Pelicans score seven unanswered to eliminate GreenJackets

MYRTLE BEACH, SC — The GreenJackets struggled to return from the All-Star break Tuesday night. Myrtle Beach scored in each of its final four offensive innings to earn a 7-1 victory in the season opener.

The starting pitching shined early for both sides, as Garrett Baumann and Kenten Egbert blanked their opponents for three frames. Baumann returned from a two-week layoff by retiring a career-high eight hitters, dominating primarily with his fastball. Egbert allowed three hits and three walks, but stranded six men on base to score no runs. However, both arms suffered a heavy pitch count, which would prove crucial in the middle innings.

Egbert reached his predestined limit of 65 with two outs in the 4th, handing the ball to Angel Hernandez. Hernandez struggled to settle, with two singles and a wild pitch that put men on the corners for John Gil. The youngest man on the roster would remain calm and hit a two-out, two-strike single past a diving shortstop to score Joe Olsavsky and put the GreenJackets ahead.

Baumann worked around a pair of two-out knocks for a scoreless 4th, but allowed a bunt single and a walk to start the 5th and was lifted by acting manager Connor Justus, who led the team for the week in place of the absent Wynston Sawyer. Justus turned to piggyback arm Adel Dilone and the Pelicans jumped on the change. A walk loaded the bases for Cristian Hernandez and the shortstop ran a single through the open right side to give Myrtle Beach its first lead. Dilone would not survive the inning and was lifted for Albert Rivas, who left the bases loaded to limit the damage.

Myrtle Beach continued to add in the bottom half of the game, scoring two runs in each of the next two innings from Rivas on a Hernandez double, Miguel Pabon double and Anderson Suriel single, his first hit and RBI at the Single-A level. Meanwhile, Augusta’s offense was stunned by the Pelicans’ pen, as Angel Hernandez, Vince Reilly and Shane Marshall refused to allow a run after the 4th, allowing just one hit. An E3 brought in one final run in the 8th from L.J. McDonough, only further cementing the eventual outcome.

Baumann suffers a tough loss for Augusta to move to 5-3, while Angel Hernandez notches his second win of the year in his third season with Myrtle Beach. The day also featured a history-making outfielder Jacob Wetzel, who made a club-record 259 starts for the Pelicans. Tomorrow, a battle of 19-year-old righties takes place as Didier Fuentes and Nazier Mule square off in front of a large crowd on the beach at Pelicans Ballpark. The GreenJackets return home later this month on July 30 to host the Down East Wood Ducks for the first and only time in their final season.

Tickets for this week’s games are available at greenjacketsbaseball.com or by calling 803-349-9467.