Steele, Flete carry Birds in 3-2 win

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (June 10, 2017) - Justin Steele tossed six innings of one-run baseball while Bryant Flete homered to help give the Myrtle Beach Pelicans a 3-2 victory Friday over the Carolina Mudcats from TicketReturn.Com Field at Pelicans Ballpark. 
With the score tied at one in the fourth, Myrtle Beach (36-26) plated a pair off Carolina (33-28) starter Cody Ponce (5-5). Daniel Spingola led off the frame with a double to right field. Eddy Martinez gave the Pelicans their second lead of the contest with a base hit to left field that scored Spingola. Jesse Hodges then reached first on a sacrifice bunt up the third base line that advanced Martinez to third. With two outs in the frame, Robert Garcia laced an RBI single to right field to extend the Pelicans' lead to 3-1. 

That was more than enough for Steele (4-3), who whiffed eight Mudcats and ceded just one run on three hits in his six innings of work. Kyle Miller entered the contest in the seventh inning and allowed just one run over his three frame en route to his third save of the season. That brought the Pelicans' magic number to clinch the Southern Division down to six with eight to play.
Flete set the tempo for the Myrtle Beach offense in the bottom of the first inning with a lead-off solo home run to right field. 
Jake Gatewood answered the Pelicans immediately with a solo home run of his own to lead off the second inning for the Muddies. 
Gatewood struck again in the ninth inning with his second home run of the evening to make the score 3-2.  
Myrtle Beach and Carolina will wrap up their four-game series with Sunday's 6:05 p.m. contest. Myrtle Beach RHP Mike Rucker (1-0, 1.76 ERA) will oppose RHP Trey Supak (1-0, 6.00 ERA). Sunday's game will have coverage beginning at 6:00 on The CW21 and MiLB.tv. A radio broadcast starts at 5:50 p.m. on MyrtleBeachPelicans.com/Broadcast, the MiLB First Pitch app and TuneIn.
Sunday's contest will feature Breakfast Night. Fans are encouraged to come in their pajamas as the night will feature breakfast foods at the concessions, a pillowcase giveaway to fans 12 and under and a special postgame pillow fight on the field.
The 2017 season is the 19th season for the Pelicans franchise and third as the Class A-Advanced affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. For information on tickets to see the Pelicans in 2017, please call (843) 918-6000, e-mail [email protected], or visit www.MyrtleBeachPelicans.com.
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 each of the last six seasons. The same publication also placed the Pelicans in the Top 100 Stadium Experiences in all of sports in each of the last six years and the best in the Carolina League for six straight seasons as well. In May 2015, TicketReturn.Com Field at Pelicans Ballpark won the 2015 TripAdvisor.com Certificate of Excellence award. The Pelicans are the two-time defending Mills Cup Champions, winning the title in 2015 and 2016 as well as 2000 and co-Mills Cup championship honors in the inaugural 1999 season. The Pelicans have made ten postseason appearances behind 12 half-season Southern Division championships, including the first half of the 2015 season and second half of 2016. For more information on the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, please contact the Pelicans at (843) 918-6000 or emailing [email protected].