Late rally falls short, Down East sweeps Myrtle Beach
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (May 2, 2019) - The Myrtle Beach Pelicans brought the go-ahead run to the plate in the bottom of the ninth inning, but they could not finish off the rally and were swept by the Down East Wood Ducks with a 5-3 loss on Thursday from TicketReturn.com Field at Pelicans Ballpark.
Down East (20-8) wasted no time getting to Pelican's starter Paul Richan (2-2) in the first inning. The Woodies recieved back-to-back singles by Yonny Hernandez and Leody Taveras to open up the frame.
With runners at first and third, Taveras attempted to steal second base and the throw skipped into center field which allowed Hernandez to score to give the Woodies a 1-0 lead. Taveras made it 2-0 when he scored on an RBI groundout from Diosbel Arias.
Down East added a run to the lead in the third inning when Hernandez scored on a Birds' error to extend the lead to 3-0.
After Down East made it 4-0 in the top of the fourth inning, the Birds (7-21) bats came alive in the bottom of the inning.
Carlos Sepulveda singled to open the inning and later came in to score on an RBI single by Tyler Payne that made it 4-1. Jimmy Herron then delivered a triple down the right field line to cut the lead to 4-2 and after a walk to Luke Reynolds , Grant Fennell made it a 4-3 game with a sacrifice fly.
Down East increased their lead to 5-3 in the seventh when Hernandez drove in Yanio Perez on a sacrifice fly.
Trailing by two runs entering the ninth inning, the Birds put the tying run on second base and brought the winning run to the plate, but they were turned away by the Woodies.
Michael Matuella came out of the Down East bullpen to get the final two outs and earn the save to secure the 5-3 Woodies win.
Reid Anderson (2-0) allowed just three runs in six innings of work to earn his second win on the year for Down East.
Myrtle Beach has now lost eight in a row, but will return to action on Friday as they welcome in the Salem Red Sox for a three-game series at 7:05. Javier Assad (0-3, 4.50) will get the ball for the Birds against Jhonathan Diaz (2-1, 4.43) for the Sox. Coverage starts at 6:50 p.m. on MiLB.tv, MyrtleBeachPelicans.com/Broadcast and the MiLB First Pitch and TuneIn Apps.
Friday will be a Fish Fry Friday with fish fry dinner plates and $2 craft drafts available from 6-8 p.m. It will also be a First Responders Friday, where any first responders can show their ID at the Anderson Brothers bank box office to recieve half off their ticket, courtesy of 707 Shooting Range, Allegiant Air, WMBF and Mix 97.7. Additionally, Friday will be Derby Eve at the ballpark. The Pelicans will kick-off the Kentucky Derby celebrations with an in-game horse race on the field.
The 2019 season is the 21st season for the Pelicans franchise and fifth as the Class A-Advanced affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. For tickets visit MyrtleBeachPelicans.com/tickets, call (843) 918-6000, or visit the Pelicans Box Office.
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. Since being acquired by a group led by Chuck Greenberg during the 2006 season, the Pelicans have repeatedly set team attendance records and become known as one of Minor League Baseball's most innovative and creative franchises. The team and its employees have been dedicated to making a difference in the Myrtle Beach community, specifically giving back over $2 million in donations, fundraising proceeds, in-kind services and community service since launching the Pelicans Play It Forward Community Initiative in 2013. TicketReturn.Com Field at Pelicans Ballpark has ranked in the top eight in all of Minor League Baseball by Stadium Journey in six of the last seven seasons. The same publication also placed the Pelicans in the Top 100 Stadium Experiences and the best in the Carolina League for six of the past seven seasons. In June 2017, the Pelicans won the 2017 TripAdvisor.com Certificate of Excellence award. On the field, the team has won four Mills Cup Championships, including claims to back-to-back titles in 1999 and 2000, and again in 2015 and 2016. The Pelicans have made 11 postseason appearances behind 13 half-season Southern Division championships, including the first half of the 2015 season, second half of 2016 and first half of 2017. For more information on the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, please contact the Pelicans at (843) 918-6000 or email [email protected].