Burks' walk-off single extends Pelicans' win streak to eight

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (August 6, 2016) - Charcer Burks reached base five times and delivered the walk-off single in the 11th inning Saturday to lead the Myrtle Beach Pelicans to a 4-3 win over the Carolina Mudcats at TicketReturn.com Field at Pelicans Ballpark.

With Myrtle Beach (62-51, 26-17) and Carolina (44-69, 15-28) tied at three in the bottom of the eleventh, Bryant Flete beat out a grounder to second for an infield single against Mudcats reliever Ryan Lawlor (1-3). Ian Rice followed by lining a single to center to push Flete to second. After Jeffrey Baez bunted them to second and third, Lawlor intentionally walked Daniel Spingola to load the bases with one out. Jesse Hodges then pinch-hit and grounded into a 5-2 force out. With two outs and the bases loaded, Burks lined one over shortstop to win the game.

The Pelicans' eight-game winning streak is their longest since 2015.

With the game scoreless in the top of the second, Pelicans starter Jeremy Null walked two of the first three batters before Sal Giardina drove home Braxton Davidson to make it 1-0 Carolina. The next batter was Tanner Murphy, who flew out to left to score Keith Curcio and make the score 2-0 Mudcats.

With the score the same in the fourth, Davidson and Isaias Tejeda both singled before a fielder's choice moved Davidson to third. Murphy then delivered his second sacrifice fly in as many plate appearances, giving Carolina a 3-0 advantage.

Null responded with two subsequent scoreless innings, allowing three runs on four hits over six solid frames.

Down 3-0 in the bottom of the fourth, Yasiel Balaguert homered off Mudcats starter Andrew Thurman to get Myrtle Beach on the board. Thurman had retired 11 in a row before Balaguert's deep fly.

With Carolina leading 3-1 in the bottom of the sixth, Myrtle Beach got a leadoff single from Erick Castillo before Burks drew a walk. Two batters later, David Bote lined a single to center that scored Castillo to pull the Pelicans to within 3-2.

With Mudcats reliever Zach Quintana pitching in the seventh, Baez singled with one out. Spingola followed and lined a double to the gap in left-center to score Baez and tie the game at three.

The Birds bullpen worked five shutout innings on the night. Daury Torrez put up zeroes in the seventh, eighth and ninth, respectively, while Ryan McNeil (1-1) held the Mudcats scoreless in the two extra innings.

Burks reached in five of his six plate appearances Saturday and has now been on base in eight of his last 13 tries. For the season, he is hitting .333/.464/.621 in 20 games against Carolina.

The Pelicans will go for the sweep and ninth straight win Sunday at 6:05 p.m. RHP James Pugliese (4-4, 3.75 ERA) makes the start for Myrtle Beach while RHP Matt Withrow (6-5, 4.42 ERA) goes for Carolina. All fans are welcomed to enjoy a catch on the field before the game courtesy of TITLE Boxing. Coverage beings at 5:50 p.m. on MyrtleBeachPelicans.com/Broadcast, the MiLB First Pitch app and TuneIn. Sunday's telecast starts at 6 p.m. on the CW21 in Mrytle Beach and on MiLB.tv.

The 2016 season is the 18th season for the Pelicans franchise and second as the Class A-Advanced affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. For information on tickets to see the Pelicans in 2016, 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 five seasons. The same publication also placed the Pelicans in the Top 100 Stadium Experiences in all of sports in each of the last five years and the best in the Carolina League for five 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 defending Mills Cup Champions, winning the title in 2015 as well as 2000 and co-Mills Cup championship honors in the inaugural 1999 season. The Pelicans have made nine postseason appearances behind 11 half-season Southern Division championships, including the first half of the 2015 season, as well as five Southern Division titles, most recently in 2015. For more information on the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, please contact the Pelicans at (843) 918-6000 or emailing [email protected].