Kinston Indians knock Myrtle Beach Pelicans out of Carolina League playoffs - Myrtle Beach Sun News

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  The last time the Myrtle Beach Pelicans faced the Kinston Indians was a 23-inning marathon that set the Carolina League record for the longest game in its history.

"This week is historic and it's good to come out here and be a part of it," said Indians outfielder Bo Greenwell, son of former major leaguer Mike Greenwell, who also played in the park. "We come out every year and want to make it to a championship and win a championship, but to do it the last year for this city is a way to go out with a bang."

Kinston joined the Carolina League in 1956 and the team has been a Cleveland affiliate for the past 25 seasons. Grainger Stadium's seating capacity is 4,100, though 5,200 attended Kinston's regular-season home finale. The Indians are moving to Zebulon, N.C., and the relic doesn't have a professional occupant yet for 2012.

The Pelicans were making their first postseason appearance in three years in their first season as a Texas Rangers affiliate. They were an affiliate of the Atlanta Braves for their first 12 seasons beginning in 1999.

The Pelicans managed a pair of clutch two-out hits in the first four innings that had been missing in the previous two games.

They entered Saturday's game 3 for 24 with runners in scoring position in the series. But Leury Garcia plated Chris McGuiness with an opposite-field single in the third, and Santiago Chirino's single plated Travis Adair, who tripled to lead off the inning.

But that was all Myrtle Beach could muster off southpaw starter Mike Rayl and two relievers, and one big blast overcame the clutch singles that maximized Myrtle Beach's offensive production.

Jesus Aguilar blasted a 91-mph two-seam fastball into power lines across the street from the left-field fence for a three-run homer in the bottom of the fourth inning off Pelicans starter Kennil Gomez. The homer plated Greenwell, who led off the inning with a double, and Jeremie Tice, who singled with one out.

"The first couple at-bats he threw cutters to me, so on that 3-1 count I was looking for the cutter and I got it," Aguilar said through teammate interpreter Roberto Perez. "He missed his spot and I got a good swing on it."

Gomez, who lost his last seven starts of the season primarily because of a lack of run support, allowed four runs – three earned – on six hits and three walks while striking out five in six innings.

"The big blow was that three-run shot Aguilar hit in the fourth inning that stung us pretty good," Pelicans manager Jason Wood said. "It was a tough deal to come back.

"Gomez really went out and did a good job tonight. One bad pitch was the turn of events. … Kinston was hot coming into this, and they weren't going to let up at all. Tonight they were the better team and maybe this series they were the better team."

The Pelicans won the first game of the series and had a 5-0 lead after the first inning of the second game at BB&T Coastal Field, but they were outscored 24-3 thereafter.

The Indians added an unearned insurance run in the sixth and five more unearned runs in the eighth to put the game out of reach.

With runners on first and second and two outs in the sixth, Casey Frawley hit a sharp chopper up the middle that shortstop Garcia lunged to glove, but his flip attempting to force out Tyler Cannon at second was wild and allowed Tice to score.

Third baseman Mike Olt's two-out error in the eighth led to an RBI single by Jordan Casas, RBI double by Tyler Holt, two-run double by Greenwell, and RBI double by Adam Abraham. Holt crushed the Pelicans in the series, going 9 for 18.

•  LOB—Kinston 7, Myrtle Beach 6. 2B—Greenwell 2 (3, Gomez, Ortiz), Holt (2, Ortiz), Abraham (1, Rodebaugh). 3B—Adair (1, Rayl). HR—Aguilar (1, 4th inning off Gomez, 2 on, 1 out). DP—(Gomez-Garcia-McGuiness). SB—Frawley (1, 2nd base off Gomez/Zaneski).

•  Umpires—HP: Ben Leake. 1B: Thomas Newsom. 2B: John Bacon. 3B: Carlos Torres. T—2:32. Att—877.