Birds bludgeon Wood Ducks late in 11-inning win

KINSTON, N.C. (July 3, 2017) - Myrtle Beach blew a four-run lead in the eighth inning Monday, but Eloy Jimenez and Jesse Hodges homered in the 11th inning to help the Pelicans earn a series split with an 11-7 victory over the Down East Wood Ducks at Grainger Stadium.
The score was tied at seven when Chuck Moorman singled against Pelicans (47-34, 4-7) reliever Pedro Araujo with one out in the ninth inning. Walks to LeDarious Clark and Brallan Perez loaded the bases and the Birds elected to bring Scott Effross (4-1) into the game. The right-hander popped Matt Lipka to short and then struck out Josh Morgan to escape the jam.

The game went into the 11th inning with the tally still knotted at seven. Trent Giambrone , who bashed three hits, doubled into the right field corner to start the frame. Jimenez followed by blasting an opposite field home run against Wood Ducks (30-50, 6-5) reliever Tyler Ferguson (0-5). Matt Rose , who finished a single shy of the cycle, tripled to center field before Down East elected to intentionally walk Bryant Flete . Rose was tagged out on a play at the plate on a pitch that went to the backstop, but then Hodges bashed a two-run dinger to left to widen the margin to 11-7.
Effross worked around a two-out infield single in the bottom of the 11th to finish off the triumph. The former Indiana Hoosier pitched 2.2 innings of one-hit ball to earn the win.
The Wood Ducks jumped on the board first when Lipka homered off Myrtle Beach starter Thomas Hatch to start the first. That would be the only mistake for Hatch, who ceded just one run on five hits in five innings, striking out five and walking two.
The score would remain 1-0 until the fifth. Giambrone and Jimenez each singled with one out. Rose then smashed a three-run bomb to put the Pelicans in front at 3-1.
In the bottom of the sixth, Myrtle Beach reliever David Berg hit Preston Scott and walked both Josh Altmann and Moorman to start the frame. Sacrifice flies by Clark and Lipka in the inning would tie the score at three.
In the seventh, Giambrone and Jimenez each singled again with one out. A passed ball moved each runner into scoring position before the Wood Ducks intentionally walked Rose. Flete struck out, but then Hodges laced a bases-clearing triple into the right field corner to put the Birds up 6-3. Connor Myers followed with an RBI single to pad the advantage at 7-3.
Altmann walked and Moorman singled against Birds reliever James Norwood to start the eighth. Two batters later, Brallan Perez walked to load the bases. Araujo came into the game and struck out Lipka, but then Morgan crushed a grand slam to left to knot the tally at seven.
The Pelicans begin a three-game series against the Buies Creek Astros with Thursday's 7:05 p.m. contest from TicketReturn.Com Field at Pelicans Ballpark. LHP Ryan Kellogg (3-5, 4.71 ERA) makes the start for Myrtle Beach against Buies Creek LHP Brett Adcock (2-3, 4.58 ERA). Coverage begins at 6:50 p.m. on MiLB.tv, MyrtleBeachPelicans.com/Broadcast, the MiLB First Pitch app and TuneIn.
Gates open at 5:30 p.m. as the Pelicans celebrate Independence Day on a Craft Beer Tuesday with $2 craft draughts from 6-8 p.m. All fans can enjoy a Postgame Fireworks Extravaganza presented by East Coast Pyrotechnic Fireworks.
The 2017 season is the 19th season for the Pelicans franchise and third as the Class A-Advanced affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. For information on tickets to see the Pelicans in 2017, please call (843) 918-6000, e-mail [email protected], or visit www.MyrtleBeachPelicans.com.
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. The park has ranked in the top eight in all of Minor League Baseball by Stadium Journey in each of the last six seasons. The same publication also placed the Pelicans in the Top 100 Stadium Experiences in all of sports in each of the last six years and the best in the Carolina League for six straight seasons as well. In May 2015, TicketReturn.Com Field at Pelicans Ballpark won the 2015 TripAdvisor.com Certificate of Excellence award. The Pelicans are the two-time defending Mills Cup Champions, winning the title in 2015 and 2016 as well as 2000 and co-Mills Cup championship honors in the inaugural 1999 season. The Pelicans have made ten postseason appearances behind 12 half-season Southern Division championships, including the first half of the 2015 season and second half of 2016. For more information on the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, please contact the Pelicans at (843) 918-6000 or emailing [email protected].