Sepulveda plays hero, Birds down Woodpeckers

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (August 3, 2019) - Carlos Sepulveda smacked a go-ahead, ninth-inning base hit in the Myrtle Beach Pelicans 4-3 victory over the Fayetteville Woodpeckers from Segra Stadium on Saturday night. 

After the Pelicans (43-67, 22-21) Luke Reynolds singled with one out in the ninth inning in a 3-3 game, he moved to second on a wild pitch and was pinch run for by Jose Gutierrez. Sepulveda then lined an RBI single to left, scoring Gutierrez, to give the Pelicans a 4-3 lead.
Ethan Roberts then struck out the side in the bottom of the ninth inning, saving his second game for the Pelicans and sealing the win. Chad Hockin (W, 1-1) earned the victory for Myrtle Beach by throwing two innings of one-run ball. 
For Fayetteville (53-59, 22-21) Riley Cabral (L, 1-1) took the defeat. 
In the second inning, the Woodpeckers took the lead on a Chandler Taylor solo home run off of Enrique De Los Rios for the Birds. In his first start of the season, De Los Rios only allowed the one run on one hit over five innings while striking out three.
The Pelicans took the lead in the fourth inning when Aramis Ademan singled home Cam Balego. Grant Fennell came in on an error from right field on the same play, giving the Pelicans a 2-1 advantage. 
Reynolds added on with a solo homer in the sixth, making it 3-1, but Fayetteville volleyed back in the bottom of the inning with a Ruben Castro solo blast. 
With the Pelicans up 3-2 in the seventh, the Woodpeckers tied the game on a fielder's choice hit into by Cal Stevenson, scoring Taylor from third.
The Pelicans conclude their three-game series with Woodpeckers at Segra Stadium on Sunday. First pitch is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. and RHP Alexander Vargas (2-3, 4.58 ERA) will take the hill for the Pelicans against RHP Cody Deason (1-2, 4.32 ERA) for the Woodpeckers. Coverage will begin at 5:45 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].