GREENSBORO, N.C. (Aug. 5, 2017) - Shortstop Grant Massey tossed 3.0 scoreless innings of relief as the Intimidators used a pair of position players on the mound in a 15-inning marathon loss to the Grasshoppers, 5-4, on Saturday night at First National Bank Field in Greensboro. The game lasted 4:39,
GREENSBORO, N.C. (Aug. 5, 2017) - Shortstop Grant Massey tossed 3.0 scoreless innings of relief as the Intimidators used a pair of position players on the mound in a 15-inning marathon loss to the Grasshoppers, 5-4, on Saturday night at First National Bank Field in Greensboro. The game lasted 4:39, the longest of the season by time for Kannapolis (19-23 Second Half, 58-52).
In the bottom of the 15th, Grasshoppers shortstop Luis Pintor hit a game-winning single down the right-field line, scoring Jhonny Santos to end the game. Casey Schroeder (0-1), the second catcher on the Kannapolis roster, suffered the loss after working a scoreless 14th inning.
Greensboro's Evan Beal (1-0) notched the win with 2.0 scoreless innings worked.
With Kannapolis down 4-1 in the eighth inning, Micker Adolfo blasted a 3-run game-tying home run (15), a 376-foot moonshot to left field to pull Kannapolis even with Greensboro, 4-4. Blake Rutherford led off the inning drawing a walk, and Jake Burger reached on an error, setting up Adolfo's third home run in three games against Greensboro this week. The White Sox No. 17 prospect, Adolfo enjoyed the first multi-home run game of his career on Thursday in the Intimidators' 7-5 win over Greensboro.
Danny Dopico worked around two walks to strand the would-be winning run on second base in the ninth inning, pitching Kannapolis into extras. Dopico returned to toss a scoreless 10th.
In the 11th inning, Kannapolis turned to Massey, who made his professional pitching debut after spending the first 10 innings as the team's shortstop. Massey tossed a perfect 11th, worked around a hit in the 12th, and retired the side in order in the 13th.
Aaron Knapp put Greensboro on the board in the first inning with a solo home run (5) to right field. The Hoppers doubled their lead in the third inning when James Nelson singled to cash Brian Miller, who reached base on an error earlier in the inning.
In the fifth, Greensboro chased Kannapolis starting pitcher Luis Martinez from the game with two more runs. Luis Pintor singled with one out, and Miller doubled to put men in scoring position. Knapp followed with an RBI-groundout, and Trenton Hill singled to score Miller for a 4-0 lead, ending Martinez's outing.
Martinez worked 4 and 2/3 innings, allowing four runs (three earned) on six hits, striking out five and walking three. Tyler Johnson took over in the fifth, and worked 1 and 2/3 innings, striking out three of the five batters he faced. Kevin Escorcia turned in one of the best outings of his season. The left-hander struck out five batters over while working around two hits in 1 and 2/3 scoreless innings.
Mitch Roman belted a solo home run (3) with two outs in the top of the sixth to put the Intimidators on the board, trading 4-1. Greensboro had thrown 14 consecutive scoreless innings against Kannapolis, including a shutout on Friday, before Roman's blast.
The Intimidators longest game by innings came in a June 6 win, 2-1, at the Lakewood BlueClaws in game that lasted 16 innings. The team's previous long game by time came on April 22 at home against Hickory, a 4:38 contest that Kannapolis won in 12 innings, 10-9.
The Intimidators conclude this 4-game series against the Grasshoppers on Sunday at 4:00 p.m. as RHP Yosmer Solorzano (3-8, 6.07 ERA) takes the mound for Kannapolis against Greensboro's RHP Ethan Clark (2-1, 2.63 ERA). The Intimidators return home on Monday, Aug. 7, to begin a 7-game home stand, and tickets are available by calling the F&M Bank Box Office at 704-932-3267, or by visiting IntimidatorsBaseball.com.
