Waring’s shot turns Keys around against Pelicans

MYRTLE BEACH – The Pelicans carried a two-run lead and a lot of confidence with their shutdown closer entering for a four-out save in the eighth inning. Brandon Waring and the Frederick Keys didn’t see it that way.

Waring cranked a two-run homer off Myrtle Beach stopper Cory Gearrin, igniting a four-run eighth as the Keys evened this three-game set with a 6-2 win in the middle contest in front of 2,587 witnesses at BB&T Coastal Field.

For the third straight game, the Pelicans scored in the first inning, two coming home on Donell Linares’s eleventh home run of the season. That margin held up just fine behind a solid bounce-back effort from Myrtle Beach starter Richard Sullivan. After allowing a season-high seven earned runs in his last start, Sullivan scattered eight hits over six shutout innings in this one, striking out four without walking a man and departing following the sixth in line for the win, something the lefty has not accomplished since late May.

After reliever Benino Pruneda worked a scoreless seventh, the right-hander allowed a leadoff double to David Cash in the eighth before recording two outs, one moving Cash to third. With the tying run at the plate, Pelicans manager Rocket Wheeler went to his bullpen, calling on closer Gearrin and his perfect 16-for-16 save line to accompany a 0.71 ERA.

The side-arming right hander had been as close to “game over” as things get in the Carolina League this season, but his first pitch wasn’t cut from the same cloth. Waring turned on a first pitch fastball and sent it screaming to the Land Shark Landing bleachers to tie the game at two. The homer was just the second Gearrin had allowed all year and the first since April 21. Gearrin’s rough night continued when right-hander issued his second free pass of the season later in the inning, following a Robbie Widlansky single by walking Caleb Joseph before surrendering a two-run Matt Tucker triple to give Frederick a 4-2 lead. Gearrin (0-1) suffered his first blown save and first defeat of 2008. Sullivan was saddled with a no-decision, snapping a string of nine losses in his last nine starts

The Keys plated another pair in the ninth to ice the win against Rudy Darrow on another RBI triple, this one by Matt Angle, and a Pedro Florimon sacrifice fly. Keys pitchers recorded eight straight outs via strikeout from the last out of the sixth until the first of the ninth. Pat Egan (2-3) picked up the victory with two innings of scoreless relief behind a solid six-inning effort from Keys starter Sean Gleason.

Myrtle Beach and Frederick conclude this three-game series Sunday night at BB&T Coastal Field. The Pelicans will send lefty Edgar Osuna (3-6, 4.52) against the Keys’ Rick Zagone (0-3, 6.14) with first pitch slated for 7:05.

Tickets for all Pelicans home games are available at the BB&T Coastal Field box office, by calling (843)918-6000 or by visiting the Tickets page at MyrtleBeachPelicans.com.