Nashville, TN – The Nashville Sounds extended their win-streak to six consecutive games with a 12-1 blowout over the Iowa Cubs Saturday night at First Horizon Park in front of a sellout crowd. The offensive outburst was led by Eddys Leonard’s first-inning grand slam and three-run blasts from top prospects Jett Williams and Cooper Pratt.
Nashville put up a monstrous first inning as Williams, Pratt and Luis Lara drew three consecutive walks to load the bases. Three at-bats later, Jeferson Quero drew the fourth walk of the frame and to get a run in. With the bases loaded still, Leonard crushed his second grand slam of the season, seventh homer overall, to left field and grew the lead to 5-0.
The damage continued in the bottom of the first with Greg Jones getting hit-by-pitch, then Ramón RodrÃguez singled into right field which set up Williams to club his fourth homer on the year with a three-run shot to left field and grow the large lead to 8-0.
The Sounds tallied yet another three-run inning in the bottom of the third inning as Jones reached base with a single. Two at-bats later, Williams drew the team’s sixth walk of the game. Pratt ripped Nashville’s second three-run long-ball for an 11-0 score. Meanwhile, Garrett Stallings put on another clinic of an outing as he tossed 6.2 scoreless innings, allowed four hits and struck out six I-Cubs batters, earning his second straight quality start.
Brought up from Low-A Wilson earlier on Saturday, Joshua Quezada made his first career Triple-A appearance in the top of the seventh inning and recorded the final out of the frame on a groundout. He then posted a 1-2-3 eighth before being relieved by JB Bukauskas, who was reinstated from the injured list and added to the roster earlier in the day as well.
In the bottom of the eighth, the Sounds added a run of insurance as RodrÃguez earned his second hit of the night. Two at-bats later, Pratt knocked in RodrÃguez with an RBI-single into left field for Nashville’s final run of the night and made it 12-0. The I-Cubs finally got on the board in the top of the ninth with two walks and a single from James Triantos for the 12-1 final.
The Nashville Sounds will conclude this week’s series against the Iowa Cubs in Sunday’s finale. First pitch is slated to begin at 1:05pm.
