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Myrtle Beach Pelicans

Pelicans hold off 'Hogs in series opener

July 17, 2008 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Myrtle Beach Pelicans News Release


WINSTON-SALEM, NC - Nick Fellman dramatically closed a 5-4 game one victory for Myrtle Beach over the Winston-Salem Warthogs on Thursday night at Ernie Shore Field. The win allowed the Pelicans (15-10) to reclaim first place in the second half.

The Pelicans use a pair of infield-singles to assume the lead in the second inning. Ernesto Mejia led off against Hogs' starter Matt Long with an infield single to get the birds started. Travis Jones followed with a sharp single and Concepcion Rodriguez was hit by a pitch to load the bases with nobody down. Long recovered to fan Jon Mark Owings and Gorkys Hernandez, but Willie Cabrera singled on the infield to score Mejia and Eric Campbell lined a single through the hole on the left side of the infield to score Jones for a 2-0 lead. Rodriguez was gunned down at the plate on Campbell's single to end the inning.

Tyler Flowers led off the third inning with a triple to the right field corner and scored as Brandon Hicks followed with an RBI-groundout to the shortstop as the Pelicans added a run to their lead, 3-0.

The Warthogs got on the board for the first tim in the bottom of the inning, as CJ Lang led off the frame against Pelicans' starter Ryne Reynoso with his first home run of the season. Lang's blast, pulled to left field, cut the birds advantage to 3-1 after three innings.

Myrtle Beach got the run back in the fifth inning as Hicks sparked a two-out rally with a double. Mejia doubled him home with a ball that was blistered off the chalk of the third base line and the Pelicans led 4-1. Long (4-9) departed the ballgame in the fifth after conceding the four earned runs. The right-hander did register a season-high for strikeouts with nine.

Lang again led off in the fifth and again took Reynoso deep to left field to cut the lead to 4-2. The two home runs were surprising due to the fact that Lang had not homered prior on the season in 200 at-bats.

The Pelicans again pushed their lead to three runs in the sixth as they plated an unearned run against reliever Matt Zaleski for a 5-2 lead. Flowers singled home Cabrera with the run. Reynoso (8-6) departed with that three-run lead during the sixth inning in favor of Brett Butts, and recorded his eighth win of the season.

The Warthogs closed in on the birds with a pair of runs charged to Butts in the eighth inning. John Shelby III and Salvador Sanchez recorded RBI-singles as the Hogs closed to 5-4.

Closer Nick Fellman came on in the ninth, but got into a first and third jam with one out before striking out Orlando and flying out CJ Retherford to the wall in left field to secure his fourth save of the season and the win, 5-4.

The series continues with game two on Friday night at 7 PM. The Pelicans will send RHP Kyle Cofield (6-6, 3.81) against RHP John Ely (3-10, 5.09) for Winston-Salem.

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Carolina League Stories from July 17, 2008


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