Pelicans shutout Hillcats for fourth-straight win

LYNCHBURG, Va. (July 4, 2019)- Behind seven, lights out innings from starter Erick Leal , the Myrtle Beach Pelicans shutout the Lynchburg Hillcats 6-0 on July 4th from City Stadium. 

After a 38-minute rain delay to start the ballgame, the Pelicans (9-6, 30-52) put their first run on the board in the third inning when Jimmy Herron , who set a career-high with four hits on the night, doubled and scored on an RBI single from Miguel Amaya that made it 1-0 Pelicans.
In the fifth, the Pelicans broke the game wide open against Hillcats (9-6, 41-41) starter Juan Hillman (L, 3-8). Herron opened the inning up with a triple and scored on an RBI single by Delvin Zinn that made it a 2-0 lead for the Birds. 
After Carlos Sepulveda was hit by a pitch, Amaya drove in Zinn on a single back up the middle that extended the lead to 3-0. The next batter, Cam Balego grounded a shot to third, Nolan Jones fielded it but threw it away which allowed Sepulveda to score all the way from second and gave the Birds a 4-0 lead. 
The Pelicans added on their fifth run later in the inning when Wladimir Galindo laced a single through the left side of the infield to push the lead to 5-0. 
Amaya, who went 4-for-5, tacked on another run for the Pelicans in the seventh inning when he launched his seventh homer of the year to edge the lead to 6-0.
Erick Leal (W, 1-1) dominated on the mound for the Pelicans as he produced his longest start since May 25, 2016. The righty tossed seven, shutout innings and allowed just three hits and walked a pair while striking out a season-best eight batters to earn his first win of the year. 
The Pelicans will look to win their fifth in a row on Friday night against the Hillcats (9-6, 41-41) at 6:30 p.m. LHP Jack Patterson (0-0, 0.00) will make his Pelicans debut against RHP Cody Morris (1-0, 4.35) for the Hillcats. 
Coverage will begin at 6:15 p.m. on the Pelicans Baseball Network which is available on the TuneIn App, MyrtleBeachPelicans.com/Broadcast and MiLB First Pitch app.
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].