Nashville Sounds split games with Omaha Storm Chasers Saturday

Nashville Sounds Baseball

Top Prospect Nelson Wins Season Debut For Nashville

Papillion, NE – The Nashville Sounds split a doubleheader with the Omaha Storm Chasers on Saturday afternoon at Werner Park. The Sounds won the opener, 2-1, before suffering a walkoff 4-3 loss in the nightcap.

In the opener, top Milwaukee Brewers prospect Jimmy Nelson turned in a quality start to lead the Sounds to a 2-1 victory.

Nelson (1-0) held the Storm Chasers to one run on three hits while striking out four batters in six innings of work, tossing 91 pitches on the afternoon.

The Storm Chasers took their first lead of the season in the home half of the initial frame, grabbing a 1-0 advantage against Nelson. Brett Eibner led off with a double to center and later scored the day’s first run on a Johnny Giavotella groundout.

Nashville pulled in front with a pair of runs off Lamb in the top of the third. Taylor Green was hit by a pitch to open the frame and promptly scored to knot the contest at 1-1 when Elian Herrera laced a triple to the left-center wall. Caleb Gindl followed with a soft RBI single to right-center to propel the visitors to a 2-1 lead.

Neither team scored the remainder of the way, with closer Rob Wooten coming on to retire the Storm Chasers in order in the bottom of the seventh to notch his second save in as many days.

Lamb (0-1) was saddled with the loss for Omaha after allowing a pair of runs on three hits in his five frames of action, striking out seven Sounds batters along the way.

In the nightcap, Omaha rallied from a 3-1 deficit to knot the score against the Sounds’ bullpen before recording a walkoff 4-3 win in the bottom of the seventh.

Omaha took a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Christian Colon (3-for-4) hit a one-out double off Nashville starter Brad Mills and later scored when Sounds shortstop Hector Gomez was unable to glove a two-out, wind-blown popup off the bat of Brian Fletcher (3-for-4), a play ruled as an RBI single.

Nashville knotted the contest in the second when Sean Halton drew  a leadoff walk from Justin Marks, moved to third on a Jeremy Hermida single, and scored when Marks uncorked a one-out wild pitch.

Catcher Robinzon Diaz (2-for-4) smoked a go-ahead, line-drive homer to left off Omaha reliever Cory Wade to lead off the third inning. The backstop’s first blast of the year spotted the visitors a 2-1 lead.

Nashville stretched its lead to 3-1 in the fourth. Green led off with a single, moved to second on a passed ball, advanced to third on Eugenio Velez’s single before coming home when Pete Orr greeted new Omaha reliever Donnie Joseph with an RBI single to left.

Mills (1-0) performed well in a spot start for Nashville, striking out six batters while holding Omaha to one run on four hits over four frames of work. He took a no-decision following his 73-pitch outing.

The Storm Chasers took advantage of Mills’ departure by immediately rallying to tie the game with a pair of runs off Sounds reliever Dustin Molleken.

Eibner pulled Omaha back within a run at 3-2 when he led off the bottom of the fifth with a solo homer to straightaway center to greet Molleken, the outfielder’s first longball of the year. Colon followed with a single and later scored when Matt Fields fought out of a 0-2, two-out count to stroke a game-tying single to right-center.

In the final half-inning, Colon led off with a single against Molleken, moved to third on a Fletcher single, and raced home with the game-winner on Field’s opposite-field single to right-center.

The teams wrap up their series with a 2:05 p.m. matinee finale on Sunday afternoon. Right-hander Hiram Burgos will make his season debut with a start for the Sounds. Omaha will counter with southpaw Danny Duffy.

Box Score – Game 1