Extra Innings Deal Kannapolis Third Loss of Week against RiverDogs

KANNAPOLIS, N.C. – Eight of the nine batters in the order tallied hits for the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers in Friday night’s game, but the home side fell for the third time in the series. Kannapolis fell, 5-3, in 10 innings to the Charleston RiverDogs at Atrium Health Ballpark.

With the loss, Kannapolis falls to 59-52 on the season, falling for the third time in four days against the RiverDogs. Charleston leaps to 54-54 on the season, winning their seventh of their last eight games.

LHP Frankeli Arias tossed his sixth start of the season, tying a season-high with six strikeouts in 3.2 frames, walking one and allowing two runs on seven hits. RHP Mark McLaughlin relieved Arias in the fourth, allowing one run on two hits with a pair of strikeouts. RHP Luke Bell was handed the loss in Friday’s game, allowing two runs, one earned, in the tenth inning in his two frames of work.

T.J. McCants notched his third game in a row with an extra-base hit to put Kannapolis on top in the bottom of the first, scoring Ryan Burrowes to make it, 1-0, Ballers early.

Charleston answered quickly and with authority in the top of the third, jumping ahead on a pair of solo home runs from Aidan Smith and Jhon Diaz to take a, 2-1, lead over Kannapolis.

The home side knotted the game in the bottom of the fourth, evening the score at, 2-2, on a wild pitch from Charleston’s starting pitcher. George Wolkow advanced to third on the wild pitch, scoring immediately after on the same play on a throwing error by RiverDogs catcher Enderson Delgado.

The two sides traded solo home runs in the fifth, with Diaz cranking his second of the game for the visitors to take a, 3-2, lead after the top half. Kannapolis answered quickly, getting the first home run as a White Sox prospect from newly dubbed number 14 overall prospect Jeral Perez.

With the two sides evened at, 3-3, after nine innings, Charleston jumped in front in the top of the tenth, picking up a pair of RBI base hits in the form of a double from Narciso Polanco and a single from Delgado to take a, 5-3, advantage that Kannapolis had no answer for late.

Saturday marks the fourth annual Starry Night game for the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers at Atrium Health Ballpark honoring the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation. First pitch is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. against the Charleston RiverDogs for the fifth of seven games in the series.

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