Five hurlers deliver second Pelicans no-no of year

The Pelicans did it again.

For the second time this season, Single-A Myrtle Beach tossed a combined no-hitter. In the latest feat, five different pitchers -- Tyler Schlaffer, Luis Angel Rodriguez, Gregori Montano, Angel Hernandez and Alfredo Zarraga.

"It's a rarity to see one [no-hitter], and what my staff has done together, it's kind of unheard of," Pelicans manager Buddy Bailey said.

On May 1, Walker Powell, Adam Laskey, Jake Reindl combined on a no-no for the Cubs affiliate against Columbia. In Sunday's 5-0 win over Fayetteville, five pitchers shared the load.

Starter Schlaffer struck out six and walked two batters over three innings. Rodriguez followed with three more dominant innings, fanning eight while walking three.

The 22-year-old left-hander said he was focused on getting ahead in counts and attacking the zone, and once he was done, he was confident his teammates would continue the success.

"He wasn't worried about [finishing the no-hitter] because he knew his team had his back," Rodriguez said through left fielder Alejandro Rivero. "It helped him focus on every hitter, every pitch, every count because he was 100 percent that his team was gonna have his back."

Montano, Hernandez and Zarraga threw one clean inning apiece to seal the team's fourth franchise no-hitter, its third in the past two seasons.

The Pelicans' first five hitters handled all the offense, combining for eight hits. Juan Mora, who has a 12-game on-base streak, led the way with three hits, including two doubles -- both career highs.

Now the team heads off on a much-needed four-day break. Bailey thinks the time off will not only help his team recharge, but it will help them avoid the post-no-hitter "honeymoon effect" that many teams face after having an extremely successful outing.