Nashville, TN – Fueled by the biggest crowd of the season so far, the Nashville Sounds used a seven-run bottom of the seventh to earn the comeback win and even the series against Iowa at two games a piece on Friday night with an 8-5 win.
After falling behind in the second inning, Nashville pitching combined to strand 13 I-Cubs runners on base and allow the offense to spark the late-inning rally.
Bruce Zimmermann got the start on the mound for Nashville and worked an efficient 15-pitch top of the first. The southpaw ran into some trouble in the second with each of the first three batters he faced reaching base. Three singles, a walk, and a Nashville error saw three Iowa runs come across the plate.
Garrett Mitchell got the first hit of the night for Nashville against Shota Imanaga with a one-out single in the bottom of the third. Andrew Vaughn collected his fourth extra-base hit in as many games for Nashville with a leadoff double in the fourth. Neither produced runs with Imanaga using seven strikeouts to leave all four baserunners he had allowed stranded through four innings.
Following the lengthy second inning, Zimmermann stranded two of his own in the third after allowing another pair of singles. He got some help from his battery mate Anthony Seigler to cut down a runner at second after a walk to keep it at 3-0 after four.
Imanaga exited after 4.1 IP and 72 pitches with two hits allowed, two walks, and eight strikeouts. Mitchell kept the bottom of the fifth alive for Nashville with a two-out single off Tommy Romero. After moving up a base on a wild pitch, Jeferson Quero had opposite field RBI single for the first Nashville run of the game.
Easton McGee worked two scoreless innings. He started his appearance by striking out the first two batters he faced before picking up his third of the night the next inning. It was a big strikeout for McGee who loaded battled back after loading the bases with two outs.
Drew Avans sparked the comeback with a perfectly placed bunt single off Porter Hoge. He was the first of five straight hitters to reach base off Hoge, including the game-tying RBI, and third hit of the night for Mitchell. Four batters later and with the bases loaded, Tyler Black broke the game open with a bases-clearing triple to make it 7-3. A wild pitch would later score Black to give Nashville a five-run advantage.
Iowa scored two in the top of the ninth and sent the potential tying run to the plate to face Jesus Liranzo. The Nashville right-hander struck out pinch hitter Chase Strumpf to leave two stranded in scoring position and earned his fifth save on the season in the process.
Even through four games, the Nashville Sounds will send LHP Josh Maciejewski (2-0, 3.72 ERA) to the mound for his sixth Nashville appearance and his first start of the year on Saturday night. He has worked his first 15 appearances for Double-A Biloxi and Nashville out of the bullpen. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35pm.
