Nashville Sounds lose at Greer Stadium 5-2 to Iowa Cubs

Nashville Sounds Baseball

Nashville’s Mike Fiers Earns 8th Quality Start in Loss

Nashville, TN – The first-place Nashville Sounds (31-27) had their four-game winning streak come to an end Sunday afternoon at Greer Stadium, as the visiting Iowa Cubs worked a pair of two-run homers for the 5-2 road victory.

The I-Cubs first touched Sounds starter Mike Fiers (6-3) for a home run in the second inning. Christian Villanueva’s blast to left field scored Chris Valaika, who singled to lead off the inning for the initial 2-0 advantage.

Pinch hitter Brett Jackson recorded Iowa’s second two-run homer in the seventh inning, sending Sounds reliever Michael Blazek’s pitch over the right-field wall. It is the first pinch-hit home run against the Sounds since Fresno’s Johnny Monell hit one on May 10th, 2013.

The Cubs plated an additional run with Blazek on the hill in the eighth inning courtesy of Valaika’s sac-fly to right.

Nashville picked up their first run in the home half of the fifth inning when Cubs prospect Javy Baez committed a throwing error, sailing the ball over I-Cubs first baseman Valaika in a double-play attempt, which allowed lead runner Matt Pagnozzi to score and cut the Iowa lead to one run.

Pagnozzi drew a lead-off walk to start the frame and advanced to third on Hainley Statia’s single to left field. Statia accounted for two of the Sounds five hits.

Pagnozzi slapped an RBI-single in the ninth inning to bring home pinch hitter Kevin Mattison for the team’s final run.

Despite limiting Iowa to two runs on three hits over six innings of work for his eighth quality start this season, Fiers was charged the loss, his third.

Fiers faced a jam in the third inning, with Javy Baez moving from first to third on a pair of stolen bases. With two outs, the 28-year-old walked Valaika to put runners on the corners before escaping without damage with a strikeout.

He finished with seven strikeouts to bring his season total to 92, which leads the minors.

Nashville hurlers have earned 26 quality starts this season, which ranks second in the PCL behind Iowa, who picked up their 32nd with the effort turned in by starter Eric Jokisch (5-4).

Jokisch kept the Sounds quiet through the first four innings and retired his first 11 batters faced. Sean Halton broke the team’s hitless stretch with his single to centerfield in the fourth inning. Jokisch picked up the win with his six innings of one-run baseball.

The Sounds will play game three against the Iowa Cubs on Monday at 7:05pm RHP Taylor Jungmann (1-1, 5.00) takes the hill for Nashville, opposite RHP Dallas Beeler (2-0, 5.91). Broadcaster Jeff Hem has the call on 102.5 The Game.

Box Score