Garriola, Pabon Power Pelicans to 8-3 Series-Finale Win over RiverDogs

By Sam Weiderhaft

After their four-game winning streak was snapped with a one-run loss last night, the Myrtle Beach Pelicans bounced back with an 8-3 win over the Charleston RiverDogs to close out the series. The Pelicans moved up to 12-8 with the win, while the RiverDogs dropped to 7-14.

On a day where the wind was blowing in from right field, the Pelicans still smashed two big home runs as Andy Garriola (1-5, HR, 3 RBI) and Miguel Pabon (2-5, HR, 2B, 3 RBI) both left the yard. Moises Ballesteros (3-4, BB) reached base four times with three singles and a walk. As a team, the Pelicans cranked 10 home runs in the seven games in Charleston this week.

For the second time this week, the Pelicans starter got the win as Brody McCullough (1-0) tossed five one-run innings with four hits and a walk allowed, and four strikeouts. Yovanny Cabrera followed with two more one-run frames while striking out four more. Saul Gonzalez earned his first save of the year with two shutout innings and just one hit allowed out of the bullpen.

It was a big day at the top of the lineup for the RiverDogs as lead-off hitter Chandler Simpson (3-5) reached base three times and scored two runs. Number two hitter Cooper Kinney (2-3, HR, RBI, BB) hit a solo home run for his second of the year. Dominic Keegan (1-3, RBI, BB) also drove in a run off a single.

Five different pitchers took the mound for the home team with reliever Michael Sansone (1-1) getting hit with the loss after giving up four earned runs off the two home runs in his two innings. Starter Trevor Martin pitched four scoreless innings to begin the game with two strikeouts.

The RiverDogs drew first blood with a run in the first inning. With Simpson on third, Isaac flew a ball to left for a sacrifice fly as Simpson came home.

After being silent for four innings, the Pelicans got on the scoreboard with a three-run top of the fifth. With two outs and runners at the corners, Garriola smoked a three-run homer over the left field wall for his fourth of the season to put the Birds up 3-1.

Pabon followed with a solo home run to left to lead off the top of the sixth for his first of the year.

The RiverDogs hit a home run of their own in the bottom of the inning with Kinney going deep to left field on the first pitch of his at-bat to bring the score to 4-2.

Myrtle Beach broke the game open with four runs in the top of the seventh, all with two outs. Jefferson Encarnacion came up with runners at the corners and lined a single to right that scored Rafael Morel for the first run. After a passed ball put Encarnacion on second, Pabon knocked both runners in with a double to the left field wall to extend the lead to 7-2. Felix Stevens capped off the inning with an infield single to third that was underthrown to first as Pabon came home for an 8-2 lead.

Charleston pressured in the bottom of the eighth by loading the bases with nobody out. Keegan came up and shot a single up the middle to score a run and keep the bases loaded. After Jack Aldrich was pulled from the game with an injury, Gonzalez came in and got a pop-up from Kamren James and a double play off the bat of Ryan Spikes to end the inning.

Myrtle Beach now heads to Columbia for their second straight road series with first pitch at 7:05 p.m. on Tuesday.