Monasterio, Ademan power Pelicans to sweep

LILLINGTON, N.C. (June 7, 2018) - Andruw Monasterio and Aramis Ademan blasted home runs Thursday to lead the Myrtle Beach Pelicans to a 4-2 win and series sweep over the Buies Creek Astros from Jim Perry Stadium. The victory was the sixth in a row for the Birds, and the club's 12th in 14 contests.
With the score tied at two in the fifth inning, Ademan socked a line drive over the wall in right-center to put the Pelicans (30-29) ahead 3-2. Jhonny Pereda followed with a walk before Buies Creek (32-27) reliever Jesus Balaguer (3-3) hit Wladimir Galindo with a pitch. P.J. Higgins followed with an RBI double to increase the lead to 4-2.

That was more than enough for Myrtle Beach starter Cory Abbott (1-0), who won his High-A debut by yielding two runs on three hits in six innings. Abbott struck out eight against a pair of walks before yielding to Ryan Kellogg , who fired three scoreless frames for his second save.
Myrtle Beach opened up the scoring in their first at-bats. Ademan singled with one out before Pereda followed with a walk. Galindo cashed in Ademan with an RBI single to draw first blood.
In the third, Monasterio crushed his first homer of the season to push the advantage to 2-0.
However, in the bottom of the fourth, J.J. Matijevic walked before Abraham Toro hit a two-run shot to knot the score at two.
The win pushed the Birds above .500 for the first time all season.
The Pelicans begin a three-game series with the Salem Red Sox with Friday's 7:05 p.m. contest from TicketReturn.Com Field at Pelicans Ballpark. RHP Keegan Thompson (3-3, 3.35 ERA) goes for the Birds against Salem RHP Roniel Raudes (2-5, 3.96 ERA). Coverage begins at 6:50 p.m. on MiLB.tv, MyrtleBeachPelicans.com/Broadcast, the MiLB First Pitch app and TuneIn.
Friday's contest is a Thirsty Friday with $1 12 oz. Bud and Bud Light drafts, $2 16 oz. cans and half-price Duplin wine. In addition, on a Beer, Brats and Baseball Friday, fans can enjoy $2 craft drafts and buy-one, get-one Lowe's Foods sausages. All drink specials are from 6-8 p.m.
The 2018 season is the 20th season for the Pelicans franchise and fourth 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].