The Salem Red Sox threatened constantly but rarely capitalized on Saturday night. Despite 12 hits and seven walks, with multiple baserunners in eight different innings, the Sox mustered three measly runs and stranded a dozen runners in their 5-3 loss to Myrtle Beach. The Pelicans scored four of their five tallies in the sixth inning to snap an eight-game losing streak and even up the three-game series at one apiece. Myrtle Beach starter Luke Jackson yielded five hits and five walks, but repeatedly pitched out of precarious situations to refrain from allowing any runs over his five and two-third innings performance, earning the win to improve to 5-4.
After the Red Sox stranded the bases loaded in the second, the Pelicans scored the game’s first run in the third, with Rougned Odor doubling home Luis Sardinas to make it 1-0. The Sox gunned down Drew Robinson at home plate on the same play, but the Pelicans had their first lead that would not be relinquished for the remainder of the night.
Salem starter William Cuevas allowed just one tally in his first five innings, but surrendered three hits to the first four batters in the top of the sixth. With the score 2-0 after Trever Adams’ RBI double, Nate Striz replaced Cuevas with two men in scoring position. Royce Bolinger greeted Striz with a sharply struck two-run single up the middle to make it 4-0. Two batters later, Patrick Cantwell’s two-run double plated Bolinger to give the Pelicans a 5-0 lead.
Through seven innings, the Red Sox were held scoreless, and it looked like Salem might get shutout for the first time all season. But with two outs in the last of the eighth, Salem finally found a clutch hit. After Dave Renfroe singled and Nick Natoli walked, Matty Johnson laced a double into right-center to bring home both baserunners. Unfortunately, Johnson’s attempt to transform his double into a triple was unsuccessful, and he was out at third to end the inning.
In the ninth down 5-2, Deven Marrero led off with a double, and Garin Cecchini singled him to third. After Keury De La Cruz flied out, Brandon Jacobs belted a ball to the wall in left, scoring Marrero and sending Cecchini to third, but Jacobs was thrown out at second base. Blake Swihart grounded out to end the ballgame.
Marrero, Cecchini, Jacobs, and Renfrow all finished with multiple hits for Salem, while Odor and Bolinger each registered two-hit nights for Myrtle Beach. While the Sox went 3-for-11 with runners in scoring position, the Birds went 4-for-6 in clutch situations.
Salem and Myrtle will square off in the rubber match of their three-game series on Sunday afternoon at4:05. Kyle Stroup will make the start for the Sox opposite Pelicans’ righthander Joe Van Meter.
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Chris Graham
