Pelicans Wrap Up Six Game Series With Win

July 13, 2009

After an hour and 45 minute rain delay Sunday night, the Pensacola Pelicans started the final game of their six-game series against the El Paso Diablos. The game was a close one, but the Pelicans ultimately emerged victorious, 5-4. Both Antoin Gray and Chase Burch homered in the win, and Hunter Davis earned his twelfth save.

Jason Navarro started the game for the Pelicans and pitched seven strong innings, striking out nine in the process. He only walked one and allowed seven hits while yielding four runs. Three of the runs were earned, with the unearned run coming at the start of the game.

In the top of the first, Arnoldo Ponce singled with one out. He moved to second on the hit, but a throwing error by the third baseman gave him third base. Juan Camacho hit a single that scored Ponce, and the Diablos had the lead.

The Pelicans got the run back in the bottom frame. Antoin Gray hit a one-out single, so did Chase Burch, and so did Marcos Rodriguez to plate Gray. The tie was short-lived, however, as the Diablos re-took the lead with a run in the third.

Jeff Vincent walked and came around to score on a throwing error after Ponce grounded out to third base. In the bottom of the inning, Chase Burch hit his eighth homer of the year to tie the game at two.

Pensacola took the lead in the bottom of the fourth, as Lou Palmisano led off with a triple. When Lester Contreras grounded out to third base, Palmisano scored to put the Pelicans up 2-1.

The Pelicans added insurance an inning later, as Antoin Gray hit his eighth homerun of the year, a solo shot that tied Burch for the team lead.

El Paso used the long ball to score their next run when Jorge Alvarez went deep to lead off the sixth inning. The Diablos tied the game at four when Rodriguez hit a double to start the seventh inning and scored on a double by Jeff Vincent.

Pensacola scored the game winning-run in the eighth inning when Palmisano walked with one out. On a groundout to first base, Palmisano advance to second, coming around to score when Lester Contreras hit a RBI-single to give the Pelicans a 5-4 advantage.

Tyler Wilson pitched the eighth inning and allowed two hits, but achieved every out by strikeout. Hunter Davis started the ninth inning and found himself with runners at second and third, but he picked up his twelfth save by stranding them there. Antoin Gray also “saved” the game by making a fantastic catch on a two-out blooper to shallow right center. The second baseman’s outstretched glove found the baseball to finish the game and give the Pelicans a 4-2 series victory over the Diablos.

The Pelicans will have Monday off before they travel to Shreveport and play the first-place Captains for a three-game set Tuesday through Thursday. The Pelicans are one game back in second place, and return home on Friday, July 17 for a Boy Scout Campout Night at Pelican Park.

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Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under Sports