The Myrtle Beach Pelicans used an offensive onslaught and dominant start from Ethan Flanagan to beat the RiverDogs 10-0 on Wednesday night in front of 4,952 fans at Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park.
With the defeat, the ‘Dogs drop to 0-5 on the season to Myrtle Beach and 6-5 in the second half.
Charleston starter Andrew Lindsey walked two batters in his first inning but got out of the early jam with a timely 4-3 double play.
The Pelicans came back in the second inning and started the scoring – their first of five consecutive innings with a run.
After a single, a throwing error, and a walk, the Pelicans had runners on the corners with two outs. Alexis Hernandez smashed a fastball into the left-center gap. Theo Gillen attempted a diving catch but barely missed it, as Eli Lovich scored from third easily. Dilan Granadillo tried to score from first but was gunned down at the plate by Ricardo Gonzalez, ending the inning with the Pelicans up 1-0.
The Pelican damage continued in the third.
Ty Southisene roped a ground ball single to start the inning. Leonel Espinoza continued his success in Charleston and smacked a double in the right-center field gap to push the Myrtle Beach lead to 2-0.
Lindsey finished his night after striking out the next batter he saw. He ended his first Single-A outing this season with 2.2 innings; two runs allowed on four hits with three walks and two strikeouts.
The Pelicans tallied another run in the fourth inning to make it 3-0 as a sacrifice fly brought home Jose Escobar after he cracked a line drive double to open the frame.
In the fifth, with one out, a throwing error by Engert Garcia put two Pelicans in scoring position. Matt Halbach singled in the five hole against a pulled in infield to score both runners for a 5-0 advantage.
The Pelicans put the seal on the ballgame in the sixth inning, rallying for five runs to grow the lead to 10-0.
Charleston flirted with runners in scoring position in the sixth inning, but Flanagan ended his career-best start with two strikeouts to escape any potential damage.
Flanagan finished with six scoreless innings while striking out nine and walking two.
Bryce Shaffer took the ball in the eighth and recorded the first 1-2-3 inning of the night for the RiverDog bullpen.
Position player Jose Perez entered in the ninth for the ‘Dogs and posted his second 1-2-3 inning of the season.
Ballpark Fun: Tonight was the second of three Military Appreciation Nights of the season, presented by Boeing, as military families received free tickets. 1,000 hot dogs were given out for free at both gates to celebrate Independence Day weekend. Pre-game, a replica of the American flag from Fort Sumter was carried and displayed on the field for the National Anthem. Jake Rivedal, from the Joint Base in Charleston, performed the anthem and God Bless America during the seventh inning stretch to great fanfare.
The RiverDogs close their nine-game homestand tomorrow night at 6:35 pm before the series shifts to Myrtle Beach on Friday. The ‘Dogs will celebrate the Fourth a day early with a fireworks extravaganza. Tickets are available at RiverDogs.com. For an enhanced experience, fans can purchase tickets to the inclusive and air-conditioned Segra Club.