Jones helps Pelicans outslug Warthogs

USC product Travis Jones has had an up and down season in his first year with the Pelicans. Tuesday night was one of the ups. Jones blasted two home runs, leading Myrtle Beach to a 9-7 victory over the Warthogs in Winston-Salem.

Jones drilled his sixth home run of the year well over the wall in left field to lead off the ballgame, and the Pelicans quickly led, 1-0. It was the second time Jones has led off a ballgame with a home run, and the fourth time the Pelicans have done so. Gorkys Hernandez has also opened two ballgames with round-trippers.

While the Pelicans were batting in the third inning, Mother Nature intervened, halting play for more than an hour. Following the re-start, right-hander Jeff Lyman took over for Chris Vines. Vines turned in two scoreless innings prior to his departure, fanning three and walking two.

Hogs' starter Steven Spurgeon did continue after the delay, and in the fourth he gave up a second home run. This time it was Willie Cabrera launching a massive drive to left field to double the Pelicans advantage, 2-0.

Jones belted his second home run of the night off of Spurgeon in the fifth inning. With Yohan Silva and Jon Mark Owings aboard, Jones sent one to the trees beyond the left field wall for a 5-0 lead. It marked the second straight ballgame a Pelican had homered twice in a single game, and third time on the road trip. Brandon Hicks hit two on Monday and Ernesto Mejia homered twice in game two of the Frederick series to open the trip.

The Warthogs surged back with five unanswered runs in the fifth and the sixth innings. All the damage was incurred by reliever Jeff Lyman. In the fifth, an RBI-single by Paulo Orlando plated Billy Killian after an Eric Campbell throwing error had allowed Lee Cruz to score.

Winston-Salem tied the score in the sixth as Lyman walked the first two batters of the inning. Salvador Sanchez brought in two runs with a double down the left field line to close it to a one-run game. Sanchez came in to tie the game at five a batter later on a sacrifice fly from Billy Killian.

The Pelicans broke back on top with three runs in the top of the eighth. An error on Brandon Allen opened the door, and the Pelicans capitalized on the strength of three singles and an ensuing error on Greg Paiml.

The Hogs would not roll over however, as they closed back to a one-run game in the bottom of the inning. Nick Fellman walked Javier Colina to open the inning and Allen delivered an RBI-triple. Allen scored on a ground out to make it a one-run game.

Myrtle Beach plated a run off of Ryan Rote in the ninth as Eric Campbell was hit by a pitch to cap the scoring, 9-7. Ferdin Tejeda closed out his second game in as many nights, earning his second save of the series and the season recording the final four outs.

The series continues with game three Wednesday afternoon at noon. RHP Deunte Heath (6-2, 3.51) will make the start for Myrtle Beach against RHP Levi Maxwell (0-1, 6.43) for Winston-Salem.