Pelicans fall in seesaw contest against Hillcats

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (July 27, 2018) - The Lynchburg Hillcats dropped the Myrtle Beach Pelicans 4-3 on Friday night in a back-and-forth game to hand the Birds their ninth loss in their last 10 contests from TicketReturn.Com Field at Pelicans Ballpark. 
With the Pelicans (47-58, 13-22) leading 2-0 into the top of the seventh inning, the Hillcats (49-53, 20-15) tied the game against Jhon Romero (1-2). Jorma Rodriguez laced an RBI triple before Alexis Pantoja crushed a game-tying double.

The Pelicans took the lead in the bottom of the seventh inning when Aramis Ademan scored on an error.
However, Lynchburg took the advantage for the first time in the game in the eighth. Trenton Brooks and Jodd Carter hit back-to-back infield, run-scoring singles to nab a 4-3 lead. 
Dispite the loss, Cory Abbott was brilliant for the Birds in his start. Abbott tossed 6.2 innings, allowing just one run on four hits while striking out 10 and walking one. His 10 strikeouts tied a season-high for all Pelicans starters (Alex Lange struck out 10 against the Hillcats on May 23). 
The Pelicans struck first in the bottom of the fourth inning when Andruw Monasterio , who went 3-for-4, plated Jhonny Pereda with an RBI double.
In the fifth, the Birds added on with a Jared Young run-scoring single, driving in Ademan, to increase the tally to 2-0. 
Leandro Linares (3-0) earned the win for the Hillcats with his 2.2 innings out of the bullpen. James Karinchak picked up his 13th save on the year by recording the last out of the contest. 
The Pelicans continue their set with Lynchburg with Saturday's 6:05 p.m. contest. Pelicans LHP Bryan Hudson (6-8, 4.71 ERA) starts for the Birds against Lynchburg LHP Tanner Tully (3-9, 4.79 ERA). Television coverage begins at 6 p.m. on The CW21 and MiLB.tv. A radio broadcast begins at 5:50 p.m. on MyrtleBeachPelicans.com/Broadcast, the MiLB First Pitch app and TuneIn. 
Saturday marks Bull Durham Night, as the Pelicans celebrate 30th anniversary of the baseball classic movie. In addition, it is Locals Appreciation Saturday, featuring $3 off tickets for fans with a local ID, as well as an Embrace a Veteran Saturday presented by Embrace Hospice. 
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. Since being acquired by a group led by Chuck Greenberg during the 2006 season, the Pelicans have repeatedly set team attendance records and become known as one of Minor League Baseball's most innovative and creative franchises. The team and its employees have been dedicated to making a difference in the Myrtle Beach community, specifically giving back over $2 million in donations, fundraising proceeds, in-kind services and community service since launching the Pelicans Play It Forward Community Initiative in 2013. TicketReturn.Com Field at Pelicans Ballpark 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. In June 2017, the Pelicans won the 2017 TripAdvisor.com Certificate of Excellence award. On the field, the team has 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 email [email protected].