Myrtle Beach's offense stalls in 3-2 loss

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (August 26, 2017) - The Myrtle Beach Pelicans fell on Saturday night despite a strong start from Duncan Robinson , who yielded just one earned run over five innings in the Birds' 3-2 loss to the Carolina Mudcats in front of 5,895 fans at TicketReturn.Com Field at Pelicans Ballpark. 
With the score tied at one in the top of the seventh inning, Carolina (66-64, 30-32) rallied against Myrtle Beach (70-62, 27-35) reliever David Berg (1-3). Max McDowell kicked off the frame with a single before advancing to third base on a sacrifice bunt and then a balk. With one out in the frame, Trent Clark drew a walk before both runners scored on a triple from Corey Ray to give the Muddies a 3-1 lead. 

Tyler Alamo jumpstarted the Pelicans' half of the seventh inning with a base hit to center field. With two outs in the inning, Robert Garcia reached on a bunt single before an errant throw allowed Alamo to score from first base, bringing the Pelicans within a run of Carolina. 
Nate Griep entered the contest for the Mudcats in the bottom of the ninth inning. The right-hander surrendered just one hit in the frame before ending the contest on a double play to convert his Carolina League-leading 26th save of the season. 
Carolina kicked off the scoring in the top of the first inning. With two men retired, Cooper Hummel doubled off the left field wall, plating Trent Clark, who reached on a walk to begin the frame. 
Connor Myers and Zack Short both drew walks in the bottom of the third inning. With two outs, P.J. Higgins tied the contest at one with a base hit to center field, allowing Myers to score. 
Eric Hanhold (7-3) pitched a scoreless sixth inning to earn the win in relief of Trey Supak, who ceded just one run in five frames.
With the 3-2 loss, Carolina snapped Myrtle Beach's streak of four consecutive series victories. 
Myrtle Beach looks to avoid a sweep in Sunday's 3:05 p.m. contest. RHP Thomas Hatch  (5-10, 3.99 ERA) will toss for the Birds against RHP Marcos Diplan (6-8, 5.53 ERA). The contest will be locally televised on The CW21 and MiLB.TV, with coverage beginning at 3:00 p.m. A radio broadcast will begin at 2:50 on MyrtleBeachPelicans.com/Broadcast, TuneIn and the MiLB First Pitch app. 
Sunday's contest will mark the final home game of the regular season for the Pelicans. Fan Appreciation Day will feature Party Like It's 1999 day, with an appearance from former Pelican Rafael Furcal, a Furcal Poster Giveaway to the first 1,000 fans and a 1999 raffle where fans win items that were popular in the '90s. The first 1,000 fans will also receive a Dr. Pepper Bag and a Mystery Envelope.
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]