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ROME, Ga. (May 13, 2017) - One night after the Intimidators' game was cancelled due to a power outage in Augusta, the offense was lights out in an 11-2 win at Rome on Saturday evening at State Mutual Stadium. All nine batters hit safely for Kannapolis (18-15), which collected 17 hits on the night to take the opening game of the 4-game series against the Braves.
Seby Zavala paced the offense, going 4-for-5 at the plate for his second career 4-hit game. The Kannapolis catcher also collected four hits for the Intimidators on May 19, 2016, at Asheville. Tyler Sullivan and Brandon Dulin each added three hits while Mitch Roman drove in three. Kannapolis' 11 runs are the second-most by the team this season, just shy of the mark set in a 12-5 win over Augusta on May 2.
Starting pitcher Bernardo Flores (5-2), the White Sox seventh round pick in the June 2016 First-Year Player Draft out of USC, struck out six while limiting the Braves to four hits and a walk to earn the win. Flores improved to 4-0 on the road, lowering his ERA away from Kannapolis to 1.40 (4 ER/25.2 IP) in four road outings.
Kannapolis took advantage of Rome (19-16) errors throughout the game to batter the Braves as five of the Intimidators first eight runs were unearned
Antonio Rodriguez led off the second inning with a base hit and later scored on a Zavala single for an early lead. In the third, Sullivan singled and scored on a wild pitch for a 2-0 lead. Following a pair of errors by Braves shortstop Derian Cruz, Dulin's RBI-single scored Rodriguez for a 3-0 edge.
The Intimidators scored five runs in the sixth inning to pull away from Rome thanks in part to Cruz's third error on the night. Zach Remillard, Dulin, and Grant Massey all singled to load the bases with no outs. Two batters later, Cruz misplayed Joel Booker's grounder, reloading the bases while scoring Remillard. Mitch Roman and Micker Adolfo each added 2-out, 2-run knocks for an 8-0 lead.
Adolfo's 2-run double capped the 5-run inning while extending his career-best hitting streak to 14 straight games since April 27. The Intimidators tacked on a run in the eighth and two in the ninth as Zach Remillard belted a home run (1) off Marcus Mooney, the Braves second baseman who took the mound to work the final inning.
The win is the third straight for the Intimidators, which took two games in Augusta on Wednesday and Thursday before Friday's game was cut short when lights went out at the stadium with one out in the bottom of the fifth inning. The game against Augusta will not be made up.
The Intimidators continue this 4-game series against the Braves on Sunday at 2:00 p.m. as RHP Jimmy Lambert (4-1, 2.93 ERA) faces Rome's LHP Joey Went (1-3, 4.03 ERA). The team returns home on Thursday, May 18, for a 7-game home stand against Hickory and Greenville. The upcoming home stand features several can't-miss promotions, including Motorsports Night on May 18 with a ticket giveaway to the big May race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. On May 19, the Intimidators are hosting Get Healthy Kannapolis. May 20 is Faith & Fireworks. May 21 is Bark in the Park in partnership with South Ridge Veterinary Hospital. Tickets are available by calling the F&M Bank Box Office at 704-932-3267 or by visiting IntimidatorsBaseball.com.
