Nashville, TN – The Nashville Sounds used an eighth-inning rally to take care of business against the Indianapolis Indians, highlighted by Luis Matos’ 4-RBI night Sunday night at First Horizon Park. The 6-4 win earned the series split against the number one team in the International League.
The Indians got the scoring started in the top of the third inning as they got on base early with a leadoff single and a walk. Tyson Hardin retired the next two batters, but Johnathan Rodriguez ripped an RBI-single to right field and drove home Derek Berg and Mitch Jebb for the 2-0 Indy lead.
The Sounds answered with a run of their own in the bottom half of the third as Ethan Murray and Eduardo Garcia hit back-to-back singles to open the frame. Two at-bats later, Bo Naylor lined an RBI-single into left field and scored Murray for the one run deficit.
In the bottom of the fourth inning, Nashville gained its first lead of the night as Akil Baddoo reached base on an Indy fielding error. Matos then obliterated a 438-foot two-run blast to left field to give the Sounds a one-run lead, which is the second-furthest homer by a Sounds hitter this season behind Eddys Leonard (445 ft). In the following frame, Naylor crushed a solo shot to right field and extended the Sounds lead to two runs.
Hardin finished his night tossing 3.2 innings of work, allowing two runs on five hits and striking out five Indy batters before Joel Kuhnel entered the game and secured the final out of the fourth. Kuhnel came out for the fifth inning and worked around a walk, retiring 4-of-the-5 batters he faced. Tate Kuehner entered the ball game for the first time since May 20. Indianapolis tacked on two runs in the top of the seventh inning and tied the game at four. Kuehner allowed two unearned runs to cross on three hits, while striking out five batters through the eighth.
Will Childers made his 31st appearance of the season for the Sounds with one out in the eighth inning and shut down the next two batters, including striking Derek Berg out. After three scoreless frames by the Sounds, they regained the lead in the bottom of the eighth inning as Blake Burke led off the frame with a single. Three at-bats later, Brock Wilken drew a walk and put Burke in scoring position. Matos lined a two-run triple into the right field corner and scored Burke and Wilken for the two-run lead. Jared Koenig entered the game in the top of the ninth inning and closed it down with a 1-2-3 frame for his first save since September 18th, 2025.
With Monday off, the Nashville Sounds will hit the road for the next two weeks, starting off in Norfolk to take on the Tides (Triple-A, Baltimore Orioles) in a six-game series from August 18th-23rd before heading off to Jacksonville. Nashville will return home for the first of two final series at First Horizon Park beginning on September 1st.
