CarL1 Myrtle Beach Pelicans

Winston blanks Pelicans in game one, rides big third in game two

Published on August 26, 2011 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Myrtle Beach Pelicans News Release


WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - For the seventh time in the second half, the Pelicans took a shutout defeat in their doubleheader opener at Winston-Salem Friday night, and their meager offensive showing and early lead in game two didn't hold up either. The Winston-Salem Dash took down Myrtle Beach with wins of 3-0 and 6-1 in the first two contests of a four-game series at BB&T Ballpark.

The Pelicans' highlights on a day that saw their elimination number halved from eight to four behind the Dash for a second-half title were few and far between Friday, the first night of an eight-game road trip. Myrtle Beach mustered just one hit and three baserunners in the opener, none of whom advanced past first base, against Ryan Buch (4-4) and Taylor Thompson (S, 14). The Dash, on the other hand, capitalized on their opportunities with single tallies against Chad Bell (3-2) in the first, second, and sixth for the victory. Myrtle Beach batters struck out eight times and didn't work a single walk in the night's opener. Andrew Clark and Jared Prince were each hit by pitches, with Prince's plunking his 29th of 2011, now one shy of matching the Carolina League record set one year ago by Winston's own Seth Loman.

Bell took the defeat despite allowing just three runs on seven hits over six innings. He struck out four and walked one and is credited with a complete game in the loss.

Over their last six games, of which Myrtle Beach has lost five, the Pelicans have made a disheartening habit of killing rallies with double play balls. Wednesday night, they grounded into four double plays against Lynchburg, three to end innings, and hit into two more on Thursday. In Friday's nightcap, it was much of the same for the Pelicans who loaded the bases with nobody out in the second and got nothing after a Santiago Chirino strikeout and Jimmy Swift 4-6-3 twin-killing ended the frame. In the third, with their day's lone run home on a Jared Prince RBI single, the Pelicans again packed the bags with one out, but this time it was third baseman Mike Olt who rolled into a 6-4-3 double-play to end the threat.

Winston-Salem exploded in the bottom of the sixth and never looked back, sending ten men to the plate against an erratic Kasey Kiker (3-3) and reliever Colby Killian. Kiker walked six and allowed five runs (all earned) on just two hits in two and one-third innings. Three of those walks came in the third, including a bases-loaded version to Jared Mitchell, the Carolina League's strikeout king who whiffed against Kiker to end the first after the lefty walked the bases loaded in that inning but miraculously escaped with no damage done. Killian inherited the bases loaded from the Pelicans' spot starter with Winston-Salem leading 2-1 and allowed all three runs to score and one more against his own ledger. Myrtle Beach mustered nothing further against All-Star Andre Rienzo (6-5) or reliever Orlando Santos. The Pelicans went a combined 9-for-50 (.180) on the day without a single extra-base hit.

The Dash will exit the day with a 1.5-game lead over the Kinston Indians, who were rained out on Friday, and a 5.5-game advantage over the Pelicans.

Myrtle Beach will try to get one game back Saturday night, sending left-hander Miguel De Los Santos (5-3, 3.88) against Winston lefty Matt Wickswat (5-5, 4.29) with first pitch for the weekend's third game slated for 7:00 p.m.

Tickets for all Pelicans home games 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

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Carolina League Stories from August 26, 2011


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central