MYRTLE BEACH, SC- In front of a crowd of more than 5,000 at BB&T Coastal Field, the fans packed the seats for a Fourth of July full of baseball, food, and fireworks. The Salem Red Sox supplied most of the firepower in the top of the 5th inning, plating seven runs in the frame on the way to a 10-4 Pelicans loss.
The Pelicans are now 1-11 against Salem this season. Myrtle Beach falls to a second half record of 4-7 putting them in a tie for last place in the Southern Division of the Carolina League with Salem.
Matt Crim (4-8) got the nod on the hill for the Pelicans and cruised through the first three frames before running into trouble in the fourth. All-Star third baseman Will Middlebrooks knocked a two-run double to give the Red Sox a 2-0 lead, but the Birds bounced back in the bottom half of the inning as Travis Jones laced a run-scoring double to cut the Pelican deficit in half at 2-1.
But the floodgates opened after that as the first six men to bat in the top of the fifth inning reached base as the Sox scored seven runs on eight hits, both of those numbers being season highs for the Pelican pitching staff.
The Pelicans showed some life in the bottom of the ninth inning as Osman Marval beat out a groundball back to the pitcher to prolong the inning. Cole Miles followed Marval with a walk and Mycal Jones ripped a two-run double down the left field line to end the scoring for the Pelicans.
Right-hander Zeke Spruill also made his first appearance with Myrtle Beach since breaking his hand after a start in Salem in April, hurling two perfect innings while striking out four.
The Pelicans will look to bounce back on Monday evening in game three of this four-game set with first pitch set for 7:05 PM.
