Birds roll by Wood Ducks to snap skid

KINSTON, N.C. (April 14, 2018) - Vimael Machin registered four hits and three RBIs and Connor Myers added four more knocks Saturday as the Myrtle Beach Pelicans snapped a five-game losing streak with a 14-6 win over the Down East Wood Ducks at Grainger Stadium.
Machin helped get the Pelicans (2-8) started in the club's first at-bats. The San Lorenzo, Puerto Rico native doubled before Jhonny Pereda walked with one out. A wild pitch moved both runners up a base before Wladimir Galindo knocked in Machin with an RBI ground out. Tyler Alamo  then lined in Pereda with an RBI single to make it 2-0.

The Wood Ducks (5-5) got a run back in the second on Andretty Cordero's RBI single, but Myrtle Beach struck right back in the third. Pereda singled to start the frame against Down East starter Michael Matuella (0-1) before an error put runners on second and third. Alamo then lifted a sacrifice fly and Chris Pieters registered an RBI ground out put the advantage at 4-1.
In the fourth, Myers singled and stole second base with one out, racing around to score on Machin's RBI single. After a walk to Pereda, Galindo notched an RBI single to plate Machin. Later in the frame, Kevonte Mitchell scorched another RBI single to make it 7-1.
Pelicans starter Bryan Hudson (1-1) was more than comfortable from there, ceding just one more run in both the fourth and fifth before exiting. The southpaw pitched five innings, yielding three runs on five hits with one walk against four strikeouts to earn the win.
Myrtle Beach led 10-3 in the sixth, but Cordero socked a two-run shot and Josh Altmann added a solo homer immediately after to pull Down East to within 10-6.
Myers helped the Birds start a two-out rally in the seventh, tripling before Machin singled him in. In the eighth, back-to-back doubles by Galindo and Alamo put men on second and third to start the frame. Pieters brought Galindo in with a sacrifice fly before Alamo scampered home on a wild pitch to put the margin at 13-6.
Aramis Ademan blasted a solo home run in the ninth to finish off the scoring at 14-6. Wyatt Short came on to pitch two scoreless innings out of the bullpen to seal the victory.
All nine Pelicans in the order reached base at least once, with Myers, Machin, Pereda, Galindo, Alamo, Mitchell and Ademan doing so multiple times in the 19-hit output. Myrtle Beach's 19 hits were the club's most since also compiling 19 on July 30, 2016 at Salem.
The Birds vie for a series split with Sunday's 2 p.m. set finale at Down East. RHP Alex Lange (0-0, 1.80 ERA) takes the ball for Myrtle Beach against Down East RHP Walker Weickel (0-1, 3.86 ERA). Coverage begins at 1:45 p.m. on MyrtleBeachPelicans.com/Broadcast, the MiLB First Pitch app and TuneIn.
The 2018 season is the 20th season for the Pelicans franchise and fourth 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. The park 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 as well. In June 2017, TicketReturn.Com Field at Pelicans Ballpark won the 2017 TripAdvisor.com Certificate of Excellence award. The Pelicans have 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 emailing [email protected].