Five-run sixth propels Pelicans past ’Cats

By Andy Bitter

Published: April 29, 2008

The Hillcats were a small ball model in the early innings against Myrtle Beach on Tuesday. They bunted runners up, swiped a base when it was there and, despite leaving a mess of runners in scoring position, got enough hits to produce a bunch of runs.
That’s a moot strategy when your opponent does all that and more in one inning, though.
The Pelicans used a five-run sixth to come away with an 8-6 win against the Hillcats at City Stadium, their ninth win in 11 games.
“If you give up five in one inning, you’re not going to win very many ballgames,” Hillcats manager Jeff Branson said.
Unlike Lynchburg (10-15), which poked and prodded its way to a 4-1 lead through four innings, Myrtle Beach did its damage with two fell swoops in the sixth.
With two runners on, Concepcion Rodriguez lofted an opposite field two-run double off reliever Charles Benoit (0-3), trimming the hard-earned Hillcats’ lead to 4-3. Benoit walked two more batters to load the bases before turning things over to right-hander Matt McSwain. Brandon Hicks greeted him with a bases-clearing double to center, making it 6-4 Pelicans.
“You’re going to go through spurts like that,” Branson said of his bullpen, which was unhittable in the season’s first two weeks. “We just have to try to stay away from the big innings if we’re going to win games.”
Myrtle Beach (15-10) led 8-4 before Lynchburg mounted a comeback, just like Monday. Jim Negrych ripped a two-run double in the eighth to get the Hillcats within two.
That’s as close as they would get, though. Eddie Prasch launched a ball to the warning track for the third out in the eighth in Lynchburg’s last legitimate chance.
Pelicans closer Kevin Gunderson, who shut the door Monday night, did it again Tuesday with a 1-2-3 ninth for his league-leading seventh save.
Brett Butts (2-2) earned the win with one scoreless innings of relief.
Lynchburg can only kick itself for even letting Myrtle Beach hang around. Yes, the Hillcats scored four runs in the first four innings, but in that time they twice stranded the bases loaded, left a total of seven runners in scoring position and had another thrown out at the plate.
“Any time you’ve got runners on, you want to get them in,” said Negrych, who was 2-for-4 with three RBIs but struck out with a runner on third in the second. “We just didn’t get that big hit.”
Hillcats starter Brian Holliday, who was only allowed to go one inning in his last home start because of the Pirates’ new single-inning pitch count rule, gave up one run on six hits Tuesday.
On an extremely tight pitch count (around 60), he lasted four innings. He didn’t strike out anybody but had just two walks. Both times it was Robert Marcial, who fouled off several pitches on 3-2 counts to earn his way to first.
Though he didn’t factor into the decision, Holliday’s ERA remains at 1.52 after five starts, lowest of anybody in the rotation.
“I’ve cut down on the walks and I have confidence in myself,” said Holliday, who has spent parts of four seasons in Lynchburg and battled a lat injury last year.
“I’ve seen the league. I see what you have to do. You have to throw strikes and give your defense a chance to play behind you. And good things will happen.”
NOTES: SS Brian Friday, who returned to the lineup after being hit in the head by a ball in Kinston, had two hits for Lynchburg. So did 2B Angel Gonzalez. … The hottest pitcher in the Carolina League will take the mound for Myrtle Beach tonight. Tommy Hanson, a 6-foot-6 right-hander who was selected in the 22nd round of the 2005 draft out of Riverside (Calif.) Community College, has allowed one run in 29 innings this season, for a 0.31 ERA.
He has a league-leading 38 strikeouts and has allowed just nine hits.