Pelicans Edge Red Sox 3-2
May 25, 2011 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Salem Red Sox News Release
Myrtle Beach, SC (May 25, 2011) - The Red Sox relentlessly mustered scoring opportunities in the final innings, but the game-changing clutch hit eluded Salem in Wednesday's 3-2 setback in Myrtle Beach. Working mostly with runners aboard, Pelican righthander Ryan Kelly recorded the final five outs to earn the save, preserving a victory for starter Barret Loux, who tossed six scoreless innings for Myrtle. Kelly escaped a second and third jam with one out in the eighth, then retired Michael Almanzar with another man at third in the ninth to secure the win, moving Myrtle back into first place by a game over Salem.
Loux, the beneficiary of some early run support, allowed just three hits in six innings, improving to 4-3 for the Birds (26-19). Ryan Strausborger provided the first-inning thunder for Myrtle Beach, blasting a two-run bomb off Drake Britton to give the Pelicans a 2-0 lead. Britton struggled with his command early, but held the Pelicans scoreless through the remainder of his four-inning outing.
Britton still got tagged with the loss, however, falling to 1-5 on the season for the Red Sox (24-19). Only once did Salem manage multiple baserunners against Loux, who wiggled out of every jam with ease.
When Loux departed to begin the seventh, Salem scored immediately. Reynaldo Rodriguez clobbered a no-doubt leadoff homer to left against Trevor Hurley to slice the deficit to one, but the Pelicans quickly responded with a two-out run against Mitch Herold in the bottom half of the seventh, making the score 3-1.
Salem inched closer again in the eighth when Almanzar and Derrik Gibson both reached to begin the frame, and Kolbrin Vitek laced an RBI single to left to bring the Sox within a run again. Gibson moved to third and Vitek took second as the relay throw went to third, but even with one out, the Sox could not bring home the tying score. Kelly struck out Dan Butler and induced a lazy fly from Rodriguez to retain the Myrtle advantage.
In the ninth, Zach Gentile's two-out single gave Salem life, and pinch-runner Wilfred Pichardo stole second and moved to third on Zach Zaneski's throwing error. Unfortunately, Almanzar's liner was squeezed by Strausborger, ending the comeback bid. Salem finished 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position, stranding six on base, four of which were in scoring position.
With the Red Sox now one game back of the Pelicans in the Southern Division, the Sox will strive to even the race by winning the rubber matchup of the three-game series. On Thursday night, Chris Balcom-Miller throws for Salem opposite Myrtle's Robbie Ross, with the first pitch scheduled for 7:05 at BB&T Coastal Field.
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