Pelicans Clinch Series with Finale Victory over GreenJackets

Myrtle Beach scored nine runs in the first three innings in the 11-6 win

By Sam Weiderhaft

In the final contest of their nine-game road trip, the Myrtle Beach Pelicans came away with an 11-6 win over the Augusta GreenJackets on Sunday evening. The win gave the Birds a 4-2 series win and improved their record to 64-32 with a 17-13 second-half record. The GreenJackets fell to 46-48 and 10-18 in the second half of the season.

The Pelicans’ lineup broke out for a 16-hit performance with 11 runs to show for it as five players posted multi-hit games. The leader was Jacob Wetzel (4-5, 2B, 2 RBI, BB), who collected four hits for the first time in his career and scored four runs. Felix Stevens (2-6, 2B, 3 RBI) and Matt Warkentin (1-2, 3 RBI, BB) both led the team with three runs driven in. Kevin Alcantara (3-5, 2 RBI, BB) brought home two with three hits in the win.

In his second start of the week, Luis Rodriguez (6-1) earned the win with five shutout frames and seven strikeouts with just one hit allowed with three walks. Jose Romero allowed all of the runs in his Pelicans debut with six earned across 1 2/3 innings out of the bullpen off two hits and three walks.

Spots 5-9 in the GreenJackets’ lineup grabbed all five of the hits while the top four went hitless. Brian Klein (1-3, HR, 3 RBI, BB) led Augusta with three runs driven in for the game off a home run in the seventh. Kadon Morton (1-4, 2 RBI) provided two more runs in the effort.

Samuel Strickland (3-2) took the loss after his two-inning start where he allowed six earned runs off eight hits and a walk. Rolddy Munoz came in after and sacrificed three runs with two being earned in one inning out of the bullpen. Augusta had five pitchers appear in Sunday’s final game of the series.

For the third game in a row, the Pelicans took the lead first in the opening frame. Off two hits and a walk, the Pelicans loaded the bases for Stevens with nobody out. Stevens flew the first pitch of his at-bat to right field that dropped in front of Brandon Parker. Josue Huma scored as Alcantara was out at second on a force. Warkentin followed with a sacrifice fly to center that brought in Wetzel.

Four more runs scored for the Pelicans in the top of the second to break it open. With two outs and Scott McKeon on second after a double, Wetzel lined his second hit of the evening to right field for an RBI single to give the Birds a 3-0 lead. Following a single by Alcantara to place runners on the corners, Stevens doubled to center to clear the bases and extended the lead to 5-0. Warkentin finished off the scoring with an RBI single to left for a 6-0 advantage.

With Munoz now on the mound in the top of the third, the Pelicans continued to pack it on. Wetzel came up with two outs and runners on first and second and grounded an RBI single to left for his third hit. After a passed ball moved runners to second and third, Alcantara lined a single up the middle that scored two and made it a 9-0 lead in the top of the third.

The Pelicans reached double-digit runs for the 18th time this season with a run in the top of the fifth. With the bases loaded and one out, Warkentin lifted his second sacrifice fly of the game to right that scored Wetzel for a 10-0 lead.

Augusta packed all their runs in the bottom of the seventh with six coming across. With one out and two runners on, Klein took a 1-0 pitch to deep right field that hit off the wall. The ball bounced out of Wetzel’s reach and allowed Klein to touch all four bases for a three-run inside-the-park home run. Three walks by Romero loaded the bases up as Gregori Montano came in and threw a wild pitch to plate the fourth run of the inning. With runners on second and third, Morton lined a single to left that scored two to cut the Pelicans’ lead to 10-6.

One more insurance run scored for Myrtle Beach in the top of the eighth. With two outs and a runner on first, Ethan Hearn tripled to center field as Warkentin came across to further the Birds’ advantage to 11-6.

The Pelicans return to Myrtle Beach for the first of a two-series homestand beginning on Tuesday at 7:05 p.m. against the Lynchburg Hillcats.