Higgins' homer not enough in 5-1 loss

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (July 21, 2017) - P.J. Higgins provided all of the offense for Myrtle Beach Friday, but his solo shot in the second inning was not enough to propel the Pelicans over Down East in a 5-1 loss to the Wood Ducks from TicketReturn.Com Field at Pelicans Ballpark. 
Down East (36-60,13-15) kicked off the scoring in the first off Myrtle Beach (54-43, 11-16) starter Justin Steele (6-6). Matt Lipka was hit by a pitch leading off the contest before he advanced to third on a single from Josh Morgan. Josh Altmann was the third straight batter to reach for the Woodies, as he drove in Lipka with an infield single. Yanio Perez walked to load the bases before Preston Scott grounded into a double play that allowed Morgan to score as the Wood Ducks plated a pair in the first. 

Myrtle Beach cut the 2-0 deficit in half as Higgins blasted a solo home run to left field in the bottom of the second inning. 
Lipka led off the third inning with a double and error to wind up on third. One batter later, he scored on an RBI groundout from Morgan to extend the Down East lead to 3-1. 
With one out in the top of the fourth, Ti'Quan Forbes singled to left field before advancing to second on a base knock from Luis La O. Two batters later, Arturo Lara doubled to right field, scoring Forbes and La O to make the score 5-1.
Kyle Miller entered the contest in the sixth inning and tossed three shutout frames, whiffing three Down East batters. He gave way to James Norwood who slung a perfect ninth inning.
Richelson Pena (7-4) tossed seven innings and allowed just one run on five hits with three strikeouts to earn the win. 
Peter Fairbanks and Adam Choplick teamed up to toss two scoreless innings of relief. 
Myrtle Beach and Down East will play Saturday at 7:05 p.m. in the fourth game of their five-game set. Myrtle Beach will send RHP Mike Rucker (2-2, 2.13 ERA) to oppose Wood Ducks RHP Jonathan Hernández (1-3, 5.59 ERA). Television coverage begins on The CW21 and MiLB.TV at 7 p.m. A radio broadcast will be available at 6:50 p.m. on MyrtleBeachPelicans.com/Broadcast and TuneIn.
Legendary wrestlers Rock n' Roll Express and Babydoll will be in attendance for Saturday's contest to help raise money for The Crocket Foundation. This Locals Appreciation Saturday, with $3 off a game ticket for fans with local IDs, will be capped with a special postgame Fireworks Extravaganza presented by East Coast Pyrotechnics 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].