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CarL Myrtle Beach Pelicans

Pelicans Fall One Run Short to Columbia in Series Opener

July 13, 2021 - Carolina League (CarL)
Myrtle Beach Pelicans News Release


It's the seventh series-opening loss for the Pelicans this season

The Myrtle Beach Pelicans took an early lead but eventually lost to the Columbia Fireflies by the final of 4-3 on Tuesday night. It's the second-straight loss for Myrtle Beach, as they fall to 26-34 on the season. Columbia improves to 30-27 with the series-opening victory.

Fabian Pertuz (1-4, HR) hit his second home run of the season with a solo shot to left field in the seventh inning to bring the score to 4-3, but the Pelicans lineup stalled in the final three innings. Jacob Wetzel (2-4) and Jordan Nwogu (2-4, R) both tallied multi-hit games with Matt Warkentin (1-4, RBI) bringing in the first run of the ballgame.

Starting pitcher Richard Gallardo (2-5) lasted five innings and took his third loss to the Columbia Fireflies this season with two earned runs off four hits. He totaled a season-high-tying five strikeouts with two walks.

Columbia matched Myrtle Beach's hit total with eight as Felix Familia (2-4, 2 2B) led the team with a pair of doubles. Herard Gonzalez (2-4, 2B) also posted a multi-hit performance. Of the eight hits, half of them were doubles.

The victory went to the first pitcher out of the bullpen Emelio Marquez (4-0) as he threw 1 1/3 innings of hitless baseball with two strikeouts. Ismael Aquino picked up his second save of the year in his return to the Fireflies by retiring the side in the ninth inning.

The Pelicans took the first lead of the game as two runs scored in the bottom of the second inning. Pablo Aliendo led off with a single to left field, and two batters later Nwogu knocked an opposite-field single to right field to put runners at the corners. Nwogu would later steal second for his seventh stolen base of the season. Warkentin came up and hit a slow ground ball to Tyler Tolbert at short as Aliendo came home to score. Tolbert then threw the ball wildly to first which allowed Nwogu to score the second run and give Myrtle Beach an early 2-0 advantage.

Columbia came roaring back in the top of the fifth inning for three runs off Gallardo. Familia started it off with a double into right field. He would score on the next batter as Burle Dixon hit a single to right to put the Fireflies on the board. Dixon stole second and Rubendy Jaquez came up and hit another double to right field to score Dixon and tie the game. With nobody out, Matthew Schmidt reached base on a fielding error by third baseman Luis Verdugo on a bad hop to put two runners on. Jaquez was later picked off by Pelicans' catcher Ethan Hearn in the middle of second and third for the first out. Gonzalez followed with the third double of the inning to right field as Schmidt got to third. Tolbert then sent another ball to Verdugo that hit off the glove and allowed Schmidt to score. The Fireflies held a 3-2 lead after the top of the fifth.

An insurance run came home for Columbia in the top of the seventh as Gonzalez worked a one-out walk to get on base. Tolbert followed with his second hit of the night on a single that put runners at the corners on reliever Alberto Sojo. After a mound visit, Darryl Collins ripped a single to right field to score Gonzalez and extend the lead to 4-2.

Pertuz put Myrtle Beach back in the game by leading off the bottom of the seventh with a first-pitch solo home run to left field for his second of the season. The next three batters were retired to cut the rally short.

With one out in the bottom of the eighth, Hearn would get hit by a pitch to put the tying run aboard. The following two batters struck out to strand him at first.

The Pelicans and Fireflies will return to Pelicans Ballpark for game two on Wednesday night at 7:05 p.m. for Wiener Wednesday presented by 106.5 Nash FM.

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