Birds swept by Muddies in twin bill

ZEBULON, N.C. (September 2, 2017) - The Myrtle Beach Pelicans were swept in their Saturday twin bill with the Carolina Mudcats, falling 4-0 in game one and 4-3 in in the finale Five County Stadium.
In game one, Carolina (71-65, 35-33) struck first against Myrtle Beach (73-65, 30-38) right-hander Duncan Robinson (4-4). Weston Wilson kicked off the frame with a base hit before advancing to second on a one-out single from Luis Aviles Jr.. Following a walk to Max McDowell to load the bases, Wendell Rijo knocked home a pair of runs on a single to give the Mudcats a 2-0 lead. With two men retired, Trent Clark ripped a single to center field, scoring McDowell to extend Carolina's lead to 3-0. 

With two men retired in the bottom of the fifth inning, Monte Harrison doubled to right field before scoring on an error to make the tally 4-0.
Mudcats starter Conor Harber (4-9) dominated in the contest, as the right-hander tossed his first career complete game, yielding just two hits. 
In game two, Carolina kicked off the scoring in the bottom of the second inning. With runners at first and second and two men retired in the frame, Jose Cuas drove home the first run of the contest with a single to center field.
Clark led off the Mudcats' half of the third inning with a base hit. Aviles was hit by a pitch to put runners on first and second. Harrison extended the Carolina lead with a double to left field to bring around Clark.
With Carolina leading 2-0 in the top of the fourth, Jesse Hodges rocketed a double to left-center field before a single from Tyler Alamo put runners on the corners. Eddy Martinez  drove home Myrtle Beach's first run of the day with a double to left field, scoring Hodges and advancing Alamo to third. Following an Adonis Paula walk to load the bases, Connor Myers drew a one-out walk to tie the game at two.
With the score still tied in the bottom of the fifth, Clark singled before Aviles was hit by a pitch to start the frame. A wild pitch then moved both runners into scoring position. Wilson gave the Mudcats their second lead of the game with a two-run single to left field, putting Carolina ahead 4-2. 
Myrtle Beach's last rally came in the top of the sixth. Tyler Pearson led off the frame with a double to left field before advancing to third on an infield bunt single from Myers. Pearson scored on a fly out to make the score 4-3 before Carolina's closer Nate Griep entered the contest to close out the inning. 
Griep remained in the game for the ninth inning, firing a scoreless frame to pick up his Carolina League-leading 29th save, which also set a Mudcats single-season record. 
Myrtle Beach will look to rebound against Carolina in Sunday's 6 p.m. contest. The Pelicans will send RHP Alec Mills (0-1, 6.75 ERA) to oppose RHP Jordan Yamamoto (8-4, 2.68 ERA). Coverage for Sunday's contest will begin at 5:45 on MyrtleBeachPelicans.com/Broadcast, TuneIn and the MiLB First Pitch app.
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]