Nashville, TN – The Nashville Sounds put together early runs and took command of Tuesday night’s game against the Worcester Red Sox with a 9-4 win at First Horizon Park. Both top prospects, Jett Williams and Luis Lara led the way with 3-hit nights, while Jeferson Quero recorded four RBI.
The Sounds jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning as Williams reached base on a lead-off single. After Cooper Pratt walked and Lara was hit by pitch to load the bases, Jeferson Quero drew the second straight walk and scored Williams for the 1-0 lead. Then, Brock Wilken and Eddys Leonard hit back-to-back sac flies, extending the Nashville lead to 3-0.
Nashville continued adding damage in the bottom of the second inning as Jacob Hurtubise led off the frame getting hit by pitch. Williams and Lara contributed singles to load the bases and the second back-to-back walks issued of the night plated two more runs which grew the lead to 5-0. The WooSox cut into the Nashville lead 5-1 with a Jason Delay homer to the left field pole in the top of the third, but that was all starter Shane Drohan surrendered heading into the bottom half of the third.
In the bottom of the third inning, the Sounds extended their lead back up to 6-1 as Freddy Zamora got in on the action, ripping a double into left center and reaching third on a fielding error made by the WooSox outfielder. Two at-bats later, Williams ripped an RBI-single up the middle and scored Zamora for the five-run lead. The WooSox answered right back with a bases-loaded walk, scoring one run for the 6-2 lead still in favor of the Sounds.
The Sounds remained unstoppable on offense and continued to add more damage to their lead in the bottom of the fifth inning as Williams, with already a stellar offensive night, drew a lead-off walk.
After Pratt hit a sacrifice bunt and advanced Williams to second, Lara hit a grounder to the WooSox first basemen and ended up beating the throw out to the bag, advancing Williams to third as well. Quero added his third and fourth RBI to his line as he ripped a single to right field, extending the lead to 8-2.
In the bottom of the sixth inning, Nashville crossed home another run as Pratt and Lara drew walks and after a pickoff attempt passed the first basemen, Pratt crossed home for the 9-2 lead. Right-hander Jacob Waguespack came into relieve Drohan with one out in the sixth, who ended his night on a high note and posted a stellar 5.1 innings, allowed two runs (one earned) on five hits and had a season-high eight strikeouts.
The WooSox cut into the Sounds lead again in the top of the seventh inning as two walks and two singles plated two more runs off Waguespack for a 9-4 score. Peter Strzelecki entered the game in the top of the eighth and tossed a scoreless inning of relief, including a strikeout.
Southpaw, Brian Fitzpatrick closed it out for the top of the ninth inning as the WooSox had one last chance to put up more runs but were shut down ending in a 9-4 Sounds win. Nashville’s pitching staff put 13 strikeouts together as a team and was the fifth time this season the team posted 13+ strikeouts in a game.
The Nashville Sounds continue this week’s series against the Worcester Red Sox (Triple-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox) on Wednesday, April 15th with first pitch scheduled for 6:35pm CT.
