Final Records
3-1 (final four games)
70-61 (overall)
29-36 (second half)

The Cannon Ballers wrapped up their regular season with a four-game set against the Salem Red Sox. While Kannapolis dominated the first half of the season, claiming the South Division crown, the second half proved to be a much more formidable challenge for the club, as they struggled to recapture the magic that fueled their early-season success. However, the Cannon Ballers ended the season strong, taking three of four from the Red Sox before heading to the Carolina Division Series playoffs on Tuesday, where they’ll face the Charleston RiverDogs, an affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays, in a three-game set.

September 5: Kannapolis Cannon Ballers 7, Salem Red Sox 3 (10 innings)
It was a night with bonus baseball! A pitchers’ duel dominated the early innings until the seventh, when the Ballers plated three runs. Ronny Hernandez, Jackson Appel, and Jeral Perez knocked singles, with Ryan Burrowes’ sacrifice fly driving in the lone earned run. A subsequent wild throw and passed ball allowed two additional runs to score, extending the Ballers lead to 3-0.

Kanny’s pitching was on point from the first through the eighth innings, allowing only one run on seven hits. Nick Pinto, the White Sox Round 19 (No. 559) pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, had a terrific debut for the Ballers. The southpaw tossed three scoreless innings, allowing only one hit while striking out three. Manuel Veloz followed with a solid, four-frame outing, surrendering only one run on six hits. Clete Hartzog came out and blanked Salem in the eighth, earning the hold.

Unfortunately, the Ballers’ defense let down Aaron Combs in the bottom of the ninth. With two outs and the bases loaded, Combs induced a weak ground ball to shortstop from Franklin Arias. Unfortunately, a costly error by Burrowes allowed two runs to score. Combs regrouped after the setback, striking out Nazzan Zanetello to send the game into extra innings.

Kannapolis rallied in the 10th, scoring four runs on four hits. T.J. McCants’ RBI double and Drake Logan’s two-run single sealed the deal. Jesús Méndez shut down the opposition in the bottom half, striking out two. In a peculiar twist, Combs earned both a blown save and a win, having been the pitcher of record when the Ballers took the lead.

Game MVP
Drake Logan 2-for-5, 2B, 2 RBI

September 6: Kannapolis Cannon Ballers 14, Salem Red Sox 2
You can call this one a good old-fashioned boot-stompin’! The Ballers scored nine runs in the seventh inning to put this one well out of reach. They took an early lead with two tallies in the second and bumped it to 3-0 in the third on a solo shot by the red-hot Drake Logan, who went 4-for-6 in the victory.

The Red Sox scored two in the bottom of the fourth, and that’s where things sat until Kanny put up a nine-spot in the top of the seventh. The frame started off simply enough, with a walk to Sam Antonacci and a single by George Wolkow. From there, the Ballers’ offensive onslaught was unstoppable. Twelve batters later, they had tallied seven hits and a walk, with four wild pitches and two throwing errors aiding their cause. With a total of 16 hits on the night, the Ballers’ team batting average now sits atop the Carolina League at .253.

Jake Peppers had another solid start, tossing five innings of three-hit, two-run ball. He struck out an impressive seven batters and earned the win.

Mark McLaughlin was equally remarkable, striking out seven of his own and earning a hold for his three innings of work.

Game MVP
Jackson Appel 2-for-5, 2 R, 3 RBI

September 7: Kannapolis Cannon Ballers 7, Salem Red Sox 4
The Ballers continued to roll with another victory. Ample offense and good pitching brought the win in this contest. Kanny plated all their tallies early in this one, striking with one in the first on a sacrifice fly by Alec Makarewicz. Then they added two more in the second on a Jeral Perez bomb to left, giving them a 3-0 advantage.

The Red Sox scored two in the third, but the Ballers answered on an Arxy Hernández two-run round-tripper. In a rare feat in the fifth, Kanny added on another run after George Wolkow struck out swinging on a wild pitch. He raced to first, took second on another wild pitch, and made it to third on yet ANOTHER wild pitch. After a line out by Makarewicz and a walk to T.J. McCants, Wolkow scored on the fourth wild pitch of the frame, giving the Ballers a 7-2 lead. Talk about crazy stuff!

The pitching was on point. Justin Sinibaldi, the 2024 MLB Draft Round 14 pick for the White Sox, made his third start for Kannapolis. The 6´5´´ southpaw surrendered two runs on five hits with two Ks over three innings. Frankeli Arias came on in relief and gave up only one earned run on two hits over his three frames. Connery Peters earned the hold for two innings of scoreless work, and Clete Hartzog got his first save for a 1-2-3 ninth inning.

Game MVP
Jeral Perez 2-for-3, R, 2 RBI, BB

September 8: Salem Red Sox 13, Kannapolis Cannon Ballers 3
Getting blown out was not an ideal way to end the season and head into the playoffs, that’s for sure. Things got out of hand quickly, as Ricardo Brizuela surrendered three runs in the bottom of the first. The righthander had previously been pitching well, going 2-1 with a 2.63 ERA over his last five starts.

Unfortunately, things only got worse after Daniel González took over for Brizuela in the bottom of the second. The 22-year-old gave up seven runs and only lasted a third of an inning. That pretty much put the game out of reach. Two position players, Mason Dinesen and Albertson Asigen, also pitched in the contest. The 26-year-old Dinesen retired all six batters he faced, and struck out two.

The offense managed to manufacture a few tallies. Alec Makarewicz stayed hot with the bat, driving in two of the three runs. Dinesen, the Ballers’ version of Shohei Ohtani, did well both at the plate and on the mound, going 2-for-2.

Game MVP
Mason Dinesen 2-for-2, R, 2 IP, 3 K

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Drake Logan photo: Drake Logan Instagram