Papillion, NB – The Nashville Sounds plated four runs in the seventh and eighth innings in route to their 13-7 win Sunday afternoon over the Omaha Storm Chasers at Werner Park.
For the second consecutive day, Jaycob Brugman and Josh Rodriguez led the Sounds to a win over the Storm Chasers. Brugman would go 4-for-5 with a home run and three RBI and Rodriguez would club two homers in a 2-for-5 outing. Brugman’s four-hit night is his sixth four-hit game of the season with the Sounds.
With the Sounds trailing 6-5 going into the top of the seventh inning, the Sounds rallied for four runs in both the seventh and eighth innings.
Arismendy Alcantara stepped up to the plate in the seventh with the bases loaded and hit a sacrifice fly to center to score Colin Walsh to tie the game at 6-6. Brugman then launched a three-run homer to right to give the Sounds a 9-6 lead after seven.
Rangel Ravelo made it a 10-6 game when he reached on a fielder’s choice that scored Matt Chapman from third.
Josh Rodriguez then belted a three-run home run in the top of the eighth to extend the Sounds lead to 13-6.
The Sounds scored their first two runs of the ball game on wild pitches from Storm Chasers starter Jake Junis.
In the top of the first inning Matt Olson struck out swinging with Alcantara at third base, however the ball went to the back stop allowing Alcantara to score to give the Sounds a 1-0 lead.
After the Storm Chasers tied it at 1-1 in the bottom half of the first on a Hunter Dozier RBI double, a second wild pitch allowed the Sounds to take a 2-1 lead in the third.
With the bases loaded in the third, Junis second wild pitch allowed Brugman to score to give the Soundsa 2-1 lead.
Omaha then tied the game at 2-2 in the bottom half of the third inning on a RBI single from Whit Merrifield scoring Reymond Fuentes from second.
Rodriguez then quickly put the Sounds back on top with his first home run of the night, a two-run shot to left that gave the Sounds a 4-2 lead.
Rodriguez’s two home run night is the first since Chad Pinder and Bruce Maxwell both had two homer nights on July 16th at El Paso.
Omaha then rallied for a four-run fifth inning highlighted by a Hunter Dozier three-run home run to put the Storm Chasers up 6-4.
Matt Olson roped an RBI single in the sixth to score Joey Wendle from second to bring the Sounds within a run in the sixth before their back-to-back four-run innings in the seventh and eighth.
Eduard Santos came on in relief of Sounds starter Jharel Cotton in the sixth inning and fired two shutout innings allowing just one hit and striking out four. Santos picked up his first win of the year and the loss was charged to Omaha’s reliever John Lannan.
The Nashville Sounds (74-55) magic number now to clinch the American South Division sets at seven games with just 15 games to play.
Game three of the four-game series is scheduled for Monday night at Werner Park. Left-hander Dillon Overton (11-5, 3.48) starts for the Sounds and the Storm Chasers have yet to announce their starter. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05pm.
Tickets for the 2016 Pacific Coast League playoff dates at First Tennessee Park are now available for purchase at the Nashville Sounds box office and online at www.nashvillesounds.com
The 2016 season is the Sounds’ 19th year in the Pacific Coast League and their second as the Oakland Athletics’ top affiliate.
