SalemSox.com

Salem, VA - Zeke Spruill exacted some revenge from an early season start against the Red Sox, blanking Salem over five innings, as the Myrtle Beach Pelicans knocked off the Red Sox 5-2 at Lewis-Gale Field Tuesday night.

Spruill picked up his first win of the season, and gave the Pelicans just their third win in 16 attempts against the Sox all year.

In his first start against the Sox back on April 16, Spruill was blasted for nine runs on 12 hits in just 3.1 innings and didn't pitch again until a relief appearance against Salem in early July.

This time things were different, as Spruill kept the Sox off balance through five innings, scattering five singles while striking out one in his outing.

Cory Harrilchak and Dan Nelson provided the pop in support of Spruill, as the duo doubled with one out in the first to put the Pelicans up 1-0.

Harrilchak brought home the second run of the game for Myrtle in the third on his second double of the game, but was not credited with an RBI due to a throwing error by Mitch Dening, allowing the run to score.

After advancing to third on a wild pitch, Harrilchak scored on a sacrifice fly by Mike Jones to put the Birds up 3-0 after three.

Harrilchak and Nelson were in the middle of things again in the fifth, as Nelson singled in Harrilchak, who had doubled with two outs, to put Myrtle up 4-0.

After leading off the sixth with a double, Pelican first baseman Mike Jones stole third and scampered home as third baseman Will Middlebrooks missed the throw from catcher Tim Federowicz that wound up in left field, increasing the Birds' cushion to 5-0.

Tyrelle Harris built upon Spuill's success with three perfect innings, retiring all nine batters he faced, including four strikeouts.

Salem attempted a rally in the last of the ninth off reliever Tommy Palica, as Drew Hedman doubled home two runs to break up the shutout, but Ryan Dent grounded out with the tying run on deck to end the contest.

Sox starter Stolmy Pimentel wasn't as sharp as his last two outings, as the righthander gave up four runs on six hits in five innings while falling to 6-8 on the year.

Dent and Middlebrooks were the lone Salem batters with multiple hits on a night where the Sox mustered just one extra base knock, the ninth-inning double from Hedman.

The Sox will look to avoid their first series loss of the year to the Pelicans in the rubber match of the three-game set Wednesday night.

Miguel Gonzalez looks for his fifth win of the year against Myrtle's Brett Oberholtzer, with first pitch scheduled for 7:05 PM.

SalemSox.com

Salem, VA (July 26, 2010)- Mitch Dening tied a season-high with four base hits and recorded two outfield assists, including cutting down a runner at the plate in the fifth inning, as the Salem Red Sox defeated the Myrtle Beach Pelicans 5-4 in front of 4,219 fans at Lewis-Gale Field on Monday night.

The victory was the 13th in 15 games for the Sox against their South Carolina rivals.

Dening's four hits included a leadoff double in the bottom of the first that sparked a three-run rally to overcome an early 1-0 deficit.

Three batters later, Will Middlebrooks drove in Dening to knot the game at one. Still with two outs, Middlebrooks came home on a Tim Federowicz single, while Alex Hassan, who had walked with two away, scored on a double from Dan Butler to put Salem up 3-1 after one.

After Jordan Kreke's RBI single in the third brought the Birds to within 3-2, Dening played a key role in another rally with his third hit of the game in the fourth. The Sox right fielder singled with two outs to move Jon Hee to second, and Peter Hissey came through with a single to right to score Hee and put the Sox up 4-2.

Dening's fine night extended to his defense. With two outs in the fifth and Dan Nelson on first, former Salem Sock Mike Jones doubled off the wall in right.

Dening originally misjudged the ricochet off the wall, but recovered by unleashing a cannon to the plate to nab Nelson trying to score for the final out of the frame.

The Australia-native also threw Nelson out in the seventh, as the Pelican third baseman attempted to extend a single into a double but was denied on a perfect strike from Dening in right.

Luis Sumoza singled home Kreke in the sixth to bring Myrtle back within one, but the Sox responded with a run of their own in the bottom of the sixth off Pelican reliever Paul Clemens to regain their two-run advantage.

Clemens unleashed three wild pitches in the frame, the second of which scored Dening, who had reached on an error with one out.

Kreke scored his second run of the game on a sac fly in the eighth, but the Pelicans could get no closer, as Pat Ryan worked in and out of trouble in the final 1.2 innings, eventually stranding the tying run in the ninth at second. Ryan recorded his first save of the season in the process.

Dening's four-hit effort led the Sox' 12-hit attack and increased his average eight points from .286 to .294. Hissey, Federowicz and Butler all recorded two-hit games and drove in one run apiece.

Caleb Clay was solid for the Sox en route to his fourth victory of the year. Clay went five and a third innings, yielding three runs on nine hits, while striking out three and walking just one.

The Sox and Pelicans continue their three game set at Lewis-Gale Field Tuesday at 7:05 PM.

Stolmy Pimentel, coming off back-to-back seven inning starts, will look to continue his impressive streak against Myrtle's Zeke Spruill.