PREVIEW: Hickory Crawdads at Myrtle Beach Pelicans

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (Interstat) — The Hickory Crawdads (42-31) visit the Myrtle Beach Pelicans (31-42) on Wednesday at 7:05 p.m. at TicketReturn.com Field at Pelican Park. The forecast calls for 81 degrees and clear skies.

Hickory aims to build on a 6-0 shutout of the Pelicans on Tuesday, improving to 5-1 against Myrtle Beach this season. The Crawdads dropped their previous game 9-4 to Hill City on Sunday, but slugger Braylin Morel went 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs in that loss.

Morel, a right fielder, has been streaky. In his last 10 games, he has recorded four multi-hit performances and driven in six runs. He went 0-for-4 in a win and a loss against Columbia earlier this month but broke out against Hill City.

Myrtle Beach counters with right-hander Brody McCullough. In his most recent outing Sunday at Salem, McCullough tossed three scoreless innings, allowing two hits with one unearned run and four strikeouts in a 7-6 loss. The Pelicans have lost four of their last five.

Myrtle Beach third baseman Yahil Melendez hit a home run and drove in two runs in Sunday’s defeat.

The Pelicans have struggled offensively in the season series, plating just eight runs in the last four meetings while allowing 22. Hickory’s pitching held Myrtle Beach hitless across the final six innings of Tuesday’s shutout.

Hickory’s Evan Siary (5.0 IP, 8 H, 4 ER, 1 K) and Jormy Nivar (3.0 IP, 3 H, 2 ER) were the most productive pitchers in Sunday’s loss.

The Interstat game simulator projects a 7-4 victory for the Crawdads.

The two teams are set to play again Thursday through Sunday in Myrtle Beach before Hickory travels to Augusta and Myrtle Beach hosts Fredericksburg.