Myrtle Beach used a five-run fifth inning to turn a 3-1 deficit into a 6-3 lead, and the Pelicans padded the margin into an 8-3 final score to level the best-of-five Mills Cup Championship Series, 1-1, at TicketReturn.com Field Tuesday night.
With the Hillcats leading 3-1 in the bottom of the fifth, Charcer Burks hit a solo home run to left field to spark a five-run, six-hit rally for Myrtle Beach. Donnie Dewees singled and scored one batter later on an RBI double by David Bote that knocked Lynchburg starter Brock Hartson out of the game. Three straight RBI singles by Jeffrey Baez, Andrew Ely and Erick Castillocapped off the deciding stanza. Hartson suffered the loss after allowing four runs, three earned, in 4 1/3 innings. He struck out two and walked the same amount.
Lynchburg scored in the first inning for the first time in the playoffs. Tyler Krieger, Francisco Mejia and Anthony Santander all had base hits to begin the game. Bobby Bradley grounded into a double play, which brought home Krieger. Myrtle Beach answered in the home half when Burks drew a leadoff walk and eventually came home on an RBI groundout by Eloy Jimenez.
The Hillcats added a run in the fourth and another in the fifth to take a 3-1 advantage. Yu-Cheng Chang started a two-out rally in the fourth with a single. Connor Marabell and Yonathan Mendoza followed with base hits to break the 1-all tie. In the fifth,Krieger notched a leadoff single, and Dorssys Paulino drove him in with a two-out safety.
Jeremy Null only lasted four innings for Myrtle Beach on the mound. James Norwood earned the win by pitching the fifth inning for the Pelicans.
Lynchburg is now 63-63 in all-time postseason play…The Hillcats are 13-10 in Mills Cup Championship games, winning four of the previous six series they have competed in…Each team had 13 hits and left nine runners on base in the contest.
Lynchburg returns home for Game Three at City Stadium Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. All tickets are only $5, and gates open at 5:30.Luis Lugo (0-0, 1.80) will start for Lynchburg against Carolina League Pitcher of the Year Trevor Clifton (1-0, 1.50). Fans can listen to all the action on 93.3 FM and 1320 AM as well as www.lynchburg-hillcats.com, beginning with the Hillcats On-Deck Show at 6:15 p.m.
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Chris Graham
