Nashville Sounds take two from Round Rock Express Friday night at Greer Stadium

Nashville Sounds Baseball

Nashville’s Matt Clark and Logan Schafer Provide Game-Winning Hits

Nashville, TN – The Nashville Sounds (64-56) picked up their third doubleheader sweep at Greer Stadium on Friday night, winning 4-2 over the Round Rock Express in game one and 2-1 in game two.

In the opener, first baseman Matt Clark belted a walkoff two-run homer in the bottom of the seventh inning to give the Sounds a dramatic 4-2 victory over the Express.

It was the 10th last at-bat victory of the season for Nashville, which extended its lead to one game over the Memphis Redbirds in the PCL American Conference Southern Division.

The Sounds, who entered the bottom of the seventh trailing 2-1, tied the score against Ross when Jason Rogers led off with a single and Sean Halton followed with a single, which plated pinch-runner Kevin Mattison with the tying run when right fielder Bryan Peterson misfired to the infield.

Clark followed by blasting Ross’ 3-0 offering to right to end the contest.

Sounds starter Michael Blazek, who took a no-decision for Nashville after allowing one run in 6 1/3 innings, continued his recent dominance of PCL hitters before late Express heroics ruined his chance at a victory.

Prior to giving up a run in the top of the seventh, he extended his scoreless streak to 17 2/3 consecutive frames over his last three starts. In 13 starts for the Sounds, the right-hander carries a 2.73 ERA (17er/56.0ip).

The Sounds took a 1-0 lead in the fifth inning when Clark (3-for-3) led off with a single against Ross and later scored on Irving Falu’s two-out RBI single.

With the Sounds two outs away from notching a shutout, Round Rock first baseman Tomas Telis belted a two-run homer in the top of the seventh to give the visitors a 2-1 lead.

Telis’ blast, an opposite-field shot to left which came on a 2-0 offering from Sounds reliever Alfredo Figaro, was the infielder’s first of the year and also plated Ryan Rua, who had singled earlier in the frame against Blazek.

Nashville extended a couple of significant streaks during the opener. Jeremy Hermida singled in the first inning to up his home on-base streak to 32 consecutive games, the longest such streak by a PCL player this season, which came to an end in game two. Logan Schafer (2-for-3) doubled in the third inning to run his longest hitting streak of the year to seven games.

In the nightcap, Logan Schafer hit a bases-loaded single in 5th inning to power the Sounds to a 2-1 victory over the Express.

Schafer’s one-out hit scored Matt Clark, who drew a walk to lead off the inning, and Irving Falu, who singled through the infield. Schafer extends his season-best hit streak to eight games.

Keeping the Express off the rails was newcomer Jay Jackson, who made his first start as a Sound a good one by scattering three hits over four scoreless frames. The right-hander fanned seven batters and walked only one in his 54-pitch debut.

Sounds reliever Jose De La Torre (3-2) served up a scoreless fifth inning and left the game with two outs in the sixth after walking Ryan Rua. Brent Leach entered to close the inning, but allowed a single and committed a throwing error on a pickoff attempt to grant Round Rock their only run.

Dustin Molleken delivered a spotless ninth inning to pick up his fourth save of the year. De La Torre was awarded the win.

Nashville also picked up hits from Sean Halton, Eugenio Velez, and catcher Adam Weisenburger, who ripped a double to left-center field in his first Triple-A at-bat in the 3rd inning.

The teams continue the series with a 6:35pm matchup. Right-hander Taylor Jungmann (5-5, 4.90) will make the start for the Sounds and face Round Rock right-hander Luke Jackson (1-0, 6.58).

Box Score – Game 1

Box Score – Game 2