CarL1 Myrtle Beach Pelicans

Pelicans Squander Comeback in Loss

Published on June 2, 2011 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Myrtle Beach Pelicans News Release


FREDERICK, MD - It's been that kind of week for the Myrtle Beach Pelicans. After battling back from 5-2 down to tie the game with three runs in the top of the eighth, Trevor Hurley surrendered the game-winning homer in the bottom of the eighth to Dale Mollenhauer as the Birds fell 6-5 to the Frederick Keys to lose three out of four at Harry Grove Stadium.

The Birds eighth-inning comeback started innocently enough when Santiago Chirino reached on a error by shortstop Garabez Rosa. Leury Garcia followed with an infield single against Keys starter Nathan Moreau. The lefty threw a wild pitch to move the runners up before Jared Hoying reached on another infield single to bring home Chirino. Justin Moore (2-0) entered for Moreau and although he induced a groundout from Ryan Strausborger, Garcia scored from third to trim the lead to 5-4. On the Pelicans' first ball to leave the infield in the inning, Mike Olt singled up the middle to score Strausborger and even the score at five apiece.

The excitement was short-lived as Mollenhauer started the home half of the eighth with the homer off Hurley (0-2) to give the Keys the lead right back at 6-5.

The Pelicans comeback bid fell short in the ninth against Frederick closer Sean Gleason. Mitch Hilligoss reached on catcher's interference to start in the inning before Jared Prince bunted him to second. With the tying run in scoring position, Chirino struck out and Garcia flew out to center to end the game and give the Keys the series victory.

Like they did in the other three losses in the series, the Pelicans scored first. Zach Zaneski singled home Olt in the second and Strausborger drove in David Paisano with a second run in the third.

Carolina League ERA leader and reigning Pitcher of the Week Joe Wieland was not sharp in his six innings of work. He quickly coughed up the two-run lead as the Keys plated three in the bottom of the third to take the lead. With men at first and third and one out, Kipp Schutz doubled home both to tie the game at two before Tyler Kolodny singled him in to puts the Keys ahead.

Frederick added two more in the sixth when Rosa doubled to score Kolodny. The Pelicans seemed to have Brian Ward thrown out at the plate on the play, but Ward's slide knocked the ball out of Zaneski's glove to give the Keys another run and a 5-2 lead.

While Wieland has dominated the Carolina League this season, he has struggled against the Keys. Of the 15 runs he's allowed in 65 innings, 11 have been scored by the Keys. He has a 5.82 ERA against Frederick and a 0.75 ERA against everyone else.

However, he did strike out six tonight to take the league lead in strikeouts and he went six more innings without issuing a walk to extend his streak to 54.1 consecutive innings without walking a batter.

Moreau shut down the Pelicans through the middle innings, at one point retiring nine straight. In his season-long outing, he went seven and one-third innings, allowing five runs, two earned, with three walks and three strikeouts.

After the Pelicans lost, Kinston beat Wilmington at home 7-6 to trim Myrtle Beach's lead in the Southern Division to only three and a half games. Salem won at Lynchburg as well to move to four and a half games behind the first-place Pelicans.

The Birds will try to get back on the right track in Lynchburg when they start a three-game weekend series on Friday night. Right-hander Justin Grimm, coming off a terrific Myrtle Beach debut on Sunday, gets the start. The Pelicans return home for a four-game series against Winston-Salem starting Monday, June 6. Tickets for all Pelicans home games 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 June 2, 2011


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