CarL Myrtle Beach Pelicans

Pelicans Fall on Opening Night to RiverDogs 6-2

April 6, 2023 - Carolina League (CarL)
Myrtle Beach Pelicans News Release


In front of a sellout crowd of 6,600, the Myrtle Beach Pelicans were defeated by the Charleston RiverDogs 6-2 on Opening Night. The loss drops the Pelicans to 0-1 for the fifth consecutive season. For the third straight year, Charleston opened their season with a win over Myrtle Beach.

Pelicans' starter Grant Kipp (0-1) took the loss after allowing just one earned run, but four runs in total in his three innings. Kipp walked four with three strikeouts while allowing a trio of hits. Reliever Saul Gonzalez was impressive in his two innings with just one hit allowed and a strikeout. In his Pelicans debut, Marino Santy lasted three innings with four strikeouts and just one hit allowed with a pair of unearned runs. In their first game of the year, the Pelicans committed three errors in the field, with two being charged to Cristian Hernandez and one to Christian Franklin.

The Myrtle Beach lineup collected six hits with all of them being singles in the loss. Pedro Ramirez (2-4, RBI) was the only Bird to collect a multi-hit game. Moises Ballesteros (1-3, RBI) brought home a run with a sacrifice fly. Myrtle Beach left five runners on base while going 1-for-3 with runners in scoring position.

Charleston's final pitcher, Junior William (1-0), earned the win by throwing the final two innings and holding the Pelicans to two runs while striking out two. Starter Marcus Johnson threw the first four scoreless innings with five strikeouts and just a pair of hits allowed.

The RiverDogs had two players with multi-hit games, with Dominic Keegan (2-3, RBI, BB) collecting two singles and an RBI while also scoring two runs. Xavier Isaac (2-5, 2B) smashed the only extra-base hit of the evening with a double in the first. Chandler Simpson (1-4, RBI, BB) and Ryan Spikes (1-5, RBI) each collected RBI singles in the win.

After a scoreless first frame on both sides, the RiverDogs jumped on Kipp and the Pelicans' defense with a three-run top of the second. Keegan singled to lead off the inning and Kipp later walked back-to-back batters as the RiverDogs loaded the bases. With two outs, Simpson hit a chopper to Hernandez at short. His flip to second base was too high for Ramirez as two runs came home to score. Spikes followed with an RBI single to put the RiverDogs up 3-0.

Another run came home for the visitors in the top of the fourth. After Carlos Colmenarez walked and stole second, Cristopher Barete grounded out to Saul Gonzalez to move Colmenarez to third. Simpson brought him home on a line-drive single to right for a 4-0 Charleston lead.

The Pelicans struck the scoreboard for the first time in the bottom of the sixth. With runners on first and second, Ramirez grounded a single to left field that scored Rafael Morel from second for the first run of the 2023 season. With runners on second and third, Ballesteros hammed a sacrifice fly to deep center field that was caught on a slide by Simpson as Franklin crossed home to make it a 4-2 deficit.

The final two insurance runs came for the RiverDogs in their half of the eighth. Cooper Kinney reached base on a fly ball that hit off Franklin's glove in left-center field. After reaching second, Kinney scored on a single by Keegan to right field. Keegan later scored on a wild throw by Hernandez to first to increase the lead to 6-2.

The Pelicans and RiverDogs continue their season-opening series on Friday night at Pelicans Ballpark with first pitch at 7:05 p.m.

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Carolina League Stories from April 6, 2023


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