CarL1 Myrtle Beach Pelicans

Pelicans Fall 4-3 to Keys in 11

Published on June 1, 2011 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Myrtle Beach Pelicans News Release


FREDERICK, MD - The Pelicans have been pulling off comeback wins all season, but tonight they got a taste of their own medicine. The Frederick Keys scored three runs in the seventh inning to tie the game, then rallied in the 11th to win it when Kipp Schutz doubled home Bobby Stevens to cap a 4-3 win at Harry Grove Stadium.

The home half of the 11th inning started with a Stevens single. With two lefties coming up for the Keys, Birds reliever Johan Yan (2-3) was replaced by southpaw Chad Bell. Tyler Townsend hit a ground ball to short that looked like it would be an easy double play. But the ball hit the lip of the infield grass and took a wild hop over the head of shortstop Leury Garcia and instead of two outs with nobody on, Frederick was set up with first and second with no outs.

That set the stage for Schutz, the recent call-up from low-A Delmarva laced a liner the other way down the left field line to bring home Stevens with the winning run. It was Frederick's third walk-off victory of the season.

The game started out great for Myrtle Beach, as they scored three runs against Keys ace right-hander Bobby Bundy. Mitch Hilligoss doubled to lead off the second inning and Santiago Chirino singled him in with the game's first run. Hilligoss cracked a solo homer in the fourth off Bundy for his second home run of 2011 and a 2-0 Pelicans lead.

Ryan Strausborger hit a home run to left-center field in the fifth that the Keys thought did not get over the wall. Frederick skipper Orlando Gomez argument with the umpires was disregarded and the Birds had a 3-0 lead.

For the second straight start, Pelicans righty Wilfredo Boscan was outpitching the other team's ace. After a solid start on Friday against Jake Odorizzi and the Wilmington Blue Rocks, the Venezuelan was outdueling Bundy through the first six innings. He cruised along, shutting out the Keys on just three hits, walking one and striking out seven.

Things fell apart in the seventh though for Myrtle Beach. Singles by Schutz and Tyler Kolodny knocked Boscan out of the game and with runners at second and third, Dale Mollenhauer singled off Joe Ortiz to put the Keys on the board and trim the lead to 3-2. With two outs and Mollenhauer at third, Garabez Rosa hit a slow dribbler up the middle and beat the throw from the second baseman Chirino to tie the game at three.

Boscan was charged with two runs in six-plus innings while Ortiz was charged with one in his two innings of relief.

Bundy lasted into the seventh, going six-plus innings while allowing three runs on seven hits, walking one with five strikeouts. Will Startup shut down the Pelicans through the seventh, eighth and ninth.

Yan was dominant through his first two innings in the ninth and tenth, getting two strikeouts and an inning-ending double play to send the game to the 11th.

After closer Sean Gleason had a 1-2-3 tenth with two strikeouts, Justin Moore (1-0) did the game in a perfect 11th to pick up the win for the Keys who take a half-game lead over Wilmington in the Northern Division. The loss keeps the Pelicans at four and a half games up on Kinston, who also lost this afternoon.

The fourth and final game of the series is tomorrow night as star right-hander and Carolina League ERA leader Joe Wieland will try to get the Pelicans a split. Lefty Nathan Moreau goes for the Keys as Frederick tries to take three out of four. After a weekend series in Lynchburg, the Pelicans return home for a four-game series against Winston-Salem starting Monday, June 6. 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.

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Carolina League Stories from June 1, 2011


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