Big innings doom Birds in second-half opener

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (June 20, 2019)- The Myrtle Beach Pelicans opened the second half of the season with a 10-3 loss to the Fayetteville Woodpeckers on Thursday night from TicketReturn.com Field at Pelicans Ballpark.

After a rain delay that lasted 1:17, the Woodpeckers (1-0, 32-38) jumped on Ryan Kellogg (1-5) on just the third pitch of the ballgame when Michael Papierski hammered a solo homer to left that made it 1-0 Fayetteville. 
Jacob Meyers lined an RBI double to left to plate another run in the third inning and he later scored on a sacrifice fly from Jake Adams that made it 3-0 Woodpeckers. 
After the Woodpeckers added on two more runs in the fourth on an RBI single from Papierski, the Pelicans (0-1, 21-47) found the board in the bottom of the fourth. 
Cam Balego blistered a two-run home run and cut the gap to 5-2 in favor in Fayetteville in the fourth inning. 
In the fifth, the Woodpeckers opened up a 10-2 lead as they plated five runs in the frame.
Tyler Peyton loaded the bases full of Woodpeckers in the frame and after Miguelangel Sierra walked to bring in a run, Meyers launched the seventh grand slam of the season for the Woodpeckers and pushed the Fayetteville lead to 10-2.
The Pelicans recorded another tally off of Luis Garcia (3-0) in the bottom of the fifth when Jimmy Herron scored on a throwing error by Fayetteville that shaved the gap to 10-3. 
Brian Glowicki and Garrett Kelly combined to throw 4.1 innings of scoreless baseball out of the bullpen for the Pelicans, but the Birds ultimately fell 10-3 on Thursday night. 
RHP Erich Uelmen (1-2, 3.74) will take the hill for the Pelicans against RHP Chad Donato (3-7, 5.40) in the second game of the series on Friday night at 7:05 p.m. 
Coverage starts at 6:50 p.m. on MiLB.tv, MyrtleBeachPelicans.com/Broadcast and the MiLB First Pitch and TuneIn Apps.
Friday will be a Fish Fry Friday with fish fry dinner plates and $2 craft drafts available from 6-8 p.m. It will also be a First Responders Friday, where any first responders can show their ID at the Anderson Brothers bank box office to recieve half off their ticket, courtesy of 707 Shooting Range, Allegiant Air, WMBF and Mix 97.7. 
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].