CarL1 Myrtle Beach Pelicans

Erlin throws six sparkling frames, Birds break out with four-run ninth

Published on April 15, 2011 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Myrtle Beach Pelicans News Release


LYNCHBURG, VA - For the first time in history Friday night at Lynchburg City Stadium, Pelicans players lined up along the baseline during pregame introductions and had to look across the diamond to see Atlanta Braves prospects. In the first matchup between of 2011 between Pelicans and former Pelicans, the Texas Rangers of tomorrow stole the show.

Robbie Erlin dominated the Lynchburg Hillcats with six innings of one-run, one-hit ball, and Myrtle Beach turned a tense 3-2 ninth-inning lead into a 7-2 victory with a four-run final frame on Opening Night for the Braves' new Carolina League farmhands.

Friday night's opening home game for the Hillcats was an emotional one for more reasons than just the ties between Hillcats players and their former club. It also marked the inspiring debut of Lynchburg manager Luis Salazar as the Hillcats' skipper. On March 9 at the Disney Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Salazar was struck in the face by a line drive off the bat of Atlanta's Brian McCann during a spring training game. The contest was halted for over 20 minutes while Salazar was airlifted to an Orlando hospital where, over the subsequent days, doctors saved his life but were unable to do the same for his left eye. Following the pregame introduction of his roster and coaching staff, including interim manager and former Pelicans hitting coach Rick Albert, Salazar joined his team for the first time, shaking hands with his club and staff as well as the Pelicans' coaching staff to a stirring standing ovation from the sellout crowd prior to the national anthem.

Once underway, the Pelicans got after former Myrtle Beach right-hander Arodys Vizcaino, one of the prized gems of the Atlanta pitching prospect corps, in the second. Mike Olt doubled to lead off the inning and scored when, on a Jared Hoying groundball up the middle, Lynchburg shortstop Andrelton Simmons oddly chose to attempt to get the lead runner at third. His errant throw skipped past Lynchburg third baseman Joe Leonard and allowed Olt to arrive at the plate with the game's first run. Following a stolen base, a wild pitch and two strikeouts, Hoying came around to score on Travis Adair's RBI single for a 2-0 Pelicans lead.

Myrtle Beach added a run in the third following Leury Garcia's bunt single when he went to third on a Chris McGuiness single and scored on another Hoying fielder's choice to make it a 3-0 game. Vizcaino (1-1) exited after the fifth having allowed just one earned run of three total on four hits.

Erlin was nearly untouchable all night by the Hillcats offense. The one blemish on his mark on the night came in the bottom of the third when Adam Milligan, another former Pelican, connected with an Erlin offering and sent it over the center field wall for a leadoff solo homer to cut the lead to 3-2. Erlin (1-0) struck out seven over his six innings, walking just one man and facing one over the minimum.

After the left-hander's departure in the seventh, the Hillcats made their best charge of the night against Myrtle Beach reliever Ryan Kelly. Todd Cunningham reached base on a squibbed grounder that hugged the first base line and went to second on Riaan Spanjer-Furstenburg's base hit behind him. With runners at first and second, Leonard snapped a Hillcats' team-wide 0-for-21 slide with runners in scoring position, driving home Cunningham to make it a one-run ballgame. Kellly buckled down following the RBI knock, however, getting Robby Hefflinger looking at strike three for the second out and Milligan swinging for the third.

The Pelicans had played nothing but one- and two-run games through their first six of the 2011 season and decided enough was enough in the ninth. The first six men in the ninth inning reached against Hillcats relievers Andrew Russell, most recently an outfielder for the Melbourne Aces of the Australian Baseball League, and Jason Lowey, and four scored. The big blow in the inning came courtesy of McGuiness's two-run single to score Andres James and Garcia and make it a 6-2 game at the time. The Pelicans added one more run in the inning, and Kelly (S, 3) got the final three outs in order in the ninth to ice the win and send the Birds back over .500 at 4-3.

Pelicans third baseman Olt, who entered the night second in the Carolina League in home runs (2), RBIs (6), on-base percentage (.538), and extra base hits (5) and fourth in slugging percentage (.850) and hits (8) reached base all five times he went to the plate with two singles, a double, and two walks.

Saturday night's middle game of three will pit another former Pelican against his old colors when righty Zeke Spruill (0-0, 3.60) goes against Myrtle Beach right-hander Barret Loux (0-0, 5.06) who makes the second start of his professional career after a solid first one Sunday against Wilmington. First pitch for Saturday night is scheduled for 6:05 p.m.

The Birds return home on Monday, April 19 for the first of a brief three-game homestand against the Winston-Salem Dash. Monday night is Kids Eat Free night with all kids ages 12 and under receiving a coupon for a free hot dog, chips, and drink with their admission. Tickets 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 April 15, 2011


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