Despite a quality start from Jacob Kmatz, the RiverDogs fell into an early hole and couldn’t recover, as Myrtle Beach took a 3-1 victory in front of a raucous crowd of 7,304 on Thursday night at Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park.
Charleston has lost each of the first six games of the season series with Myrtle Beach and falls to 6-6 in the second half with the loss.
Owen Ayers picked up right where the Pelicans left off in last night’s dominant win, launching a first-pitch fastball from Jacob Kmatz for a two-run homer in the first inning to give Myrtle Beach an early 2-0 lead.
The RiverDogs attempted to storm back in the bottom half, as Angel Mateo ripped a single with runners on first and second with two outs. Narciso Polanco was gunned down trying to reach third base just before Nathan Flewelling touched home plate, wiping away the scoring chance.
Charleston got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the third inning.
Theo Gillen singled, Flewelling walked, and Polanco singled to load the bases with one out. A wild pitch by Yenrri Rojas gave Gillen a free pass home, cutting the Pelicans lead in half to 2-1.
The Pelicans responded in the fourth.
After a single and a walk to start the frame, Eli Lovich floated an RBI single to shallow center, extending the Myrtle Beach lead to 3-1.
Jacob Kmatz recovered after the first inning to finish his outing on a high note. He wrapped his outing by stranding a man on second base in the top of the sixth, setting a new season-high with eight strikeouts.
Jadon Bercovich and Johnathan Russell manned the Charleston bullpen for the final three innings, striking out five and giving up one hit to keep the ballgame stable.
The Myrtle Beach bullpen only allowed two hits in the last four innings, neutralizing Charleston’s offense.
In the bottom of the ninth inning, the RiverDogs put serious pressure on reliever Cole Reynolds.
After two walks, the RiverDogs had the go-ahead run at the plate with one out. A ground ball to first advanced both runners into scoring position, and Larry Martinez got the call as the pinch-hitter with two outs. However, Martinez struck out swinging to end the ballgame.
Ballpark Fun: Today’s game was a celebration of Independence Day, just one day prior to the actual holiday. The Joe was packed with fans today, as the 7,304 fans marked a new season-high in attendance. Those fans witnessed some fantastic promotional games. Knocker-balls has been a fan favorite all year, and tonight’s iteration did not disappoint. A three-legged race was another competition where fans were eager to see the winner. A mascot race across the warning track between a hot dog, a peanut, and a glass of beer was a thriller to the very end. A fireworks display was held after the ballgame, and it was the most patriotic and impressive show of the season thus far.
The series shifts to Myrtle Beach tomorrow night, with first pitch set for 7:05 pm ET at Pelicans Park. The RiverDogs return to Charleston on Tuesday to open a six-game series with the Columbia Fireflies. Tickets are available online at RiverDogs.com.