Johnson and Johnson lead Pelicans over Red Sox

Benji Johnson homered, and Cody Johnson crushed a Grand Slam to lead Myrtle Beach to an 8-1 victory over Salem on Thursday night.

After going down in order in the bottom of the first inning, the Pelicans put two runs on the board in the second. Donell Linares doubled to lead off the frame and came home when Cody Johnson immediately followed him with the same. Johnson was retired trying to advance to third on a Jesus Sucre flyout to right field, but with two gone, Benji Johnson banged his fifth homer of the season off the batters’ eye in center field to stake the Pelicans to a 2-0 lead.

Myrtle Beach piled on with a breakout third. Michael Fisher walked leading off and advanced to second on a Cole Miles groundout. Following a Freddie Freeman walk, Miles scored on an RBI single by Jason Heyward. Another walk to Linares loaded the bases and set the stage for Cody Johnson. The Pelicans’ left fielder blasted Kelly’s 0-1 fastball to right field, depositing it in the Myrtle Beach bullpen for the first grand slam by any Pelican this year and handing the Birds a 7-0 lead. Following the slugger’s Carolina League-leading 21st home run, Myrtle Beach didn’t look back. Heyward drove home another run with an RBI single in the seventh to provide the final margin.

Kelly (1-3) allowed seven earned runs on six hits over five innings after not allowing a single run over 13 frames his last two times out. The seven earned runs Kelly surrendered were one fewer than the right-hander had allowed in the entirety of the 2009 season entering the series opener. His ERA ballooned from 2.02 to 3.32 after the start.

On the other side, Pelicans’ lefty Jose Ortegano, activated from the disabled list earlier in the day, pitched two innings in the start and allowed just one hit.  Jacob Thompson (2-1) completed the game and earned the win with seven innings of relief, allowing Salem’s lone run on a Jason Place solo homer in the seventh and just three total hits. The two Pelicans hurlers combined to face just two Red Sox over the minimum on the night.