Long ball was the name of the game in Kannapolis on Sunday. The Greenville Drive (2-2) and Kannapolis Intimidators (2-2) combined for 25 hits and five homers, but it was the Intimidators who came out on top by an 8-5 score thanks to a four-run fifth inning.
Trailing 4-1 going to that bottom of the fifth, the Intimidators quickly grabbed the lead against Drive starter Teddy Stankiewicz (0-1). Omar Narvaez singled to begin the frame, and after a walk to Zach Voight, Tyler Williams singled to bring home a run. Adam Engel then delivered the big blow of the inning, cranking a three-run homer left field to make the score 5-4.
Kannapolis continued their offensive outburst in the sixth and seventh innings against Joe Gunkel. RBI singles by Williams and Cleuluis Rondon added a pair of runs in the sixth, and Trey Michalczewski’s inside-the-park homer in the seventh gave Kannapolis another insurance run.
The Drive jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the second courtesy of Kevin Mager, as he deposited a solo homer over the wall in left, the first homer of the season by either team. They added two more runs in the fourth against Kannapolis starter Sean Bierman on an RBI groundout by Carlos Asuaje and an RBI infield single by Jimmy Rider.
Kannapolis got on the board against Stankiewicz in the bottom half of the fourth on a solo homer from Danny Hayes.
In the top of the fifth, Manuel Margot delivered an RBI single to left that pushed the Drive lead to 4-1 before the Intimidators’ big inning.
Tim Roberson delivered the final run of the evening for the Drive in the seventh inning with a no-doubt home run to left field.
Picking up the win for Kannapolis was Dylan Chavez (1-0), a former Red Sox farmhand who pitched for the Drive in 2012. Jake Sanchez struck out the side in the ninth inning to pick up his second save.
Drive reliever Mike Adams pulled off a rare feat in the bottom of the eighth by striking out four batters in the inning. Voight led off the frame by striking out, but he reached first as the pitch bounced away from the plate. Adams rebounded by punching out the next three hitters as well.
Roberson went 3-5 at the plate with the homer to lead the Drive offensively. Mager’s homer was one of his two hits on the night, and Margot and Jake Romanski added two hits apiece. Engel had a big night for Kannapolis, going 3-5 with the three-run homer, while Williams had three hits of his own. Rondon and Carl Thomore each chipped in with a pair of hits as well.
The Drive remain on the road from here, as they begin a three-game series with the division rival Charleston RiverDogs on Monday night. First pitch in Charleston is set for 7:05. RHP Mario Alcantara will start on the mound for Greenville, and he will be opposed by LHP Caleb Smith.