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CarL Myrtle Beach Pelicans

Pelicans Fall 14-13 in 13-Inning Marathon in Lynchburg

May 22, 2021 - Carolina League (CarL)
Myrtle Beach Pelicans News Release


In a game where the Pelicans saw a 9-0 lead slip away, The Hillcats ended up on top 14-13 after outlasting Myrtle Beach in a 13-inning contest. The loss drops the Birds to 7-9, while Lynchburg improves to 12-4 on the season and takes a one-game lead over Delmarva in the Low-A East, North division standings.

For the second time this season, the Pelicans headed to extra innings to decide the game. As a result, seven different players came up to bat six times, with two three-hit ballgames. Edmond Americaan (3-6, 3 R, RBI, 2B) and Ed Howard (3-5, 3 R) led the Pelicans on the hitting side. Yohendrick Pinango (2-6, R, 4 RBI, 2B) also turned in a solid performance with a new career-high in RBIs with four. As a team, the Pelicans totaled 14 hits.

Didier Vargas (0-1) took the loss after giving up the walk-off hit to Yainer Diaz. Vargas threw 1.1 innings with two unearned runs allowed off two hits. Myrtle Beach starter Manuel Espinoza (1-1) went the first five innings with a career-high nine hits allowed and four earned runs, including a home run.

At one point, Lynchburg was down 9-0 in the fifth inning, but the lineup led by three different three-hit performances battled back with 16 hits total. Diaz (3-7, RBI) was clutched up the walk-off single while Jhonkensy Noel (3-6, 4 R, 2 HR, 2B, 4 RBI) has a spectacular game with two homers, and Yordys Valdes (3-5, R, RBI) also posted a solid performance at the plate. Lynchburg tallied double-digit runs for the fourth time this season.

The win went to Randy Labaut (2-0) after the reliever held the Pelicans scoreless in their half of the 13th. Starter Sergio Morillo was knocked out early after collecting only two outs with four earned runs, three walks, and no hits allowed in his outing.

The Pelicans got off to their best start to a game this season by batting around in the first inning and plating six runs. Americaan and Howard both walked to put runners on, then Jonathan Sierra drew a two-out walk to load the bases. Luis Verdugo was hit by a pitch from Morillo and without getting a hit, the Birds were on the board. Morillo would come out in favor of Eric Mock, and Jacob Wetzel doubled to right field on the new pitcher to unload the bases and give Myrtle Beach a 4-0 lead. Ethan Hearn came up next and singled home Wetzel to extend the lead, and after a Reivaj Garcia single to get Hearn to third, Americaan came back up and knocked an RBI single in between second and first. The Pelicans went into the bottom of the first up 6-0 on four hits and three walks.

Lynchburg loaded up the bases in the first with one out, but Johnathan Rodriguez grounded into a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning without any runs scored.

The Pelicans lenghthened their lead in their half of the fourth inning, with Americaan collecting his second hit of the game to lead off the inning. Howard made it two singles in a row, and Pinango hit them both home by pulling a pitch to right field and standing up for a two-run double to make it 8-0. Sierra reached base on an error two batters later which scored Pinango to cap off the inning at a 9-0 Myrtle Beach lead.

Lynchburg got back into the ballgame with a four-run fifth inning led off by an Alexfri Planez double to left-center. Valdes picked up his lone RBI of the game with a single to left that scored Planez. Noel got the first of his four RBIs with a two-out double to score Christian Cairo and make it 9-2, and the inning finale was Will Bartlett hammering a two-run home run to left field to get the Hillcats closer at 9-4.

Myrtle Beach gave up more of their lead in the seventh inning with reliever Tyler Suellentrop in the game. After quickly getting the first two outs of the inning with a lineout and groundout to first baseman Matt Mervis, Suellentrop gave up a walk to Angel Martinez. Noel came up next and belted his first home run of the game to left center field to pull the Hillcats within three at 9-6.

Lynchburg built on that rally in the seventh inning with three more runs to tie the game in the eighth. Suellentrop remained in the game and struck out Diaz to start the inning, then walked Jonathan Rodriguez. After a passed ball behind Pelicans' catcher Hearn, Rodriguez advanced into scoring position. Gabriel Rodriguez struck out for the second out of the inning, and Suellentrop got Planez to swing at a ball in the dirt for strike three but the ball trickled all the way to the backstop which allowed Planez to reach base on the dropped third strike, and Jonathan Rodriguez to score to keep the inning going. Cody Farhat then singled to left field, and the double steal was put on to put runners on second and third base with still two outs. Valdes came up and flied a ball to shallow right field that fell off the glove of Pelicans' second baseman Yeison Santana for an error and two more runs came across to tie the game at nine.

The visitors would go on top in the ninth inning with Howard leading it off for the Birds and laying down a bunt to reach base on a bunt single. Howard went to second on a wild pitch by Hillcats' reliever Trey Benton, and Pinango knocked him in with a single to right-center to put the Pelicans up 10-9 heading into the bottom of the ninth.

Noel led the inning off with his second homer of the ballgame, and the game was knotted up at 10 and was sent to extra-innings.

Both teams flip flopped runs until the 13th. The Pelicans got an RBI double from Garcia to plate Santana after he started at second base, and it was 11-10. Bailey Reid came into the game to try and close it out for Myrtle Beach, but threw two wild pitches that led to Gabriel Rodriguez scoring and tying the game at 11.

Howard reached base again via the bunt single to start off the 11th and got Americaan to third. Pinango hit into a groundout that scored Americaan and put the Pelicans up 12-11. For the Hillcats, it was Johnathan Rodriguez with a two-out single that scored Noel to tie it up at 12.

Another two-out hit is what kept the game going in the 12th inning as Hearn tripled to score Sierra for the Pelicans and give them the lead at 13-12. Didier Vargas came out of the bullpen for Myrtle Beach with the task of keeping Lynchburg scoreless in their half of the 12th and with two outs, Valdes singled home Gabriel Rodriguez to even the score, and was later thrown out at second base by Hearn as he was trying to steal.

The Pelicans were held quiet in their half of the 13th after loading up the bases on the new Hillcats' pitcher Labaut. The game ended after Lynchburg loaded up the bases in their half, and Diaz hit a broken bat single through the hole at shortstop to score Valdes and the Hillcats walked it off with a 14-13 win in 13 innings.

Lynchburg and Myrtle Beach will continue their series with the fifth game on Saturday at 6:30 p.m.. Adam Laskey is set to get the start for the Pelicans.

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