Sports stats



CarL1 Salem Red Sox

Beach Thievery: Myrtle Shocks Salem 5-4

May 26, 2011 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Salem Red Sox News Release


Myrtle Beach, SC (May 26, 2011) - One strike away from heading to the ninth up by a run, the Salem advantage disappeared in an instant when Myrtle Beach third-baseman Mike Olt smashed a 3-2 pitch over the wall to tie the game at four. Three batters later, alert baserunning from Mitch Hilligoss plated the winning run on Jared Prince's infield single, and the Pelicans prevailed 5-4 in the series rubber match at BB&T Coastal Field. With the win, Myrtle Beach takes two out of three from Salem and moves two games ahead of the Red Sox in the Southern Division first half chase.

The game-changing bottom of the eighth occurred just minutes after Salem squandered a golden opportunity in the top half of the inning, loading the bases with nobody out but coming up empty. The Red Sox also stranded the bases loaded in the seventh, scoring once to take a 4-3 lead but missing a chance to score multiple runs. After not having a single baserunner in the first four innings, the Sox left eight aboard in the game.

Both starters were untouchable in the opening innings, as Salem's Chris Balcom-Miller and Myrtle's Robbie Ross were both perfect through three. After Ross struck out the side in the top of the fourth, the Pelicans mustered an unearned run against Balcom-Miller, utilizing two walks, a bunt single, and a throwing error to take a 1-0 lead.

Ross may have set down the first 12 men he faced, but as soon as he took the mound with the lead, he lost his dominance. Mark Wagner drove in a run in the fifth to tie the game, setting up a frantic stretch of back-and-forth baseball. The Pelicans plated two more against Balcom-Miller in the last of the fifth to surge ahead 3-1, only to have Reynaldo Rodriguez deliver a two-out, two-run single in the top of the sixth to even the score at three.

In the top of the seventh, Salem loaded the bases with two outs and Wilfred Pichardo beat out an infield chopper to break the tie, scoring Wagner from third. The Sox had their first lead, but Kolbrin Vitek's roller to first ended the threat. Similarly, with the Sox up 4-3, Salem's first three batters reached to begin the top of the eighth, only to have the next three men go down in order.

Tom Ebert, who entered in relief of Balcom-Miller with two outs in the fifth, was a strike away from completing the eighth inning without allowing a run. But Olt launched the full count offering over everything in left-field, igniting the Pelican rally that decided the game. With the score even at four, Hilligoss singled and Vinny DiFazio walked. After Jeremiah Bayer replaced Ebert, Jared Prince bounced a chopper toward third base. Vitek may have been better off fielding and holding, but he chucked to first too late to get Prince. While the throw went to first, Hilligoss sprinted home, scoring ahead of the ensuing throw to the plate.

The Pelicans one-run edge would stand as Zach Osborne tossed a 1-2-3 ninth to preserve the Myrtle Beach victory.

The Red Sox now head back to Salem to kick off the final homestand of the first half before playing 19 straight road games before the All-Star Break. Salem will host Frederick in a doubleheader on Friday night, beginning at 5:30 PM at LewisGale Field. Major league rehabber Junichi Tazawa is scheduled to start game one for the Red Sox, while Pete Ruiz will pitch game two. The Keys will counter with Bobby Bundy in the opener and Nick Haughian in the nightcap.

Check out the Salem Red Sox Statistics

• Discuss this story on the Carolina League message board...

Carolina League Stories from May 26, 2011


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central