CarL1 Myrtle Beach Pelicans

Olt's Homer Takes Pelicans Past Keys

Published on April 12, 2011 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Myrtle Beach Pelicans News Release


MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. - A season ago, riding the strength of a season-opening series win over the Wilmington Blue Rocks, the Myrtle Beach Pelicans came into Frederick's Harry Grove Stadium and were handed a rude awakening in an eventual troublesome 2010 road schedule with back-to-back losses of a combined 15-4 score. Not this year.

Mike Olt homered and drove in two, Ryan Kelly nailed down his second save in four games, and the Pelicans locked up a 4-3 win over the Frederick Keys in the first game of three in Maryland.

Tuesday's series opener began with an anticipated starting pitching matchup and a skittish weather report. Threatening skies and varying rain forced two tarp pulls and removals in the span of an hour and delayed the game's start time until just after 8 p.m. When the game got underway, Pelicans starter Robbie Ross and Keys arm Bobby Bundy traded three scoreless innings until the Pelicans broke through.

Center fielder Ryan Strausborger, a catalyst throughout his 4-for-4 night, led off the fourth with a single, moving to third on a throwing error by Frederick third baseman Dale Mollenhauer that allowed Chris McGuiness to reach and go to second. Olt singled behind the pair to plate Strausborger and hand the Pelicans a 1-0 lead. Bundy (0-1) departed after the fourth having allowed one run on four hits.

An inning later, against Keys reliever Nick Haughian, Myrtle Beach added to its advantage when Jared Bolden singled Santiago Chirino home following Chirino's one-out double. After a Leury Garcia sacrifice bunt to put Bolden in scoring position, Strausborger doubled to center field to bring Bolden around and make the score 3-0 in favor of the visitors.

Ross, a second-round pick of the Rangers in 2008, dealt effectively through four innings, tossing 45 strikes in his 70 pitches before his early-season pitch limit forced his removal. The left-hander, rated as the Rangers' 19th-best overall prospect by Baseball America, struck out five and walked two.

The Keys struck back against Myrtle Beach reliever Joseph Ortiz in quick fashion in their half of the fifth. After Ortiz walked Brian Ward to lead off the inning, Garabez Rosa connected with his first homer of the season, an opposite-field shot that brought Frederick to within one at 3-2. Ortiz (1-1) worked the sixth inning as well and picked up the victory.

Thanks to Olt, the Pelicans re-upped their lead to two in the sixth. Myrtle Beach's red-hot third baseman crushed a wrong-way solo shot of his own that proved to be the difference and made it 4-2. Through his first four games at the Class A Advanced level, the highest-rated Pelicans position player is batting .583 with a .706 on-base percentage and a 1.250 slugging percentage to complement his two homers, six runs batted in, and 15 total bases.

The Keys again narrowed the Pelicans' lead to one run with a tally in the seventh against Johan Yan, but in the ninth, Kelly (S, 2) worked around two one-out baserunners to close the affair.

The Pelicans and Keys hook up again on Wednesday for game two of this three-game series at Harry Grove Stadium. Myrtle Beach's Joe Wieland (0-0, 0.00) will get his first start of the season and will be opposed by Jacob Rasner in Rasner's first appearance of 2011.

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 12, 2011


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