Pelicans use Three Homers to Down GreenJackets

By Sam Weiderhaft

The three home runs are the most in a single game by the Pelicans this season

After dropping the series opener on Tuesday night, the Myrtle Beach Pelicans got back on track with a 7-5 win over the Augusta GreenJackets on Wednesday. While the game on Tuesday night was the shortest of the season at two hours and 17 minutes, Wednesday was the second-longest of the year, lasting over four hours. The win puts both teams at 25-30 for the season.

While only hitting one home run all of last week, the Pelicans marked a new season-high with three home runs in Wednesday night’s game. Matt Mervis (1-5, HR, 3 RBI), Jordan Nwogu (1-3, HR, RBI), and Jacob Wetzel (2-3, HR, RBI) all went deep in the victory. Jonathan Sierra (3-4, 2B, 2 RBI) also sparked the offense.

Myrtle Beach also tied a season-high for pitchers used in a game with six. Jeremiah Estrada (1-0) picked up the win with five strikeouts in his 2.1 innings pitched. Bailey Reid earned his fourth save of the year after coming out of the bullpen with two outs in the eighth and closing out the game.

The GreenJackets collected nine hits with four of them going to Landon Stephens (4-5, RBI). Cade Bunnell (2-4, 2B) was a main factor for the lineup as well.

The loss went to GreenJackets’ starter Jared Johnson (0-4) as he allowed four earned runs off only one hit and only lasted two outs of the first inning.

The Birds started strong with a four-run first inning. After Ed Howard was retired to begin the game, Flemin Bautista and Yohendrick Pinango both worked walks to put two runners on. Mervis came up and homered on a line drive to right field to give Myrtle Beach an early 3-0 lead. Wetzel followed with a walk and scored a few batters later on a single by Sierra to right field.

The bottom half brought one run home for the GreenJackets as Bunnell led off with a double to left field. He came home to score as Stephens singled to center to make the score 4-1.

The game was delayed for 52 minutes in the middle of the bottom of the third inning due to rain in the area. After things picked back up, Nwogu led off the fourth with a home run to left field for his third of the season.

Wetzel hit a solo homer in the eighth inning for the Pelicans to extend the lead to 6-1. After Ethan Hearn reaching on a fielding error by shortstop Cam Shepherd, Sierra doubled to right field to bring Hearn home and make it a 7-1 Myrtle Beach lead.

Augusta rallied in the bottom of the eighth inning to make the game interesting. Brandon Parker started with a walk off reliever Carlos Ocampo, and Stephens singled to left to put runners at the corners. Willie Carter then hit a ground ball to Luis Verdugo at third but the throw was wild as a run came in and Carter reached base. The hits kept coming as Victor De Hoyos singled to load the bases. Stephen Paolini followed by hitting a sacrifice fly to right field to bring in Stephens. Shephens walked to load the bases, and Flemin Bautista fumbled a ball at second base off Jose Bermudez's bat to allow two more runs to cross the plate and cut into the lead at 7-5. Ocampo was relieved for Reid after Bunnell walked and the final batter of the eighth was struck out.

The Pelicans and GreenJackets will play game three on Thursday at 7:05 p.m. with the series tied one game apiece.