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CarL1 Myrtle Beach Pelicans

Pelicans Drop Second Straight at Home to Salem 6-2

September 4, 2011 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Myrtle Beach Pelicans News Release


MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. - The Myrtle Beach Pelicans found out they will face the Kinston Indians in the postseason starting Wednesday, but they haven't been getting in tune the last two nights as they suffered their second straight loss to last-place Salem on Sunday, falling 6-2 at BB&T Coastal Field. A controversial fifth-inning turned the tide for Salem in a 2-2 game.

Myrtle Beach got on the board against starter Anthony Ranaudo in the second inning when Mike Olt led off with a double and came around to score the game's first run on a Chris McGuiness two-out single. They added another run in the third with back-to-back opposite-field two-out doubles by Leury Garcia and Andrew Clark.

The Red Sox bounced back in the fourth against Kennil Gomez with a two-run homer by Matt Spring. Salem took the lead in the fifth with the help of what replays show to be a missed call. Peter Hissey led off with a bunt single and was clearly late getting back to first on a pickoff, but base umpire John Bacon called him safe. With two outs and two men aboard, Heiker Meneses laced a two-run double to snap a 2-2 tie.

Another missed call aided the Red Sox in the seventh. Jared Hoying doubled with one out and Ryan Strausborger bunted him to third and appeared to beat the throw to first as well, but he was ruled out by Bacon. Instead of having runners at the corners with one out, it was just a runner at third with two down before Leury Garcia grounded out to end the frame.

Gomez (2-7) pitched better than his box score line would indicate, but he took the loss after allowing four runs on seven hits in six innings. Colby Killian worked a scoreless seventh before righty Kyle Devore, fresh from rookie ball, made his Carolina League debut. Devore gave up two unearned runs in the top of the eighth as Salem opened up a 6-2 advantage. Joe Ortiz finished the game for Myrtle Beach by retiring all four men he faced, three on strikes.

Ranaudo (5-5) worked five innings to pick up the win, allowing two runs on four hits. Reliever Dennis Neuman entered in the sixth and posted two and one-third scoreless innings before running into trouble in the eighth with a walk to Andrew Clark and a Travis Adair single. T.J. Hose put out the fire by retiring Vinny Difazio and McGuiness with two runners in scoring position. Hose then put down the Birds in order in the ninth to record his first save.

Eight of the nine starters notched exactly one hit for Myrtle Beach as leadoff man Ryan Strausborger recorded the only 0-fer of the night. Spring, Bryce Brentz and Josue Peley all knocked two hits apiece for Salem in the win.

The Pelicans need a win in the final game of the season tomorrow to avoid a 10-10 split of the season series split with Salem and to also avoid finishing in last place in the division for the second half.

Elsewhere in the Carolina League, Kinston swept a doubleheader at Potomac to clinch the Southern Division second-half title and set up a first-round playoff matchup against the Pelicans. The Birds and the K-Tribe split the 20-game regular season series that included the longest game in Carolina League history, a 23-inning affair in Kinston on June 12 that the Indians won 3-2. The postseason begins Wednesday night at BB&T Coastal Field with Game One of the Southern Division Championship Series.

The regular season finale is set for Monday night as lefty Chad Bell (3-2, 3.01) makes a brief start in a postseason tune-up for Myrtle Beach against Salem right-hander Stolmy Pimentel (5-4, 4.84). Tickets for all Pelicans home games, including the postseason, are available at the BB&T Coastal Field box office, MyrtleBeachPelicans.com, and by phone at 843-918-6000 or 877-918-TIXX.

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