Assad dominates, Pelicans win over Dash

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (August 7, 2019) - The Myrtle Beach Pelicans offense slashed ten hits and the pitching staff locked down the Winston-Salem Dash in a 5-2 win on Wednesday night from TicketReturn.com Field at Pelicans Ballpark.

Javier Assad (W, 4-8) set the tone for the Birds (24-22, 45-68) pitching staff that dominated the Dash (21-24, 59-50) in the hill for the second night in a row.  
The Pelicans backed their starter with some run support in the bottom of the sixth inning. After Zac Taylor grounded out to open the inning, the Pelicans rattled off five-straight singles and touched up Jorgan Cavanerio (L, 7-2) of the Dash. 
The Birds loaded the bases on singles from Carlos Sepulveda , Grant Fennell and Cam Balego and set the stage for Miguel Amaya to break the scoreless tie. Amaya laced a single to right field and two runs scored on the play and the Birds claimed a 2-0 lead. 
Luke Reynolds then knocked an RBI single of his own that made it 3-0 and the Pelicans added their fourth run on the frame on a sacrifice fly from Delvin Zinn.
The Dash finally got to Assad in the seventh inning as a two-out walk to Tate Blackman forced Assad out of the game after 6.2 innings. Manuel Rodriguez came out of the bullpen for the Birds and an RBI double from JJ Muno put the Dash on the board in the seventh. 
Leading 4-1 in the bottom of the seventh inning, the Pelicans added on an insurance run. Wladimir Galindo led off the inning with a double down the left-field line and scored on a sacrifice fly from Fennell that made it 5-1 Myrtle Beach. 
The Dash added on a run in the top of the eighth on an RBI double from Andrew Vaughn that cut the gap to 5-2, but that was all the Dash could muster in a loss to the Pelicans. 
The Pelicans will go for the sweep at 7:05 p.m. on Thursday night. The Birds have yet to announce a starter, while RHP Kade McClure (2-3, 2.60) will start for the Dash. Coverage will begin at 6:50 p.m. on MiLB.tv and the Pelicans Baseball Network which is available on the TuneIn App, MyrtleBeachPelicans.com/Broadcast and MiLB First Pitch app.
Major league rehaber, Ben Zobrist, will be with the Pelicans from Thursday, August 8, until Saturday, August 10.
It is a Thirsty Thursday at the ballpark, presented by Celebrations Nitelife, Axelrod & Associates and Gator 107.9 FM, with $1 Bud and Bud Light drafts, $2 16 oz. cans and $2 Duplin wine from 5:30 p.m. until 8 p.m. There will also be a postgame fireworks extravaganza, presented by East Coast Pyrotechnics.
The 2019 season is the 21st season for the Pelicans franchise and fifth as the Class A-Advanced affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. For tickets visit MyrtleBeachPelicans.com/tickets, call (843) 918-6000, or visit the Pelicans Box Office.
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. Since being acquired by a group led by Chuck Greenberg during the 2006 season, the Pelicans have repeatedly set team attendance records and become known as one of Minor League Baseball's most innovative and creative franchises. The team and its employees have been dedicated to making a difference in the Myrtle Beach community, specifically giving back over $2 million in donations, fundraising proceeds, in-kind services and community service since launching the Pelicans Play It Forward Community Initiative in 2013. TicketReturn.Com Field at Pelicans Ballpark has ranked in the top eight in all of Minor League Baseball by Stadium Journey in six of the last seven seasons. The same publication also placed the Pelicans in the Top 100 Stadium Experiences and the best in the Carolina League for six of the past seven seasons. In June 2017, the Pelicans won the 2017 TripAdvisor.com Certificate of Excellence award. On the field, the team has won four Mills Cup Championships, including claims to back-to-back titles in 1999 and 2000, and again in 2015 and 2016. The Pelicans have made 11 postseason appearances behind 13 half-season Southern Division championships, including the first half of the 2015 season, second half of 2016 and first half of 2017. For more information on the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, please contact the Pelicans at (843) 918-6000 or email [email protected].