CarL1 Myrtle Beach Pelicans

Pelicans Overcome Early Lead, Fall Late

Published on April 14, 2011 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Myrtle Beach Pelicans News Release


FREDERICK, MD - The first series matchup of the Frederick Keys and Myrtle Beach Pelicans in 2011 featured a cast of Carolina League veterans from the home team and a team of newcomers in the visitors. In the end, the old guard prevailed.

Frederick, a club with 16 players who have Advanced A experience or higher, blew a 3-0 opening-inning lead but rallied for three more runs in the bottom of the sixth to turn a 4-3 deficit around, and the Keys held off a Pelicans rally in the ninth to take the series with a 6-5 victory Thursday night at Harry Grove Stadium.

Pressed into duty following an emergency promotion of Opening Day starter Neil Ramirez to Triple-A Round Rock Wednesday, Pelicans spot starter Chad Bell struggled in the opening frame, allowing six of the first seven men he faced to reach and three to score, two of them on a Tyler Townsend double. The Keys led 3-0 after one.

With Andrew Doyle, who joined the Pelicans from Class A Hickory to take Ramirez's roster spot, holding things together on the mound for the Birds, Myrtle Beach's offense went to work, chipping away at the early deficit. In the second, Jared Prince walked, went to second and third on wild pitches by Keys starter Nathan Moreau, and scored on a fielder's choice ground ball by Andres James to make it 3-1. One inning later, Ryan Strausborger singled, went to third on an errant pickoff throw by Moreau, and scored on Jared Hoying's RBI base hit behind him. Later in the inning, with two outs and the bases loaded, Vinny DiFazio notched a single of his own and went to second on yet another Moreau wild pitch, scoring on Travis Adair's double to knot the game at three runs apiece.

In the fourth, the Strausborger-Hoying combination worked again with the former doubling and the latter singling him home. Hoying, in the lineup for the first time since opening night, went 2-for-4 in his return to the Pelicans.

The Keys made Myrtle Beach miss opportunity after opportunity, however, as the Pelicans left 13 men on base as a team and went 4-for-13 with runners in scoring position. Frederick reliever Will Startup got an inning-ending 1-2-3- double-play ball with the bases loaded from Santiago Chirino to end the fifth inning. Startup (1-0) then stranded the bases loaded in the sixth, choking out a Pelicans rally with outs of DiFazio and Prince after the Pelicans had loaded the bases with one out.

In the sixth, Frederick broke through to seize the lead again against Pelicans reliever Kasey Kiker. Garabez Rosa, Kyle Hudson, LJ Hoes, and Tyler Townsend reached on a single, walk, error, and hit by pitch to start the inning before Kiker (0-1) departed. Townsend's bases-loaded HBP brought in Rosa to tie it, and Jacob Julius singled home Hudson and Hoes to give Frederick the run total it would need.

In the ninth, the Pelicans got three straight two-out singles by Adair, James, and Chirino with the last scoring the Birds' fifth run to cut the deficit to 6-5. With two gone, Jared Bolden sent a groundball to the shortstop Rosa whose throw appeared to arrive after the Pelicans first baseman. Field umpire Matt Jones didn't agree, calling Bolden out and ending the game with the Keys escaping 6-5. Kenny Moreland (S, 1) closed the affair for Frederick

The Pelicans will travel to Lynchburg for an emotional Hillcats home opener on Friday night at Lynchburg City Stadium. Over a dozen Hillcats players on the Lynchburg 2011 roster saw time in a Pelicans uniform in 2010, and the Hillcats will welcome manager Luis Salazar for his first game at the helm in their inaugural home contest as affiliates of the Atlanta Braves. Former Pelican Arodys Vizcaino gets the ball for the 'Cats against Myrtle Beach's Robbie Erlin with first pitch scheduled for 7:05 p.m.

The Birds return home on Monday, April 19 for the first of a brief three-game homestand against the Winston-Salem Dash. Monday night is Kids Eat Free night with all kids ages 12 and under receiving a coupon for a free hot dog, chips, and drink with their admission. Tickets can be purchased by visiting the BB&T Coastal Field Box office, the Tickets page at MyrtleBeachPelicans.com, or by calling (843)918-6000 or (877)918-TIXX.

Check out the Myrtle Beach Pelicans Statistics

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Carolina League Stories from April 14, 2011


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