Hedges shines, but Birds swept in doubleheader

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (May 29, 2016) - Zach Hedges worked seven innings of one-hit ball in game two of Sunday's twin bill but the Wilmington Blue Rocks swept the doubleheader 8-4 and 3-1 with the Myrtle Beach Pelicans at TicketReturn.com Field at Pelicans.

In the second game of the doubleheader, Hedges allowed an RBI double in the first inning and proceeded to retire 20 of the next 21 hitters. The only baserunner he allowed after the first inning came on a one-out walk in the sixth.

Against Hedges in the top of the first, Cody Jones reached on an error. Two batters later, Alfredo Escalera drove him in with a double down the third base line to give Wilmington (17-31) a 1-0 lead.

Working with a lead, Blue Rocks starter Zach Lovvorn retired nine of the first ten he saw.

With a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth, Gleyber Torres and Ian Happ both singled to begin the frame against Lovvorn. Two batters later, Jason Vosler reached on a fielding error to load the bases with one out.

Jeffrey Baez then hit a grounder to third. Blue Rocks third baseman Wander Franco fired home to get the second out, but catcher Luis Villegas threw the relay to first into right field to allow Happ to score and tie the game at one.

Hedges and Lovvorn continue to trade zeroes until Lovvorn was lifted for Kyle Kubat. In both the seventh and eighth, Kubat worked around a base hit to avoid the potential walk-off.

James Farris (1-2) did the same for Myrtle Beach (26-23) in the top of the eighth and ninth.

In a 1-1 game in the top of the tenth, Farris allowed a single to Franco before Elier Hernandez bunted him to second. After a pop out and a walk, Austin Bailey ripped a two-run triple to the right field corner to give the Blue Rocks a 3-1 lead.

Matt Alvarez (3-2) worked two scoreless innings to earn the win for Wilmington.

In the first game of the twin bill, the Blue Rocks bats took advantage of eight hits against Pelicans starter Jonathan Martinez (3-3).

In a 1-1 game in the top of the third, Chad Johnson walked for Wilmington before Jones singled on a bunt. After a sacrifice, Escalera singled to score Johnson and make it 2-1 Blue Rocks. After an out, Franco then doubled to left to plate two and give Wilmington a three-run advantage.

Down 5-1 in the bottom of the fourth, the Pelicans mounted a comeback against Blue Rocks starter Foster Griffin (1-2). Lockhart led off with a walk before Baez singled. After a wild pitch, Trey Martin singled to score two and make it 5-3. Martin would later score on a throwing error after stealing third.

However, the Pelicans would fail to score in the remaining three innings.

With the score still 5-4 in the top of the seventh, Franco topped off the performance with a three-run homer to left to make the score 8-4.

For the series, Myrtle Beach has gone a combined 1-for-27 with runners in scoring position and have now fallen to 6.5 game behind first place.

The finale of the four-game set will take place Monday at 5:05 p.m. RHP Trevor Clifton (2-3, 2.25 ERA) will get the start for Myrtle Beach, while RHP Corey Ray (1-0, 4.76 ERA) goes for Wilmington. 

The 2016 season is the 18th season for the Pelicans franchise and second as the Class A-Advanced affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. For information on tickets to see the Pelicans in 2016, please call (843) 918-6000, e-mail [email protected], or visit www.MyrtleBeachPelicans.com.

ABOUT THE PELICANS: The Myrtle Beach Pelicans are the Class A-Advanced affiliate of the Chicago Cubs and play their home games at TicketReturn.Com Field at Pelicans Ballpark in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The park has ranked in the top eight in all of Minor League Baseball by Stadium Journey in each of the last five seasons. The same publication also placed the Pelicans in the Top 100 Stadium Experiences in all of sports in each of the last five years and the best in the Carolina League for five straight seasons as well. In May 2015, TicketReturn.Com Field at Pelicans Ballpark won the 2015 TripAdvisor.com Certificate of Excellence award. The Pelicans are the defending Mills Cup Champions, winning the title in 2015 as well as 2000 and co-Mills Cup championship honors in the inaugural 1999 season. The Pelicans have made nine postseason appearances behind 11 half-season Southern Division championships, including the first half of the 2015 season, as well as five Southern Division titles, most recently in 2015. For more information on the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, please contact the Pelicans at (843) 918-6000 or emailing [email protected].