Despite a late comeback push, the Charleston RiverDogs fell 4-3 to the Myrtle Beach Pelicans on Saturday night in front of 5,007 fans at Joesph P. Riley, Jr. Ballpark.
Throughout the three-game series, 15,932 walked through the turnstiles of The Joe, leading all of the Carolina League for Opening Weekend.
Myrtle Beach opened scoring in the top of the second inning after they loaded the bases on a double, single and walk. With no outs, Edward Vargas rolled an RBI single to right to make it 1-0. Later in the frame, Josiah Hartshorn sent a sacrifice fly to right that doubled the lead to 2-0.
In the bottom of the second, Rays No. 4 prospect and 2025 first-round pick Daniel Pierce lined a 107 mile per hour single to left for his first professional hit.
After the Pelicans added two more runs in the top of the third, the RiverDogs responded in the bottom of the fourth. Following a Taitn Gray walk, Alberth Palma sent a soft grounder to second that led to an errant throw to the left-field corner, allowing Gray to score and cut the deficit to 4-1.
Riley Stanford, Nate Knowles and Trey Pooser were dominant in relief, combining for six shutout innings of work while limiting Myrtle Beach to just two hits.
After both sides traded scoreless innings through the eighth, Charleston began it’s comeback bid in the bottom of the ninth. Two consecutive errors and a Dean Moss sacrifice fly led to two runs that brought the RiverDogs within one.
With two outs, Cooper Flemming stepped to the plate representing the winning run and flew out to deep right to end the ballgame.
With the loss, Charleston falls to 0-3 while Myrtle Beach moves to 3-0. The RiverDogs will enjoy two off days before they embark on their first road trip of the year on Tuesday.
First pitch for game one in Fayetteville versus the Woodpeckers is slated for 6:35 p.m. with coverage beginning at 6:20 p.m. on the RiverDogs Broadcast Network.
Ballpark Fun: The RiverDogs turned back the clock on Saturday night, transforming The Joe into a lively tribute to the Charleston Tea Party, the first ‘Tea Party’ in American history.
The first 1,000 fans received complimentary tea, while all were invited to take part in the one-of-a-kind spectacle, dumping tea into a massive pool filled with 3,000 bags. After the game, colonial reenactors brought history to life, leaping into the tea bath in a fun reenactment of the iconic history behind the protest. Four Golden Tickets inside the tea bag giveaways were given out to lucky fans, who earned a VIP experience at the Charleston Tea Garden.