Slocum dominates opener -- Pelicans claim nightcap

By News-Argus Staff
Published in Sports on August 4, 2004 1:55 PM

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KINSTON -- Brian Slocum dominated Myrtle Beach en route to a one-hit shutout as Kinston split a doubleheader with the Pelicans before 861 fans at historic Grainger Stadium Tuesday night.

The K-Tribe prevailed 8-0 in the opener, but the visitors claimed the nightcap 5-3 in 13 innings. Kinston moved to 21-16 in second-half Southern Division play, while Myrtle Beach is 21-17.

Slocum's only hiccup in game one came in the bottom of the first when Luis Hernandez singled and stole second with one out.

After that, Slocum was literally un-hittable.

The next 20 Pelicans who came to the plate in the rest of the game were all retired in order - 20 up, 20 down. The only ball that was really in doubt during that sequence was a bloop to right from Ben Thomas in the top of the sixth.

Slocum had retired 15 straight at that point, and second baseman Rodney Choy Foo made sure the streak would continue with a fantastic diving catch as he left his feet with his back to home plate and hung on as he tumbled to the turf.

Slocum, the Carolina League leader in wins, improved to 12-5 and won his fifth straight start with the masterpiece. He struck out two and did not walk a batter in seven innings for his second shutout of the year.

Offensively, Jonathan van Every went 2-3 with a home run and four RBI and Pat Magness added two singles and two RBI. Shaun Larkin went 2-3 with a walk, two runs scored, and stole his first two bases of the year.

All-Star Blain Boyer (7-8) took the loss for the Pelicans, allowing four runs (three earned) on six hits in four innings. He walked three and struck out four.

Kinston (66-40) was in the driver's seat in game two, but Myrtle Beach struck for a pair of unearned runs in the sixth against Matt Davis to tie the game and outlasted the Tribe with two more off Todd Pennington in the top of the 13th.

J.J. Sherrill led Kinston offensively going 2-5 with two doubles and two RBI in the nightcap, and Larkin and van Every both added two hits apiece.

Van Every and Sherrill both made outstanding diving catches in the third and fourth innings, respectively, and Sherrill and Nathan Panther each recorded an outfield assist.

Sherrill threw out Wesley Timmons trying to tag from second to third to end the fifth, while Panther gunned out Jonathan Schuerholz by five steps at home plate in the eighth.

On the flip side, however, van Every was thrown out trying to stretch a double into a triple leading off the fourth, Sherrill was thrown out at home to end the fifth, and Panther over ran first base and was doubled off after singling in the 10th.

The series finale is set for 7 p.m. today.