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Aliendo’s Home Run Lifts Pelicans to Series Finale Win over Fireflies

(Larry Kave/Myrtle Beach Pelicans)
July 18, 2021

By Sam Weiderhaft

By Sam Weiderhaft

Myrtle Beach takes five of seven games against Columbia in the series

The Myrtle Beach Pelicans remained undefeated at home on Sundays as the Birds won 5-2 over the Columbia Fireflies in the series finale. Myrtle Beach took five of seven games over Columbia in the first of a two-week homestand. The Pelicans move to 31-35 on the season with the victory, while the Fireflies drop to 31-32. The game also marked the return of the Pelicans’ bat dog Slider, who retrieved bats throughout the game for the first time since 2019.

Pablo Aliendo (2-4, HR, 2 RBI) led the Myrtle Beach lineup with his fourth home run of the season on a two-run shot in the sixth inning that put the Birds in the lead. The home team collected six hits, with Ezequiel Pagan (1-3, RBI), Jordan Nwogu (1-3, 2B, RBI), and Kevin Made (2-3, RBI) all bringing in runs.

Danis Correa (2-0) earned the win with one inning in relief. Richard Gallardo started the game for Myrtle Beach and lasted five innings with one earned run off two hits, with four strikeouts.

The Fireflies were held to just five hits with Austin Dennis (1-2, HR, RBI) providing a solo blast in the third inning. Herard Gonzalez (2-3, 2B) was the only Columbia hitter with multiple hits.

Matt Stil (2-2) took the loss after giving up three earned runs in two innings of relief work. Foster Griffin started the game on a rehab assignment and cruised through four innings with just one hit allowed and three strikeouts.

Columbia took an early lead in the third as Dennis hit a solo homer to left-center field for his first of the season and the Fireflies took a 1-0 lead.

The Pelicans evened things up in the bottom of the fifth with Aiiendo singling to lead it off. After the following two batters struck out, Nwogu worked a walk to push Aliendo to second. Made came up and rolled a single up the middle to score Aliendo and tie the game at one.

The Fireflies quickly responded in the top of the sixth as Gonzalez led off with a single and was hit in by Jaquez on a double to left field over the glove of Nwogu to take a 2-1 lead.

With two outs in the bottom half, Yohendrick Pinango worked a walk on a 3-2 count to keep the inning alive. Aliendo followed by lifting a home run to left field to give the Pelicans their first lead of the game at 3-2.

Two more insurance runs came in the bottom of the seventh for the Pelicans as Jacob Wetzel led off the inning with a four-pitch walk on reliever Luis De Avila. Wetzel advanced to second on a walk and came on when Nwogu drove a ground-rule double to right-center field to make it 4-2. Nwogu went to third on an infield single by Made and came home on Pagan’s sacrifice fly to center field.

Myrtle Beach will stay in town to face the Charleston RiverDogs for the back end of a two week homestand with game one on Tuesday at 7:05 p.m.