MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – The Myrtle Beach Pelicans made a living in their recent road trip to visit the Salem Red Sox by getting just enough offense to back up solid pitching efforts.  In Monday night’s series opener of a three-game set with the Lynchburg Hillcats, the Pelicans fell victim to those same traits in a 4-3 loss.

Myrtle Beach continued a recent trend of getting on top first with two runs in the bottom of the opening frame.  Cole Miles walked to lead off the game and, following a Michael Fisher strikeout, came home on a towering home run by Freddie Freeman. The longball, Freeman’s fourth of the season, cleared the right field wall, landing in the Myrtle Beach bullpen.  Myrtle Beach has now scored first in five straight games.

The early outburst would not stand.  After Myrtle Beach starter Erik Cordier departed following two shutout innings, right-hander Casey Hodges worked a 1-2-3 third before running into trouble in the fourth.  Back-to-back hits to lead off the inning, a Matt Hague single and Kent Sakamoto double, put runners at second and third.  Eddie Prasch reached on a fielder’s choice scoring Hague, and a Marcus Davis single scored Sakamoto to even the score at two runs apiece.

The Pelicans would bounce back in the bottom of the frame, reclaiming both runs to rebuild their two-run lead.  Matt Kennelly and Chad Lundahl matched Hague and Sakamoto with a single and double to open their half of the fourth.  Robert Marcial executed a safety squeeze to the right side of the infield, driving Kennelly home and moving Lundahl to third.  The Pelicans shortstop then scored on a sacrifice fly to deep center field by Miles.  It would be Myrtle Beach’s last offense of the evening.

Lynchburg pounded home plate with a single run in the fifth through seventh innings.  Hodges surrendered three total including a run on an error charged to Fisher that allowed highly-touted prospect Pedro Alvarez to score in the fifth, cutting the Myrtle Beach lead to 4-3.  Marcus Davis led off the next inning with a triple off of Michael Broadway (0-2), and scored on a Maiko Loyola single on the very next pitch to tie the game.  Then in the seventh, the Hillcats took the lead for good on an Alvarez home run that rocketed over the right field fence to make the score 5-4 in favor of the visitors.  Broadway was charged with two runs over two innings of work in suffering his second loss of the season.

Lynchburg right-hander Dustin Molleken (3-1) pitched three innings of one-hit relief, striking out five without a single walk to earn the win.

In the ninth, facing Lynchburg closer R.J. Rodriguez (S,7) , the Pelicans put runners at second and third with a Marcial single followed by a Miles walk.  Both men advanced on a Fisher groundout, but Rodriguez got Freeman to strikeout swinging to end the threat and earn his seventh save in seven tries.

Tomorrow night, Atlanta Braves catcher Brian McCann will join the Pelicans for a rehab start.  The All-Star backstop and former Pelican was placed on the disabled list Saturday because of a continuing problem with blurry vision and dryness in his left eye.  The Pelicans resume their three-game set with the Hillcats at 7:05 tomorrow evening.  Tickets are available by calling the Pelicans box office at (843)918-6000 or by checking out the Tickets page at MyrtleBeachPelicans.com