Hatch whiffs 13, but Birds come up short at Carolina

ZEBULON, N.C. (May 28, 2017) - Thomas Hatch struck out 13 - one away from tying a Pelicans record - but Myrtle Beach fell 4-1 Sunday to the Carolina Mudcats at Five County Stadium.
The score was tied at one with one out in the sixth when an error put Jake Gatewood on first. Lucas Erceg then lined an opposite field double to plate Gatewood from first, giving Carolina (27-23) the 2-1 advantage and knocking Hatch (0-5) out of the game. Trent Clark greeted Pelicans (27-24) reliever Casey Bloomquist by hitting launching a two-run, opposite field to pad the lead to 4-1

Hatch's 13 strikeouts were one away from tying a club record set by Kyle Davies on June 12, 2004 at Kinston, and later matched by Julio Teheran on May 31, 2010 at Frederick. Hatch yielded three runs, two earned, on six hits in his 5.1 frames, walking just one batter.
Armed with a lead, Mudcats reliever Kodi Medeiros (3-3) fanned seven in 3.1 frames, working around a hit and three walks to earn the win. Nate Griep got the final two outs to earn his league-leading ninth save. Myrtle Beach left 12 men on in the loss.
Carolina struck in their first at-bats. Troy Stokes Jr. walked with one out before stealing second and going to third on an error. After Hatch fanned Isan Díaz, Gatewood lines an RBI single to center to make it 1-0 Muddies.
The score would remain that way until the fourth. Eloy Jiménez singled to begin the frame. Two batters later, Matt Rose did the same to put runners on first and second. Jesse Hodges then lined a base hit to bring in Jimenez and knot the score at one.
With the loss, Myrtle Beach fell into third place in the Southern Division, two games behind Buies Creek.
The Pelicans will vie for a series split in Monday's 2 p.m. contest, sending LHP Justin Steele (2-3, 2.44 ERA) to the bump against Carolina RHP Cody Ponce (5-3, 3.26 ERA). Coverage begins at 1:45 p.m. on MyrtleBeachPelicans.com, the MiLB First Pitch app and TuneIn.
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].