Five-Run Ninth Inning Pushes RiverDogs Over Pelicans

By Sam Weiderhaft

Myrtle Beach saw two leads collapse in the loss

Going into the ninth inning all tied at four, the Charleston RiverDogs scored five runs off four hits and four walks to take a 9-4 win over the Myrtle Beach Pelicans on Saturday night. The loss drops the Pelicans to a 33-38 record, while the RiverDogs win their second straight game and improve to 49-20. Myrtle Beach will have Sunday’s matchup to try and tie the six-game set with Charleston leading the series three games to two.

After totaling back-to-back double-digit hit performances, the Pelicans’ lineup was held to just four hits in Saturday’s game. Kevin Made (1-4, 2 RBI) picked up his first hit of the series with a two-run single in the sixth inning to give Myrtle Beach a 4-2 lead. Jordan Nwogu (1-3, 2B, r) had the only extra-base hit in the game for the home team.

The bullpen gave up eight combined earned runs as Jose Almonte (1-2) took the loss with five runs sacrificed in his 2/3 of an inning. DJ Herz started the game and lasted 4 1/3 innings with seven strikeouts and one earned run.

For the third time in the series, Charleston totaled double-digit hits with 10 for the evening. Brett Wisely (2-2, 4 RBI) came in as a pinch-hitter in the eighth and smacked back-to-back two-run singles in the eighth and ninth innings. Garrett Hiott (2-3, HR, 2 RBI) hit an inside-the-park home run off the right-center fueld wall in the sixth inning. Heriberto Hernandez (2-4, RBI, 2 R) also helped the lineup with an RBI single in the ninth.

Hector Figueroa (4-2) came on as the third pitcher for the RiverDogs and cruised to 3 1/3 hitless innings with six strikeouts as he took his fourth win of the year. Ian Seymour started the game and gave up two earned runs through his 2 1/3 innings with four walks and five strikeouts.

The RiverDogs took the lead first for the fifth consecutive game in this series. Their first run came in the fourth, with Diego Infante drawing a walk on a full count from Herz to get on base with two outs. Hernandez was hit by a pitch in the next at-bat, which led the way for Hiott to line a single up the middle to score Infante and put Charleston up 1-0.

Myrtle Beach responded by taking the lead in the bottom half. Jacob Wetzel and Ed Howard both walked to start the inning, and Pinango singled to right field to load the bases. After Pablo Aliendo struck out, Matt Mervis drew a bases-loaded four-pitch walk to score Wetzel and tie the game. After a mound visit with Seymour, Nwogu walked on a full count to score Howard and the Pelicans went up 2-1.

It would stay like that until the sixth when Garrett Hiott lifted a ball to deep right-center field that bounced off the top part of the wall. Hiott came all the way around for an inside-the-park home run, his third homer of the season, and the game was tied 2-2.

In the bottom half, Mervis drew another two-out walk and Nwogu doubled to right field to put two runners in scoring position. Matt Warkentin also walked to load the bases for Made. Without a hit in the series through 14 at-bats, Made grounded a ball in between first and second that skipped into right field to score two runs.

In the top of the eighth, the RiverDogs loaded the bases with two walks and a single off Carlos Ocampo. Wisely came in as a pinch-hitter and lined a single up the middle to tie the game at four as two runs came in.

Charleston broke the game open with a five-run ninth. Alika Williams started the inning with a single and Osleivis Basabe walked to follow. After Almonte recorded the first out, Infante singled on a grounder to left that scored Williams and the RiverDogs had a 5-4 lead. Hernandez followed with an RBI single to extend the lead. After intentionally walking Hiott, Wisely hit another two-run single as Charleston broke it open with an 8-4 lead. One more run came across a few batters later on a bases-loaded walk by Abiezel Ramirez.

The RiverDogs will have a chance to take the series tomorrow in the finale. First pitch is slated for 6:05 p.m.