Pelicans Fall in Series Finale 5-4 to Fireflies

Sunday was the fifth one-run game of the series

By Sam Weiderhaft

The Myrtle Beach Pelicans dropped their fourth game of the week to lose the series with a 5-4 final to the Columbia Fireflies on Sunday night. All four of Columbia’s wins were by one run as the Pelicans exit the week with a 68-40 record and 21-21 in the second half. With four wins in a row, the Fireflies hold a 40-67 record and 22-19 in the second half. The four-game losing streak is the longest of the season for the Pelicans.

All four of the Pelicans’ runs came from home runs as Liam Spence (1-3, HR, 3 RBI) went yard for his second home run of the week. Jacob Wetzel (1-3, HR, RBI, BB) hit a solo homer in the bottom of the sixth for his 10th of the season.

For the third game in a row, the Myrtle Beach pitching staff struggled with walks with eight allowed through the game. Angel Hernandez (3-2) took the loss with three earned runs off four hits and two walks and four strikeouts. In his first start with the Birds, Grant Kipp lasted 2 2/3 innings with two runs, one earned allowed. He gave up two hits and walked two with a strikeout.

Gavin Cross (3-5, HR, 3 RBI) led the Columbia lineup with a two-run home run and RBI groundout. Kyle Hayes (2-4, RBI) posted a multi-hit game and Javier Vaz (1-3, RBI, BB) added a run on a force-out.

Columbia threw five different pitchers with each going two innings or less. Shane Connolly (1-2) earned the win as the first pitcher out of the bullpen. Connolly threw two shutout innings with one hit allowed and two strikeouts. Luis Barroso saved his eighth game of the year by striking out two in the final inning.

The Fireflies didn’t waste any time with runs in the first and second innings. With Jean Ramirez on third, Cross picked up his first RBI on a groundout to second to put Columbia up 1-0.

With two outs in the top of the second, David Hollie drew a walk and stole second base. Hayes hit him in on a single up the middle for a 2-0 lead.

Myrtle Beach bounced back in the bottom of the second as Wetzel and James Triantos both walked with nobody out. Following two strikeouts, Spence lifted a 1-1 pitch on top of the deck in left field for a three-run homer to give the Birds a 3-2 lead.

The lead would change hands again in the top of the fifth. With two outs and a runner on, Cross homered on a high fly ball to right-center for a two-run shot that gave the Fireflies a 4-3 advantage. It was his first home run with Columbia.

With back-to-back walks and a one-out single in the top of the sixth, the Fireflies loaded the bases on Hernandez. Vaz came up and grounded out to short for a force-out at second as a run came across to make it 5-3.

The Pelicans inched closer with a two-out solo home run hit by Wetzel to right field in the bottom of the sixth.

Down 5-4 with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, Triantos singled and Parker Chavers hit a pinch-hit ground-rule double to right-center field to put runners on second and third. Felix Stevens struck out on Barroso to end the game.

The Pelicans hit the road to take on the Down East Wood Ducks with game one starting at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday night.