Norfolk, VA – The Nashville Sounds (52-43, 12-9) were not deterred by an early 5-0 deficit, roaring back to topple the Norfolk Tides (60-35, 12-9) 10-8 on Tuesday night at Harbor Park. The five-run comeback matches a season high previously set on April 11th vs. Norfolk.
To have a comeback, first, you must trail. It happened quickly as the Tides jumped on Nashville starter Jason Alexander, plating three runs in the bottom of the first before adding more in the second and third innings.
It was a laborious outing for the Sounds right-hander, who threw 51 pitches through two innings. Alexander recovered to survive five frames, finishing the outing with 93 pitches.
But Nashville’s 5-0 hole did not discourage them. They loaded the bags with two outs in the fifth, setting the table for the scorching hot Abraham Toro, who ripped yet another double to put the Sounds on the board 5-2. Tyler Naquin led off the sixth inning with a laser over the right-field wall, then Payton Henry ripped a two-run blast over Norfolk’s bullpen to knot the game at five apiece.
Norfolk regained the lead with a run in the seventh, but J.B. Bukauskas (W, 3-2) stranded a pair to keep the Sounds close. This proved crucial for the Sounds’ eighth-inning rally. Once again Toro came up with the bases loaded, and once again he came through with a two-run knock, pushing Nashville ahead for the first and final time of the night.
Though Clayton Andrews took the mound to start the ninth with a four-run lead, Thyago Vieira (S, 3) came on with the bases loaded and one out, escaping any major damage and locking down a 10-8 win.
Toro led the way with four RBI on a 2-for-5 night. Josh VanMeter reached five times on a single and four walks. Henry drove in a pair with a home run, his sole hit of the night.
The Nashville Sounds will seek another win in game two tomorrow night. Caleb Boushley (5-4, 4.65) makes his 20th start of the season for Nashville, while the Norfolk Tides sends right-hander Garrett Stallings (2-2, 4.44) to the hill. The first pitch is scheduled for 5:35pm CT from Harbor Park.
Post-Game Notes
- Abraham Toro extended his hitting streak to 11 games and his doubles streak to a minor-league leading seven games. During his hitting streak, Toro is batting .457 (21-for-46) with 13 runs, eight doubles, two homers, 11 RBI and a 1.280 OPS.
- Tyler Naquin extended his hitting streak to 10 games with his sixth-inning blast. It’s the fifth 10+ game hitting streak for the Sounds this season. Naquin is batting .325 (13-for-40) with two homers, seven RBI and a .832 OPS during the streak.
- Josh VanMeter reached five times tonight, going 1-for-1 with four walks. It’s the second time in three games that VanMeter has finished a contest with that line, doing so in a win over Jacksonville on July 20th.
- The contest lasted 3 hours and 27 minutes, the longest game for the Sounds this season. This does not include a nine-minute delay in the bottom of the second inning due to a drone flying over the playing surface at Harbor Park. The previous high was 3 hours and 24 minutes in a 10-inning loss at Jacksonville on April 19th.
- Nashville first baseman Keston Hiura was ejected in the top of the fifth inning by home plate umpire Charlie Ramos after arguing that a pitch struck him instead of his bat.
The Nashville Sounds are the Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers and play at First Horizon Park. Season ticket memberships for the 2023 season are on sale now.
For more information call 615.690.4487 or e-mail tickets@nashvillesounds.com.
