Sounds Bust Out Bats For 10-5 Win
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - The Sounds smashed seven extra-base hits, including three home runs, and cruised to a 10-5 victory over the Colorado Springs Sky Sox at Security Service Field on Monday night.
Jason Pridie led the way once again for Nashville, blasting two long balls and collecting four RBIs in the rout. Joey Wendle also went 4-for-5 with a pair of doubles, while Nate Freiman went yard for the first time this season to help the Sounds to a five-run victory.
All the offensive support helped starter Brad Mills improve to 4-9 on the season. The Sounds were 4-13 in game when Mills had made the start, but the lefty tossed his ninth quality outing in the series opener and got his first win since June 26. Mills pitched to contact, only striking out one, but managed seven strong innings with two earned runs allowed. He also induced another two groundball double plays, putting his team-leading total to 17.
The Sounds struck in the first inning with two runs. Craig Gentry led off with one of his three hits and scored two batters later. Pridie followed it up with his 13th homer, a solo shot to center, and Nashville was off and running.
After a wild pitch scored Freiman in the second, Colorado Springs evened things out with two runs in the third and one in the fourth. Nevin Ashley hit his sixth home run of the year to lead off the fourth, but Mills tamed the Sky Sox the rest of the way.
Nashville pulled away by rattling the bats with a three-run fifth inning. Wendle and Ryan Roberts both singled in front of Pridie, who launched his second home run of the night. His second shot to center field gave the outfielder four RBIs on the night and upped his season total to 62.
The visitors carried the hot hitting into the sixth by placing a four spot on the scoreboard. Anthony Aliotti led off the frame with a single and scored when Freiman hit his first home run of the season. The two-run bomb snapped a streak of over 180 at-bats without a home run for the infielder. Two more runs came in the inning via back-to-back doubles from Gentry and Wendle, and the Sounds were ahead by seven.
The Sky Sox got two runs off R.J. Alvarez in the ninth before the right-hander concluded the game.
All nine starters reached base for Nashville while the first four batters in the lineup combined to go 10-for-19 with five extra-base hits and six runs scored.
Brock Huntzinger delivered a scoreless eighth inning but had a little help from his defense. After walking the first two batters, Huntzinger got Matt Dominguez to fly to center field. Gentry made a spectacular diving catch, keeping the presence of mind to get up and throw it back to the infield. The throw came to Wendle at second, who tossed to Aliotti at first, and the Sounds turned a classic 8-4-3 triple play. The last time Nashville had turned a triple play was on August 20, 2011 at Omaha in the same 8-4-3 fashion.
The two teams will play on Tuesday night at 8:05 p.m. CST. Nashville will start Nathan Long (1-2, 4.70) and Colorado Springs will oppose the right-hander with Tyler Thornburg (2-5, 5.10).