Down East's two-run ninth propels Woodies to victory over Birds

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (June 14, 2019)- The Myrtle Beach Pelicans put the tying run in scoring position in the bottom of the ninth inning, but fell 5-4 to the Down East Wood Ducks in the second game of the series on Friday night from TicketReturn.com Field at Pelicans Ballpark.

The Pelicans (20-45) started the scoring early on Friday when they plated a run in the first inning. Carlos Sepulveda doubled in the first and advanced to third on an error before Cam Balego drove him in on a sacrifice fly that made it 1-0 Pelicans.  
Down East (49-19) responded with a run of their own in the second inning. Javier Assad loaded the bases on a pair of walks and a single and Julio Pablo Martinez drew a bases-loaded walk that knotted the game at 1-1.
In the third, the Pelicans retook a 2-1 lead on a sacrifice fly from Miguel Amaya .
Sam Huff boosted the Woodies back in front in the sixth inning when he blasted a two-run homer that made it 3-2 in favor of Down East.
Trailing 3-2 entering the eighth inning, the Pelicans mustered a comeback to tie the game at three. 
The Pelicans loaded the bases on a hit by pitch, a single and a walk to set the scene for Grant Fennell who grounded into a fielder's choice, but brought in a run on the play and evened the game at 3-3.
In the top of the ninth inning, the Down East Wood Ducks plated two runs to retake a 5-3 lead.
Yanio Perez looped a single into left field and advanced to second on a passed ball to set up Martinez for an RBI double to left that gave the Woodies a 4-3 lead. After Martinez advanced to third on a balk from Tyler Peyton (0-2), he came in to score on a throwing error from Miguel Amaya and Down East took a 5-3 lead into the bottom of the ninth inning.
The Pelicans cut into the lead in the ninth inning when Zach Davis singled with two outs in the frame, stole second and scored on a single from Sepulveda.
After a walk to Miguel Amaya, Cole Uvila retired Balego to close out the ballgame and save the 5-4 win for the Woodies. 
The Pelicans will look to take game three of the series on Saturday night at 6:05 p.m. LHP Luis Lugo (1-3, 3.80) takes the hill for the Birds against RHP Reid Anderson (3-2, 3.64) for the Wood Ducks. 
Saturday will also be an Embrace Veterans Saturday presented by Embrace Hospice in addition to a Palmetto State Saturday. South Carolina fans receive $3 off of their game ticket by showing their local ID at the Anderson Brothers Bank Box Office, courtesy of Food Lion, Sparks Toyota, WMBF, The Sun News and NASH FM. The night will also include the Locals Dice Roll Extravaganza where, each Saturday, one local fan will have a chance to win up to $25,000 courtesy of HTC and Sparks Toyota and a Postgame Fireworks Extravaganza, presented by East Coast Pyrotechnics. Additionally, Saturday will be Deaf Awareness Night. In an effort to create an inclusive experience for members of the deaf community, sign language interpreters will be infused into the Pelicans' gameday experience and Matt "The Hammer" Hamill will be in attendence as the Pelicans celebrate their second-annual Deaf Awareness Night. 
The contest will be locally televised on The CW21 and MiLB.tv, with coverage beginning at 6:00 p.m. A radio broadcast will begin at 5:50 on MyrtleBeachPelicans.com/Broadcast, TuneIn and the MiLB First Pitch app. 
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].