MYRTLE BEACH S.C. - With two mighty swings in the bottom of the 9th inning the Myrtle Beach Pelicans completed a stunning comeback and walked off with victory against the Salem Avalanche, 4-3. Trailing by a pair of runs entering the final inning the Pelicans turned on the power switch and used back-to-back home runs, a two-run blast from C Clint Sammons to tie the game, and a dramatic solo shot off the bat of SS Diory Hernandez to seal the deal. The Birds remain undefeated in one-run contests this season, posting a perfect 8-0 mark in the nail biters. The win puts the Pelicans one game over .500 (10-9) for the first time since April 8th when they were 2-1. Salem put the Pelicans behind in the bottom of the 3rd inning when CF Ervin Alcantara laced a two-run single to left field, giving the Avs an early 2-0 advantage.
Myrtle Beach fought back in the bottom of the 3rd and cut the Salem lead in half 2-1 when RF Matt Young delivered a two-out base hit to right field, scoring CF Onil Joseph who reached on a fielder's choice and stole second to get into scoring position.
The visiting Avalanche added some padding to their slim lead in the top of the 5th inning when RF Francisco Caraballo blasted a solo home run over the left-centerfield wall. The first longball of the season hit by Caraballo gave the Avs a 3-1 edge.
The scoreboard read 3-1 in favor of the Avalanche as the two Southern Division rivals played into the bottom of the 9th inning. With Myrtle Beach down to their final three outs at the plate the Birds pieced together one of the most dramatic come-from-behind victories in franchise history. 3B Van Pope drew a lead-off walk to start the drama. With Pope at first Sammons belted a deep drive over the left field billboards, a two-run shot to knot the score at 3-3. It was the second home run of the season for Sammons. Then, a batter later Hernandez worked the count full against Salem reliever Rodrigo Escobar. On the pay-off pitch Hernandez unloaded an improbable solo homer over the left-centerfield wall to give the Pelicans a walk-off win, 4-3. It was the second time this season that Hernandez ended the game in the final at-bat, and it was the shortstop's second home run of the season, which provided a thrill at Coastal Federal Field in game two of the four-game series.
Myrtle Beach starter Luis Atilano did not factor into the decision after lasting seven innings for the third consecutive outing. Atilano gave up three runs on seven hits, and struck out three in the starting role. Reliever Arthur Santos (W, 2-0) was credited with the win after slinging two scoreless inning in wich he allowed just one hit and struck out three. Salem starter Evan Englebrook looked to be well on his way to the second win of the season, but the Pelicans comeback negated that. Englebrook allowed one run on three hits in six strong innings. Escobar (L, 1-1), who entered in the 9th failed to record an out and gave up the back-to-back home runs which gave the Pelicans their third straight win.
The "Fighting Feathers" were led at the plate by Hernandez who went 2-4 and ended the game with the big poke in the 9th. Sammons was 1-4 including the two-run, game-tying homer in the final inning. Sammons brought the game-winning run across the plate in game one of the series, tonight he tied the game with his late-inning heroics. Young finished his night 1-4, while LF Brandon Jones extended his hitting streak to nine games with a 1-4 performance. 1B Greg Creek added a 1-3 effort in the win.
Myrtle Beach is riding a three-game winning streak into Wednesday night's game three against Salem. The Pelicans have won five straight games at home and are 9-3 in games at Coastal Federal Field this season.
On Wednesday night the Pelicans send RHP Charlie Morton (1-2, 6.94) to the mound against Salem RHP Felipe Paulino (1-2, 6.46). With a win the Pelicans will have their longest winning streak since July of 2004 (four games). First pitch is set for 7:02 pm, with gates swinging open at 6:02 pm. For tickets please call 843-918-6000 or purchase tickets online at myrtlebeachpelicans.com. Fans purchasing tickets for any game in the month of April will receive a FREE Pelicans cap.
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