CarL1 Myrtle Beach Pelicans

Schlehuber, Johnson Jack Pelicans to Finale Win

Published on September 2, 2010 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Myrtle Beach Pelicans News Release


WILMINGTON, DE - Just when it appeared the Pelicans might watch their flickering glimmer of any postseason hopes die of a loss of their own volition, one swing of Cody Johnson's bat kept the pulse alive for Myrtle Beach's season.

Johnson cranked a two-out, two-run homer to snap a 3-3 tie in Wilmington, and Luis Avilan worked around the home club's bats in the final two innings to lift the Pelicans to an eventual 5-4 win over the Blue Rocks in Myrtle Beach's last regular season road game of 2010. Pending the outcome of the Kinston Indians' Thursday evening contest at Frederick, the Pelicans remained alive in the hunt for a wild card berth to the Carolina League postseason.

Starters Zeke Spruill and Buddy Baumann traded scoreless innings through the first three in these two teams' series finale of four with only Wilmington's leadoff man Adrian Ortiz reaching via a single to kick off the night for the Blue Rocks. Ortiz, who was later erased on a double play in that first, was the initial of two leadoff outs in the fourth, as well, before Wilmington finally got to Spruill. An Ernesto Mejia double followed a Wil Myers single with two outs to give the Blue Rocks the first run of the game, and one batter later, Nick Francis jacked his second homer of the series, a two-run shot to extend Wilmington's lead to 3-0.

Baumann held the Pelicans in check over five innings of work, departing with a three-one lead after Myrtle Beach struck back for one run on a Luis Sumoza RBI groundout in the fifth scoring Samuel Sime. Behind him, former Pelican Jairo Cuevas became the turning point for his former club. In the seventh and eighth, the Pelicans finally strung together enough offensively to break out. Sime, again, acted as the sparkplug with a leadoff single, and after back-to-back strikeouts of new Pelicans third baseman Chris Curley and Sumoza, catcher Braeden Schlehuber belted a two-run homer into the Pelicans bullpen in left field to tie the night's affair at three.

In the eighth, it was much the same, but this time, the rally started with a one-out base hit from Gerry Rodriguez. With Rodriguez serving as the go-ahead run at second base with two outs following a wild pitch and a Mike Jones swinging strikeout, Cody Johnson battled to a 2-2 count and then drove a Cuevas offering just over the right field wall and the outstretched glove of Wilmington's Nick Francis. The homer, Johnson's sixth back in a Myrtle Beach uniform, gave his club a 5-3 lead.

Pelicans closer Luis Avilan worked around another home run by Francis, a solo shot with one out in the eighth, and retired the side in order in the ninth to give Myrtle Beach a split in its final road series of the season.

The Pelicans return to Myrtle Beach for their final regular season series of 2010 on Saturday, September 4 against the Lynchburg Hillcats. For tickets, contact the Pelicans box office at (843)918-6000, (877)918-TIXX or stop by BB&T Coastal Field.

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Carolina League Stories from September 2, 2010


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