CarL1 Myrtle Beach Pelicans

Up 4-1 in Ninth, Birds Blow Lead in 5-4 Defeat

September 3, 2011 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Myrtle Beach Pelicans News Release


MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. - The Myrtle Beach Pelicans seemed to be getting in tune for the postseason but a ninth-inning implosion kept them from picking up their fourth straight win. The Pelicans blew a 4-1 lead in the ninth inning as Miles Head's three-run homer off Jimmy Reyes handed the Salem Red Sox a 5-4 win at BB&T Coastal Field on Saturday night in front of 4,470.

Salem's rally in the final frame began when the southpaw Reyes (0-1) hit the first two batters he faced, Heiker Meneses and Bryce Brentz. Two batters later, Jorge Padron knocked an RBI double that cut the lead to 4-2 and put the tying run in scoring position with one out. Head rocked the next pitch into the left field bleachers that gave the Red Sox their first lead of the game.

Pete Ruiz (6-5) put the Birds down in the ninth inning as Myrtle Beach suffered a bitter defeat against the last-place Red Sox. The loss puts a damper on a great outing in a spot start by Zach Osborne, who turned in five shutout innings and was in line for the victory before the final inning.

Osborne, making his first start of 2011 and just the fourth of his career, was brilliant. He set down the first eight batters he faced before allowing his only hit, a two-out single in the third to Zach Gentile. Osborne hit Meneses to start the fourth, but he retired the final six men to end his night. The righty was set to pick up his first pro win as a starter before the Head homer.

Ryan Rodebaugh worked a scoreless sixth before allowing Salem's only run of the game on Brentz's 19th home run of the season in the seventh. The righty Rodebaugh and fellow righty Ryan Kelly, who put up a zero in the eighth, both picked a Salem runner off first base.

The Myrtle Beach offense, which has gotten back on track during comeback victories in Wilmington this week, jumped out early against Red Sox starter Drake Britton. Ryan Strausborger led off the first inning with a single and with two outs he came around to score on Jared Prince's RBI double. Travis Adair followed with a bloop single that scored Prince to put the Birds up 2-0.

That score held into the sixth when Prince walked and scored on Zach Zaneski's two-out ground-rule double. After Brentz's homer in the seventh put Salem on the board, Mike Olt gave the Pelicans the run back in the eighth when he crushed a mammoth opposite-field solo homer off Ruiz to make it a 4-1 game.

Britton lasted six innings for only the second time in 26 starts and allowed three runs on six hits with seven strikeouts. He was about to take his league-leading 14th loss of the season before the Salem comeback. His night ended in bizarre fashion when after getting the last out of the sixth, he began arguing with home plate John Bacon as he walked off the field. Britton was ejected from the game, as was Salem manager Bruce Crabbe.

The middle game of the series is set for Sunday night as righty Kennil Gomez (2-6, 3.67) goes for the Pelicans against Salem right-hander Anthony Ranaudo (4-5, 4.38). 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 September 3, 2011


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