Cannon Baller Chronicle: Ballers Escape Fayetteville with Series Split, Return Home to Face Pelicans

KANNAPOLIS, N.C. – For the second consecutive series, the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers put together a good week of baseball with a series split against the Fayetteville Woodpeckers at Segra Stadium in Fayetteville. Kannapolis now moves to 26-37 on the season, 18.0 games out of first place in the Carolina League South Division with three games remaining in the first half.

BALLERS PLAYED BINGO

With two victories in the final two games of the homestand with Down East and three straight wins to open the series in Fayetteville, Kannapolis put together a season-high five-game win streak, halted with a loss in the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader. The Ballers subsequently dropped both games of the doubleheader and Sunday’s series finale to find themselves at another series split. Kannapolis has not won a series since May 10-15 in Fredericksburg, in which they took four of six from the FredNats.

PITCHING SOME GREAT IDEAS

Kannapolis pitching thrived in the first three games of the series with Fayetteville, with the Ballers outscoring the Peckers 11-2 in the first three days of action. Friday’s win proved to be the best for Kannapolis on the mound, with RHPs Norge Vera, Adisyn Coffey, and Chase Plymell, as well as LHP Haylen Green, allowing one run on four hits, striking out 12 and walking just one in a 2-1 victory for the Ballers.

EVERY ROSE HAS ITS THORNQUIST

Despite appearing in only five of the 17 total games for Kannapolis in the month of June, C Nick Thornquist has made his presence felt at the plate. The former University of Texas-San Antonio backstop is in the midst of a season-high three-game hit streak, tallying five hits and six RBI in his five games of action. Thornquist is second to only INF Colson Montgomery in batting average for the month of June, batting a scorching .313.

ON TO THE NEXT

The Myrtle Beach Pelicans, Low-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs, enter this week with the best record in the entire Carolina League. The Pelicans are currently in first place in the South Division and hold a one-game advantage over the Charleston RiverDogs. With the first half of the season-ending after Thursday’s games, it is possible that Myrtle Beach can clinch the first spot in the 2022 Carolina League Playoffs at Atrium Health Ballpark this week.

This week’s six-game series marks many firsts for the Ballers and the Pelicans. This is the first time that any team from Kannapolis has ever played the Pelicans, as well as the first time in both White Sox and Cubs history that the two Chicago teams’ Low-A affiliates have played each other.

Myrtle Beach holds six of the top 30 prospects in the Cubs organization in INF James Triantos (No. 4), OF Kevin Alcantara (No. 7), IF Reginald Preciado (No. 11), INF Kevin Made (No. 15), OF Christian Franklin (No. 19), and LHP Drew Gray (No. 23).

After a hot start to 2022, Triantos has cooled off in the month of June, batting .183 with three extra-base hits and four RBI. Alcantara was one of the cornerstone pieces acquired by the Cubs in the Anthony Rizzo trade, proving his value with 10 home runs and 47 RBI in 56 games. Alcantara is tied for third place in the Carolina League with Ballers IF/OF DJ Gladney and OF Logan Cerny from Fayetteville. Preciado was batting .212 on the year before being placed on the injured list on June 15. Made is in his second season with Myrtle Beach, batting a cool .178 in the month of June. Finally, Franklin and Gray are both listed on the 60-day injured list.

The Kannapolis Cannon Ballers return home to Atrium Health Ballpark June 21-26 for a six-game series with the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, Low-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. Following the six games with the Pelicans, the Ballers will pack up and head out on the road for a six-game set at Grainger Stadium in Kinston with the Down East Wood Ducks June 28-July 3.

Tickets can be purchased for any upcoming home games at kcballers.com or at the F&M Bank Box Office located at Atrium Health Ballpark. Fans can also keep up with the action on the team’s social media outlets, with live in-game updates being provided on Twitter at @kcannonballers. All Cannon Ballers home games, as well as select road games, will have a free audio broadcast on kcballers.com, with all home games also being broadcasted on MiLB.tv.