Wood Ducks Smash Their Way to Victory

Season-highs in runs, hits, walks, and home runs lead to the first win of the second half

(Danny Stroud/Down East Wood Ducks)

By Dominic Cotroneo

June 23, 2017

MYRTLE BEACH, SC - Down East's offense exploded with 14 runs and 16 hits in a 14-6 shellacking of the Pelicans on Friday night. Luis La O, Arturo Lara, and Ledarious Clark had three hits each as every starter reached base through two innings of play.Wes Benjamin backed up his

MYRTLE BEACH, SC - Down East's offense exploded with 14 runs and 16 hits in a 14-6 shellacking of the Pelicans on Friday night. Luis La O, Arturo Lara, and Ledarious Clark had three hits each as every starter reached base through two innings of play.
Wes Benjamin backed up his shutout effort against Winston-Salem in his last start with six quality innings without a walk. It marked the first time this season Benjamin worked a start without a free pass.

The Woodies (1-1, 25-46) started hot against Myrtle Beach (1-1, 44-28) starter Ryan Kellogg with the first five batters of the game reaching against the southpaw. Yanio Perez and La O's singles brought in a run each, and Lara's single later scored two more.
In all, ten batters came to face Kellogg in the first inning. He returned for the second and the Wood Ducks added two more runs on singles from Tyler Sanchez and Lara.
The big blows came in the third inning with the score 6-0. Right-hander Casey Bloomquist would work the next two innings and struggle. Matt Lipka lined a laser over the wall in left for his first home run of the 2017 season. Four batters later, La O clocked his seventh of the year over the bleachers in left for a three-run homer and set the score at 11-0.
Benjamin performed damage control over the next two innings, with two double plays and an RBI single that scored a run for the Pelicans. Despite allowing a season-high 11 hits, he allowed two runs or fewer over at least five innings for the fifth time in 12 starts this season.
Clark led off the fourth with a towering shot to left for his fifth home run of the season. It would be the last of the big swings for the Wood Ducks - tying a season-high in homers with three for the third time this season.
In the fifth, Clark brought in another run with a bases loaded walk. The 14th run for the Woodies came in the sixth, on a productive groundout by Y. Perez. The Woodies were in control 14-2 despite the final finishing at 14-6.
Game three of the series comes on Saturday night with Richelson Peña (4-3, 3.36) on the mound against Mike Rucker (1-1, 1.73) for Myrtle Beach. You can listen to every pitch of the 2017 season live on Sports/Talk 960 The Bull or streamed live on the TuneIn Radio app.