A flurry of two-out runs propelled the Myrtle Beach Pelicans to a 5-2 win over the Potomac Nationals in Woodbridge on Sunday afternoon. With the victory, the Pelicans earned a split in four-game series with bookend wins. Andrew Clark’s two-run homer in his Pelicans debut proved to be the game winner, and was one of seven two-out hits for Myrtle Beach in front of 1,608 at Pfitzner Stadium.
Cameron Selik (4-9) retired the first eleven Myrtle Beach hitters he faced, but ran into a wall with two outs in the fourth inning. His trouble started with a walk of Travis Adair, and the Pelicans followed with four consecutive extra-base hits, including Clark’s homer, and surged ahead 4-0.
Potomac had taken a lead in the third inning. Francisco Soriano led off with a walk, stole second and scored on consecutive groundouts by Jeff Kobernus and Destin Hood. Hood has now driven in 75 runs, the second most in the Carolina League.
Mitchell Clegg relieved Selik with two outs in the fourth, and retired the first six hitters he faced. He, too, ran into two-out trouble. In the sixth inning, the Pelicans strung together three straight singles, the last of which came off the bat of Jared Hoying and pushed Myrtle ahead 5-1.
Jose Lozada’s leadoff homer in the seventh inning got the Nationals their final run and pulled them within three.
But the Nationals went down with a whimper in the eighth and ninth innings against Myrtle Beach relievers Ryan Kelly and Ryan Odebaugh. Eury Perez was the Nats’ only baserunner in the final two frames; after a two-out single he was picked off first base to end the game.
The Nationals (55-63) and the Pelicans (64-54) split their 20-game season series.
Potomac makes its final trip to Grainger Stadium Monday night. The Nationals send Adam Olbrychowski to the mound in the opener of a three-game series at 7:00 P.M.
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