Kellogg, Martinez power Pelicans in 4-2 victory

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (June 1, 2017) - The Myrtle Beach Pelicans took down the Down East Wood Ducks by a final of 4-2 Thursday behind a stellar start from Ryan Kellogg , who allowed just two runs over 6.2 innings en route to a victory from TicketReturn.Com Field at Pelicans Ballpark.
With both starting pitchers' coasting, Myrtle Beach (29-25) struck first against Down East (21-32) starter Wes Benjamin (3-5) in the fifth. With one out in the frame, Eddy Martinez recorded the first Myrtle Beach hit with a line drive single to left field. Following a base hit from Tyler Alamo , Martinez would be retired on the basepaths after getting picked off at second base for the second out of the frame. After advancing to second on a wild pitch, Alamo would score on a Jesse Hodges  double to give the Birds the 1-0 advantage. Follow a two-out walk issued to Matt Rose, Connor Myers continued the two-out rally with a run-scoring single to left field, extending the Pelicans lead to 2-0.

The Pelicans continued to add on to their lead in the sixth. With one out in the inning, Daniel Spingola doubled down the left field line before advancing to third on a ground out. A passed ball brought him in to extend the Myrtle Beach lead to 3-0. Martinez would cap off the Pelicans' scoring with an exclamation point, as the Cuban outfielder blasted his sixth home run of the season over the left field wall to give the Pelicans their fourth run of the contest. 
With Kellogg (2-3) cruising, the Woodies would break up the shutout in the seventh. Luis La O kicked off the frame with a base hit before scoring on a Josh Altmann triple to begin the top of the frame. With the score 4-1, Chuck Moorman grounded out to the right side of the infield to score Altmann and make it a 4-2 ballgame. 
The two runs were all the Wood Ducks could muster against Kellogg, who picked up his second win of the season. The southpaw yielded just those two runs on four hits, with four strikeouts against one walk. Casey Bloomquist came in relief of Kellogg in the seventh with two men retired and pitched the rest of the way to wrap up the Pelicans' 4-2 victory over Down East. Bloomquist did not allow a base runner in his 2.1 frames and whiffed four.
Myrtle Beach will look to take the series advantage Friday at 7:05 p.m. in game three of the set with RHP Adbert Alzolay (5-1, 2.72 ERA) on the mound to oppose RHP Richelson Peña (3-2, 3.80 ERA). Coverage begins at 6:50 p.m. on MiLB.tv, MyrtleBeachPelicans.com/Broadcast, the MiLB First Pitch app and TuneIn.
Friday's contest will mark the first of eight Fidget Spinner Friday's, with the first 500 kids 12-and-under receiving a Pelicans collectible fidget spinner. Tomorrow's matchup will also feature a Mystery Bobblehead giveaway and a special Foodie Friday Shrimp Boil. Gates will open at 6:00 p.m. at TicketReturn.Com Field at Pelicans Ballpark.
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].