Pelicans fall to Hillcats 14-5 in season opener

MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WMBF) - The Myrtle Beach Pelicans opened the 2019 season against the Lynchburg Hillcats Thursday in front of a packed stadium.

In his first official game as manager, Steve Lerud and the Pelicans fell behind early and struggled to score runs.

Despite allowing the Wildcats to score 14 runs in the game, fans still had a good time cheering on the team on opening day.

“We just love baseball, we're huge baseball fans,” said Kathy Spaloss.

Spaloss and her husband Tony have been going to Pelicans games for more than 20 years and enjoy seeing the player become famous major league baseball players.

Last season the Pelicans sold over 219,000 tickets, but saw a dip in their average fan attendance going from 3,500 fans to just over 3,300.

Pelicans general manager Ryan Moore says Myrtle Beach has done very well with ticket sales in the past compared to other minor league organizations and feels confident in their ability to bounce back this season.

“We’re going into year 21 and we could not be stronger. The community support and the fan support has been tremendous,” said Moore.

Players said they love to have that packed stadium to give them that extra boost throughout the season.

“I enjoy packed stands and I hope it will be like that pretty much every night,” said Luke Reynolds, Pelicans first baseman.

The Pelicans did fall short to the Hillcats, 14-5.

The team will be back in action Friday and Saturday night in Myrtle Beach.

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