Nashville Sounds
Nashville, TN – The Nashville Sounds bid for a series sweep fell short in a 6-3 loss to the Iowa Cubs in front of 8,771 fans at First Tennessee Park Thursday night.
Some late heroics by the Sounds went for naught after Anthony Garcia tied the game with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning with a two-run home run.
With the game even at 3-3, the new pace of play rules were put into effect with both teams starting their inning with a runner at second. Both teams failed to score in the tenth, but Iowa plated three runs in the 11th to take a 6-3 lead.
The Sounds put a pair of runners on base in the bottom of the 11th but Beau Taylor bounced out to second to end the game.
Nashville starter Trevor Cahill was dominant through the first five innings before finding trouble in the sixth. The right-hander allowed one hit through the first five frames and retired 13 straight before issuing three consecutive two-out walks in the sixth.
The wildness came back to hurt when Taylor Davis coaxed a bases loaded walk off reliever Jake Sanchez to give the Cubs a 1-0 lead. More damage came when David Bote smashed a two-run double down the right field line to extend Iowa’s lead to 3-0.
Nashville got a run in the eighth to trim the deficit to 3-1 and got the home run from Garcia to even the game at 3-3 in the ninth.
The Sounds welcome the Omaha Storm Chasers for a four-game series set to begin Friday night at First Tennessee Park. Left-hander Erik Jokisch (0-1, 5.40) starts for the Sounds against right-hander Scott Barlow (0-0, 2.08) for the Cubs. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35pm.
Post-Game Notes
The Sounds dropped to 3-5 on the season.
The scoreless inning streak by Nashville pitchers came to an end after 23.2 innings. Iowa scored in the sixth when Jake Sanchez issued a bases loaded walk to Taylor Davis.
Nashville hitters drew a season-high seven walks. BJ Boyd and Slade Heathcott each two each.
Renato Núñez extended his hitting streak to six games with a single in the fourth inning. He added a second hit in the ninth and finished 2-for-5. He’s hitting .360 (9-for-25) with 2 RBI, 2 runs and 2 walks during the streak.
The 2018 season is the Sounds’ 41st in franchise history and fourth as the Oakland Athletics’ top affiliate. Single-game tickets are available now by calling (615) 690-4487 or by visiting www.nashvillesounds.com.
