Pelicans Fall in Regular Season Finale to Mudcats

Myrtle Beach will begin the playoffs on Tuesday against the Charleston RiverDogs

By Sam Weiderhaft

The 2022 regular season concluded on Sunday evening as the Myrtle Beach Pelicans fell to the Carolina Mudcats 9-3. The Pelicans finished the regular season at 78-53 and their second-half record ended at 31-34. By winning the Carolina League South Division First Half Championship, the Pelicans will face the Charleston RiverDogs in the South Division championship in a best-of-three series beginning on Tuesday. Carolina’s season ended with back-to-back wins to push their record to 69-62 and 35-30 in the second half.

Six hits turned into three runs for the Birds with Haydn McGeary (1-3, 2B, RBI, BB) providing the only extra-base hit on an RBI double. Moises Ballesteros (2-3, RBI) posted a multi-hit performance with a pair of singles and a sacrifice fly. Kevin Alcantara (1-2, RBI, BB) hit an RBI single in the loss.

In his first start with the Pelicans, Oliver Roque (0-1) took the loss after allowing five earned runs in just over two innings off five hits and two walks while striking out two. Angel Hernandez followed with four earned runs in three innings of relief with four hits allowed and three walks.

For the third night in a row, the Mudcats tallied double-digit hits with 12. Luis Castillo (2-3, 3 RBI) hit two singles and brought home three runs while Robert Moore (1-6, HR, 3 RBI) provided a big blow with a three-run homer in the sixth. Jesus Chirinos (1-5, 2 RBI) scored two runs and drove in two more in the final game of the season.

After starter Jeferson Figueroa allowed three earned runs in the first four innings, Fernando Olguin (4-3) took over with three shutout frames with four strikeouts while allowing just one hit and two walks. The bullpen kept the Pelicans scoreless after the bottom of the fourth.

Three hits and three runs gave the Mudcats an early advantage in the top of the first. With runners on second and third, Chirinos hit a single to left field that plated both runs. Castillo finished the inning with a line-drive up the middle for an RBI single to make it 3-0 Mudcats.

The Pelicans answered in the bottom half as Alcantara hit a single to left on a line-drive to score Pedro Ramirez from second base.

Two more runs came in for the visitors in the top of the third. With the bases loaded and one out, Castillo knocked a single up the middle to score two runs and extended the Carolina lead to 5-1.

Another run scored in the top of the fourth with two outs as Jace Avina singled to left that scored Eric Brown Jr. from second.

Down 6-1, the Birds plated two runs in the bottom half of the fourth to inch closer. With runners on the corners, Ballesteros lifted a sacrifice fly to right-center field. McGeary followed with a double to the wall in right-center field to score James Triantos from third to cut the lead to 6-3.

Moore hit the dagger in the top of the sixth inning. With runners on the corners, he hit his second home run of the week to left field for a three-run shot that broke the game open to 9-3.

With the regular season over, the Pelicans now shift their focus to their first playoff appearance since 2017. Game one with the Charleston RiverDogs is set for 7:05 p.m. in Charleston.