Hillcats top Pelicans in bullpen battle from Myrtle Beach

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (May 22, 2018) - A five-run second inning on Tuesday night propelled the Lynchburg Hillcats over the Myrtle Beach Pelicans 8-2 from TicketReturn.Com Field at Pelicans Ballpark.
With the Pelicans (18-27) leading 1-0, the Hillcats (18-27) exploded in the second inning. With the bases loaded, Jodd Carter worked a walk against Birds starter Bryan Hudson (3-4) to knock in the first run before Dillon Persinger plated another with an infield RBI single to second. Mitch Longo then singled home two runs and Conner Capel was hit by a pitch to force in the fifth tally of the frame for the Hillcats. 

Luke Wakamatsu blasted his first home run of the season in the sixth for insurance and the Gavin Collins' two-run single in the eighth made it 8-1 Lynchburg. 
The Birds fought back with a run of their own when Wladimir Galindo scored on a passed ball in the eighth. Both of the Pelicans' runs were scored without a hit as the Birds' first run was produced by a Tyler Alamo sacrifice fly in the first. 
Micah Miniard (1-1) entered in the first inning after the Hillcats' starter, Justin Garza lasted just 0.2 innings. Miniard earned the win with 5.1 shutout innings, only ceding three hits while striking out five and walking three. 
Myrtle Beach's bullpen was strong as well, with Casey Bloomquist fanning five in three scoreless innings, Jordan Minch only yielding one run over two innings and Jhon Romero firing 1.1 scoreless innings.
Myrtle Beach meets Lynchburg for game three of their four-game series at 7:05 p.m. on Wednesday from TicketReturn.Com Field at Pelicans Ballpark. RHP Alex Lange (1-2, 4.25 ERA) pitches against Lynchburg LHP Sam Hentges (3-2, 3.23 ERA). Coverage begins at 6:50 p.m. on MiLB.tv, MyrtleBeachPelicans.com/Broadcast, the MiLB First Pitch app and TuneIn.
Wednesday's contest features buy-one, get-one free hot dogs for Wiener Wednesday. 
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].