Nashville, TN – The Nashville Sounds dropped their second straight game with a 6-4 loss to the Durham Bulls on Saturday night. The two teams traded runs through seven before the Bulls took a one-run lead into the ninth and added a late insurance run in the final inning to hold off Nashville’s comeback bid.
Garrett Stallings racked up a season-high nine strikeouts on the mound for Nashville over 5.0 IP while scattering three runs on five hits and a walk. All nine of the strikeouts for the right-hander were swinging as he tossed 59 strikeouts out of his 85 total pitches. Stallings allowed a solo homer to former Sound Oliver Dunn for the night’s first run in the top of the third and saw two more cross in the fifth after allowing a pair of triples to Cooper Kinney and Carson Williams.
Brock Wilken led off the bottom of the third with the first of consecutive singles with Brewers no. 3-rated prospect Jett Williams evening the score at 1-1 with a sacrifice fly. Tyler Black drew the first of his two walks for the game in the bottom of the fifth. Two batters later, Greg Jones connected on his first home run of the season with an opposite field shot over the left field wall to bring Nashville back to even at 3-3.
After two quiet innings for both offenses, the Bulls sent eight batters to the plate and scored two runs despite just adding one hit of left-hander Mark Manfredi. Jake Woodford inherited a bases-loaded situation and walked in the second run of the frame to give Durham a two-run cushion.
Williams reached via the third Bulls error to start the home half of the eighth inning. Back-to-back walks issued by Luis Guerrero loaded the bases and Akil Baddoo was able score Williams on a fielder’s choice that kept him aboard as the potential go-ahead run before stealing second to get into scoring position along with Luis Lara. A fly out to the right fielder for Jeferson Quero sent the game to the ninth with Nashville down by a run.
Durham played more small ball in the top of the ninth after a leadoff hit by pitch. Back-to-back bunt singles loaded the bases before Woodford was able to record the first out of the inning with his only strikeout.
Reiss Knehr inherited a bases-loaded situation of his own and surrendered the second run of the inning on a long sacrifice fly off the bat of Logan Davidson to put Durham back up by two. Black’s second walk of the night to lead off the inning was quickly erased as Nashville hit into the second double play of the night in a 1-2-3 final half inning.
The Nashville Sounds will look to close out the series and earn the win in the finale on Sunday. Brewers no. 16-rated prospect Tyson Hardin (2-1, 1.59 ERA) will get his second start of the series and third overall against the Durham Bulls. Each of his first two Triple-A wins have come against the Bulls as he makes his sixth Triple-A start. First pitch is scheduled for 1:05pm.
