The Fayetteville Woodpeckers (62-53, 30-20) and the Myrtle Beach Pelicans (45-71, 18-34) played game three on Friday night at Pelicans Park. Jagger Beck was on the mound for Fayetteville against Luis Mata of Myrtle Beach.
At the top of the second inning, Juan Sierra, Aaron Piasecki, and Petey Soto Jr. all hit singles for Fayetteville that loaded the bases. With two outs, German Ramirez worked a four-pitch walk, scoring Sierra to put the Woodpeckers up 1-0. Logan Hughes lined out to center field for the final out of the inning.
Moving to the bottom of the third inning, Myrtle Beach had a runner on first base with one out when Juan Cabada hit a two-run home run to right field, giving the Pelicans a 2-1 lead. It was his second home run of the season. A groundout by Alexis Hernandez and Beck struck out Caden Sorrell ended the inning.
At the top of the fourth inning with one out, Fayetteville tied the game 2-2 with a solo home run off the scoreboard at right field. It was his 16th home run of the season. With the home run, Flores set a new single-season record. With two outs, Fayetteville had runners on the corners when Waner Luciano hit an RBI single to left field, scoring Petey Soto Jr. for a 3-2 lead. Kevin Alvarez grounded out to third base for the final out of the inning.
At the top of the fifth inning, Fayetteville had the bases loaded with two outs when German Ramirez hit a two-run RBI single to right field, scoring Aaron Piasecki and Arturo Flores for a 5-2 lead. Logan Hughes struck out swinging, and the inning was over.
At the top of the sixth inning, Fayetteville had runners on the corners with two outs when Aaron Piasecki hit an RBI single to right field, scoring Owen Nowak for a 6-2 lead. Arturo Flores cleared the bases with a two-run RBI double to right field, scoring Juan Sierra and Aaron Piasecki for an 8-2 lead. Petey Soto Jr. struck out swinging for the third out.
Fayetteville starter Jagger Beck pitched six innings, allowing three hits, two runs, two walks, and eight strikeouts, throwing 81 pitches, of which 51 were strikes. John Carver pitched for Fayetteville in the bottom of the seventh inning.
Moving to the top of the eighth inning, Fayetteville had runners on first and second base with one out when Aaron Piasecki hit an RBI double to left field, scoring Carlos Cauro for a 9-2 lead. Two batters later, Petey Soto Jr. hit a two-run RBI single to center field, scoring Owen Nowak and Aaron Piasecki for an 11-2 lead. A flyout by German Ramirez ended the inning.
In the bottom of the eighth inning, Myrtle Beach had runners on first and second when Alexis Hernandez hit an RBI single to left field, scoring Ivan Cespedes. It was now 11-3. With two outs, Derniche Valdez grounded into a forceout at second base, and the inning was over.
At the top of the ninth inning, Fayetteville had a runner on second base with two outs when Owen Nowak hit an RBI single to right field, scoring Logan Hughes for a 12-3 lead. The Woodpeckers had the bases loaded when Jadyn Fielder struck out swinging, and the inning was over. Shortly after, rain began to fall at the stadium, sending the game into a rain delay.
John Carver went two innings, allowing three hits, one run, one walk, and three strikeouts, throwing 31 pitches, of which 21 were strikes. The game did not resume, and the Woodpeckers beat the Pelicans 12-3.
Fayetteville finished the night with 16 hits, went 10 for 21 with runners in scoring position, and left 13 men on base. Arturo Flores went 2 for 3 with a home run, a walk, and three RBIs. The win went to Fayetteville starter Jagger Beck (5-3), and the loss went to Myrtle Beach starter Luis Mata (0-1).
The Woodpeckers and Pelicans play game five on Saturday at 7:05 pm on the MLB App and Bally Sports Live. Both teams have yet to name starters for Saturday.
