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Nashville Sounds score late on wild pitch to beat Omaha Storm Chasers 2-1

Nashville SoundsNashville, TN – The Nashville Sounds concluded a wild day with a 2-1 win over the Omaha Storm Chasers on a walk-off wild pitch in front of 8,087 fans Friday night at First Tennessee Park.

With the bases loaded and nobody out in a 1-1 game in the bottom of the ninth, Omaha’s Clayton Mortensen uncorked a pitch in the dirt that got away from catcher Parker Morin. Sounds shortstop Chad Pinder raced home with the winning run to push Nashville’s record to 55-45.

The start of the game was delayed due to travel delays the Sounds and much of the Pacific Coast League experienced Thursday night and into Friday. The team didn’t arrive in Nashville until close to 6:30pm.

Nashville Sounds at 10 Games Over .500 at 55-45
Nashville Sounds at 10 Games Over .500 at 55-45

Sounds starter Raul Alcantara had a dazzling Triple-A debut. Just up from Double-A Midland, the 23-year-old Alcantara tossed seven strong innings and allowed one unearned run. The right-hander scattered four hits, did not walk a batter and struck out three.

The lone run Alcantara allowed came across in the second when Hunter Dozier reached on an error to start the frame. Three batters later, Travis Snider knocked in Dozier with an RBI groundout to give Omaha an early 1-0 lead.

Storm Chasers starter John Lannan was impressive as well. He kept the Sounds off the board until two outs in the fourth when Renato Nunez blasted a solo homer to deep left field to even the game at 1-1. It was Nunez’s 14th home run of the season and the league-leading 28th long ball the Sounds have hit in the month of July.

It remained 1-1 until the bottom of the ninth. Alcantara handed off to Ryan Doolittle who wiggled out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the top of the eighth.

He struck out Tony Cruz for the second out of the inning and then retired Dozier on a fly out to center to get out of the jam. Tucker Healy worked a scoreless top of the ninth and earned the win.

In the bottom of the ninth, Pinder lined a base hit to left-center to start the rally. He went first-to-third on another base hit by Nunez who moved to second when Omaha intentionally walked Joey Wendle.

The walk-off win is the eighth for the Sounds in 2016. It’s the second time they have won on a walk-off wild pitch as Pinder joins Wendle who raced home on a wild one on June 17 to beat Round Rock.

Game two of the four-game series is set for Saturday night at First Tennessee Park. Right-hander Chris Smith (5-8, 4.27) starts for the Sounds while the Storm Chasers have yet to name a starter. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05pm.

The 2016 season is the Sounds’ 19th year in the Pacific Coast League and their second as the Oakland Athletics’ top affiliate. Tickets are available now by calling 615.690.4487 or by visiting www.nashvillesounds.com

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