Intimidators rout Suns, take 2-1 lead

September 16, 2005

KANNAPOLIS, N.C. - The Kannapolis Intimidators scored 12 unanswered runs to wipe away an early deficit and beat the Hagerstown Suns 12-5 Thursday night to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-5 South Atlantic League Championship Series.

Down 2-1, Kannapolis rallied for six runs in the bottom of the fourth inning. After Bernard Gonzalez drew a one-out, bases-loaded walk from Suns starter Michael Devaney to tie the game, Adam Ricks hit a two-run single to put the Intimidators ahead for good with a 4-2 lead. Orlando Rengel relieved Devaney and immediately hit Ryan McCarthy with a pitch to load the bases. Boomer Berry's sacrifice fly made it 5-2 and Christopher Getz's two-run single made it 7-2.

Kannapolis extended its lead to 10-2 in the fifth. Rengel gave up a bases-loaded walk to David Cook, and Ricks hit a two-run single off Brandon Nall.

The Intimidators added single runs in the seventh and eighth to make it 12-2.

The Suns finally answered with a three-run ninth. With the bases loaded and two outs, Armand Gaerlan scored on a wild pitch by reliever Demetrius Banks. Grant Psomas followed with an RBI single, and Russ Triplett greeted Matthew Zaleski, Kannapolis' fifth pitcher of the game, with an RBI double, his fourth hit of the night.

With runners on second and third, the Suns' rally ended on Jesus Flores' groundout to third.

Hagerstown took a 2-0 lead in the second. With the bases loaded and no outs, Matthew Fisher grounded into a double play, allowing Triplett to score from third. Flores then scored from third on a wild pitch by starter Lucas Harrell.

Kannapolis got a run back in its half of the second on Cook's solo shot.

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