Stripers Baffled by Nashville Bullpen in 4-2 Loss

NASHVILLE, Tenn.– The Gwinnett Stripers (13-22) scored two runs on four hits over the first two innings on Thursday night but were held hitless over their final 22 plate appearances in a 4-2 loss to the Nashville Sounds (19-15) at First Horizon Park.

Decisive Plays: Gwinnett took a 1-0 lead in the first inning as Vaughn Grissom singled and scored on a two-out single by Yolmer Sanchez. In the bottom of the first, Michael Soroka (L, 0-2) allowed a three-run opposite-field home run to Keston Hiura (12), putting Nashville up 3-1. The Stripers cut it to 3-2 in the second as Joshua Fuentes tripled and scored on a single by Charlie Culberson, but that proved to be the final baserunners of the game. The Sounds added a run against Yacksel Rios in the eighth as Monte Harrison singled, stole two bases, and scored on a sacrifice fly by Andruw Monasterio.

Key Contributors: Five Nashville pitchers – starter Alex Claudio, Tyson Smith (W, 1-0), Clayton Andrews (H, 2), Jake Cousins (H, 1), and Trevor Megill (S, 1) combined to strike out 19 batters while allowing two runs on four hits. Soroka lasted 4.0 innings with three runs on four hits, two walks, and three strikeouts for Gwinnett. Fuentes had the Stripers’ only extra-base hit, going 1-for-3 with a triple and run scored. Sanchez and Culberson each went 1-for-3 with an RBI.

Noteworthy: Eli White went 0-for-4, snapping his on-base streak at 14 games. Hiura now has nine career homers against the Stripers since 2021, two in this series. Nick Margevicius had his first scoreless outing for Gwinnett, throwing 3.0 one-hit frames. The game lasted just 2:00 hours, Gwinnett’s shortest contest this year.

Next Game (Friday, May 12): Gwinnett at Nashville, 7:35 p.m. ET at First Horizon Park. RHP Beau Burrows (2-0, 5.40 ERA) for the Stripers vs. RHP Caleb Boushley (2-1, 4.94 ERA) for the Sounds. Broadcast: 7:20 p.m. on MyCountry993.com and the Bally Live app.

Next Home Game (Tuesday, May 23): Gwinnett vs. Durham, 7:05 p.m. ET at Coolray Field. Broadcast: 6:50 p.m. on MyCountry993.com and the Bally Live app. It’s Family Value Tuesday, presented by Coolray Heating & Cooling, with hot dogs for $2 and desserts for $1.