Hitting Propels Pelicans to Seventh Straight Win
By Sam Weiderhaft In their best stretch of the season, the Myrtle Beach Pelicans pushed their winning streak to seven with a 10-2 victory over the Augusta GreenJackets in the third game of the series on Thursday night. They hold a two-game lead in the South division standings with a
By Sam Weiderhaft
In their best stretch of the season, the Myrtle Beach Pelicans pushed their winning streak to seven with a 10-2 victory over the Augusta GreenJackets in the third game of the series on Thursday night. They hold a two-game lead in the South division standings with a record of 32-22, the most wins in the Carolina League. Augusta dropped to 26-28.
It was another powerful night for the Birds’ lineup as the Pelicans racked up 12 hits with two more home runs. Parker Chavers (2-4, HR, 3B, 5 RBI, BB) led the way with a two-run triple and three-run home run. Felix Stevens (2-5, HR, 2 RBI) hit his third home run in three days. Reivaj Garcia (3-5, 2B) collected three hits from the leadoff spot and scored three runs. In the three games at Augusta, the Pelicans have hit seven home runs.
After starter Marino Santy tossed four shutout innings with five strikeouts, Yovanny Cabrera (2-2) took the win with 2 2/3 innings of shutout baseball while giving up a hit and four walks and striking out three.
Cory Acton (3-4, 2B, 2 RBI) accounted for three of the five GreenJackets’ hits and drove in the only two runs on a double in the bottom of the eighth. Augusta left eight on base and went 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position.
Jhancarlos Lara (2-3) allowed the first three runs in his start that lasted one out shy of five innings and took the loss. Nolan Martinez tossed four innings in relief and gave up seven more runs, all earned off seven hits.
On the first pitch of the second inning, Stevens put the Pelicans on the board with a solo home run to left center field for his 10th of the year.
Two more runs came in the top of the third for Myrtle Beach. With runners on first and second, Moises Ballesteros lined a single up the middle to score a run and put runners on the corners. Stevens followed with a first-pitch RBI single to left to push the Birds’ lead to 3-0.
After the middle innings were quiet, the Pelicans broke things open with a four-run top of the seventh. With a runner on second, Ismael Mena grounded a single to right for an RBI. Two batters later, following a Garcia double to put runners on second and third, Chavers cleared the bases on a triple that went to center field. He would score on a Ballesteros sacrifice fly to extend the lead to 7-0.
Augusta’s only two runs came in their half of the eighth. With runners on second and third, Acton lined a double to left to plate both runs.
Chavers struck again in the top of the ninth as he hit a three-run home run to center for his fifth of the season as the Pelicans put the finishing touches on their 10-2 win.
The series continues on Friday night with first pitch set for 7:05 p.m