KANNAPOLIS — The momentum of a stellar road trip carried over for the Kannapolis Intimidators when the team returned home Tuesday night. Pounding out 11 hits and enjoying quality pitching throughout the game, the Intimidators rolled past the Lakewood Blue Claws 8-2.

It was the kind of game manager Tommy Thompson likes.

“Everything is great. Fast game and good win. You can’t beat that,” he said from his office to no one in particular afterwards.

But Thompson has to be pleased that his team is coming off a 6-3 road trip where they won a pair of series. Now the Intimidators are 45-43 for the season (10-9 second half) as they opened a seven-game home stand.

In a game of offensive superlatives, the brightest star was first baseman Alexander Simon who powered a pair of doubles and drove in three runs while also turning in a solid defensive game. His two-run double in the first brought home Eddie Alvarez and Mason Robbins then he made it 3-1 as Michael Suiter brought Simon home with a single.

“My hard work is paying off” said Simon, a 6-foot-2, 182-pound slugger from La Romana, Dominican Republic, “I work hard every day to try and put up good numbers and God willing it is happening for me so far.”

His effort in the win raised his season batting average to .300 on the nose and gave him 20 RBIs. He also sensed the momentum the team is experiencing right now as they have won eight out of their last 11.

“It is more of a total team effort,” Simon said, “and since the other guys are swinging well, I just try to feed off of that.”

Suiter, Alvarez and designated hitter Michael Danner also contributed to the hit parade with two hits each. Suiter, the Hawaii native, was not part of the big road trip as he just rejoined the team Tuesday after a a solid stint with the high-A Winston Salem Dash. But he joined the fun right away with a single, a double and two runs scored.

“I definitely felt like I was seeing the ball well tonight but so is the whole team,” Suiter noted. “This team has great team chemistry, and it is awesome to be part of it.”

The Blue Claws battled early to stay in striking distance as Jiandando Tromp, a .170 hitter, crushed a homer to left in the second off Kannapolis starter Yemilson Peralta to cut the lead to 3-2. But Peralta slammed the door over the next four innings to earn the win. Jacob Morris with two solid innings and David Trexler with a quick ninth closed the game out.

Kannapolis started expanding its lead in the fourth when Suiter doubled and came in on Danner’s groundout. Simon’s second double in the fifth drove in Louie Lechich for a 5-2 lead. Danner’s triple down the left field line was the key hit in a two-run sixth to expand the margin to 7-2. Alvarez added one more for good measure in the eighth with a two-out single to center.

Tyler Viza, the first of three pitchers, took the loss for the Blue Claws (43-44, 10-9) as he went five innings, allowing five runs and eight hits. The two teams meet at 7:05 p.m. Wednesday for the middle game of their their three-game set.

 

Lakewood 110 000 000 — 2 7 0

Kannapolis 300 112 01x — 8 11 0

WP — Yelmison Peralta (3-7). LP — Tyler Viza (4-4). HR — LKW: Tromp (2).