CarL Myrtle Beach Pelicans

Pelicans Grab Final Game in Lynchburg

May 23, 2021 - Carolina League (CarL)
Myrtle Beach Pelicans News Release


The Pelicans bounced back after dropping three-straight to beat the Hillcats 8-3 in the sixth and final game of the series in Lynchburg on Sunday afternoon. Myrtle Beach moves to an 8-10 record after the first three series to start the season, while Lynchburg drops to 13-5. The Hillcats clinched the series with a win on Saturday night and took four of six games against the Pelicans.

In his first start of the season, infielder Flemin Bautista (3-4, 2B, 2 RBI) posted a three-hit game, the fifth of his career. Four other Pelicans collected RBIs while Yohendrick Pinango (1-4, R) improved his hitting streak to five games in the victory.

The Pelicans brought out four pitchers, with Jose Miguel Gonzalez (1-0) picking up his first win of the season after throwing two innings in relief with one unearned run off one hit. Starter Sam Thoresen pitched the first four innings with two earned runs off four hits. In the longest start of his young career, the right-hander also struck out three and walked two.

Lynchburg was held to seven hits and three runs after scoring 25 off 31 hits in the previous two games. The Hillcats were led by Yordys Valdes (3-4, R) with his second three-hit performance of the series. Christian Cairo (2-5) also tallied a multi-hit game for Lynchburg.

Reliever Zach Hart took the loss for the Hillcats after being the third pitcher to throw in the game, going just over one inning with five runs allowed off three hits. Cade Smith had an impressive appearance in relief with 2.2 scoreless innings pitched only allowing one hit and striking out seven.

Myrtle Beach wasted no time getting ahead with one run coming across in the first inning. Edmond Americaan was hit by a pitch from Hillcats' starter Lenny Torres, and Yeison Santana followed with a single to right field. After Pinango advanced both runners with a groundout, Matt Mervis flew a ball to center for a sacrifice fly that scored Americaan and put the Pelicans up 1-0. It was the fourth game in a row that a team has scored in the opening frame.

The Pelicans used their half of the fourth inning to add two more runs after Jacob Wetzel led the inning off with a walk and moved over to second on a stolen base. Bautista grounded out to advance Wetzel to third and he was driven in one batter later with a Reivaj Garcia single. Garcia was aggressive on the basepaths and stole second, then later scored when Yeison Santana popped up a routine fly ball to Cody Farhat in left field which was misplayed and fell to the grass. It was the first of two errors charged to the Hillcats and put the Birds up 3-0 heading to the bottom of the fourth.

The bottom half brought Lynchburg back in the game with Micah Pries getting on base with a single and Jhonkensy Noel being hit by a pitch from Thoresen to put runners on first and second to start the inning. After the benches cleared to the middle of the field following the hit batter, play resumed with Gabriel Rodriguez walking to load up the bases with one out. Andres Melendez picked up the first RBI of the game for Lynchburg with a sacrifice fly to center field to score Pries, and Farhat singled to right to bring in Will Bartlett, the pinch runner for Noel. Myrtle Beach maintained a 3-2 lead after four innings of play.

Gonzalez relieved Thoresen in the fifth inning for the Pelicans and gave up a single to Valdes to open up the frame. After Cairo flew a ball to center for the first out, Pries walked to put two runners on. Following a wild pitch from Gonzalez, Valdes advanced to third and later scored on a fielding error by Matt Mervis on a pickoff attempt at first, and the game was tied 3-3.

The two teams stayed the same through the sixth but Myrtle Beach turned in their biggest inning of the year in their half of the seventh with five runs coming home to score. Hart came out of the bullpen to face the top of the Birds' order and immediately gave up a single up the middle to Americaan who advanced to second on the Pelicans' third stolen base of the game. Santana and Pinango drew back-to-back walks, and after Mervis struck out swinging, Jonathan Sierra reached base after a misplayed grounder from Cairo at second that scored two runs and gave the Pelicans the lead back at 5-3. Following the play, Ethan Hearn walked to load the bases back up and Wetzel lined a ball to left field to plate another run. The big inning concluded with Bautista hugging a hit down the right-field line to score Sierra and Hearn and extend the Pelicans' lead to 8-3.

Eduarniel Nunez and Scott Kobos shared the following three innings on the mound for Myrtle Beach and held Lynchburg scoreless.

The Pelicans will have a day off on Monday, before staying in Virginia and starting a new series with the Salem Red Sox (11-7) with the first game starting on Tuesday at 7:05 p.m.

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