Nashville, TN – The Nashville Sounds matched a season-high for the largest victory of the season, beating the Durham Bulls 16-5 on Thursday night at First Horizon Park. Numerous team and individual season-highs were set along the way in the blowout victory highlighted by season-highs in RBI for Akil Baddoo and Luis Matos who each drove in four runs.
Nashville remains in a tie for first place with Memphis with nine games remaining in the first half of the International League schedule.
Thomas Pannone got the start on the mound and earned his second win of the season with 5.0 IP where he allowed six hits and three earned runs while striking out a season-high seven batters. His seven strikeouts were the most he has had in a game since striking out nine against Buffalo on August 14th, 2024.
It was the second time this season allowing six hits, with the last also coming against Durham on May 19th. The three earned runs surrendered were the second-most he has allowed in any of his 10 appearances this season behind the four allowed in that May 19th start against the Bulls.
Nashville headed to the plate in the bottom of the first inning trailing for the second night in a row but once again responded. Baddoo delivered a two-RBI single in his first at-bat of the night to give the Sounds a lead they would not relinquish. All five of the scoring innings for Nashville were multi-run innings, including a six spot on the fifth.
Of the 15 hits for Nashville, only three went for extra bases. Greg Jones hit the first of the three Sounds doubles for the game in the bottom of the second and added the first of his season-high three-RBI. Baddoo hit one the second in the bottom of the fifth to drive in his fourth RBI of the game after walking in consecutive plate appearances in the second and third innings, one being a bases-loaded walk in the second. Jeferson Quero added his only hit of the night with a 2-RBI double behind Baddoo in the fifth for his two-RBI of the night.
Both Matos hits and half of his RBI came in the fifth inning. He led off the six-hit, six-run inning with a single before later coming around to score and pushed across the final two runs with a two-out, two-RBI single to make it 13-3.
Ethan Murray reached base in four-of-five plate appearances, going 3-for-4 with a walk and four runs scored. It’s the first time the Sounds have had a player cross the plate four times this season, and the first since Freddy Zamora did so on May 25th, 2025, vs. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Brewers no. 3-rated prospect added a multi-hit performance to his season total, going 2-for-5 with two RBI and a run. Eddys Leonard also chipped in with a two-hit night (2-for-4, BB, 3 R).
Nashville finished the night 10-for-26 with runners in scoring position and stranded 12 on base; 26-of-37 total at-bats for the game came with RISP and the first two batters of the inning reached in six of the eight trips to the plate. In addition to the 15 hits, the Sounds drew 12 walks and were gifted two addition free bases on a hit by pitch and catcher interference.
In relief of Pannone, Jared Koenig (1.0 IP, H, ER, K), Mark Manfredi (1.0, 0 H, 0 BB, K), Lyon Richardson (1.0 IP, H, 2 BB), and Will Childers (1.0 IP, 3 H, ER, K) combined to cover the final four innings on the mound. Richardson made his Sounds debut after being added to the active roster earlier on Thursday.
Winners of five straight, the Sounds will have their first chance to claim the series win on Friday night. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35pm with RHP Easton McGee (1-1, 2.55 ERA) slated to get the start.
