Pelicans Allow Nine in the Ninth, Lose 10-2 to GreenJackets

Augusta clinched the series with their fourth win of the week

By Sam Weiderhaft

Heading to the ninth with a 2-1 lead, the Myrtle Beach Pelicans watched nine runs come across the plate to fall for the fourth time this week to the Augusta GreenJackets 10-2 on Saturday night. The Pelicans dropped to 71-48 with a 24-29 second-half record with the loss, while the GreenJackets improved to 62-56 and 26-26 in their second half of the season. With their fourth loss of the week, the Pelicans have now dropped four straight six-game series.

In every game of the series, the Pelicans have outhit the GreenJackets with nine on Saturday. Haydn McGeary (3-4, 2B) collected three hits in just his second game as a Pelican. Kevin Alcantara (2-4, 2B) also picked up multiple hits including a double. The RBI went to James Triantos (1-4, RBI) and Ezequiel Pagan (1-2, RBI, BB).

Until the ninth inning, it was a solid night for the Pelicans' pitching staff. Starter Nick Hull retired all six batters faced with two strikeouts. Brody McCullough followed with one inning and two strikeouts, with Saul Gonzalez allowing just one earned run in 3 2/3 frames and six strikeouts. Gregori Montano took the loss with six earned runs in his 1 1/3 innings off just one hit and five walks, while hitting a batter.

Augusta racked up just five hits but walked eight times in the victory. Kevin Kilpatrick (2-5, HR, 5 RBI) led the team with five runs batted in, four coming on a grand slam in the top of the ninth. Stephen Paolini (2-3, RBI, BB) also logged a multi-hit game for the GreenJackets.

Rainiery Rodriguez (3-4) earned the win with five innings in relief and two earned runs with seven hits allowed. Starter JR Ritchie pitched four scoreless frames with two hits, a walk, and a strikeout.

Pitchers dominated the first part of the game with the Pelicans retiring the first 17 Augusta batters and took a no-hitter to the sixth. Paolini smacked a single with two outs in the inning and came home on a Kilpatrick single to put the GreenJackets in front 1-0.

The Pelicans matched the score in the bottom of the seventh. With one out and runners on first and second, Triantos lined a single over E.J. Exposito’s head at second into center field to score a run and tie the game 1-1.

Another run came in for Myrtle Beach in the bottom of the eighth to put the home team in front. With runners on first and third, Pagan laid a sacrifice bunt down to score Alcantara and gave the Pelicans their first lead at 2-1.

Montano came out to pitch the top of the ninth and immediately gave up two walks and a single to load the bases with nobody out. Justin Janas got hit by a pitch to bring the tying run home. Things got unraveled when Montao walked the following two hitters to give the GreenJackets a 4-2 lead. Johzan Oquendo came out of the bullpen, walked Ethan Workinger, and gave up a single to Paolini as the Birds fell behind by four. Kilpatrick finished it off by lifting a grand slam to left field as the GreenJackets plated nine in the ninth and left the inning up 10-2.

After a leadoff single, the next three Myrtle Beach hitters were retired by Rodriguez to finish the game.

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