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Pelicans Cruise Past GreenJackets 12-2

(Larry Kave/Myrtle Beach Pelicans)
September 18, 2021

By Sam Weiderhaft

By Sam Weiderhaft

Myrtle Beach enters Sunday with a chance to finish the season at .500

For the second straight game, the Myrtle Beach Pelicans tallied double-digit runs with a 12-2 win over the Augusta GreenJackets on Saturday night. With one game remaining, the Pelicans hold a 59-60 record. The GreenJackets still hold the series lead at three games to two but fell to 53-66 with the loss. With 11 runs last night, Myrtle Beach has outscored Augusta 23-6 in the last two games.

With 16 hits, the Pelicans lineup exploded for 12 runs as each player collected a hit in the victory. Jonathan Sierra (3-5, HR, 2B, 4 RBI) fell a triple shy of the cycle while leading the team with four runs batted in. Christian Franklin (1-6, HR, 3 RBI) hit his first home run with the Pelicans while bringing three runs in. Ed Howard (3-5, 3B, R) posted three more hits for Myrtle Beach.

Daniel Palencia (1-0) earned his first win with five scoreless innings while holding Augusta to just one hit. Palencia struck out a career-high-tying seven strikeouts in the win. Three bullpen pitchers held the Pelicans' lead with seven more strikeouts through the final four innings.

Tyler Tolve (3-4, HR, 2 RBI) was a one-man show for the GreenJackets as he accounted for three of the four hits including a two-run homer for the only runs. Cal Conley (1-2, R) was the only other player with a hit for Augusta.

Rainiery Rodriguez (2-4) took the loss after allowing six earned runs in his 3 1/3 frames off seven hits. Gabby Rodriguez also allowed four more earned runs off four hits while only lasting 2/3 of an inning.

Five runs came across the plate in the bottom of the third inning as the Pelicans scored first for the first time in the series. Fabian Pertuz drew a walk with one out and Franklin smashed his first home run of the year to right-center field to give Myrtle Beach 2-0. Jacob Wetzel and Jordan Nwogu followed with back-to-back singles. With runners on the corners, Owen Caissie hit a sacrifice fly to center as Wetzel scored. With two outs, Casey Opitz singled up to center, and Sierra cleared the bases on a double to extend the lead to 5-0.

One more run scored for the home team in the fourth as Josue Huma singled and Pertuz walked to lead off. After Franklin struck out, Wetzel walked to load the bases. Nwogu flew out for the second out, and Gabby Rodriguez threw a wild pitch as Huma scored to make it a 6-0 game.

The runs kept coming in the fifth as Opitz walked and came home on Sierra’s third home run of the season to right field. Howard followed with a triple and Huma hit him in with an infield single. Pertuz lined a single to left to put runners on the corners. After Alec Barger replaced Gabby Rodriguez on the mound, Franklin reached on a fielder’s choice as Huma scored. Wetzel and Nwogu both hit RBI groundouts as the Pelicans wrapped up their six-run inning to go up 12-0.

Augusta scored their only runs in the sixth as Conley led off with a single. Tolve stepped up two batters later with his second home run of the season to left-center field to make it a 12-2 Myrtle Beach lead.

The game ended on a diving play by Howard at short as he threw out Willie Carter at first base.

The season will conclude with a 4:05 p.m. game between Myrtle Beach and Augusta.