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CarL1 Myrtle Beach Pelicans

Birds Jump on K-Tribe Pen, Take Finale

August 4, 2010 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Myrtle Beach Pelicans News Release


KINSTON, N.C. - It was the type of game that the Pelicans, to be frank, have not won very often over the last two years. A scoreless duel to the eighth inning with all the tension and sharp play of a meaningful late season game is something Myrtle Beach hasn't felt since 2008. This time, though, when the challenge came and the door opened late this time, the Pelicans answered the bell.

Myrtle Beach broke out for five eighth-inning runs against a stingy Kinston bullpen, after getting beyond a brilliant effort by Indians starter T.J. House, and capitalized on an even better start from their own lefty Matt Crim in a 5-1 series finale win over the K-Tribe Wednesday night at Grainger Stadium.

To say that the first four innings of the game flew by would be the understatement of a boiling summer. Myrtle Beach and Kinston played four frames in 40 minutes with the only baserunners coming in Kinston's second. Chun Chen led off that frame with a single against Myrtle Beach starter Crim, going to second on a two-out walk by Bo Greenwell. With two gone, it appeared the Tribe would take the night's first lead when Nate Recknagel, who scored the only run of Kinston's 1-0 Tuesday night win, singled in front of Gerry Rodriguez. The Pelicans' left fielder charged, fielded, and fired a two-bouncer throw to the plate, and Myrtle Beach catcher Matt Kennelly blocked the dish to tag out his catching counterpart Chen and cut down Kinston's inning.

Myrtle Beach didn't record its first hit against Kinston starter T.J. House until the second batter of the fifth inning, and the lefty had been perfect to that point. He wasn't much less than that the rest of the way. The two teams hit the seventh inning stretch after an hour and 20 minutes with a combined nine baserunners. With the exception of Chen, none had moved past second base. As great as House, the 12th-best overall prospect in the Cleveland Indians system entering 2010, was early, however, Crim matched him the entire way. The Myrtle Beach lefty dominated Kinston's lineup, retiring all but two men the Tribe sent to the plate from the Rodriguez's play through the eighth. House exited after seven innings of shutout ball having allowed just three hits, striking out three and walking one. And when the scoreboard rolled over to the eighth on the Myrtle Beach side, the Pelicans' bats came to life.

After a leadoff strikeout, reliever Tyler Sturdevant hit L.V. Ware to put the Pelicans' speedster aboard in an inauspicious start to an eventually huge inning. Ware went to third base on a single by Mycal Jones right behind him to put runners at the corners and scored the game's first run on a Jordan Kreke sacrifice fly to center field for what at the time looked to be an insurmountable 1-0 Pelicans lead.

With two outs and a man at second, Myrtle Beach didn't let up. The next five batters all reached starting with Dan Nelson extending his team-high hitting streak to 14 games with a single to score Jones and make it a 2-0 contest. Mike Jones walked behind Nelson, and then it was Rodriguez's turn. The left fielder blooped a ball down the left-field line to score Nelson, and Rodriguez turned the base hit into a double, putting runners at second and third. After a two-out walk to Samuel Sime loaded the bases, Sturdevant's day was done. Reliever Matt Langwell didn't fare a whole lot better. Cole Miles, who entered the game in the sixth inning for fellow outfielder Luis Sumoza, laced a single to score Mike Jones and Rodriguez and break the game open at 5-0. Sturdevant (1-1) was charged with all five.

With breathing room entering the ninth, Crim got a chance to earn his first complete-game shutout win since the clinching game of last season's Appalachian League Championship Series. The lefty whiffed the first two hitters he faced in the final frame, but with a pitch count climbing into the triple-digits, Crim (6-9) tired and departed with two gone in the inning after a double by Chun Chen and a walk by Kyle Bellows. Reliever Angelo Paulino allowed a Juan Diaz walk to load the bases and a run-scoring infield single by Bo Greenwell to break up the shutout before closing the door with a foul out from Nate Recknagel to seal the 5-1 win.

In the series, Pelicans pitching allowed a combined four runs on 16 hits over three games while Myrtle Beach's offense scored 17 times on 23 knocks. The offensive production came against a Kinston team surging after a three-game road sweep of Wilmington that included two Indians shutout wins. Myrtle Beach earned its first series victory of 2010 at Grainger Stadium.

The Birds return to the Grand Strand on Thirsty Thursday, August 5 for the first of an eight-game homestand. Tickets are available for all remaining Pelicans home games in the 2010 season by calling the Pelicans box office at (843)918-6000 or (877)918-TIXX, stopping by BB&T Coastal Field, or by visiting the Tickets page at MyrtleBeachPelicans.com.

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