Pelicans Season Ends with 10-6 Loss to RiverDogs in Game Two

The RiverDogs will head to the Carolina League Championship for the Second-Straight Year

By Sam Weiderhaft

After falling in game one on Tuesday, the Myrtle Beach Pelicans had their season come to a close on Thursday night with a 10-6 loss to the Charleston RiverDogs in the second game. The RiverDogs now head to take on either the Lynchburg Hillcats or the Fredericksburg Nationals in the championship series to defend their title following the sweep. The Pelicans’ playoff run comes to an end after two games.

In their final game, the Pelicans left all their power on the field with three home runs to account for five of the six runs. Haydn McGeary (2-4, HR, 3 RBI, BB) hit a two-run homer to tie the game in the first. Moises Ballesteros (1-1, HR, 2 RBI) hit a pinch-hit two-run shot and Josue Huma (3-5, HR, RBI) added a solo shot in the bottom of the ninth. Myrtle Beach left nine on base and went 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position.

Didier Vargas (0-1) pitched just under four innings with seven runs and three earned in his outing. The lefty allowed six hits with one walk while striking out seven. Brody McCullough had three earned runs come across in 1 2/3 innings off four hits in relief.

Charleston turned 15 hits into 10 runs to clinch the series. Three RiverDogs pushed across multiple runs with Bobby Seymour (2-5, HR, 2B, 2 RBI), Ryan Spikes (2-5, 2 RBI), and Oneill Manzueta (2-4, 2 RBI) each bring home a pair of runs. Willy Vasquez (4-5) collected four hits in the victory.

Thursday’s win went to Daiveyon Whittle (1-0) after throwing just under four innings of scoreless baseball with just two hits allowed and a strikeout. Starter Alex Ayala Jr. pitched 4 1/3 innings with two earned runs off three hits and five walks while striking out seven. Sandy Gaston had four earned runs come across with two home runs allowed in the final frame.

Both teams hit two-run home runs in the first inning. For the RiverDogs, it was Seymour hitting a two-run shot off Vargas to right field that gave Charleston an early lead.

McGeary went deep for the Pelicans in the bottom of the first with two outs on a line-drive to left field to tie the game 2-2.

With the game tied, Charleston broke things open in the top of the fourth with five runs. With runners on first and second, Spikes lined a single to left to score a run and break the tie. Dominic Keegan followed by bringing home a run on an error by Huma at short. Manzueta kept it rolling with a single that brought home two more to go up 6-2. Sasaki finished it off by bringing in Manzueta to cap off the five-run inning.

The game stayed 7-2 until the top of the eighth when the RiverDogs plated three more. Spikes hit his second RBI single with runners on first and second for the first run. Manzueta hit a one-out single to score Brock Jones. With runners on the corners, McCullough balked in a run for a 10-2 RiverDogs lead.

The Pelicans made some noise in the bottom of the ninth with four runs in the inning. After Jacob Wetzel singled in his pinch-hit appearance, Ballesteros followed with a two-run home run to right field with nobody out. Huma made it back-to-back with a solo homer to right to make it a 10-5 game. After Juan Mora walked and moved to second on a wild pitch, he scored on McGeary’s single to right with one out. The final two batters were retired to end the game.

Myrtle Beach begins the 2023 season on April 6th at home against the Charleston RiverDogs.