CarL1 Myrtle Beach Pelicans

McKae Dazzles, Red Sox Complete Sweep

Published on August 13, 2009 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Myrtle Beach Pelicans News Release


MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. - With their backs to the wall in the midst of one of the worst stretches of a roller-coaster 2009 season, the Salem Red Sox responded with a convincing sweep of the Pelicans, and now it's Myrtle Beach's turn to face the brink.

Salem wrapped up a sweep of the four-game set with a 7-4 win in the series finale witnessed by 3,643 at BB&T Coastal Field.

Unlike Wednesday's night-long 16-run assault, the Red Sox kept their scoring to a concise three-inning stretch against Pelicans starter Richard Sullivan. Salem started with a pair in the third on a two-run single by Tim Federowicz and sent seven to the plate in a three-run fourth. Che-Hsuan Lin tripled to drive in two and scored on a Jon Hee single in that inning. Salem's first five runs came across with two outs in the third and fourth. The first three men reached in the fifth inning with Zach Borowiak and Kris Negron each plating a run with a sacrifice fly. Sullivan (2-11) departed after four and a third, charged with all seven runs on eight hits with three walks and four strikeouts. The left-hander has now lost nine straight starts.

Red Sox starter Dave McKae spun no-hit ball into the sixth inning, only allowing one base runner through the first five frames. Cole Miles broke up the no-no bid with an infield single in the sixth. Robert Marcial, who had reached earlier in the inning on an error, scored one batter later on a Michael Fisher RBI single. McKae (2-5) completed the sixth before giving way to the bullpen, allowing just one unearned run on two hits.

Myrtle Beach's attempt at a rally came in the bottom of the ninth when, after back-to-back outs to open the inning, the Pelicans brought three across, two on C.J. Lee's double to the right-center field gap. With the tying run in the on-deck circle, however, Lin ended the uprising with a sparkling diving catch in the gap in left-center field on a sinking Cole Miles liner seemingly earmarked for extra bases that would have scored Lee to cut the lead to 7-5.

The Pelicans entered this four-game series a half-game ahead of the Sox and in the driver's seat for a wild card playoff berth from the Carolina League's Southern Division. As Salem departs town, the sweep, coupled with another win Thursday by a red-hot Kinston Indians team, leaves Myrtle Beach in last place in the division. The Pelicans now trail both Salem and Kinston and sit four and a half games behind first place Winston-Salem in the playoff race.

A seven-game road trip begins for the Pelicans Friday night at Calvin Falwell Field in Lynchburg, Virginia. Myrtle Beach will send right-hander Jacob Thompson (5-3, 3.88) against former Pelican Jeff Locke (3-8, 5.03) for the Lynchburg Hillcats in the series opener of three. Myrtle Beach returns home Friday, August 21 for a seven-game homestand beginning with a three-game weekend set with the Frederick Keys. Tickets for all Pelicans home games are available at the BB&T Coastal Field box office, by calling (843)918-6000 or by visiting the Tickets page at MyrtleBeachPelicans.com.

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Carolina League Stories from August 13, 2009


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