Zobrist homers in rehab, Pelicans fall to Dash in wild finale

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (August 8, 2019)- The Myrtle Beach Pelicans and Winston-Salem Dash put on a run-scoring clinic on Thursday night and the Dash came away with an 8-7 win in the series finale at TicketReturn.com Field at Pelicans Ballpark.

In the series finale, runs were plentiful early. The Dash (22-24, 60-50) jumped on the Pelicans (24-23, 44-69) in the top of the first inning when Andrew Vaughn laced an RBI double off of Brendon Little (L, 0-1) and gave the Dash a 1-0 lead.
In the bottom half of the first, the Pelicans responded with a pair of runs and took a 2-1 lead on a two-run double from Luke Reynolds .
The Dash came right back in the top of the second and used back-to-back doubles from Yeyson Yrizarri and Evan Skoug to tie the ballgame at 2-2. 
In the bottom of the inning, the Pelicans retook a 3-2 lead on a solo homer from Kevonte Mitchell , his team-high 12th of the season. 
The big blow for the Dash came in the top of the third inning. After Vaughn doubled and Craig Dedelow reached on a walk, Tate Blackman blasted a three-run homer to left that gave the Dash a 5-3 lead. 
Before the inning was over, Winston-Salem added another run that made it 6-3 when JJ Muno scored from third on a wild pitch.
The biggest spark of the night for the Pelicans came in the bottom of the third, when Chicago Cubs rehabber Ben Zobrist led of the inning with a solo home run to right center which brought the Birds to within two runs at 6-4.
In the top of the fourth, the Dash added on two more runs. An RBI double from Jameson Fisher made it 7-4 and the Dash tacked on their eighth run of the night on a sacrifice fly from Blackman that edged the lead to 8-4. 
The Pelicans were not done scoring runs of their own as they brought themselves to within one run of the Dash when Miguel Amaya launched a three-run home run to center that made it an 8-7 game in favor of the Dash. 
After the fifth inning, the scoring plateaued for both teams. The Pelicans had two runners aboard in both the sixth and seventh innings, but could not push a run across. 
Andrew Perez (W, 1-2) tossed a pair of scoreless innings for the Dash to earn the win in the Dash's 8-7 victory. 
Zobrist was the designated hitter and had five plate appearances in his first game on rehab with the Pelicans. He went 1-for-4 with a solo homer, a walk and he scored a pair of runs. 
The Pelicans will continue their six-game homestand as they welcome in the Wilmington Blue Rocks on Friday night at 7:05 p.m. RHP Jeffrey Passantino (1-0, 1.89) will take the hill for the Pelicans against LHP Marcelo Martinez (5-7, 4.37) for the Blue Rocks. 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 receive half off their ticket, courtesy of 707 Shooting Range, Allegiant Air, WMBF and Mix 97.7. 
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].