannapolis in game one, going 2-for-3 with his league-leading 19th double, a run, and an RBI.
Game Two
Jake Elliott (1-1) earned the win in relief for the Intimidators (39-23), allowing one run on one hit over two innings. Jhon Peluffo (0-2) was saddled with the loss for the Shorebirds (32-30), giving up four runs on five hits in four frames. Aron McRee notched his first save of the season with a scoreless sixth and seventh.
Will Robertson got things going for Delmarva in the second with a solo home run, his fourth of the season. The lead was short-lived, though, as Blackman homered to lead off the home half of the second. Justin Yurchak followed with a double and scored two batters later on a Carlos Perez single, putting the Intimidators up 2-1.
Kannapolis struck again in the fourth. Blackman led off with a walk and advanced to second on a groundout. Frost then doubled him home, and two batters later Perez struck again with his own RBI double, making it 4-1.
The teams traded a run each in the fifth to give the game its final margin. Alexis Torres led off the top of the inning with a double and eventually scored on a Mason McCoy RBI groundout. Luis Robert parroted Torres with a leadoff double in the home half, and Yurchak got him home soon after on a bases-loaded sac fly, pushing it to 5-2.
Robertson led the way at the plate for the Shorebirds, going 2-for-3 with the home run. McCoy finished 1-for-3 with an RBI.
Perez paced the Intimidator attack, going 2-for-3 with a dobule and two RBIs.
The two losses officially eliminate the Shorebirds from first-half contention in the SAL Northern Division. Delmarva had been in first place for 37 days in the first half and now drops to fourth.
The Shorebirds will look to rebound against the Intimidators on Wednesday night. Cameron Bishop (5-3, 3.60) toes the rubber for Delmarva against Kannapolis' Blake Battenfield (5-2, 1.58). First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m., and pregame coverage on Fox Sports 960 AM and the MiLB First Pitch app begins at 6:50 with Will DeBoer on the call.
