Kannapolis Intimidators 3 Sand Gnats 2

The 2,652 fans saw the Kannapolis Intimidators play the Savannah Sand Gnats Thursday evening at Grayson Stadium to complete the four game series.
Sand Gnats scored their first run in the 3rd inning: Luis Rivera singled and stole second. Alonzo Harris,who was 1-for-2, singled to score Harris.
Jefry Marte led off the Gnats 5th inning with a single and scored on a single by Luis Rivera who was 2-for-3.
Kannapolis scored their 3 unearned runs in the 7th inning. Trayce Thompson reached second on a throwing error and scored when Nick Ciolli hit a double. Catcher Kevin Duble walked and a wild pitch moved the runners to second and third. Daniel Wagner singled to score Ciolli and Dubler.
Starting Sand Gnat pitcher, Mark Cohoon, pitched 6 1/3 innings, gave up 2 runs on 6 hits and struck out six. Erik Turgeon, who took the loss, pitched 2/3 of an inning and gave up 1 run on 1 hit, 1BB, struck out one. John Church, who pitched the 8th and 9th innings, gave up 3 hits, 0 runs, 1BB and struck out three.

Gnats rally to beat Intimidators 5-4 in 14 innings

The Savannah Sand Gnats played the third game of the series against the Kannapolis Intimidators Wednesday evening at Grayson Stadium.
Gnats cf Pedro Zapata led off the game with his first home run of the season to left center field and he drove in the winning run in the bottom of the 14th inning when he singled to right to drive in Luis Rivera who reached third base on two throwing errors.
Kannapolis scored their first run in the 2nd inning on a triple by Nick Ciolli and he scored on a sacrifice fly.
In the 5th inning, Intimidators cf Trayce Thompson tripled and scored on a sacrifice fly. The son of Mychal Thompson, the number 1 pick in the 1978 NBA draft, the center fielder is ranked by Baseball America Prospect Handbook(2010) as the 6th best prospect in the Chicago White Sox organization.
The Intimidators scored their 3rd run of the game when Ian Gac hit a home run over the left field fence.
Gnats scored in the 8th inning on a single by Wilmer Flores with the bases loaded to score two runs. The Gnats tired the score at 4-4 in the 9th when Kai Gronauer reached second on an error by the center fielder and scored on a single by Luis Rivera.
Cesar Puello went 3-for-6 for the Sand Gnats.
Gnats starting pitcher, Armando Rodriguez, pitched 5 1/3 innings and gave up 3 runs on 7 hits and struck out four. In relief, Erik Turgeon, Collin McHugh, and Brandon Sage combined gave up only one run, struck out 12, and allowed 5 hits in 8.2 innings. Sage(2-2) was the winning pitcher.

Intimidators edge Gnats 2-1

The second game of the series between the Kannoplis Intimidators and the Savannah Sand Gnats was played Tuesday evening at Grayson stadium.
Kannapolis scored both of their runs in the 2nd inning when Ian Gac singled and scored on a triple by Nick Ciolli and Ciolli scored on a ground out.
Sand Gnats scored their lone run in the 5th on a single by Cesar Puello, a double by Luis Rivera, and Wilmer Flores hit a sacrifice fly to score Puello.
Juan Lagares had a double and went 2-for-5. Luis Rivera was 2-for-4.
Sand Gnat starting pitcher,Taylor Whitenton, completed 6 innings, giving up 2 runs on 6 hits, 4 strikeouts, and 2 walks. Darin Gorski was superb pitching three hit less and scoreless innings. Gorski, who struck out the side in the 8th inning, finished with five strikeouts. Whitenton took the loss and his record is now(2-2).

Gnats 3 Intimidators 2

Tuesday afternoon at Grayson Stadium the posponed game between the Kannapolis Intimidators and the Savannah Sand Gnats was resumed in the bottom of the 13th inning with the Sand Gnats coming to bat.
Alex Gregory led off the inning grounding out unassisted to the first baseman. Alonso Harris singled. Pedro Zepata hit a chopper in the infield for a hit when the pitcher slipped trying to field the ball. Wilmer Flores flied out to center for the second out. Jefry Marte singled to center to score Harris with the winning run. Marte was 3-for-6 and drove in all three Gnats runs.
Michael Powers(1-3) won his first game of the season pitching in relief.

To be continued: Sand Gnats 2 Kannapolis 2

Monday evening at Grayson Stadium, fans saw the Kannapolis Intimidators and the Savannah Sand Gnats play to a 2-2 tie until the 13th inning when heavy rains postponed the game.
Intimidator catcher, Miguel Gonzalez, was involved in the scoring, hitting a triple and a single and scoring both runs for Kannapolis. Baseball America Prospect Handbook(2010) ranks Gonzales as the 6th best prospect for the White Sox organization.
Sand Gnats scored both of their runs in the 6th inning when Alonso Harris singled and moved to second on a sac bunt. Wilmer Flores walked and Jefry Marte hit a double to score Harris and Flores.
Starting Sand Gnat pitcher, lefty Jimmy Fuller, continued his star outing, pitching 6 innings, allowed only 2 hits, striking out 8, walking 2, and gave up one run(unearned). Lance Hoge, allowed one unearned run in 4 2/3 innings, and Michael Powers did not allow a run or hit in 2 2/3 innings.
Today(Tuesday) the postponed game will resume at Grayson stadium starting at 5:30 with the Sand Gnats starting the bottom of the 13th inning.The second game of the series will start 30-60 minuets following the completion of the first game.

Gnats 2 Intimidators 2

The Kannapolis Intimidators(Chicago White Sox) were in town Monday evening at Grayson Stadium to play their first game of the four game series with the Savannah Sand Gnats. The game was tied 2-2 in the 13th inning when heavy rains suspended play.
The game will resume Tuesday at 5:30 with the Sand Gnats coming up to bat to start the bottom of the 13th inning. The second game of the series will start one hour after the completion of the suspended game if the suspended game continues beyond 6:30pm.

Gnats shutout Braves 3-0; to sweep the series.

The 3,116 fans saw the first place Savannah Sand Gnats pitching shut out and limit the Braves to just three singles for the game Saturday evening at Grayson Stadium.
Gnats scored their first run in the 2nd, when Jefry Marte led off the inning with a line drive home run over the left field fence. Marte was 2-for-4 for the game.
In the 5th, Savannah scored two runs: Alex Gregory walked and stole second. Pedro Zapata hit a triple to left center field to score Gregory. Zapata scored on a single by Juan Lagares.
Sand Gnat pitching was superb.Starter Taylor Whitenton picked up his first win of the season, pitching 6 innings, gave up 2 hits(both hits were in the first inning), 3BB, no runs and struck out three. Darin Gorski pitched the final three innings and gave up just 1 hit, o runs, 1BB, and struck out two to earn his second save of the season.

Sand Gnats 8 Rome Braves 3

The first place Savannah Sand Gnats beat the Rome Braves 8-3 Friday evening at Grayson Stadium. It was the third win in a row against the Braves. The 1,915 fans saw the Gnats pound out 14 hits.
Wilmer Flores continued his hot hitting going 4-for-5 with three singles and a double, 3 RBI's. He raised his batting average to .359.
Juan Lagares was 3-for-4 with two singles and a triple, drove in one run and scored 3 runs.
Kai Gronauer drove in a run with a sac fly, was 1-for-2 with a stolen base.
Pedro Zapata drove in one run, scored 2 runs and went 2-for-5.
Alonso Harris stole a base, hit two singles, scored a run and was 2-for-4.
Starting Sand Gnat pitcher, Jimmy Fuller,went 6 innings, gave up 2 runs on 7 hits, struck out 4 and did not walk anyone. Fuller picked up the win to improve his record to (5-1) which leads the staff with most wins. John Church worked the 7th and 8th innings: did not allow a hit or run and struck out one. Lance Hoge pitched the 9th inning: gave up one run on two hits and struck out two.

Sand Gnats 6 Rome Braves 2

The second game of the four game series between the Rome Braves and the Savannah Sand Gnats was played Thursday evening at Grayson Stadium.
Braves scored their first run of the game in the 7th when 3B Jordan Kreke drove in a run with a single. Rome scored their final run in the game in the 9th on two singles and a hit batter to load the bases and ss Mycal Jones was hit by a pitch to score a run.
Gnats scored two runs in the 3rd when Alex Gregory led off the inning with a double and Alonso Harris singled and both scored on a double by Wilmer Flores.
In the 5th, Gnats scored three runs. Pedro Zapata led off the inning with a single, Flores singled. Zapata scored from third on a pass ball. Jefry Marte reached first on an error. A double by Kai Gronauer scored Flores and Marte.
The Gnats had 10 hits for the game: Wilmer Flores, who entered the game hitting .331, singled twice and doubled and was 3-for-4, increased his average to .343. Alex Gregory went 2-for-4 with two doubles and a run scored.
Sand Gnat starting pitcher, Brandon Moore had a solid performance pitching 7 innings, gave up 1 run on 5 hits, 1BB and striking out six to win his second game of the season. Collin McHugh pitched 2 innings, giving up 1 run on 2hits, striking out 4 and hit two batters.
The announced attendance was 2,777.

Two former Gnats help Nationals beat Mets, 6-4

On Wednesday the Washington Nationals beat the New York Mets 6-4.
Two former Savannah Sand Gnats played a major role for the Nationals in the win.
Outfielder Roger Bernadina hit his first two major league home runs and drove in 3 runs. He made a diving catch in right field with the bases loaded. Bernadina played in 122 games for the Gnats in 2005.
Starting Nationals pitcher, Craig Stammen, pitched 5 innings and gave up 4 runs on 6 hits and was not involved in the decision. He had two hits and drove in the other 3 runs for the Nationals. Stammen was a starting pitcher for the Savannah Sand Gnats during the 2006 season: He appeared in 21 games, won 6, lost 9 and had an ERA of 3.58.
Another former Gnat playing third base for the Nationals, Ryan Zimmerman, was 0-for-5 for the game.

Gnats beat Braves, 3-2 in 10 innings

The Rome Braves were in town Wednesday evening to play the first game of a four game series with the Savannah Sand Gnats at Grayson Stadium. The 1,152 fans saw good pitching from both teams and witnessed an exciting finish.
Gnats scored their first run in the 3rd when Jeff Flagg led off the inning with a single and advanced to third on two ground outs. Juan Lagares singled to score Flagg.
Rome tied the game in the 4th inning when ss Mycal Jones led off the inning with a home run to left center field. Baseball America Prospect Handbook(2010) ranks Jones as the 17th best prospect in the Braves organization.
Gnats tied the game in the 5th when Pedro Zapata doubled, advanced on a wild pitch and scored on a single by Juan Lagares.
With the score tied at 2-2 in the 10th inning, Pedro Zapata reached first on a bunt single and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Juan Lagares laid down a bunt and went to second on a throwing error and Zapata advanced to third. Wilmer Flores was intentionally walked to load the bases. DH Nick Santomauro, who went 2-for-5, hit a line drive to left center field over the outfielders heads to drive in the winning run.
Starting Sand Gnat pitcher, Mark Cohoon, had another good outing, pitching 7 solid innings and gave up 2 runs on 6 hits and struck out 9, and no BB. Erik Turgeon pitched the last three innings, gave up 2 hits, no runs, and struck out two. Turgeon picked up his first win of the season.

Former Sand Gnats start for the Nationals.

The Atlanta Braves played the Washington Nationals Tuesday evening in Washington. Three former Savannah Sand Gnats who played during the 2005 season were in the starting line up for the Nationals.
Ryan Zimmerman played 4 games at third base for the Gnats, batting .471, with two home runs, two doubles and one triple.
Ian Desmond played shortstop in 73 games and his BA was .247. Baseball America Prospect Handbook(2010) ranks Desmond as the 4th best prospect in the Washington organization.
Roger Bernadina, outfielder, appeared in 122 games and batted .233. He is ranked by Baseball America as the 22 best prospect for the Naionals.
Entering the game in the outfield in late innings for the Nationals,Justin Maxwell, played for the Gnats during the 2006 season batting .172 in 17 games. He is ranked as the 8th best prospect by Baseball America.
Final score: Washington Nationals 6 Atlanta Braves 3. Bernadina made a great diving catch of a line drive hit to right field and he went 2-for-4. Desmond hit a solo home run and he was 2-for4.

Gnats beat Legends 3-1 to complete sweep.

The Savannah Sand Gnats completed a 4 game sweep over the Lexington Legends Saturday evening at Grayson Stadium in front of 2,652 fans.
Savannah scored a run in the first when Sam Honeck walked, went to second when Jefery Marte was hit by a pitch and scored on a single by Kai Gronauer.
In the fourth inning, Gnats scored two runs: Cesar Puello led off the inning with a bunt single and advanced to second when Jeff Flagg was hit by a pitch. Puello advanced to third on a fly out and scored on an error by the third baseman. Alonzo Harris singled to load the bases. Juan Lagares hit a sacrifice fly to center to score Flagg.
Starting Sand Gnat pitcher,Brandon Moore, pitched 6 solid innings and picked up his first win of the season. He allowed only one run on four hits, 2BB, and struck out six.
Collin McHugh was superb pitching three scoreless innings in relief to earn his first save of the season. He gave up just one single and struck out five(3 were called third strikes).

Sand Gnats 7 Lexington Legends 2

The Savannah Sand Gnats won their third game in a row over the Lexington Legends, 7-2 Friday evening at Grayson in front of 2,389 fans.
In the third inning, Gnats scored when Cesar Puello, singled, stole second and would score on a ground out.
The Sand Gnats scored 4 runs in the fourth inning:Juan Lagares singled and stole second which was followed by walks to Wilmer Flores and Sam Honeck. Jefry Marte doubled scoring two runs. Cesar Puello singled scoring Honeck. Marte scored on an error.
Gnats added a run in the 6th when Kai Gronauer hit a line drive over the left field wall for his first home run of the season. The final run for the Gnats was scored in the 8th when Juan Lagares led off the inning with a triple and scored on a ground out.
Starting Gnats pitcher,Mark Cohoon, won his 4th game of the year without a loss. He pitched 61/3 innings and gave up 2 runs on 6 hits. Lance Hoge and Brandon Sage pitched in relief and did not allow a run.