Sprinkle’s Eighth Inning Homer Lifts Kannapolis over Fayetteville Friday

KANNAPOLIS, N.C. – After falling behind, 3-2, after four innings, the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers used a comeback effort to swipe Friday’s game, 5-3, over the Fayetteville Woodpeckers on First Responders Night on Friday night at Atrium Health Ballpark.

RHP Tanner McDougal tossed a clean night’s work in his final start at home in 2023, striking out three in three innings of work. The righty also allowed three runs, one earned on four hits with two walks. LHP Anderson Comas entered in the fourth in relief and shut down the visitors over his two innings on the mound with a strikeout along the way.

Fayetteville earned the first run of the night in the top of the second inning with a Juan Santander RBI groundout, scoring Luis Encarnacion to put the Woodpeckers on top, 1-0.

Juan Gonzalez helped matters for the Cannon Ballers in the bottom of the second inning, singling into right field to score Ryan Galanie and knot the game at, 1-1.

Santander brought in two more runs for the Woodpeckers in the top of the fourth, putting Kannapolis behind, 3-1, with an RBI single that scored Encarnacion and Pascanel Ferreras.

Galanie sparked the comeback for Kannapolis in the bottom of the fourth with his second home run as a Cannon Baller to inch the Ballers closer at, 3-2, after four innings. The former Wofford Terrier also involved himself in the tying run scoring in the bottom of the sixth with a fly out to center field. After the fly out, a throwing error by Fayetteville’s Ryan Johnson allowed Eddie Park to cross the plate, evening the game at, 3-3, heading into the back-third of baseball.

While RHP Kole Ramage (W, 2-1) dealt four perfect innings in relief on the mound, INF Jordan Sprinkle played hero in the bottom of the eighth, putting Kannapolis on top with a two-run homer to left field for his third of the year. Sprinkle’s longball scored Eddie Park from first and put the Ballers in the lead, 5-3, which proved to be too much for Fayetteville to overcome.

RHP Peyton Pallette gets the start for Kannapolis in the penultimate home game of the season at Atrium Health Ballpark. First pitch is set for 7:00 p.m. in the duel with the Fayetteville Woodpeckers, with postgame fireworks scheduled for all fans to enjoy.

Fans can purchase tickets for any remaining home games at kcballers.com or at the F&M Bank Box Office located at Atrium Health Ballpark.