Pelicans snap four-game skid with win over Potomac

WOODBRIDGE, Va. (August 27, 2019) - The Myrtle Beach Pelicans backed Jeffrey Passantino with eight runs as the Birds snapped a four-game losing skid with an 8-5 win over the Potomac Nationals on Tuesday from Northwest Federal Field at Pfitzner Stadium. 

Myrtle Beach (33-21, 54-77) found the scoreboard for the first time in the top of the second inning when Kevonte Mitchell blasted a two-run homer to right off Nick Raquet (L, 10-9) that made it 2-0 Pelicans. 
The Birds then added on two more runs in the fourth inning. Miguel Amaya reached on an error to lead off the inning and scored when Luke Reynolds lined a single to left and Jack Sundberg threw the ball away, allowing Amaya to score and pushed Reynolds around to third. 
Leading 3-0, the Pelicans added on another when Aramis Ademan laid down a sacrifice bunt which allowed Reynolds to score from third and the Birds led 4-0 after four.
In the fifth, the Pelicans tacked on. Delvin Zinn led off the frame with a single and then stole second to get into scoring position. Zinn crossed the plate after Carlos Sepulveda grounded a ball to Austin Davidson at third and he threw it away which allowed Zinn to score and the Birds extended their lead to 5-0. 
Myrtle Beach added on their sixth run of the contest when Amaya doubled to left and Sepulveda came in to score from second base.
Potomac (32-30, 63-67) found the scoreboard in the bottom of the fifth inning as Cole Freeman brought in a run on a sacrifice fly off of Jeffrey Passantino (W, 3-1) that cut the gap to 6-1. 
In the seventh, the Nationals cut into the lead even further. Gilbert Lara reached on an error to open the inning and after back-to-back walks loaded the bases, Ryan Zimmerman made it 6-2 with a sacrifice fly to left.
Aldrem Corredor tacked on another run with an RBI single to right that brought the deficit to 6-3 and Freeman made it a two-run game when he scored on a wild pitch from Pelicans pitcher Ryan Lawlor .
Leading 6-4 into the eighth inning, the Pelicans added on some much-needed insurance in the frame when two runs scored on a two-run single from Mitchell, ballooning the lead to 8-4 Myrtle Beach. 
The Nationals added on a run in the ninth when Jakson Reetz plated Zimmerman on a fielder's choice that turned it into an 8-5 game, but that is as close as Potomac could get as Manuel Rodriguez slammed the door to lock up the win for the Pelicans. 
The Pelicans will look to make it two-consecutive wins on Wednesday when they take on the Nationals at 7:05 p.m. in game three of the four-game set. LHP Brendon Little (2-1, 5.52) will take the hill for the Pelicans against RHP Francys Peguero (0-1, 1.59) for the Nationals. Coverage starts at 6:50 p.m. on MyrtleBeachPelicans.com/Broadcast and the MiLB First Pitch and TuneIn Apps.
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].