Pelicans fall to Nationals in back-and-forth affair

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (July 11, 2019)- The Myrtle Beach Pelicans faltered late and fell 5-4 to the Potomac Nationals in a back-and-forth contest from TicketReturn.com Field at Pelicans Ballpark on Thursday night. 

For the fourth night in a row, the Pelicans (11-11, 32-57) were the first to score in the middle game of the series. 
In the bottom of the first inning, Carlos Sepulveda doubled and later scored on an RBI single from Miguel Amaya that gave the Pelicans a 1-0 lead. 
Potomac (10-11, 40-48) responded with a run of their own in the top of the second inning. Telmito Agustin lined a two-out triple off of Alexander Vargas and scored on a single from Gilbert Lara that tied the game at 1-1. 
Myrtle Beach answered the Nationals tally with a run of their own in the bottom of the second. After Grant Fennell doubled to right off of Carson Teel, Wladimir Galindo plated Fennell with a double and jolted the Birds in front 2-1. 
The Nationals tied the ballgame in the top of the third inning when Cole Freeman singled in Osvaldo Abreu to knot the game at 2-2. 
In the sixth, the Nationals took the lead when Alex Dunlap doubled off of Vargas and allowed Freeman to score from third and the Nationals led 3-2 into the bottom of the sixth inning. 
The Pelicans bounced back in the bottom of the sixth inning with a pair of runs to retake the lead. After an RBI single from Grant Fennell tied the score at three, Galindo gave the Birds a 4-3 advantage with an RBI single to right.
After a scoreless seventh inning, the Nationals retook the lead in the top of the eighth inning. 
Gage Canning led the inning off with a single and he scored on a triple from Freeman that evened the score at 4-4. One batter later, the Nationals took a 5-4 lead off of Ethan Roberts (L, 0-1) on an RBI single from Aldrem Corredor. 
In the ninth, the Pelicans pushed the winning run to second base, but Jhonatan German struck out the final two batters to locked down the 5-4 win for the Nationals. 
The Pelicans will conclude the three-game set with the Nationals on Friday night at 7:05 p.m. RHP Javier Assad (2-6, 3.63) will take the hill for the Birds against RHP Malvin Pena (5-4, 5.48) for the P'Nats in the finale. Coverage starts at 6:50 p.m. on MiLB.tv, MyrtleBeachPelicans.com/Broadcast and the MiLB First Pitch and TuneIn Apps.
Friday will be a Fish Fry Friday with fish fry dinner plates and $2 craft drafts available from 6-8 p.m. It will also be a First Responders Friday, where any first responders can show their ID at the Anderson Brothers bank box office to receive half off their ticket, courtesy of 707 Shooting Range, Allegiant Air, WMBF and Mix 97.7. Additionally, Friday will be the first day of Cubs-A-Palooza which will be highlighted by an appearance from former Cubs Manager Lou Piniella.
The 2019 season is the 21st season for the Pelicans franchise and fifth 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. Since being acquired by a group led by Chuck Greenberg during the 2006 season, the Pelicans have repeatedly set team attendance records and become known as one of Minor League Baseball's most innovative and creative franchises. The team and its employees have been dedicated to making a difference in the Myrtle Beach community, specifically giving back over $2 million in donations, fundraising proceeds, in-kind services and community service since launching the Pelicans Play It Forward Community Initiative in 2013. TicketReturn.Com Field at Pelicans Ballpark 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. In June 2017, the Pelicans won the 2017 TripAdvisor.com Certificate of Excellence award. On the field, the team has 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 email [email protected].