CarL1 Myrtle Beach Pelicans

Bolden, Bats Help Birds Rout Potomac

Published on August 11, 2011 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Myrtle Beach Pelicans News Release


WOODBRIDGE, VA - Paced by a three-run fifth and a five-run seventh, the Pelicans readied themselves for their Friday showdown with Stephen Strasburg by beating up his temporary club on Thursday, taking down the Potomac Nationals 12-5 at G. Richard Pfitzner Stadium.

Though the Pelicans led wire-to-wire, Myrtle Beach's budding rout looked like it might not materialize when an early 4-0 advantage after two slipped to a 4-3 lead after a three-run Potomac third. The Birds built their early lead with a run in the first and three more in the second, two on a Jared Bolden two-run triple, but the Nationals cut it to one when they finally broke through against Myrtle Beach starter Miguel De Los Santos. The Pelicans' lefty, who no-hit Potomac through seven innings in his last start, didn't allow a hit through his first two on this night before the Nationals got three in against him in their only real offensive inning.

With a 4-3 lead going to the fifth, the Pelicans started to pull away against Potomac starter Erik Davis. With Travis Adair on from his leadoff single and one out, Davis hit Zach Zaneski and Ryan Strausborger with pitches to load the bases and then walked Jared Hoying to force in Myrtle Beach's fifth run. That forced the Davis's (0-2) removal, and with reliever Neil Holland in, a Santiago Chirino bases-loaded grounder to short that seemed destined to be an inning-ending double-play ball instead skipped through the legs of Potomac shortstop Zach Walters to plate a pair and make it 7-3.

De Los Santos (4-3) allowed just one the rest of the way, completing the fifth to pick up the win. The lefty was more economical last time in his seven innings of no-hit ball, throwing 92 pitches before being lifted having hit his limit of 90. On Thursday, he threw 93, but that was due in large part to his season-high 11 strikeouts, one shy of matching a career best.

After the Nationals got one more run back in the bottom of the fifth against De Los Santos, the Pelicans broke open the affair in the seventh. All nine Myrtle Beach men batted in the frame with three coming home on Bolden's bases-loaded double and two more on Jared Prince's two-bagger two hitters later. Leury Garcia, Bolden, and Prince each had three hits on the day. Garcia scored three of Myrtle Beach's runs and drove in another.

Trevor Hurley and Ryan Kelly combined for three innings of hitless relief while Colby Killian allowed a Potomac tally in the ninth, his first in three Carolina League appearances.

Friday, the rehabbing phenom Strasburg toes the Pfitzner Stadium rubber for his second minor league start on the road back to the bigs following Tommy John surgery 11 months ago. Strasburg took the baseball world by storm last season when the first draft pick of 2009 rocketed through the minors and dazzled in 12 starts with the Washington Nationals, striking out 92 in 68 innings while going 5-3 with a 2.91 ERA. Sunday, the right-hander threw 31 pitches and struck out four while allowing a solo homer in 1.2 innings for the Hagerstown Suns in his first rehab start. Pelicans right-hander Wilfredo Boscan draws the tough assignment of opposing the righty in front of a sellout crowd with first pitch for the second game of this four-game series slated for 7:05 p.m.

Tickets for all Pelicans home games can be purchased by visiting the BB&T Coastal Field box office, the Tickets page at MyrtleBeachPelicans.com, or by calling (843)918-6000 or (877)918-TIXX.

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Carolina League Stories from August 11, 2011


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