CarL1 Myrtle Beach Pelicans

Pelicans And Blue Rocks Suspended In Ninth

Published on April 9, 2011 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Myrtle Beach Pelicans News Release


MYRTLE BEACH, SC - The rain problems that hampered the first two days of the Carolina League schedule finally hit the Grand Strand on Saturday night. Moments after Wilmington's Rey Navarro hit a game-tying home run off Trevor Hurley, the game between the Blue Rocks and Pelicans was suspended in the ninth inning.

At 2 PM at BB&T Coastal Field, the 5-5 contest will pick up in the top of the ninth inning with no outs and nobody on and Nick Francis at the plate.

After storming back from a 4-1 deficit to take a 5-4 lead in the sixth, the Pelicans were three outs away from victory when Navarro crushed his homer into the trees beyond the right-center field wall. During the next at bat, umpires Kiff Kinkead and Guss Curtis finally halted the game that had been played in varying degrees rain for two innings. After a 32-minute delay, the game was called.

Like the Pelicans the night before, Wilmington got off to a quick start in the first. Whit Merrifield reached on a bunt single and scored on a Francis double. That score held until the bottom of the second when Travis Adair tied it for the Pelicans with the team's first round-tripper of the season.

The Blue Rocks took the lead back in the fourth against Myrtle Beach starter Robbie Erlin with a Joey Lewis two-run homer. The Pelicans southpaw allowed three runs on five hits in four innings, walking one and striking out six.

Kasey Kiker came on for the Birds in the fifth and gave up a run on a wild pitch to increase the Wilmington lead to 4-1. The Pelicans' bats came alive in the bottom half of the inning after chasing starter Tyler Sample from the game. The towering righty gave up three runs in four and two-thirds innings before departing for left-hander Justin Marks.

With men at the corners and two out, Chris McGuiness singled to center to score Leury Garcia and cut the lead to 4-2. That brought up Olt, who belted a three-run home run to left-center to cap the four-run rally and give the Pelicans the lead.

Marks was strong the rest of the way for Wilmington, retiring the last ten batters he faced to keep the game close.

Myrtle Beach reliever Johan Yan wriggled out of a bases loaded jam in the fifth and was in line for the win, departing after working a scoreless sixth. Joe Wieland, a Pelicans starter getting some work in relief, pitched the seventh. After allowing a double to Navarro and walking Tim Ferguson, the righty buckled down to strike out Jose Bonilla and escape trouble.

Trevor Hurley entered in the eighth trying to record a six-out save as teammate Ryan Kelly did the night before. He cruised through the eighth, working around a walk with a pair of strikeout, but he could not slam the door as Navarro's blast tied the game in the ninth. Hurley was 15-for-15 in save opportunities last season with low-A Hickory and high-A Bakersfield.

The homer was Navarro's fourth hit of the game and the second baseman is a triple shy of the cycle heading into Sunday's continuation.

For the Pelicans, McGuiness notched two of the team's five hits and knocked in his second run in as many games. The speedster Garcia followed up his two-steal game Friday with three pilfers on Saturday.

Following the completion of the suspended second game, this three-game set concludes Sunday afternoon at BB&T Coastal Field. Right-hander Barret Loux will make his first professional start for the Pelicans. Jake Odorizzi, acquired by the Royals in the Zack Greinke trade, goes for the Blue Rocks with first pitch scheduled to follow the end of the resumed affair.

Tickets for all Pelicans home games are available at the BB&T Coastal Field box office, MyrtleBeachPelicans.com, and by phone at 843-918-6000 or 877-918-TIXX.

Check out the Myrtle Beach Pelicans Statistics

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



Carolina League Stories from April 9, 2011


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