Pelicans late comeback attempt foiled in loss to Wood Ducks

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (April 19, 2018) - The Myrtle Beach Pelicans came within one run of a come-from-behind win on Thursday night in a 6-5 loss to the Down East Wood Ducks at TicketReturn.Com Field at Pelicans Ballpark.
Myrtle Beach (3-12) mounted its comeback in the eighth inning, trailing 6-2 to Down East (8-7). After Vimael Machin doubled, Tyler Alamo knocked him in with a check-swing RBI double of his own down the right field line. Chris Pieters quickly followed with an RBI triple that plated Alamo and Andruw Monasterio's  RBI single brought the Birds to within one run. Monasterio finished 3-for-3 on the night and reached base four times. 

The Pelicans left the bases loaded in the eighth, but they threatened again an inning later. Trailing 6-5, the Birds had runners on first and second, but could not push the tying run across against C.D. Pelham, who picked up his second save.
Down East jumped out in front early on in the first couple of frames. Three pitches in, Anderson Tejeda doubled home LeDarious Clark to give the Woodies the lead. Later in the inning, a Preston Scott RBI single made it 2-0. In the second, Blaine Prescott ripped an RBI single and Tejeda drove in two more with a single to make it 5-0.
Daniel Spingola smacked his second home run of the season in the bottom of the second to get the Birds on the board. Vimael Machin rammed a third-inning solo shot of his own, his first home run of the season, to cut the deficit to 5-2 after three innings.
Jonathan Hernández (2-1) earned the victory with 6.1 strong innings. The right-hander allowed two runs on five hits while striking out six and walking one.
Tyson Miller (1-2) was saddled with the loss for the Pelicans, allowing six runs, five earned, in his six innings of work. The right-hander struck out seven in his start. Jordan Minch (two innings) and Wyatt Short (one) combined for three shutout innings with three strikeouts to solidify the bullpen for the Birds. 
Game two of the four-game series against the Wood Ducks begins at 7:05 p.m. on Friday. LHP Bryan Hudson (1-1, 6.30 ERA) is slated to start for Myrtle Beach while Down East will counter with RHP Michael Matuella (0-1, 7.27 ERA). Coverage begins at 6:50 p.m. on MiLB.tv, MyrtleBeachPelicans.com/Broadcast, TuneIn and the MiLB First Pitch app. 
The first 1,000 fans out to TicketReturn.Com Field at Pelicans Ballpark on Friday will receive a Grow It Green Ivy Beach Towel Giveaway presented by Environmental Staffing. It is also Beers, Brats and Baseball Friday with $2 craft drafts and BOGO sausages presented by Lowes Foods and WMBF. The contest is also a First Responder Friday presented by 707 Shooting Range, Goldfinch and Winslow Law Firm and WMBF, with all first responders receiving half-price tickets at the box office with a valid ID. 
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. The park 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 as well. In June 2017, TicketReturn.Com Field at Pelicans Ballpark won the 2017 TripAdvisor.com Certificate of Excellence award. The Pelicans have 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 emailing [email protected].