Sounds Outlast Chasers in 12, 3-2

NASHVILLE - The Chasers overcame a late 2-0 deficit to force extra innings, but fell to a 3-2 defeat in 12 innings on Monday night at First Tennessee Park.

Early on, Chris Jensen and John Lannan were the story of the game, matching zeroes over the opening 5 innings. The Chasers placed men at 2^nd and 3^rd base in the 1^st and 3^rd frames, but Jensen stranded all 4 runners. Lannan stranded a pair of runners in the 2^nd, and left another on in the 5^th.

In the bottom of the 6^th, however, Nashville broke through. Chad Pinder knocked a 1-out double, and with 2 out, Renato Nunez singled to center, plating Pinder for a 1-0 Sounds lead.

Jensen was lifted with 2 out in the top of the 7^th; he allowed no runs, 4 hits, and 2 walks, with 1 strikeout.

Lannan was very strong as well, yielding just a single run in 6 complete innings. He was also charged with 5 hits and 2 walks, and struck out 1.

Nashville extended their lead to 2-0 in the last of the 7^th, with the aid of some shaky Chasers defense. With Malcolm Culver on the mound, Rangel Ravelo reached on an error by 3^rd baseman Hunter Dozier. Tyler Ladendorf bunted for a base hit, and Jaycob Brugman followed with a ground ball to 1^st, which went under the glove of Tony Cruz for another error. The miscue scored Ravelo, making it 2-0 Nashville.

Culver did an excellent job of keeping Omaha in the game, as he induced a pair of ground balls (the second resulting in a double play), to keep the Chasers within 2 runs.

In the top of the 8^th, Omaha rallied for a run, and were unlucky not to tie the game. With 2 out, Ramon Torres drew a walk, and Brett Eibner followed by slamming a ball off the top of the right field fence. Replays indicated that the ball bounced above the yellow line at the top of the fence, and that it should have been ruled a 2-run homer. But the umpires ruled it to still be in play, and Eibner was forced to settle for an RBI triple, cutting Nashville's lead to 2-1. Hunter Dozier then flied to center, stranding Eibner.

But the Chasers did tie the game in the 9^th. Tony Cruz led off with a walk against Tucker Healy; Jorge Bonifacio pinch-ran for him, and was promptly sent to 2^nd on an errant pickoff throw. Irving Falu doubled to right-center, scoring Bonifacio, and tying the game at 2. But with the go-ahead run at 2^nd and nobody out, the Chasers couldn't move Falu further, and settled for a 2-2 scoreline.

Culver and Tyler Olson combined for a scoreless bottom of the 9^th (stranding 2 Nashville runners in the process), and Andrew Edwards pitched a scoreless last of the 10^th, and 11^th.

But in the bottom of the 12^th, Nashville found the winner against Kevin McCarthy (L, 0-3). Chad Pinder doubled, advanced to 3^rd on a fly out by Ryon Healy, and scored on Renato Nunez's single to deep left field, giving Nashville the 3-2 win.

Patrick Schuster (W, 1-0) was the winning pitcher, throwing the final 3.2 innings for Nashville, and striking out 5.

The Chasers will seek a series sweep in Nashville tomorrow night. RHP Miguel Almonte (3-5, 5.04) will throw for Omaha, while RHP Chad Smith (4-6, 4.47) tosses for the Sounds. First pitch will be at 7:05.