KANNAPOLIS — Greensboro put the Intimidators in their place Friday night — second place.

Kannapolis surrendered the big hits, the small hits and the clutch hits in a 7-2 loss to visiting Greensboro and relinquished its season-long grip on the SAL’s Northern Division lead.

“It’s not even that we’re playing bad ball right now,” outfielder Joe Gillikin said after the Intimidators (41-19) lost for the fifth time in seven games this month. “We’re still a solid team. It’s just that luck hasn’t been on our side.”

Losing pitcher Kris McWhirter might have had better luck finding Jimmy Hoffa. True, the tall right-hander was tagged for five earned runs and 10 hits in six innings of work. But he made only one mistake — streamlining a third-inning pitch that Greensboro’s David Fowler crushed for a three-run homer onto the roof of the visitor’s clubhouse.

“Mac’s been sharper,” said manager Razor Shines. “But he battled. I’m not making excuses, but they got a lot of broken-bat hits, a lot of balls off the end that dropped in. They also hit a three-run homer on the building. You know that wasn’t a broken bat.”

McWhirter (7-5), who sported a good fastball but only cement-truck spin on his curve and slider, labored through the top of the third, when he allowed five hits and issued his only walk.

“I didn’t have all my stuff out there tonight,” he explained. “It seemed like they hit everything I threw up there — not necessarily hard —but they hit it when it counted.”

It counted most in the third, when the Bats (31-28) batted around. Omar Fuentes sparked the rally with a leadoff walk and teammate Deivi Mendez followed with a base hit to left. Then Fowler, Greensboro’s ninth-spot hitter, launched a misplaced 0-1 fastball nearly 450-feet into space.

“The first pitch was an inside fastball and he swung and missed,” McWhirter replayed. “For the second pitch I wanted to go back in on his fists, but I left it over the middle of the plate. He’s paid to hit ‘em when I make mistakes.”

The Bats built a 4-0 lead moments later on a two-out Texas League single to right by Yhency Brazoban. Kannapolis scratched out single runs in the third and fourth innings against winning pitcher Jason Anderson (3-5), scoring on groundouts by Humberto Quintero and Darren Ciraco. Anderson, who pitched trouble-free into the eighth inning, allowed six hits and collected seven strikeouts.

“I think he located the ball very well and kept us off-balance,” said Gillikin, who went 3-for-3 with a triple and a run scored. “I just happen to be looking for the pitches he threw me.”

The loss dropped Kannapolis a half-game behind Lexington in the standings. The Legends (42-19) have filled the Intimidators’ rearview mirror for most of the season’s first half.

“We’re not letting down at all,” said Gillikin. “We know we need to win this first half. It’s very much on our minds. We realize there are going to be losses. What makes a championship team is to see how fast it bounces back.”

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NOTES: Quintero left the game in the seventh inning when he incurred a left-wrist contusion on a cross-up pitch by reliever Julio Castro. The injury is not considered serious. ... The Bats outhit Kannapolis 13-6. ... McWhirter has dropped three of his last four decisions after starting 6-2. ... Wally Rosa and Chris Amador each struck out three times for the Dales. Casey Rogowski, the league’s second- leading hitter, went 0-for-4 and saw his batting average dip to .330. ... Delmarva visits Fieldcrest Cannon Stadium tonight and Sunday afternoon.