Late Runs Push Fireflies over Pelicans 5-1 on Saturday Night

By Sam Weiderhaft

The Myrtle Beach Pelicans allowed four runs in the final three innings to drop Saturday night’s game 5-1 to the Columbia Fireflies in the fifth game of the series. The loss dropped the Birds to a 50-58 record and 21-21 in the second half, while the Fireflies improved to 60-50 and 25-20 in the second half. Saturday was Gary Gilmore bobblehead giveaway day, with the 29-year Chanticleer head coach being honored pregame with a jersey retirement ceremony.

Despite tallying nine hits, the Pelicans scored just one run as Leonel Espinoza (1-4, RBI) drove in one on a single in the third. Cam Smith (2-4) posted his first multi-hit game of his professional career with two singles.

After Kenten Egbert posted a quality start with one run allowed through six innings and seven strikeouts, reliever Mathew Peters (0-1) took the loss with an earned run off four walks while getting just two outs.

Columbia’s big blow came from Callan Moss (2-4, HR, 3 RBI) with a three-run homer in the eighth to extend the Fireflies lead. Jhonny Perdomo (0-4, RBI) broke the 1-1 tie with an RBI single in the seventh.

With five shutout innings in relief, Logan Martin (3-3) earned the win with four strikeouts and six hits allowed. Starter Emmanuel Reyes allowed one earned through the first three innings with three hits allowed. The Fireflies did not walk a batter all game.

For the fifth time this series, the Fireflies scored in the first inning. After a leadoff double from Erick Torres, a passed ball got by catcher Miguel Pabon, and his throw to third went wide into left field as Torres scored on the play.

The Pelicans tied it in the bottom of the third off Espinoza’s RBI single.

The score stayed tied until the top of the seventh. With runners on second and third, Perdomo hit a chopper to short that scored the runner from third to put the Fireflies ahead 2-1.

In the top of the eighth, Shane Marshall entered the game for the Pelicans on the mound with two runners on. The first batter he faced was Moss, who launched a three-run homer to left field for his first professional homer to make it 5-1 Fireflies.

The series concluded on Sunday night at 6:35 p.m.