Nashville, TN – Oliver Dunn brought home Daz Cameron on a base hit to right in the bottom of the 11th on Wednesday night at First Horizon Park, solidifying a 14-13 walk-off win for the Nashville Sounds over the Charlotte Knights in one of the most exciting games of the season.
Dunn’s third hit and RBI of the night gave the Sounds their second walk-off win of the season. Nashville clobbered a total of four home runs, including a multi-HR game from Bobby Dalbec and Drew Avans’ game-tying, two-out, three-run home run in the bottom of the 10th.
After Charlotte put up two runs in the top of the first against Nashville starter Carlos Rodriguez, the Sounds responded with two of their own in the bottom half of the inning off Knights starter Noah Syndergaard. Cameron singled, and Dalbec smashed the first of his two home runs for the night.
Charlotte plated five runs off Rodriguez in the top of the fourth, but the Nashville offense bounced back in the bottom half of the inning. Dalbec blistered his second home run of the game, and Dunn followed directly after with his sixth of the season. Jared Oliva walked, stole second, and came around to score on a single by Freddy Zamora to cut the deficit to two runs at 7-5.
In the top of the sixth, the Knights extended the lead off Sounds reliever Bryan Hudson. Bryan Ramos reached base on a catcher’s interference and stole second to put a runner in scoring position. Dominic Fletcher singled to center, scoring Ramos to make it an 8-5 ballgame.
The Sounds brought the score within one in the bottom of the eighth against Knights’ reliever Fraser Ellard. Dunn worked a walk before Oliva also reached on a catcher’s interference to put runners on first and second. Zamora pulled a double to left, scoring both to make it 8-7 Charlotte.
Dunn’s late-game heroics started with a two-out, game tying single in the bottom of the ninth to send the game to extra innings tied at 8-8.
Nashville reliever Joel Payamps let up four runs in the top of the 10th, but the Sounds once again rallied in the home half. Raynel Delgado brought in one with a RBI single to right and Drew Avans smacked a three-run blast to tie the game 12-12.
The Knights scored one in the top of the 11th off Jesus Liranzo, but Nashville finished the job off Charlotte reliever Penn Murfee. Cameron tied it with a leadoff ground rule double. Two batters later, Dunn stepped to the plate and delivered the walk-off with a RBI single on the first pitch of the at-bat.
The Sounds will look to take complete command of the series with a win on Thursday, as right-hander Nestor Cortes (1-0, 1.08 ERA) makes another rehab start for Nashville. First pitch from First Horizon Park is set for 6:35pm CT.
