CarL1 Myrtle Beach Pelicans

Zaneski Blasts Pelicans by Nats in Rout

Published on May 3, 2011 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Myrtle Beach Pelicans News Release


WOODBRIDGE, VA - Zach Zaneski doubled three times, homered twice, drove in a career-high seven runs, and led the charge on a record-setting day as the Pelicans broke the 20-run barrier for the first time in three years, crushing the Potomac Nationals 20-6 in a Tuesday morning affair at Pfitzner Stadium.

Myrtle Beach's day started and ended with offensive explosions with an 11:05 a.m. start time jolting the club's bats to some early life. All nine Pelicans batters went to the plate in the first inning, seven reached via hit, and five of those cranked extra-base hits with five men scoring for a 5-0 lead. The Pelicans added one more in the second against Potomac starter Mitchell Clegg before the Nationals responded in their half of the second.

In the only blip of his day, Myrtle Beach starter Robbie Ross slogged through a five-run Nationals' second, allowing the first five on via hits in the inning. All five scored as five different men drove home runs in the frame to cut the Pelicans' big early advantage to 6-5 after two.

In what looked to be a budding rout turned suddenly into a nailbiter, Myrtle Beach continued to pound away against Clegg (1-2), plating another in the third inning when Zaneski, who doubled and scored a run in the first, did the same his second time up, leading off with a two-bagger and scoring on a Santiago Chirino single two batters later.

One inning after that, Zaneski busted the affair open. The unheralded, undrafted backstop out of the University of Rhode Island crushed the second grand slam of his career, and the second home run of his day, out to right field to turn a 7-5 advantage into an 11-5 lead. Though the rout was on, "Z" wasn't finished. After the Pelicans went scoreless in the fifth and sixth innings, Zaneski homered leading off the seventh to make it 12-5 and doubled home a run in the eighth, two batters after a two-run homer by Mitch Hilligoss. The Pelicans touched home three times in the eighth and five more times in the ninth on homers by Jared Hoying and Jared Prince, the first of the year for the latter, along with a Leury Garcia RBI single. The final two frames made it 20-6. Nationals shortstop Jose Lozada pitched the ninth inning to try to give his taxed bullpen some rest. The Pelicans pounced on Lozada for five runs (all earned) on five hits in his only inning of work.

Benefitting from the absurd run support, Ross settled in after his rough second. Myrtle Beach's lefty struck out four and didn't walk a man while allowing five runs, all in that second inning, on eight hits over six innings. Ross improved to 3-1 with the win.

Tuesday's victory was a historic one for Myrtle Beach. In addition to setting season highs in hits (23), extra base hits (16), runs scored, and more, the Pelicans crossed the 20-run threshold for the first time since a 22-3 drubbing win over the Lynchburg Hillcats on June 20, 2008. Myrtle Beach had just 21 hits in that game. In Tuesday's 23-hit uprising, the Pelicans got two knocks from Jared Prince and Santiago Chirino, three from Ryan Strausborger, Leury Garcia, Jared Hoying, and Mitch Hilligoss and a team record-tying five from Zaneski. Myrtle Beach's catcher became the first Pelicans player since Donell Linares on August 14, 2009 at Lynchburg to record a five-hit game.

The Pelicans look for a road series victory over the Nationals in Wednesday's series finale at G. Richard Pfitzner Stadium at 7:05 p.m. Myrtle Beach will send righty Joe Wieland (1-1, 1.38) against Potomac right-hander Trevor Holder (1-2, 6.75).

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.

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Carolina League Stories from May 3, 2011


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