CarL1 Myrtle Beach Pelicans

Hillcats basher belts two homers, knocks in four to hand Pelicans 4-3 loss

Published on September 4, 2010 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Myrtle Beach Pelicans News Release


MYRTLE BEACH, SC- In the opener of the final series of the 2010 campaign, the Pelicans fought hard in an attempt to begin the end of the year on high note, but Paul Clemens and the Pelicans pitching staff couldn't find a way to solve Lynchburg slugger Neftali Soto, whose four RBI proved enough to drop the Birds 4-3.

It was the Soto Show early on in the opener as the Hillcats first baseman put on a stellar performance against Pelicans starter Paul Clemens. In the first inning with two runners on, Soto clubbed a Clemens offering into the left field corner, plating a pair to give Lynchburg an early 2-0 lead.

The Pelicans, however, responded quickly in the bottom of the first inning against Lynchburg starter Justin Walker as Gerry Rodriguez followed Jordan Kreke's one-out double with his 13th home run of the season, a two-run shot into the left field bleachers to tie the game at two. For Rodriguez, it was his fifth homer since his reinstatement, but his first here at BB&T Coastal Field since May 14.

With the score knotted at two, Soto stepped to the plate in the top of the third against Clemens and promptly unloaded the right-hander's offering into the bleachers, his 20th homer of the season, to give the Hillcats a 3-2 lead.

Two innings later, the same situation presented itself once again as Soto strolled to the plate to lead off the fifth. Two pitches into the at bat, it was a 4-2 game when the first baseman crushed another pitch from Clemens, this time over the Budweiser Thirst Inning Deck to push the Hillcat lead to 4-2. Soto finished the day 3-for-4 with four RBI, his second multi-homer game of the season and his first since May 1.

The score would stay at 4-2 until the ninth when the Pelicans' bats finally woke up against the Hillcat bullpen. With closer Nick Christiani on the hill, Rodriguez led off the frame with a single, coming around to score on a Cody Johnson single off the wall in left to cut the lead to 4-3. With Sammy Sime at the plate, Christiani threw a breaking ball to which Sime checked his swing, but in an unfortunate stroke of bad luck, the ball bounced off the bat and right back to the pitcher Christiani who turned it into a game-ending 1-6-3 double play.

Clemens (0-4) lasted through six innings for the third consecutive start, but fell to 0-4 on the year. The right-hander struck out five and didn't walk a batter in his time on the hill. His counterpart Walker (4-2) surrendered just the Rodriguez first-inning homer, settling down to hurl five scoreless frames afterwards to earn his fourth victory as a member of the Hillcats.

These two teams will be back tomorrow for game two with first pitch set for 6:05 ET. For the final Family Sunday of the season, fans will once again be able to have a catch on the award-winning turf here at BB&T Coastal Field before the Pelicans take on the Hillcats in game two. Stick around after the final out is recorded for the first of two spectacular fireworks extravaganzas here at the ballpark to commemorate the end of the 2010 season!

For more information on tickets, daily promotions, and all things Pelicans, log onto myrtlebeachpelicans.com or call 1-877-918-TIXX or 843-918-6000.

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Carolina League Stories from September 4, 2010


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