Myrtle Beach took its first lead on a controversial play in the fifth inning, and Victory Payano’s brilliant pitching performance guided the Pelicans to a 5-1 victory over the Salem Red Sox in the opener of a four-game series at TicketReturn.Com Field.
With runners at first and second in the bottom of the fifth, Drew Robinson’s bunt attempt was fielded by pitcher William Cuevas and pegged at his back near the first-base bag. The ball bounced off the baserunner and down the first base line, allowing Jake Skole to scurry home for the game’s first run. Salem manager Billy McMillon vehemently argued that Robinson was not running in his proper lane toward first, but all the argument did was lead to an ejection, with plate umpire Brennan Miller tossing McMillon for the first time this season.
The Pelicans added two more runs in the fifth and two more in the sixth, with Salem breaking up the shutout with one tally in the eighth.
Payano retired the first nine Red Sox of the game, striking out six of them over his first three dominant innings. Sean Coyle walked to start the fourth, but Garin Cecchini hit into a fielder’s choice and then was nabbed trying to steal third base, allowing Payano to face the minimum through four. In the fifth, with the game still scoreless, the Red Sox loaded the bases with two walks and a David Renfroe single. But with one away, Henry Ramos grounded into a 1-2-3 double play, squandering the opportunity. Payano reestablished his dominance, retiring six of the final seven he faced over his seven-inning, two-hit, nine-strikeout shutout performance.
After the controversial bunt, the Pelicans capitalized with a Rougned Odor sac fly and Kellin Deglan’s RBI single. Up 3-0, the Pelicans added two more on an RBI single from Skole and an RBI ground-out from Robinson to make it 5-0.
Salem brought the tying man to the plate in the top of eighth, loading the bases and forcing in a run on Cecchini’s walk. Pelican reliever Paul Schwendel induced an inning-ending grounder from Keury De La Cruz, ending the threat with Salem trailing 5-1. In the top of the ninth, Randol Rojas retired the Red Sox in order to close it out.
Cuevas suffered the loss despite a solid overall performance, one that could have been very different if an interference call had been made on the fifth-inning bunt. Cuevas fell to 1-4 on the year, allowing three runs (one earned) on six hits over five innings, with three walks and two strikeouts. In relief, Nefi Ogando yielded two runs (one earned) in two innings), while Chris Balcom-Miller tossed a scoreless eighth in his first appearance of the season.
The Sox and Pelicans reunite on Saturday for a 7:05 first pitch, with Henry Owens scheduled to throw for Salem opposite Myrtle Beach’s Jerad Eickhoff.
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