Birds Deny Hillcats Sweep
Published on June 14, 2015 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Myrtle Beach Pelicans News Release
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (JUNE 14, 2015) - The Myrtle Beach Pelicans, Class A-Advanced affiliate of the Chicago Cubs, snapped a three-game losing skid with a 7-1 win over the Lynchburg Hillcats on Sunday night at TicketReturn.Com Field at Pelicans Ballpark. Victor Caratini clubbed his first home run of the year in support of starting pitcher Jonathan Martinez, who picked up his fifth win.
The Hillcats (31-32), who lead the Carolina League in homers, flexed the long-ball muscle in the third inning. Third baseman Joe Sever blasted a solo homer to lead off the frame, his second home run in as many games. Martinez would settle in after that to retire the next ten consecutive batters, finishing his night with one strikeout while surrendering a season-low two hits. Six of the right-hander's ten starts have spanned five innings or more this year, and in those starts, Martinez has allowed one or fewer runs each time.
Trailing 1-0, the Pelicans (36-26) responded in the fourth. Chesny Young extending his hit-streak to seven games when he bounced a groundball up the first base line to beat out an infield single. Caratini then jumped on the first pitch from starter Luis Lugo, sending it over the left-center field wall to give the Birds a 2-1 advantage. It was the switch-hitting catcher's first homer of the year, and first as a Cubs minor leaguer, which marked the first dinger he has hit since July 21, 2014 - also a fourth-inning, two-run shot.
The Birds poured on four more runs in the fifth. Trey Martin bunted for a hit and Daniel Lockhart was hit by a pitch before Mark Zagunis slapped an RBI single to right on a hit-and-run. Pin-Chieh Chen followed with an RBI single to left, and after a walk to Young forced a pitching change, right-hander Robbie Aviles entered the game and coaxed a ground ball double play out of Caratini. An earned run scored on the play, and Jacob Rogers capped the frame with an RBI double to right field to stretch the lead to 6-1.
With Martin at second base in the sixth, Zagunis widened the gap to 7-1 when he bounced an RBI ground-rule double over the center field wall.
Other than Sever's homer, Eric Haase was the only other Hillcats batter to notch a hit all night when he singled in the second inning, however the Lynchburg catcher was thrown out at second base while trying to stretch the hit into a double. Designated hitter Luigi Rodriguez reached on a throwing error at shortstop in the sixth, but Martinez turned the next two hitters away to finish his night. The Pelicans bullpen of Fernando Cruz and James Pugliese teamed up for three perfect innings to wrap up the win.
Lugo (3-5) was saddled with his fifth loss of the year, working four complete innings while being taken for six earned runs on eight hits. Martinez (5-1) is tied with Duane Underwood Jr. for the Pelicans team lead in wins after throwing six frames and collecting one strikeout along the way. Cruz also struck out one in his inning of work, as did Pugliese, who fired two frames from the bullpen.
With seven contests to play in the first half, Myrtle Beach's lead in the Carolina League Southern Division remains at three games ahead of Salem, who beat Wilmington on Sunday. The Blue Rocks lead the Northern Division by three games over Lynchburg and Frederick, who are tied for second place. The Pelicans' magic number to clinch the First Half Division Championship is trimmed to five.
The Birds will hit the road to begin a three-game set against the Winston-Salem Dash on Monday. The first pitch from BB&T Ballpark is scheduled for 7:00 p.m ET. Myrtle Beach will send right-hander Daury Torrez (4-4, 4.12) to face Dash righty Jake Cose (2-2, 2.37).
Monday's game can be heard live, presented by Courtyard Myrtle Beach at Barefoot Landing, on 1450 WRNN-AM ESPN Myrtle Beach, on the TuneIn Radio App, and via the MiLB First Pitch App, beginning with the Pregame Show at 6:40 p.m. ET. The game will also air along with live streaming video on MiLB.tv (subscription required), with the Winston-Salem broadcast feed.
The 2015 season marks the 17th season for the Pelicans franchise and first as the Class A-Advanced affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. For information on tickets to see the Pelicans in 2015, please call (843) 918-6000, e-mail info@myrtlebeachpelicans.com, or visit www.MyrtleBeachPelicans.com.
Carolina League Stories from June 14, 2015
- Birds Deny Hillcats Sweep - Myrtle Beach Pelicans
- Dash Escape with 5-2 Series Clinching Win - Carolina Mudcats
- Sever Homers But Hillcats Fall, 7-1 - Lynchburg Hillcats
- Peter Extends Hit Streak to 17, Sparks Last At-Bat Win - Winston-Salem Dash
- Rocks Shutout for Second Straight Night as They are Swept by Sox - Wilmington Blue Rocks
- Salem Blanks Wilmington Again, 7-0 - Salem Red Sox
- Keys Best P-Nats 9-7 in Sunday Slugfest - Potomac Nationals
- Early Ambush Gives Keys Series Win - Frederick Keys
- June 14 Carolina Mudcats Game Information - Carolina Mudcats
- Hillcats Game Notes June 14, 2015, 6:05 P.M at Myrtle Beach - Lynchburg Hillcats
- Mike Broadway Makes MLB Debut After Eleven Years in Minors - Myrtle Beach Pelicans
- Winston-Salem Dash: Game Notes (June 14 at Carolina) - Winston-Salem Dash
- Jordan Weems Activated - Salem Red Sox
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.
