CarL Myrtle Beach Pelicans

Pelicans Outlast Fireflies for Fifth Straight Win

Published on August 7, 2021 under Carolina League (CarL)
Myrtle Beach Pelicans News Release


The momentum continued for the Myrtle Beach Pelicans as they collected their season-long fifth straight win over the Columbia Fireflies 10-8 on Saturday night. The win brings the Pelicans to just one game under .500 at 41-42, while the Fireflies drop to 38-44 after dropping the first five games of the series.

The win was also the 2,184th for Myrtle Beach manager Buddy Bailey, as he sits just one win away from Johnny Lipon for fourth place on the MiLB all-time wins list.

The visitors were aided by a six-run explosion in the first inning, as the Pelicans collected 12 hits for the entire night with 10 runs. All 12 hits were singles, as Jordan Nwogu (3-6, RBI) tallied his second three-hit game in a row. Yohendrick Pinango (2-5, 3 RBI) led the team with three runs batted in, while Pablo Aliendo (2-5, 2 RBI) brought in two runs for the Birds. Luis Verdugo (2-5, 2 RBI) brought home two runs on a single in the first inning.

DJ Herz started the game for Myrtle Beach and has another solid start against the Fireflies, lasting 4 1/3 innings with eight strikeouts, while giving up three earned runs. Jarod Wright (2-3) took the win with four earned runs over his 3 2/3 innings pitched. Alberto Sojo earned his first save of the year by collecting the final two outs to close out the game.

The Fireflies played from behind the entire game but managed to put nine hits on the scoreboard with eight runs to show for it. Herard Gonzalez (1-4, 2B, 2 RBI) brought home a pair of runs with a double, while Tyler Tolbert (2-4) and Jean Ramirez (2-3, 2B, RBI) posted multi-hit games.

Anderson Paulino (6-4) got roughed up from the start as he took the loss after only picking up the first two outs of the game. All six of his runs were unearned, as Columbia totaled three errors for the game.

The Pelicans took control from the beginning as Ezequiel Pagan reached base on a fielding error by shortstop Rubendy Jaquez to lead off the game. Two batters later, Nwogu knocked his first hit with a single to put runners on the corners. Aliendo then lined a single to left field to score Pagan and give the Pelicans an early 1-0 lead with one out. After Jacob Wetzel struck out, Matt Warkentin was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Myrtle Beach then saw singled from Pinango, Ed Howard, and Verdugo to plate five runs and make it a 6-0 game before the Fireflies had a chance to bat.

The lead was extended in the top of the fourth as Verdugo reached on another fielding error by Jaquez to lead off the inning. Kevin Made then drew a walk with one out, and Nwogu hit in Verdugo on a single to make it 7-0 Birds. Aliendo followed with a bloop single to right field that scored Made.

Columbia began inching back with a four-run bottom of the fifth. Saul Garza started with a single, and Burle Dixon walked to put two runners on with no outs. After Omar Hernandez flew out to right, Gage Hughes singled to score Garza and put the Fireflies on the board. That was the last batter Herz would face, as Wright came out of the bullpen to finish off the inning. Jose Marquez doubled as the first batter to face Wright as Dixon came home to score. Tolbert drew a walk to load the bases, and Wright threw two wild pitched in the next two at-bats that allowed two more runs to cross the plate as the lead was down to four for the Pelicans.

The Pelicans added two more insurance runs to reach double digits in the top of the eighth as Aliendo was hit by a pitch with two outs. He reached second on a wild pitch and scored on a single by Wetzel. Warkentin was hit by a pitch in the next at-bat, and Pinango lined a single to right field to score Wetzel and make it a 10-4 Myrtle Beach lead.

The Fireflies wouldn't go out without a fight as they put up three more runs on five hits in the bottom half. Tolbert singled and advanced to third on a double by Ramirez to put two runners in scoring position. Gonzalez then cracked a double to deep center field to score both runners and cut into the Pelicans' lead. Gonzalez then scored on a groundout by Garza to make it 10-7 Myrtle Beach.

In the final frame, Carlos Ocampo hit Jose Marquez with a pitch with one out in the inning. Marquez got to second on a wild pitch and moved to third on a single by Tolbert. Sojo came on in relief of Ocampo and gave up a single to Ramirez that scored Marquez to make it a 10-8 game as the tying run came to the plate. On a 1-1 pitch, Gonzalez grounded into a 6-4-3 double play to end the game.

Game six of the series will be played on Sunday evening with first pitch at 5:05 p.m.

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Carolina League Stories from August 7, 2021


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