Nashville Sounds get huge win over Albuquerque Isotopes, 9-3

Nashville Sounds Baseball

Jason Rogers Paces 16-Hit Attack With Career-Best Four Hits

Albuquerque, NM – The Nashville Sounds pounded out 16 hits, including 11 for extra bases, during their 9-3 victory over Albuquerque on Monday evening at Isotopes Park.

With the win, Nashville (70-59) remained one game behind first-place Memphis with 15 to play.

Third baseman Jason Rogers went 4-for-5 to pace the Nashville offensive attack, matching his career high for hits in a game (fifth occurrence). Hector Gomez, Sean Halton, and Matt Clark each plated a pair of runs for the Sounds in the win.

Rogers gave the Sounds a 1-0 lead when he led off the second inning with a first-pitch rocket to left off Albuquerque starter Barry Enright, the infielder’s eighth home run of the year.

The Isotopes rallied for three runs against Donovan Hand in the bottom of the third to grab a 3-1 lead.

Former Vanderbilt Commodore Mike Baxter (3-for-4) knotted the contest when he swatted his seventh longball of the season, a leadoff solo shot to right. PCL home run leader Joc Pederson followed with a solo shot of his own, his 30th big fly of the year, to put the home team in front by a run.

Tim Federowicz then hit a laser to center that caromed off the wall located 428 feet from home plate, ending up at third on the play. The Albuquerque catcher later scored the frame’s third run on a double play grounder.

The Sounds reclaimed the lead a half-inning later, plating three of their own off Enright using three consecutive extra-base hits off the right-hander.

Clark upped his season-best hitting streak to eight games with a one-out double for Nashville in the fourth. Halton followed with a two-bagger of his own to cut the Sounds’ deficit to 3-2. Gomez staked the visitors to a 4-3 lead by belting his team-leading 15th home run of the campaign, a two-run shot to left.

Nashville upped its lead to 5-3 in the fifth when four consecutive batters reached base after two batters were retired. With two down, Pete Orr singled up the middle and Rogers slapped a single to left-center to place runners on the corners for Clark, who walked to load the bases. Halton ripped an RBI single to left to increase the visitors’ lead to two. Enright fanned Gomez with the bags full to end the frame and prevent any further damage.

Hand (3-7) won his second straight outing for the Sounds and finished one out shy of a quality start. The right-hander allowed three runs (two earned) on seven hits over 5 2/3 frames, striking out six batters.

The Sounds tacked on three more runs in the seventh when Orr coaxed a walk from reliever Red Patterson and raced home to score on a Rogers double before Clark continued his recent hot hitting by slammed a two-run homer, his 11th of the year.

Clark is hitting .464 (13-for-28) with six home runs and 10 RBIs during the club’s current seven-game road trip.

Rogers closed out the Nashville scoring in the eighth with his second RBI double of the evening, a two-out two-bagger off Fabio Martinez.

Brent Leach (0.2 IP) and Dustin Molleken (2.2 IP) closed out the contest with scoreless relief efforts for Nashville.

The teams wrap up their four-game series with a 7:35pm CT finale on Tuesday evening. Right-hander Michael Blazek (3-4, 3.61), a winner in two of his last three trips to the hill, will toe the slab for the Sounds to face Albuquerque southpaw Chris Reed (0-2, 11.05).

Box Score