Myrtle Beach scores five in the fourth, makes it hold up in 5-2 win over Red Sox

The Myrtle Beach Pelicans scored all five of their runs in the last of the fourth inning and made it stand up in a 5-2 win over the Salem Red Sox on Tuesday night at TicketReturn.com Field at Pelicans Ballpark. The loss snapped Salem’s four-game winning streak.

Salem jumped out to the lead for the fifth straight game on the backs of a solo home run from Aneury Tavarez leading off the second inning. Tavarez’s first homer of the year was part of 2-for-4 night with a double, home run, run scored and RBI.

Teddy Stankiewicz faced the minimum through three innings for Salem, but ran into trouble in the fourth. A leadoff error was followed by walk before Billy McKinney brought both runners home on a two-run double to right. Jacob Rogers promptly scored McKinney with a double of his own, putting the Pelicans ahead 3-1. Three more singles and a fielder’s choice netted two more tallies for Myrtle Beach and knocked Stankiewicz out of the game.

Aaron Wilkerson, making his Salem debut, inherited two runners with two outs and recorded the final out on a groundout to third. Wilkerson then proceeded to toss 3.1 scoreless innings, striking out six while allowing just one hit. Stankiewicz (0-4) was charged with the loss after allowing five runs (three earned) on six hits in 3.2 innings.

The Sox got a run back in the top of the sixth on a Tzu-Wei Lin solo home run, his first of the year. However, Salem could get no closer despite getting runners in scoring position in the seventh and eighth innings.

Jonathan Martinez (1-1) picked up the win for the Pelicans with a quality start, allowing two runs on five hits in six innings. James Pugliese earned his second save with a perfect ninth inning.

Myrtle Beach won its fifth in a row to improve to 15-9 while Salem fell to 13-11. The two teams will square off in a doubleheader at 6:05 p.m. on Wednesday. Kevin McAvoy (2-1, 1.66) gets the ball in game one against Daury Torrez (2-1, 3.57). In game two, Joe Gunkel (1-0, 1.23) will toe the rubber for the Sox against Gerardo Concepcion (0-2, 3.55). Fans can listen to the game on 1240 AM ESPN Roanoke, online at salemsox.com or via the TuneIn Radio app.