CarL1 Myrtle Beach Pelicans

Opener Slips Away from Pelicans in Salem

Published on May 5, 2011 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Myrtle Beach Pelicans News Release


SALEM, VA - Inning after inning evaporated at Salem Memorial Ballpark Thursday night with the Pelicans not generating offensive chances and the Salem Red Sox missing out on theirs. Until they counted, that is.

Shaky defense and bizarre plays doomed the Pelicans in the late frames as, despite taking a 3-2 lead going to the bottom of the ninth, the Red Sox scored once in the ninth and once in the tenth on two balls in the infield to claim the series opener of four between the two clubs 4-3.

Early on, the dichotomy of the Carolina League's two best offenses was that one couldn't convert opportunities and one couldn't ignite any. The Red Sox scored once in the first and once in the third but left men on in each frame and stranded the bases loaded in the fourth. The Pelicans bounced back in that inning when, with two outs, Mitch Hilligoss singled, Mike Olt walked, and Jared Hoying doubled home both to tie the game at two. Myrtle Beach had its only baserunners aboard in that frame until the eighth as Salem starter Ryan Pressly and reliever Jeremiah Bayer kept the Birds' bats quiet.

Meanwhile, the Red Sox continued to squander chances, also stranding individual runners in the fifth, sixth, and seventh innings before going down in order in the eighth. In the ninth, Myrtle Beach broke the 2-2 deadlock. Olt and Hoying each singled with one out, the former going to third on the latter's, and Jared Prince drove home the go-ahead run for the Birds on a hot-shot grounder Salem shortstop Derrik Gibson couldn't handle. One batter later, Zach Zaneski smoked a one-hopper off the wall against righty reliever Kendal Volz, but in a bizarre turn of events, with each runner only advancing one base to second and third, Zaneski was tagged out when the throw trickled away from cutoff man Zach Gentile, and first baseman Reynoldo Rodriguez picked it up to touch the Pelicans catcher who had rounded the bag too far. Santiago Chirino's flyout to center moments later ended the inning and left two men in scoring position.

Salem made Myrtle Beach pay. Reliever Wilfredo Boscan, transferred to the Pelicans from Double-A Frisco on Tuesday, entered his fifth inning of work in relief of Pelicans starter Ryan Kelly who went four and immediately ran into trouble. Zach Gentile singled to lead off and went to second on a Jeremy Hazelbaker bunt single. With runners at first and second, Peter Hissey rapped what looked to be a surefire double-play ball to second baseman Chirino who flipped to Andres James, into the game for a hobbled Leury Garcia at short, who hesitated on his throw to first which bounded wide of Mitch Hilligoss. Instead of a runner at third and two outs, Gentile scored the game-tying run from second on the play to knot the score again at 3-3.

In the tenth, the Red Sox mounted their charge with two gone against Pelicans reliever Trevor Hurley. Gibson walked on four pitches and stole second, and Gentile, in the mix again, hit a slow roller to the first-base side of the pitcher's mound. A miscommunication between Hurley and Hillgoss left the pitcher struggling to field the ball, and his gloved flip went wide of Hilligoss, allowing Gibson to score the game-winning run also from second base on an infield single. The Pelicans also lost on an infield single Monday night at Potomac when Destin Hood brought home Chris Curran from third on a ball hit to short for a 3-2 win. Thursday night's loss set Myrtle Beach back to two games behind the Red Sox for first place in the Carolina League Southern Division.

The Pelicans look to even the series Friday night at Salem Memorial Ballpark when they send reigning Carolina League Pitcher of the Week Robbie Erlin (2-0, 2.48) against fellow southpaw Chris Hernandez (2-1, 2.75) at 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 May 5, 2011


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