Durham, NC – The Nashville Sounds earned a 6-2 win over the Durham Bulls on Friday night to take a 3-1 series lead at Durham Bulls Athletic Park. The Sounds mashed three home runs in the game, including the second of the series for Brewers’ no. 4-rated prospect Jeferson Quero who put the Sounds in front and provided the game-winning runs for Nashville.
Drew Avans singled to start the ballgame, extending his hitting streak to eight games before eventually moving to third base on a walk and fielder’s choice that allowed Daz Cameron to reach first.
A successful double steal saw Avans swipe home while Cameron took second. He didn’t have to run hard the rest of the way as Quero jumped on an 0-1 fastball up the zone to deep left field for his second home run of the series, fourth of the season, to give Nashville a 3-0 lead.
Garrett Stallings worked around consecutive walks to begin the night and a bases-loaded situation in the bottom of the first to only allow one run. The Nashville right-hander battled through another bases-loaded situation in the second to once again hold Durham to a run while stranding three baserunners and help preserve a 3-2 lead for the time being.
Avans collected his second hit in as many trips to the plate in the top of the third. Jake Bauers did the rest of the work with his first hit of his current rehab assignment. The left-handed bat swatted a towering home run to deep right field to push the Nashville advantage to 5-2.
Raynel Delgado led off the top of the fourth with his second home run of the season, and second off right-hander Jesse Scholtens, for a 6-2 Sounds lead.
Following the back-to-back bases loaded scenarios in the first and second innings, Stallings proceeded to retire seven of his next eight into the fourth inning. He then struck out two of the three he faced in the fifth to end his night. Left-hander Brian Fitzpatrick entered in relief and sat down eight in row before turning the reigns over to Craig Yoho with two away in the bottom of the eighth inning and induced a ground out to get Nashville out of the inning.
The Brewers’ no. 16-rated prospect then retired the first batter he faced in the ninth to make it 15 in a row retired by Nashville pitchers before Coco Montes singled to break up the stretch. Yoho proceeded to get a strikeout, and Delgado snared a liner at third base to end the game for a Sounds victory.
In control of the series, the Nashville Sounds will look to take the series, and season-set over the Durham Bulls with a win on Saturday night.
The next Nashville win will place Sounds’ manager Rick Sweet into third all-time for Minor League managerial wins. First pitch from Durham Bulls Athletic Park is set for 5:35pm CT.
