CarL1 Myrtle Beach Pelicans

California League Walks Off With All-Star Win

Published on June 26, 2009 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Myrtle Beach Pelicans News Release


LAKE ELSINORE, CA - In the age-old battle of good pitching versus good hitting, the California League All-Stars pitched and hit an eyelash better than their counterparts from the Carolina League. The stars from the Golden State took home a 2-1 victory in the 2009 edition of the California-Carolina League All-Star Game, the second pitchers' duel in as many years in the annual showcase of stars.

Striking first in the bottom of the opening inning, 2008's fifth overall draft pick and current San Jose Giants catcher Buster Posey singled home teammate Joe Dunigan of the High Desert Mavericks. The run, scored off Carolina League starter Jeff Mandel of the Potomac Nationals, gave the California League a 1-0 lead that held up the nearly rest of the way. Eleven pitchers on both sides threw 12.2 combined scoreless innings with the Carolina League only recording three hits through the game's first seven innings and none from the third through the sixth.

The Carolina League finally broke out to even the score at a run apiece in the top of the eighth inning. Pedro Florimon, Jr. of the Frederick Keys tripled to open the frame and scored on a fielding error charged to the Bakersfield Blaze's Matt Lawson. The visitors got runners to first and second with one out before back-to-back outs by Frederick's Brandon Waring and the Pelicans' Cody Johnson ended the threat. Johnson went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts in his first appearance in the Advanced Class-A annual game. Myrtle Beach's Jason Heyward, selected to the team, did not participate, giving his strained oblique time to rest after recently coming off the disabled list.

Regulation baseball wasn't enough, and with the game still knotted 1-1 going to the tenth, the Carolina League again got a pair of runners on with Wilmington's Mike Moustakas and Winston-Salem's Salvador Sanchez singling to with two outs. Waring flew out to leave both aboard, however, and the California League wasted no time in the bottom of the frame.

Jon Gaston, the only player sent to the contest by the California League's Lancaster JetHawks, sent the first offering of the tenth inning from Salem Red Sox southpaw Derrick Loop out to center field to win the game in walk-off fashion for the West Coast's best. Gaston received game MVP honors for the jack. It marked the second time one side had scored just a single run in two years. Last year, the two sides dueled to a 3-1 Carolina League win when the Pelicans hosted the game at BB&T Coastal Field.

Myrtle Beach hits the road following the break for seven games starting with three in Lynchburg Thursday through Saturday. The Pelicans return home for the first Fourth of July home series in franchise history with the Salem Red Sox from the 2nd through the 5th. Tickets are available at the BB&T Coastal Field box office, by calling the Pelicans at (843) 918-6000 or by visiting the Tickets page at MyrtleBeachPelicans.com.

Check out the Myrtle Beach Pelicans Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Carolina League Stories from June 26, 2009


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