MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. — Coming into Saturday night at Pelicans Ballpark on a seven-game losing streak, the Fayetteville Woodpeckers (46-61, 16-25) changed the tides on the shores of Myrtle Beach as they pummeled the Pelicans (61-45, 22-19) by a score of 15-3.
The blowout victory also ended a 14-game drought against Myrtle Beach dating back to 2022.
Leading the way on offense for Fayetteville was Jackson Loftin, who hit a fourth-inning grand slam as part of a three-hit performance and drove in six runs. He became just the second Woodpecker this season to record six runs batted in. Zach Cole accomplished that feat on April 15.
The Woodpeckers grabbed three runs in the first inning on a pair of bases loaded walks against Pelicans starter Drew Gray (L, 0-3) and a Dauri Lorenzo RBI single, but Myrtle Beach got back within a run in the bottom half when Parker Chavers brought in two on a base hit.
The Pelicans were inches away from tying the score in the third, but Luis Baez threw a dart home to nail Miguel Pabon at the plate to end the inning.
Fayetteville took the momentum off that play into the fourth. Leosdany Molina led off with a towering solo home run to left to make it 4-2, his sixth long ball of the year. Jeron Williams pushed the lead to 3 when he was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. Ryan Johnson scored on a wild pitch soon after to push the lead to 4.
The Woodpeckers then reloaded the bases for Loftin, who blasted a home run of his own for the third Fayetteville grand slam of the season and the first of his pro career, capping off a seven-run frame.
Loftin wasn’t finished with his career day at the plate. In the seventh, he singled home Garret Guillemette to get within a triple shy of the cycle. Lorenzo drove him and Williams in on a two-run single for his third hit as well. The next inning, Guillemette put a charge into one to left center and cleared the wall to earn his first Single-A home run and close the scoring for the Woodpeckers.
The 15 runs tied the second-most scored by a Woodpeckers lineup this season.
On the mound, Jose Fleury (W, 3-3) kept it clean over the last four innings for Fayetteville. The right-hander struck out a season-high 10 batters and gave up only a single run in the eighth.
The Woodpeckers wrap up their six-game trip to Myrtle Beach on Sunday evening with right-hander Andrew Taylor getting the start. Meanwhile, the Pelicans send left-hander Marino Santy to the hill.
The first pitch is at 6:35 p.m.
Fayetteville returns home Tuesday night and will host the Lynchburg Hillcats (Single-A, Cleveland Guardians). It will be $2 Tuesday at Segra Stadium, and fans can enjoy $2 16-ounce fountain drinks, popcorn boxes, pretzels, or a bag of peanuts.