Woodpeckers Bludgeon Pelicans in Second-Half Opener

Marking a good start to the second half of the season, the Fayetteville Woodpeckers knocked around the Myrtle Beach Pelicans on Thursday, opening their four-game series with a win. Jacob Meyers had a career day at the plate for Fayetteville, clubbing the team's seventh grand slam of the season and collecting five RBI in the 10-3 winner.

While the game started with a 1:17 delay, Fayetteville still worked quickly, and once again punched their way to an early lead as Michael Paperski lofted a solo home run to the short porch in left field at Pelicans Ballpark, his fourth long ball of the season. Holding strong offensively, Fayetteville was able to continually apply the pressure to Pelicans starter Ryan Kellogg, (L, 1-5) as the Woodpeckers plated another pair of runs in the third inning with an RBI double by Meyers and a sacrifice fly by Jake Adams, and another two in the fourth inning, when Papierski brought home the runs on a two-out single to right field, knocking Kellogg out of the game. The three-RBI night for Papierski was a new career high for the backstopper.
With plenty of run support, Luis Garcia had a smooth path to log scoreless frames while on the mound for Fayetteville. While he allowed the first two batters of the first inning to reach, the right-hander still tossed three scoreless frames to start the day, extending his scoreless debut with Fayetteville to 11 consecutive innings. Myrtle Beach finally cracked through against Garcia, when Cam Balego lined a two-run home run to left field, trimming the lead to only three runs. The Fayetteville pitching staff was still dominant to finish out the day, as Garcia (W, 3-0) Jacob Billingsley, and Tanner Duncan combined to keep Myrtle Beach off the scoreboard for the rest of the night, including the two relievers retiring the final 11 batters of the game.
While the early five runs were sufficient for Fayetteville, the offense still made one final push against Pelicans reliever Tyler Peyton. While Peyton allowed a double early in the fifth inning, the righty labored over four batters to try and pick up a third out in the inning, but he was never able to. Peyton allowed an infield single, walked a batter to load the bases, and walked another to drive in a run. With Myrtle Beach needing as much distance as possible from their relievers, Peyton stayed in to face Jacob Meyers, but Meyers quickly won the battle, when the outfielder lofted a ball back to the short porch in left field. Making a career-high five RBI for Meyers, it was the seventh grand slam for Fayetteville in 2019. Three of them have come against Myrtle Beach, and three of them have come in the last seven games. While the Woodpeckers offense only collected one base hit after the grand slam, the 10-run showing was still more than enough for the second half-opening win.
Now in the early tie for first place in the South Division, Fayetteville will try to win their sixth consecutive game against Myrtle Beach when they play the second match of the four-game set. Chad Donato will get the ball to start for Fayetteville on Friday, with first pitch slated for 7:05PM.
The Fayetteville Woodpeckers are the Advanced Single-A affiliate of the 2017 World Champion Houston Astros and play in their Inaugural Season at beautiful Segra Stadium in downtown Fayetteville. Segra Stadium, a $40 million state-of-the-art sports and entertainment venue, features space for over 5,200 fans, natural grass, a 25x70 LED video scoreboard, six luxury suites, four field boxes, the premium AEVEX Veterans Club level, Healy's Bar and outdoor party deck, a kid's zone, and more. With a rich history of baseball in the city of Fayetteville and Cumberland County, the Woodpeckers are thrilled to write a new chapter with their inaugural campaign on Hay Street. Fans are encouraged to visit FayettevilleWoodpeckers.com to purchase tickets, learn more about the team, and find out about upcoming events and promotions at the ballpark. Fans may also reach the Woodpeckers by visiting the BB&T Box Office in front of Segra Stadium, calling (910) 339-1989, or emailing [email protected].