CarL Myrtle Beach Pelicans

Pitching Struggles, Pelicans Fall to Hillcats 11-3

Published on April 15, 2023 under Carolina League (CarL)
Myrtle Beach Pelicans News Release


In the fifth game of the week, the Myrtle Beach Pelicans dropped their third contest of the series by the score of 11-3 to the Lynchburg Hillcats on Saturday night. With the loss, the Birds dropped to 3-4 while the Hillcats improved to 4-4 early in the season.

After being blanked for eight innings, the Pelicans scored three runs in the ninth to avoid their first shutout this season. Christian Franklin (2-5, 2B, 3 RBI) knocked all three runs in on a double. Cristian Hernandez (3-4, 3B) recorded his first three-hit game of the season in the loss.

It was a tough night for the pitching staff as starter Koen Moreno (0-1) took the loss with just one earned run through his three innings. Moreno gave up three hits and walked two while hitting four batters. Reliever Erian Rodriguez allowed a bulk of the runs with five coming across the plate in his 2 1/3 frames.

11 hits turned into 11 runs for the Hillcats as both Nate Furman (3-4, 2B, RBI, BB) and Juan Benjamin (3-4, RBI, BB) posted three-hit games. Lexer Saduy (1-3, HR, 4 RBI) hit a three-run home run for the Hillcats' second big fly of the week.

A smooth night for the pitching staff was started by Alonzo Richardson (1-0) who kept the Pelicans scoreless in his five innings with just two hits and two walks allowed with a pair of strikeouts. Samuel Vasquez allowed the three-run double in the ninth but struck out a game-high four in the win.

Lynchburg scored first with a lone run coming across in the third. With the bases loaded and two outs, Pres Cavenaugh was hit by a pitch from Moreno to put the Hillcats up 1-0.

The game broke open with a four-run bottom of the fifth for the Hillcats. Saduy came up with one out and two runners on and lined a home run over the right-center field wall to give the home team a 4-0 lead. Marc Filia followed with a triple and later scored on a balk by Erian Rodriguez.

The Hillcats kept the scoring coming with two runs in every inning following. Maick Collado scored on a wild pitch by Jack Aldrich in the bottom of the sixth and Saduy hit a sacrifice fly to center to extend the Lynchburg lead to 7-0.

In the Hillcats' seventh, Collado hit a sacrifice fly to right field with the bases loaded, and Guy Lipscomb grounded into a forceout to plate another run.

The two runs in the eighth were scored on back-to-back two-out hits with Furman hitting an RBI double and Benjamin scoring him on a single in the next at-bat to push the advantage to 11-0.

The Pelicans made their only noise of the game in the top of the ninth following two strikeouts to begin the frame. Back-to-back singles by Reginald Preciado and Hernandez and a walk to Reivaj Garcia loaded the bases for Franklin. The No. 2 hitter lined a double to deep center field that cleared the bases and scored three to make it an 11-3 game.

With Lynchburg up in the series 3-2, the Pelicans will have a chance to even the first six-game set of the year on Sunday afternoon at 2:00 ET.

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Carolina League Stories from April 15, 2023


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