Myrtle Beach Pelicans 5, Winston-Salem Dash 4
W: David Berg (1-0)
L: Danny Dopico (0-1)
S: None
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (April 11, 2016) – For eight innings, the Dash overcame seven walks and enjoyed a two-run lead. However, four free passes in the ninth set the table for Ian Happ, whose walk-off double capped a three-run ninth in Myrtle Beach’s shocking 5-4 victory over Winston-Salem on Monday night at TicketReturn.Com Field.
In his second appearance above rookie ball, Danny Dopico (0-1) eyed the Dash’s first save of the season. However, he issued back-to-back walks to start the ninth. Following a sacrifice bunt, Dopico rattled off two more free passes, the second of which chased home a run and pulled the Pelicans (3-2) within one.
Winston-Salem (1-4) turned to Euclides Leyer, who did get ahead of Happ before he laced a walk-off groundrule double to right-center. As a result, the Dash have dropped four in a row since their 13-inning victory at Lynchburg on Opening Night.
In all, the Dash walked 11 Pelicans, their highest single-game total since a 12-walk effort on May 26, 2011 at Kinston. Despite this, Winston never trailed until the ninth inning.
Nick Basto jump-started the Dash’s offense with a two-run bomb to left-center in the fourth. Basto has recorded a multi-hit game in three of his first four starts of 2016.
The Dash tacked on another run in the fifth and sixth innings. Michael Danner led off with a walk and eventually scored on an error by Happ to make it 3-0 in the fifth. Winston responded to Myrtle Beach’s two-run bottom half of the fifth with some two-out magic in the sixth. Marcus Davis doubled and came around on a Brett Austin single, which pulled Austin even with Basto for the team lead with five RBIs.
In his first start with Winston-Salem since 2012, southpaw Blair Walters worked around three walks and two hits during his four scoreless innings. Kelvis Valerio surrendered those two fifth-inning runs before stranding the bases loaded in the sixth, while Connor Walsh blanked the Pelicans in the seventh and eighth.
As a result, Winston-Salem is off to its first 1-4 start since the 2005 season, when the club was the Warthogs. Monday also represented the Dash’s third consecutive one-run loss at Myrtle Beach. The Pelicans knocked off the Dash in Game 2 and the deciding Game 3 of last season’s Southern Division Championship Series by a single tally.
This series continues Tuesday at 7:05 p.m. from Myrtle Beach. Winston-Salem sends prospect right-hander Spencer Adams (0-0, 4.50 ERA) to the bump for his second start. The Pelicans counter with southpaw Tommy Thorpe, who will be making his 2016 debut. Pregame coverage begins at 6:50 p.m. on wsdash.com/broadcast and the TuneIn Radio App.
The Dash return to the Triad this Thursday for a week-long homestand that kicks off the seventh season at BB&T Ballpark. Tickets for the exciting homestand, which features a Lowes Foods Thirsty Thursday on April 14 and a Fireworks Friday on April 15, are available by calling (336) 714-2287 or visiting wsdash.com. Select $5 infield box seats are available via SportsCarolina Monthly at this Link.
