CarL1 Myrtle Beach Pelicans

Birds Take First Place in Nail-Biter

Published on May 16, 2011 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Myrtle Beach Pelicans News Release


MYRTLE BEACH, SC - It was a tense, rainy series opener, but thanks to some late-inning heroics and a Houdini act by reliever Ryan Kelly, the Pelicans left BB&T Ballpark with a 3-2 victory and are alone in first-place in the Carolina League Southern Divsion.

Making his first relief appearance in over a month after making five starts, Kelly came in for starter Joe Wieland with a 3-1 lead, but had men at the corners and one out in the seventh. He induced a ground ball to Leury Garcia who turned a phenomenal 6-3 double play to end the frame.

Kyle Colligan led off the bottom of the eighth with a homer off Kelly to cut the Birds' lead to 3-2, and a Garcia error led to the tying run reaching second with one out. Kelly buckled down to strike out Jose Martinez and Ian Gac swinging to escape another jam.

The Hilton Head native worked an impressive ninth as he struck out Andy Wilkins, Nick Ciolli and Jason Bour, all swinging, to hang on for his fourth save.

The start of the game was delayed by rain for an hour and fifteen minutes, but once they got under way, the Pelicans struck quickly against Dash starter Terry Doyle. Jared Hoying hit the first pitch of the game deep to center field for a triple and he scored on a ground ball from Ryan Strausborger that was misplayed by Doyle.

After the top of the first inning was played, the rain fell heavily to force another delay. Fortunately, it moved out quickly and the game was only paused for 19 minutes.

Doyle (0-5) settled in to retire 14 of the next 16, but ran into trouble in the sixth. Garcia bunted his way on to start the frame and Strausborger laced the next pitch down the left field line for an RBI double. After Zach Zaneski moved Strauborger to third on a deep fly to right, Mitch Hilligoss hit an infield single off the foot of Doyle to bring in the deciding run. Doyle went a season-high eight innings, allowing all three runs, two earned. The righty gave up six hits, walked one and struck out four.

Joe Wieland was solid again in six and one-third innings. He started the night by retiring the first 11 batters of the game before Jose Martinez shot a clean single to right for the Dash's first hit. The right-hander surrendered a solo homer to shortstop Tyler Saladino with two down in the sixth, snapping a 22 and one-third inning scoreless innings streak. After an Andy Wilkins ground-rule double to start the seventh and a one-out single from Jason Bour to move Wilkins to third. Wieland was taken out to set up Kelly's exciting save.

Wieland (4-2) allowed one run on six hits and he struck out eight. Once again he did not walk a batter, giving him 32 and two-thirds straight innings without issuing a free pass. During the run he has rung up 34 strikeouts and lowered his league-leading ERA to 1.62.

Offensively, the Pelicans tallied seven hits, three from Hilligoss and two from Hoying. Strausborger had his double, but is now tied for the league lead in hits after Martinez notched two hits in a game he did not start, filling in for Jared Mitchell, who was ejected in the first.

The series continues tomorrow night as Robbie Erlin squares off against Dash righty Andre Rienzo. First pitch at BB&T Ballpark scheduled for 7:00 p.m. After finishing the road trip this weekend in Wilmington, the Birds return home on May 24 to face the Salem Red Sox. Tickets for all Pelicans home games are available at the BB&T Coastal Field box office, MyrtleBeachPelicans.com, and by phone at 843-918-6000 or 877-918-TIXX.

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Carolina League Stories from May 16, 2011


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