After losing the last five games of the first half to fumble away a postseason spot in the South Atlantic League, the Kannapolis Intimidators let a similar cushion slip away in the second half. West Virginia won seven in a row during a stretch where Kannapolis went just 3-6, allowing them to grab hold of the second playoff spot in the Northern Division with two games remaining.
This time, the Power were the ones who couldn't take advantage of controlling their destiny. They could've clinched on Sunday because Kannapolis lost, but West Virginia dropped its game to Charleston. That opened the door for the Intimidators, who could break into the postseason with a win combined with another West Virginia loss on Monday.
Kannapolis took care of business with a 9-4 victory over Hagerstown, and now they're playing extra baseball because West Virginia failed to seal the deal. All in all, that first-half collapse ultimately cost the Intimidators nothing but a little extra uncertainty in the sales department.
Charlotte 6, Gwinnett 1
- Charlie Tilson went 1-for-4 with a walk and a strikeout.
- Seby Zavala, 0-for-5 with a strikeout.
- Jordan Stephens finished on a strong note: 6 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K
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*The Knights finished their season at 64-75, last place in the International League South.
Birmingham 6, Biloxi 4
- Joel Booker went 0-for-5 with a K.
- Alex Call, 1-for-4 with a double, walk and two strikeouts.
- Danny Mendick was 1-for-5 with two strikeouts.
- Zack Collins also went 1-for-5 with two strikeouts, but his hit was a double.
- Kodi Medeiros, not so much: 2.1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 5 BB, 2 K, 1 WP
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*The Barons finished their season at 66-72, good for fourth place in the Southern League North.
Winston-Salem 5, Down East 3
- Luis Robert went 0-for-5 with two strikeouts.
- Luis Gonzalez, 1-for-4 with a double and a strikeout.
- Nick Madrigal had a day: 4-for-4 with a double and two stolen bases.
- Blake Rutherford finished the regular season at .293 after singling twice and striking out twice.
- Gavin Sheets made it to six homers during a 1-for-4 day.
- Ti'Quan Forbes went 1-for-4 with a strikeout. He was caught stealing.
- Laz Rivera, 0-for-3 at the plate with an HBP, and 1-for-2 on the basepaths.
- John Parke: 5 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, 1 HR
- Tyler Johnson: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K
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*The Dash finished the season in first place at 84-54 and will open the Carolina League semifinal series against Buies Creek on Wednesday.
Kannapolis 9, Hagerstown 4
- Luis Curbelo went 1-for-4 with a homer, walk and strikeout.
- Steele Walker was 0-for-4 with two strikeouts and a sac fly.
- Carlos Perez, 3-for-5 with a homer and a strikeout.
- Michael Hickman also was 3-for-5, with a double.
- Will Kincanon: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 2 K
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*The Intimidators finished the season 74-63, good for second place in the South Atlantic League Northern behind Lakewood, which won both halves. They'll host the BlueClaws in Game 1 on Wednesday.
Billings 7, Great Falls 3
- Romy Gonzalez and Amado Nunez both were 1-for-4 with two strikeouts.
- Lenyn Sosa, 1-for-4 with a double and a strikeout.
- Bryce Bush, 0-for-3 with a walk and two strikeouts.
- Gunnar Troutwine went 1-for-2 with a homer and two walks.
- Konnor Pilkington: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
- Davis Martin: 3 IP, 1 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 6 K
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*The Voyagers' regular season runs through Thursday, after which they'll open the Pioneer League playoffs on Friday against second-half champ Billings.
