Plawecki's 3 doubles drop Kannapolis

SAVANNAH, Ga. (May 1, 2013) -- Savannah's Kevin Plawecki paced the Sand Gnats at the plate with three doubles as the Kannapolis Intimidators fell, 6-3, in Wednesday's series opener at Grayson Stadium. Plawecki finished the night 3-for-5 to raise his season average to a South Atlantic League-best .402 in 24 games for Savannah (16-9) as Kannapolis (10-15) dropped its fifth straight game.

The Gnats broke a 3-3 tie in the fourth inning as Jayce Boyd's two-out single cashed Eudy Pina, and Savannah rode the right arm of starter Matthew Bowman through the eighth inning.  

Bowman (4-0) earned his league-leading fourth win, holding Kannapolis to three runs on seven hits while striking out eight and walking none. Bret Mitchell tossed a perfect ninth for the save (3).  

Intimidators starter Jefferson Olacio (1-4) took the loss, giving up five runs (four earned) on six hits over 4 1/3 innings. He walked four and struck out three. Zachary Isler and Storm Throne combined to work the final 3 2/3 innings for Kannapolis.  

The Intimidators took an early 2-0 lead as Micah Johnson led off the game with a base hit and moved to third on Ruben Sierra Jr.'s double. Jason Coats and Yoandy Barroso followed with RBI-groundouts. Johnson and Sierra each finished 2-for-4 with a double, and Johnson added his 21st stolen base of the season to lead all of Minor League Baseball.  

Savannah bounced back with two runs in the bottom of the first to tie the game. Plawecki put the Gnats on the board with a double and later scored on a Jean Almanzar error.  

Kannapolis and Savannah play the second game of this three-game set Thursday at 7:05 p.m. at Grayson Stadium. The Intimidators return to CMC-NorthEast Stadium to start a four-game series against the Greensboro Grasshoppers on Saturday, May 4, with a post-game fireworks show presented by Freightliner Rec Club. For ticket information, call the F&M Bank Box Office at (704) 932-3267 or visit the team's website at IntimidatorsBaseball.com.