Birds Blank Fireflies 8-0 on Thursday Night

By Sam Weiderhaft

After being held to two hits and no runs last night, the Myrtle Beach Pelicans silenced the Columbia Fireflies 8-0 on Thursday for their first win of the series. The win puts the Pelicans at 49-57 and 20-20 in the second half. The Fireflies dropped to 59-49 and 24-19 in the second half.

Eriandys Ramon (4-4, 4 2B, RBI, BB) set a Pelicans single-game record with four doubles in four at-bats. Ivan Brethowr (1-4, HR, 3 RBI, BB) hit his first professional home run with a three-run shot in the second. Alfonsin Rosario (2-5, 2B, 2 RBI) drove home a pair of runs in the win as well. Seven of Myrtle Beach’s 11 hits went for extra bases.

For the first time in his career, Juan Bello (3-4) stretched six innings with only two hits allowed and three strikeouts without allowing a run to grab the win. Connor Schultz closed out the final 2 1/3 frames with just one hit allowed to keep the shutout intact.

All three Fireflies' hits were singles as Blake Mitchell (1-4), Callan Moss (1-3), and Hyungchan Um (1-4) tallied the only base hits. Columbia went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position and left six on base.

Starter Mauricio Veliz (1-3) took the loss after sacrificing six earned runs off eight hits and two walks in his 3 2/3 innings. The bullpen allowed two more earned runs in the loss.

The Pelicans grabbed the lead after a five-run second inning. Drew Bowser brought home the first run on an RBI double off the left-center field wall. He scored on a Dilan Granadillo RBI single that dropped in shallow left. After Ramon hit his second double of the game to put runners on second and third, Brethowr launched a three-run homer over the left field wall to extend the lead to 5-0.

Myrtle Beach scored another run in the fourth after Ramon hit his third double of the game. Rosario knocked him in on a two-out double to center for a 6-0 lead.

Rosario brought home another run on an RBI single in the sixth. Ramon set the single-game franchise record with his fourth double of the game in the bottom of the eighth that brought home a run to extend the lead to 8-0.

Game four of the series is set for Friday night at 7:05 p.m.