MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (June 3, 2019)- The Wilmington Blue Rocks posted season highs in runs and hits as they downed the Myrtle Beach Pelicans 9-5 on Monday night from TicketReturn.com Field at Pelicans Ballpark. 

For the second-straight night, the Pelicans (20-38) grabbed an early 2-0 lead.

After a walk and a single in the third inning, Zach Davis hit a two-run double down the left field line to put the Birds in ahead 2-0. 

Erick Leal made the start for the Birds and faced a lot of traffic on the bases through the first four innings, but he was able to strand five men on base to keep the Blue Rocks (36-21) off the board into the fifth and that is when things turned south on the Birds.

After Leal loaded the bases to begin the fifth, MJ Melendez promptly unloaded them with the Blue Rocks first grand slam of the season and Wilmington took a 4-2 lead. 

The lead was short lived as the Pelicans stormed back in the bottom half of the inning to tie the game at four. Davis opened up the inning with a single and then stole second before he scored on a double from Carlos Sepulveda to cut it to a 4-3 game. 

Three batters later, the Pelicans tied the game when Cam Balego laced a two-out, RBI single to right to even the score.

In the sixth, Wilmington responded with five more runs of their own to take a 9-4 lead. 

Wilmington took the lead on an RBI single from Brewer Hicklen that made it 5-4 and the floodgates opened after that. After Melendez was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Dennicher Carrasco made it 6-4 Blue Rocks with an RBI base hit. 

After a force out brought in the seventh run of the game, the Blue Rocks brought in another tally on a balk from Jesus Camargo (1-1) and scratched another run across on an RBI base hit from Seuly Matias that capped off a five-run frame and put Wilmington ahead 9-4.

Myrtle Beach managed to plate a run in the eighth inning on a sacrifice fly from D.J. Wilson to cut the gap to 9-5.

The Pelicans will look to salvage a game in the three-game series on Tuesday at 7:05 p.m. RHP Alex Lange (1-8, 9.09) will take the hill for the Pelicans while LHP Marcelo Martinez (3-2, 4.71) will go for the Blue Rocks.