CarL1 Myrtle Beach Pelicans

Pelicans Snap Skid In Twinbill Sweep

Published on July 27, 2011 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Myrtle Beach Pelicans News Release


MYRTLE BEACH, SC. - Tuesday's rainout must have washed away the Myrtle Beach Pelicans' offensive troubles. After hitting .112 as a team during a four-game losing streak, the Birds rallied for nine runs and 16 hits and tossed a pair of seven-inning shutouts in a doubleheader sweep of the Lynchburg Hillcats on Wednesday at BB&T Coastal Field, 5-0 and 4-0.

Travis Adair led the offense by going 3-for-3 in both games. Santiago Chirino had three hits combined, including a three-run home run that broke open the first game in the sixth inning.

Myrtle Beach received a great start in the opener from Justin Grimm, who tossed six shutout innings of three-hit ball, but the Birds got an even better one in the finale out of spot starter Chad Bell. The lefty, pressed into duty after the rainout, retired 15 of the 16 batters he faced, allowing only a Barrett Kleinknecht leadoff double in the third.

Wednesday's victories mark the second time this season that the Pelicans have swept a twinbill with two shutouts. Myrtle Beach did not allow a run to the Kinston Indians in a home sweep on May 11.

Myrtle Beach got on the board in the opener against former Pelican Zeke Spruill with a David Paisano third-inning double that scored Chirino. With two down in the inning and two men on base, Jared Prince grounded to the left side and third baseman Joe Leonard misplayed it for a run-scoring error to give the Birds a 2-0 lead.

Spruill was back in trouble in the sixth when Zach Zaneski walked and Adair singled to start the inning. Jared Hoying bunted the runners over and Chirino followed with his homer, the fourth of his professional career, all coming in 2011. That shot put the game away at 5-0.

Spruill (7-9) went the distance for the fifth time this season, but the league leader in innings pitched and complete games took the loss. The righty allowed five runs, four earned, in six innings of work, walking two and striking out one.

The Pelicans struck early in the second game, scoring twice in the first inning on RBI singles by Adair and Vinny DiFazio. Myrtle Beach added two more runs against starter Blaine Sims (3-4) in the fourth inning. With two on and two out, Jared Prince rocked a double into the gap in left center to plate Adair and Jared Bolden and make it a 4-0 game.

The first whitewash of the Hillcats was closed out by Ryan Rodebaugh, who relieved Grimm and capped a 1-2-3 seventh with a strikeout of Christian Bethancourt to give the Birds a 5-0 win. The 4-0 nightcap was finished by Joe Ortiz, who went six up, six down in the sixth and seventh behind Bell.

The series concludes on Thursday night with a matchup of right-handers as Barret Loux (8-5, 3.33) goes for the Birds against Aaron Shafer (3-3, 3.05) of Lynchburg. First pitch at BB&T Coastal Field is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. The homestand rolls on through the weekend when the Pelicans host the Winston-Salem Dash for a three-game set Friday-Sunday. Tickets for all Pelicans home games, including the postseason, are available at the BB&T Coastal Field box office, MyrtleBeachPelicans.com, and by phone at 843-918-6000 or 877-918-TIXX.

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Carolina League Stories from July 27, 2011


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