Hodges’ sixth inning blast keys late surge by Pelicans past Carolina Mudcats

Final score

Myrtle Beach Pelicans 9, Carolina Mudcats 3

Turning point

With Myrtle Beach down 3-1 in the sixth, an errant throw by Carolina pitcher Quentin Torres-Costa allowed a run to score. A few batters later, Pelicans third baseman Jesse Hodges’ 3-run homer off the left field pole gave them a lead they would not relinquish.

Offensive star

Chicago Cubs top prospect Eloy Jimenez has rebounded from a recent slump rather nicely. On Thursday, the Myrtle Beach designated hitter was 3-for-4 with a home run, two RBIs and three runs scored.

Decision takers

Winner: Scott Effross (2-1) picked up the win, coming in for two innings of relief. In that time, he allowed one hit while striking out two.

Loser: A rough sixth inning for Quentin Torres-Costa (5-2) earned him a loss in the series opener. He went 2/3 of an inning, giving up four runs — three earned — on three hits.

By the numbers

Keeping record

With its seventh consecutive win, the Pelicans move 10 games above .500 at 35-25. Carolina falls to 32-27 on the year.

On deck

The same two clubs will take the field on Friday night at TicketReturn.com Field at Pelicans Ballpark for the second of a four-game set. First pitch is at 7:05 p.m., with Myrtle Beach sending Thomas Hatch (1-5, 4.53 ERA) to the mound, with Carolina countering with Jordan Yamamoto (0-0, 3.05 ERA).

This story was originally published June 8, 2017 at 10:49 PM with the headline "Hodges’ sixth inning blast keys late surge by Pelicans past Carolina Mudcats."