Preciado’s Go-Ahead Homer Lifts Pelicans to Historic 12th Straight Win

The 12-game winning streak sets a new franchise-high in recorded history

By Sam Weiderhaft

Down to their final three outs in the second game on Friday night, the Myrtle Beach Pelicans rallied back for a 3-2 victory over the Augusta GreenJackets to sweep the night. Friday started with the Pelicans winning the continuation of Thursday night’s suspended game 11-5. With the two wins, the Pelicans have recorded 12 consecutive victories, a new franchise-high in their recorded history. Myrtle Beach moves to 32-11 on the season while Augusta drops to 21-22.

Game One: After being suspended due to rain in the middle of the fifth inning on Thursday night while up 6-2, the Pelicans closed the game out with an 11-5 win over Augusta. Four of their 15 hits were home runs as Juan Mora (3-5, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R), BJ Murray (2-4, HR, 2B, 3 RBI), Pete Crow-Armstrong (1-4, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R) and Felix Stevens (1-4, HR, 2 RBI) all went deep in the Pelicans third win of the series.

Tyler Schlaffer started on Thursday night and pitched four innings with two earned runs off two hits and walk while striking out four. Luke Little (1-1) took the mound on Friday and earned the win with one unearned run in his three innings in relief. The lefty walked two and struck out five in his outing.

Augusta was held to only five hits for the game as Mahki Backstrom (1-3, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R) homered in the fourth inning with a two-run shot. Brian Klein (1-4, 2 RBI) also brought in a pair of runs in the loss.

Krin Anglin (2-2) took the loss after not making it out of the first frame with four earned runs off three hits and two walks in his 2/3 of an inning pitched. Rolddy Munoz also allowed five more earned runs off seven hits in his four innings pitched.

The Pelicans took control early with four first-inning runs and two more in the second. Crow-Armstrong walked to lead off and Mora homered to left-center field on a 3-1 pitch to give the Pelicans an early 2-0 lead. James Triantos struck out and Kevin Alcantara singled and stole second base. After Kevin Made struck out, Murray homered to left on a 2-1 delivery for his third home run of the season as Myrtle Beach took a 4-0 lead.

Two more runners crossed the plate in the second as Ezequiel Pagan led off with a single. Mora singled with one out to put runners on the corners and Triantos cashed in for a single to score Pagan. With runners still on the corners, Alcantara lifted a sacrifice fly to center field to score Mora and give the Pelicans a 6-0 lead.

Augusta got on the board in the bottom of the fourth as Brandol Mezquita singled and Backstrom hit his home run to cut the lead to 6-2.

After rain pushed the game into Friday night, the Pelicans continued to pack the runs on. Malcom Quintero led off the sixth inning with a single and came home on Crow-Armstrong’s homer to left-center for his team-leading seventh of the season.

Down 8-2, the GreenJackets plated a run in the bottom of the sixth as Stephen Paolini walked and came home on Adam Zebrowski’s single to right that was thrown wild by Alcantara for an error.

The Pelicans pushed three more runs across in the ninth inning as Triantos was hit by a pitch and Alcantara walked to start things off. Both runners moved up on a groundout by Made and Murray hit a sacrifice fly to plate Triantos. The Birds went up 11-3 on Steven’s home run to left-center for his fourth of the season.

The GreenJackets scored two in the bottom half off a two-run single by Klein as the Birds wrapped up an 11-5 victory.

Game Two: Augusta held the lead from the third to the top of the seventh inning but Reginald Preciado’s (1-3, HR, 2 RBI) go-ahead homer gave the Pelicans their record-setting victory 3-2. Miguel Fabrizio (1-3, HR, RBI) hit a solo homer in the fifth inning to put the Pelicans on the board.

Jose Miguel Gonzalez (5-0) remained undefeated on the season as he pitched the final 2 1/3 frames of the 7-inning games. He struck out four without giving up a hit or run in his outing. Tyler Santana started his first game of the year and gave up two earned runs off three hits and two walks while striking out five in 4 2/3 innings.

The GreenJackets were powered by just three hits and one RBI coming from Cal Conley (1-3, 2B, RBI, R). Augusta struck out nine times and walked twice in Friday night’s game.

Reliever Rob Griswold (2-2) blew the save and took the loss with the two-run home run sacrificed in the final inning. Landon Leach started the game and tossed the first five innings with the solo home run being his only run given up.

The first runs of the game came across in the third inning as Caleb Durbin walked and stole second base with one out. Conley brought him in on a double to left then stole third base in the next at-bat. A wild pitch by Santana scored Conley to make it 2-0 GreenJackets after three innings.

Fabrizio’s homer came in the top of the fifth with one out as the first baseman took a 1-1 pitch to left field as the Pelicans trailed 2-1.

Ethan Hearn led off the top of the seventh with a single to bring the go-ahead run to the plate. On the second pitch of the at-bat, Preciado smacked a home run the opposite way to left field to give the Pelicans their first lead of the game at 3-2.

Augusta went down in order to finish the game.

The Pelicans will take their 12-game winning streak into Saturday with the series already clinched at four wins. First pitch is slated for 6:05 p.m.