Thomas Pannone retired 14 straight Pelicans hitters and struck out eight in five innings while not allowing a hit. However, Myrtle Beach pushed across a run in the eighth to tie the game and another in the ninth to ultimately top the Lynchburg Hillcats Friday night at City Stadium, 2-1.
The left-handed starter walked two of the first three batters he faced but shut down the Pelicans after that. Pannone set down 14 consecutive batters to close out his outing, which ended after 80 pitches through five frames. He struck out five in a row at one point and did not surrender a hit for the entire evening.
Lynchburg claimed its first lead of the season with an unearned run in the fifth inning. Yonathan Mendoza reached on an error to open the stanza and stole second base to move into scoring position. With two outs, Anthony Miller drove him in with a line-drive single to right field.
Myrtle Beach tied the game without the luxury of a base hit in the eighth. A pair of walks put two runners aboard, and a fielder’s choice advanced the lead runner to third. With two outs, a wild pitch allowed Jesse Hodges to cross the plate and even the score, 1-all.
The Pelicans took the lead in the ninth. P.J. Higgins led off with a single, and Eddy Martinez walked. A passed ball moved both runners up 90 feet, and a fielder’s choice drove in Higgins to give Myrtle Beach a 2-1 win.
James Norwood (1-0) tossed two scoreless innings to earn the victory, and Kieran Lovegrove (0-1) took the loss. Thomas Hatch did not factor into the decision despite only conceding one hit and an unearned run in five innings for his professional debut with the Pelicans.
The Hillcats will go for their first win of the season Saturday night at 6 p.m. It’s the first Sparkling Saturday, featuring postgame fireworks presented by Pepsi. The Indians’ top pitching prospect Triston McKenzie will start for Lynchburg against Justin Steele.Gates open at 5 p.m., and the game can be heard live on www.lynchburg-hillcats.com.
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Chris Graham
