Pelicans Comeback to Defeat Diablos

August 15, 2009

With a 9-4 win over the El Paso Diablos Friday night, the Pelicans now lead the American Association South Division by three and a half games. The Pelicans erased a 3-0 Diablos lead by putting up four runs in the fourth inning, and five runs in the eighth.

The Diablos jumped out to an early lead in the bottom of the first by scoring Jorge Alvarez on a Juan Camacho double. An inning later, El Paso added two more runs by plating Mike Provencher and Jerry Verastegui. Provencher reached on an error by the second baseman, Verastegui walked, and Kennard Bibbs brought both home with a single.

Enter the Pelicans.

With two out in the top of the fourth, Marshall McDougall walked. Marcos Rodriguez followed with a RBI double. Chase Burch hit Rodriguez in with a single, and Burch scored when Adam Darby hit a triple. Lou Palmisano brought Darby in with a triple of his own, and the Pelicans led 4-3 after the fourth inning.

El Paso tied it with a run in the bottom of the fifth when Jeff Vincent tripled and Provencher doubled. The run would be the Diablos’ last, as the Pelicans strung another rally together in the eighth.

Leandro led off the eighth inning with a single. He stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch. McDougall walked, and Marcos Rodriguez followed him with a triple to put the Pelicans up by two. Burch hit another single to score Rodriguez again, and Adam Darby thanked Burch by hitting his fourth homer of the year to bring the score to Pelicans 9, Diablos 4.

The score would hold, as Tyler Wilson pitched the sixth, seventh, and eighth innings to earn his fifth victory of the year. Wilson allowed one hit and struck out three in relief of starter Aaron Jackson. Jackson went five innings, allowing four runs, though just one was earned. He walked two but struck out three. Ulysses Roque entered the game in the ninth inning and allowed a leadoff hit, but shutdown the next three batters, including a strikeout to end the game.

The Pelicans won, Fort Worth lost, and Grand Prairie beat Shreveport-Bossier to put the Pelicans’ lead in the division to three and a half games, with the Air Hogs in second, the Captains a half game behind them, and Fort Worth five games back in fourth place. El Paso is six games back in the cellar.

The Pelicans will face the Diablos again on Saturday in the middle game of this three game series, with Pensacola starting RHP Dane DeValk against the Diablos’ RHP Josh Neitz. First pitch is scheduled for 8:05 p.m. Central Time. Fans can listen live on NewsRadio 1620 or online via SportsJuice.com.

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Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under Sports