Woodpeckers Power Their Way to Series-Opening Win in Myrtle Beach
MYRTLE BEACH, SC – The Fayetteville Woodpeckers (31-39, 2-2) used a pair of big offensive innings to take home an 8-4 victory over the Myrtle Beach Pelicans (30-40, 1-3) Tuesday night at Pelicans Ballpark. Fayetteville earns the early edge in this week’s series and has now won three out of
MYRTLE BEACH, SC – The Fayetteville Woodpeckers (31-39, 2-2) used a pair of big offensive innings to take home an 8-4 victory over the Myrtle Beach Pelicans (30-40, 1-3) Tuesday night at Pelicans Ballpark. Fayetteville earns the early edge in this week’s series and has now won three out of four against Myrtle Beach to begin the season series.
The Woodpeckers wasted no time getting the bats going against Pelicans starter Kenten Egbert in the top of the first. Yamal Encarnacion singled to begin the game before Jancel Villarroel laced a double to immediately put two runners in scoring position. Moments later, Nehomar Ochoa Jr. blasted his fifth home run of the season to give Fayetteville the 3-0 lead. It was Ochoa’s second home run in as many games after he hit a solo shot in the fifth Sunday against Delmarva.
Myrtle Beach closed the gap with a pair of runs against Woodpeckers starter Sandy Mejia in the third inning. It was the only two runs surrendered by Mejia, who went four frames and struck out five batters. He gave way to the debuting Engel Peralta (W, 1-0) ahead of the fifth. Peralta struck out the first batter he faced to begin the inning but later conceded the tying run on an Alfonsin Rosario RBI single.
After losing the lead, Fayetteville responded with another big inning in the sixth. Pelicans reliever Kenyi Perez (L, 1-1) walked the bases loaded to begin the inning and Cesar Hernandez delivered a go-ahead two-run bloop single into shallow right field, scoring Encarnacion and Villarroel. Hernandez then stole second base and Kenni Gomez dashed home on the errant throw down by Miguel Pabon to make it 6-3. Alejandro Nunez capped off the four-run frame by driving home Hernandez on an RBI infield single.
Peralta surrendered a home run to Pabon in the bottom half of the sixth but settled in from there on, allowing two runs over three and two-thirds. The Woodpeckers got the run back in the seventh on a Villarroel RBI single and Dawill Almonte (SV, 1) recorded the final four outs to earn his first save since 2022 when he was in the Dominican Summer League.
The two clubs will meet again on Wednesday night in the second contest of a six-game set. RHP Jackson Nezuh gets the ball for Fayetteville opposite RHP Yenrri Rojas for Myrtle Beach. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 PM.