The Salem Red Sox couldn’t overcome the weather or the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, and the Sox fell 8-1 in a shortened six-inning game. Salem starter Mickey Pena allowed eight runs in two and two thirds innings to take the loss, but encountered a number of poor breaks, many of them weather related. He fell to 3-3, with Pelicans reliever Will Lamb getting the win and improving to 2-0.
Salem’s lone run came home in the fifth, when Stefan Welch singled in Deven Marrero. But by then the game was already out of hand, after the Pelicans scored twice in the first, and six times in the third. A string of five straight hits knocked Pena from the game. Windy and slick conditions turned a number of usual outs into base knocks against the Salem starter. Heri Quevedo entered with two down in the third and stopped the bleeding, pitching three and one third innings of scoreless baseball for Salem.
Myrtle Beach starter Alec Asher pitched three shutout frames, but was pulled entering the fourth due to a long wait and a high pitch count.
The windy conditions were so bizarre that outfielders and infielders alike were having trouble tracking routine pop flies. One gust took a fly ball to deep left and transformed it into a pop out to third. Players made uncharacteristic misplays and misjudgments. The feat of smacking a home run was rendered virtually impossible, with the breeze blowing in aggressively from center field.
Salem will attempt to regroup and hopefully play in some friendlier weather tomorrow night, when Kyle Stroup takes the hill for the Red Sox against Victor Payano for Myrtle Beach. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 pm.
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Chris Graham
