Kannapolis, NC - Gage Canning homered while Brigham Hill earned his first professional victory in the Hagerstown Suns 6-4 defeat of the Kannapolis Intimidators on Sunday night at Intimidators Stadium. The Suns are 35-56 overall and 8-15 in the second half and will play the third game of the series
Kannapolis, NC - Gage Canning homered while Brigham Hill earned his first professional victory in the Hagerstown Suns 6-4 defeat of the Kannapolis Intimidators on Sunday night at Intimidators Stadium. The Suns are 35-56 overall and 8-15 in the second half and will play the third game of the series against the Intimidators on Monday with a 7:05 PM first pitch.
Hagerstown took the lead in the second inning, scoring four runs against Kannapolis starter Yosmer Solorzano. Omar Meregildo doubled to left and Kameron Esthay was hit by a pitch. Juan Pascal moved both runners up with a sacrifice bunt and Yasel Antuna drove in Meregildo from third with a sacrifice fly to left, giving the Suns a 1-0 lead. Cole Freeman followed with an infield single, scoring Esthay and giving Hagerstown a 2-0 advantage. Freeman stole second and scored when Canning homered to right-center, extending the Suns lead to 4-0.
In the fifth, Hagerstown added to their lead against Intimidators reliever Jake Elliott. Jake Scudder led off with a single to center and, with one out, went to third after Nick Choruby singled to left. Meregildo grounded out to short, but Scudder scored and Choruby went to second while the Suns took a 5-0 lead.
Kannapolis cut the Suns lead to one in the bottom of the fifth during Hill's last inning of work. Carlos Perez singled to left and Johan Cruz and Evan Skoug walked to load the bases with one out. Nolan Brown cleared the bases with a triple to make it a 5-3 game and scored when Luis Curbelo lifted a sacrifice fly to right, cutting Hagerstown's lead to 5-4.
The Suns added an insurance run in the eighth against Kannapolis reliever Kevin Escorcia. With one out, Freeman doubled to left and went to third on a wild pitch. Canning walked, and Freeman scored when Scudder hit a sacrifice fly to right, with Canning moving to second while the Suns extended their lead to 6-4. Will Kincanon entered out of the bullpen and got the final out of the inning, but the Suns went on to win with Connor Zwetsch earning his first save of the season by retiring the side in order in the ninth.
Hill (1-3) spun five innings while allowing four runs on three hits with three walks and a strikeout in a win. Carlos Pena earned a hold while tossing three shutout innings, allowing two hits with a pair of strikeouts. Zwetsch threw a perfect ninth with two strikeouts, earning his first save of the season.
Notes: Hill earned his first win as a professional… His five innings of work is a season-high… He held Kannapolis to three hits, which ties his career-low hits allowed in five or more innings of work… The win snaps a seven-game personal losing streak that dates back to July 20, 2017… Choruby has an eight-game hitting streak… Scudder has a six-game hitting streak… He's also got an RBI in three consecutive games… Antuna extended his hit streak to four games… Freeman has a three-game hit streak… He had his 13th multi-hit game of the season… Canning's homer was his first for the Suns this season and third as a professional after hitting two with short-season Auburn… He also had his second-straight multi-RBI game… The Suns and Intimidators will play the third game of the series on Monday with a 7:05 PM first pitch… Hagerstown will send RHP Tomas Alastre (2-4, 4.93) to the hill against Kannapolis RHP Zach Lewis (2-3, 3.35).
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