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Pelicans Take 1-0 Series Advantage With 7-6 Win
September 9, 2009
The victory took 11 innings, but the Pelicans topped the Saltdogs 7-6 Tuesday night in game one of the best-of-five American Association Championship Series. Tyler Wilson earned the win, while starter Randy Beam struck out eight batters. Lou Palmisano homered and had the game-winning RBI, while Hunter Davis shut down the Saltdogs to save the game.
The Pelicans nearly had an early lead in the top of the first inning, but fell just short. Francisco Leandro started the game with a single, and advanced to second on a Kevin Reynolds sacrifice. Antoin Gray’s single moved Leandro to third, and when Marshall McDougall flied out to right, Leandro tagged and headed for home. However, Leandro’s former teammate Rafael Alvarez made the catch in right field and gunned him down at home.
Lincoln scored the first run of the game in the bottom of the second, when Argelis Nunez walked and came home on Shawn McGill’s double. However, the Pelicans would match the run and then some in the top of the third.
Adam Darby singled with one out in the top of the third inning. Leandro doubled to drive Darby in, and Reynolds singled to drive Leandro in. Antoin Gray knocked in Reynolds with a base hit, and the Pelicans had a 3-1 lead.
The Saltdogs closed the gap when Brandon Jones scored on an Albenis Machado sacrifice fly in the last of the third. When Gavin Dickey hit a two-out solo homer in the bottom of the fourth, the game was tied at three.
Lou Palmisano hit his own solo shot in the top of the fifth, but the Saltdogs matched the longball with a Nunez dinger in the bottom of the sixth.
Entering the seventh inning the game was tied at four. Pensacola took a two-run advantage when Dallas Christison ripped a single and came home on Adam Darby’s triple. When Leandro reached on an error by the shortstop, Darby came home as well.
The Saltdogs kept pace with the Pelicans by scoring two runs of their own after the stretch. With two outs Josh Burrus, Albenis Machado, and Phil Hawke all waked, and Burrus and Machado scored on a Nunez single. The runs would be Lincoln’s last, as the Pelicans broke the tie in the top of the eleventh.
Adam Deleo started the top of the eleventh by reaching on an error by the shortstop. Deleo moved up to second when Dallas Christison dropped down his second sacrifice bunt of the game. Lou Palmisano went big with a double to right center that brought Deleo in, and the 7-6 Pelicans’ lead would hold.
Randy Beam put up eight strikeouts in five innings of work, allowing three runs on three hits and two walks. Bubba Nelson pitched an inning and a third, yielding just one hit, but three runs scored due to two walks. Nelson had two strikeouts in the process. Francisco Butto pitched 2.1 scoreless innings, striking out two and allowing a hit and a walk. Tyler Wilson earned the win with a scoreless tenth inning, walking one and giving up a hit, but all three outs came via strikeout. Hunter Davis tossed a 1-2-3 eleventh inning to earn the save and preserve the victory.
With the win, Pensacola needs two more victories to claim the American Association title. Kieran Mattison will start for the Pelicans in game two against Lincoln’s Jim Paduch. First pitch for Wednesday’s contest is set for 7:05 p.m. Fans can listen to game on NewsRadio 1620, or online via SportsJuice.com.
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