Pelicans' Zaneski has career day in rout

The Carolina League is filled with top MLB Draft picks and Latin players who signed for large bonuses. It's also filled with a lot of players like Zach Zaneski, who are offered a roster spot and a jersey but little in the way of expectations from the parent club.

So, when a player like Zaneski, who was undrafted out of the University of Rhode Island, has a career day like he did on Tuesday, it's just a bit sweeter. Zaneski went 5-for-6 with three doubles, two home runs and seven RBIs in Myrtle Beach's 20-6 throttling of Potomac.

"I've been working on my timing, and everything just felt good today," said Zaneski. "It was a good team win. Everybody played really well. I'm just really happy."

Zaneski and the Pelicans got things started early in their 11:05 a.m. start with five runs in the first. In the midst of the rally, the catcher from New London, Conn., smacked an RBI double off of fellow New Englander and Atlantic-10 product Mitchell Clegg, who struggled for Potomac.

Zaneski's next at-bat led off the third inning, and he sent a double to center field off UMass product Clegg. The game's star later scored on a single by Santiago Chirino.

In the fourth inning, Zaneski faced Clegg again, this time with the bases loaded and two outs. Zaneski ended Clegg's morning on a 2-0 offering with an opposite-field grand slam to right. That made the score 11-5 and gave Myrtle Beach a cushion after Potomac had put a five-spot up against Rangers prospect Robbie Ross in the second. The bases-loaded homer was Zaneski's second career slam.

"I was just looking for a ball out over the plate, and I got the barrel on it," said Zaneski.

His next time up, Zaneski led off the seventh inning facing reliever Ryan Demmin, and the 24-year-old right-hander sent another 2-0 pitch over the fence, this time on a line drive to right.

But he wasn't done. In the eighth inning, Zaneski doubled for a third time, plating Jared Prince with Myrtle Beach's 15th run. Zaneski got one more at-bat in the ninth, and ironically, flied out amid a five-run rally.

For Zaneski, this was the definition of a career day. His five hits topped his career high of three, which he had achieved five times. His seven RBIs topped his career high of four, which happened the day he hit his previous grand slam, vs. Delmarva for Hickory on July 23 of last season. His three doubles bested his career high of two, which he had done three times previously.

"It's been a crazy past few years, but it's been a lot of fun, and I've enjoyed it tremendously," said Zaneski, who has played at four different levels since signing with the Rangers in 2008. "I'm very happy for the opportunity I've had. I've been very fortunate."

It was also a notable day in Myrtle Beach history. The Pelicans' 20 runs is the most they've had since a 22-3 drubbing of Lynchburg on June 20, 2008. Zaneski's five hits ties a club record last achieved in 2009. All nine Myrtle Beach starters had at least one hit, and five had at least three. Seven of the nine Pelicans had at least one run scored, at least one extra-base or at least one RBI. As a team, Myrtle Beach had 16 extra-base hits.

After the five-run blip in the second, Pelicans starter Ross settled down. The second-round pick from the same Draft in which Zaneski was not selected retired 14 of 15 batters after allowing five straight hits to begin the second. He struck out four and didn't walk a batter while improving his record to 3-1.

"I really try to focus on my defense and relationships with the pitchers first and foremost," said Zaneski. "Today, working with Robbie ross was great -- he and I work great together."

Zaneski did splendid work at the plate as well.