Hodges’ blast keys Pelicans to big second inning, win over Wilmington

By Joe L. Hughes II

Updated April 27, 2017 12:20 AM

Pelicans third baseman Jesse Hodges slams a home run over the left field wall. The Pelicans won game two of their series with the Wilmington Blue Rocks 7-3 on ‘Bark in the Park’ night at Ticketreturn.com Field at Pelicans Ballpark on Wednesday night. JASON LEE jlee@thesunnews.com

Final score

(At) Myrtle Beach Pelicans 7, Wilmington Blue Rocks 3

Turning point

With the Pelicans already up 2-0, a line drive off the bat of third baseman Jesse Hodges sailed over the left field fence for a home run. The following two Myrtle Beach batters would also reach, as Robert Garcia walked and Carlos Sepulveda by way of a throwing error. Consecutive base hits courtesy of Bryant Flete, Trent Giambrone and Eddy Martinez would allow the club to score three more runs in the inning, all but putting things out of reach for Wilmington.

Offensive star

Myrtle Beach’s Jesse Hodges was 2-for-4 on the night, both of his hits going for extra bases — a double and a home run.

Decision takers

Winner: Ryan Kellogg (1-0) in his first start of the season went five innings, scattering four hits and allowing three runs. He struck out four Wilmington batters in the game.

Loser: In four innings of work, Wilmington’s A.J. Puckett allowed seven runs — five earned — on 10 hits. He struck out two, while walking three.

By the numbers

Keeping record

Myrtle Beach moves to 11-9 on the season, winners of three games in a row. Wilmington is 7-12.

Up next

The Pelicans go for a series sweep over Wilmington on Thursday. First pitch is at 7:05 p.m.

This story was originally published April 26, 2017 at 10:15 PM with the headline "Hodges’ blast keys Pelicans to big second inning, win over Wilmington."