Norfolk, VA – The Nashville Sounds (1–2) picked up their first win of the season with a 6–2 victory over the Norfolk Tides (2–1) at Harbor Park, using timely hitting, aggressive baserunning, and solid pitching.
Nashville wasted no time getting on the board in the first inning. Jett Williams was hit by a pitch to lead things off, stole second, and eventually scored on a throwing error by catcher Silas Ardoin during a steal attempt by Cooper Pratt, giving the Sounds an early 1–0 lead. The offense added on in the fifth. After Andrick Nava was hit by a pitch and Williams worked a walk, Tyler Black reached to load the bases.
Eddys Leonard then delivered a two-run double to right field, extending the lead to 3–0.
On the mound, left-hander Tate Kuehner turned in a strong performance in his third Triple-A start. He allowed just one run on two hits over 5.2 innings while striking out five. The lone blemish came in the fifth inning, when Norfolk used a two-out triple, a walk, and a wild pitch to cut the deficit to 3–1.
The Sounds responded immediately in the sixth with their biggest inning of the night. Greg Jones led off by being hit by a pitch, stole second, and moved to third on another Norfolk error. He later scored, and Nashville continued to capitalize on defensive miscues and productive at-bats to push the lead to 6–1.
Norfolk added a run in the seventh on an RBI groundout by Jud Fabian after a double from Ryan Noda and a walk by Ardoin, but that would be as close as they’d get. Garrett Stallings provided 1.1 innings of relief, allowing one run while striking out two, and Kaleb Bowman finished things off with a scoreless eighth. Leonard and Black each drove in two runs to lead the offense, while Williams set the tone at the top of the lineup with his speed and ability to get on base.
The Nashville Sounds now return home to open their first homestand of the season on Tuesday, March 31st against the Charlotte Knights, with first pitch set for 6:35pm CT.
