Birds' defensive miscues, Keys' Alvarado lead to loss

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (April 6, 2018) - Cristian Alvarado threw six shutout innings for the Frederick Keys and he was backed by plenty of offense on Friday night in a 10-0 win over the Myrtle Beach Pelicans at TicketReturn.Com Field at Pelicans Ballpark.
Alvarado (1-0) silenced the Birds' bats, only allowing six hits over six innings while striking out six and walking one.

The Pelicans' (0-2) Jose Paulino (0-1), who took the loss, retired the first eight batters he faced, but ran into trouble in the third. An error started the inning and put Daniel Fajardo on before Cole Billingsley ripped a single and Ryan McKenna reached on another error that allowed Fajardo to score. Billingsly then crossed home on a wild pitch to make it 2-0 Keys (2-0).
In the fourth, the Keys exploded for six runs. Preston Palmeiro, who went 3-for-5 in the game, doubled with one out and scored on a Chris Clare RBI single. Following an Alejandro Juvier walk, Fajardo singled home Clare. Billingsley then followed suit with an RBI single of his own. McKenna knocked in a pair more on a single, which was aided by another error, and Jomar Reyes capped the six-run frame with an RBI single that knocked Paulino out of the game and made the score 8-0.
In the eighth, the Keys added another deuce. Randolph Gassaway rammed a two-run double into the left-center field alley to give the Keys their 10-0 lead.
Tyler Peyton was a bright spot in the bullpen for Myrtle Beach. He threw 2.1 scoreless innings, only allowing two hits while striking out one.
The Pelicans will take on the Keys for game three of the four-game series on Saturday, April 7, at TicketReturn.Com Field at Pelicans Ballpark. LHP Bryan Hudson will toss the first pitch for Myrtle Beach at 6:05 p.m. while Frederick will counter with RHP Cody Sedlock. Television coverage begins at 6 p.m. on The CW21 and MiLB.tv. A radio broadcast starts at 5:50 p.m. on MyrtleBeachPelicans.com/Broadcast, the MiLB First Pitch app and TuneIn.
Saturday is Embrace a Veteran Saturday, courtesy of Embrace Hospice, Locals Appreciation Saturday, where locals can save $3 on their ticket when presenting a local ID. There will also be a Postgame Fireworks courtesy of East Coast Pyrotechnics. In addition, the first 1,000 fans to the ballpark will receive a Brian McCann Bobblehead presented by Environmental Staffing.
Tickets are available for all 2018 regular season Pelicans' home games at www.MyrtleBeachPelicans.com/Tickets.
The 2018 season is the 20th season for the Pelicans franchise and fourth 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. The park 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 as well. In June 2017, TicketReturn.Com Field at Pelicans Ballpark won the 2017 TripAdvisor.com Certificate of Excellence award. The Pelicans have 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 emailing [email protected].