Nashville, TN – The Nashville Sounds got early and often offense as they cruised past the Gwinnett Stripers 10-2 on Saturday night. Nashville racked up a season-high 14 hits and three home runs to give them a chance split their first road trip of the season on Sunday afternoon in Lawrenceville.
Wes Clarke provided the early spark with his first home run of the season, jolting a three-run blast off the left field foul pole in the top of the first inning.
Carlos Rodriguez made his second start of the year on the mound for the Sounds and worked four innings of two run ball. The Brewers’ no. 23-ranked prospect pitched around a pair of baserunners in the first to keep Gwinnett off the scoreboard but worked into some more trouble in the second.
A two-out error allowed the first Gwinnett run to come across the plate. The Stripers loaded the bases in the third before Rodriguez could get an out. A strikeout and groundout helped limit the damage but the groundout inched the Stripers within one of the lead.
Another two baserunners in the bottom of the fourth threatened but Rodriguez responded by retiring each of the next three to get out of the inning with the Sounds lead still at 3-2. It was more of the same for the Nashville bullpen after Rodriguez exited the game. Nick Mears (1.0 IP), Jacob Misiorowski (3.2 IP 4 K, 4 BB) and Easton McGee (0.1 IP, K) did not allow a hit a hit over the final five innings.
The second of three Nashville home runs on the night came off the bat of Jared Oliva, his first of the season. Nashville pieced together three straight two-out singles in the top of the sixth to extend the lead to 7-2. Caleb Durbin launched his second home run of the season in the top of the seventh and Jorge Alfaro wrapped up a four-hit night with a RBI single to put an end to the night’s scoring.
The Nashville Sounds can earn a series split with a win in the finale against the Gwinnett Stripers on Sunday before returning to Nashville for the start of a six-game homestand against the Memphis Redbirds (Triple-A, St. Louis)
