Two Early Grand Slams By Charlotte Costs Sounds
NASHVILLE — The Nashville Sounds fell to the Charlotte Knights with a 9-4 loss at Truist Park as two grand slams led the way for the Knights despite four Sounds earning multi-hit nights and Tyler Black extending his hit streak to nine games. With the second game under way of
NASHVILLE — The Nashville Sounds fell to the Charlotte Knights with a 9-4 loss at Truist Park as two grand slams led the way for the Knights despite four Sounds earning multi-hit nights and Tyler Black extending his hit streak to nine games.
With the second game under way of this week's series, major league rehabber Quinn Priester got into trouble immediately in the opening frame as he walked three-of-six batters and hit Oliver Dunn as a run scored through on a walk. Priester was replaced for Peter Strzelecki with two outs in the inning, but LaMonte Wade Jr. crushed a grand slam to right field and opened the score up 5-0 in favor of the Knights.
The Sounds answered back in the top of the second inning as Brock Wilken drew a lead-off walk. After two Sounds struck out in back-to-back at-bats, Eddys Leonard and Freddy Zamora drew the second and third walks of the frame to load the bases, then Jacob Hurtubise drilled an infield single to third and scored Wilken cutting the Knights lead to 5-1. Charlotte grew the lead once again in the bottom of the second as three straight singles loaded the bases. Then, the Knights drilled their second grand slam of the evening to right field and the lead went back up 9-1.
Thomas Pannone entered the game for Strzelecki and recorded two scoreless innings on one hit, including a 1-2-3 third while the Sounds tacked on two unanswered runs in the top of the fifth inning as Tyler Black got the frame going with a one-out single and extended his hit streak to nine games. After Wilken reached base on a fielding error and Luis Lara struck out swinging, Jeferson Quero and Leonard hit back-to-back RBI-singles which crossed Black and Wilken for the 9-3 deficit still in favor of the Knights.
Pannone, rehabber Craig Yoho and newly-acquired Junior Fernández tossed six combined scoreless innings as Pannone tossed a stellar 3.2 innings, striking out three in the process while Yoho entered the game in the bottom of the sixth and tossed 1.1 scoreless innings on one hit and added a strikeout of his own as well. Fernández worked a scoreless eighth as he added a 1-2-3 frame and two punchouts in the process while the Sounds had one more opportunity in the top of the ninth inning to produce more runs but were shut down with a strikeout, groundout and a lineout to end the game in a 9-4 final.
The seven-game series will continue on Thursday night with first pitch scheduled for 6:04 p.m. CT.
Bring the guac, we're chippin away pic.twitter.com/9pNKNjnIcQ
— Nashville Sounds (@nashvillesounds) April 23, 2026
POSTGAME NOTES:
9 ON BLACK: Outfielder Tyler Black extended his hit streak to nine consecutive games, tying his season-long from last year from July 9-30 (.316 BAA, 12-for-38, 4 XBH, 8 RBI, 4 R), while his longest hitting streak at the Triple-A level still remains at 16 straight games with Nashville from September 7, 2023 - March 30, 2024. Black finished his night going 2-for-5 with a rune against the Knights which marked his second multi-hit of the season as well, Black added 17 multi-hit games to his line during the 2025 year, including five 3-hit games.
HURTS-TO-BE-2: Outfielder Jacob Hurtubise earned his first multi-hit and second multi-RBI with Nashville as he went X-for-X with X RBI against Charlotte Wednesday night. Hurtubise posted only five multi-hit games last season including a 3-hit night against Triple-A Iowa while he was on Triple-A Louisville early in the year. The 28-year-old has recorded 82 career multi-hit games in his six-year campaign, including 13 three-hit games while his career-high was up to four hits, going 4-for-5 on September 1, 2024 against Indianapolis when he was on Louisville.
SLAM SESSION: Peter Strzelecki allowed two grand slams in Wednesday night's 9-4 loss to the Knights with both slams coming in the first and second inning of the game. The first one came in the first inning when rehabber Quinn Priester issued three walks and a hit by pitch which allowed a run but still kept the loaded the bases for Lamonte Wade Jr. to club a grand slam out of the park. The second one came when Peter Strzelecki allowed three consecutive singles to load the bases once again, then Jarred Kelenic crushed the second slam for the Knights to right field that blew the game out of proportion for the Sounds. Those were the first two grand slams allowed by Strzelecki in his nine-year career, while the Sounds as a club have allowed five grand slams to the Knights since 2004, including two in Wednesday night's loss. The Sounds allowed three grand slams with the last one coming against the Knights as well, when David Fletcher clubbed one off of Garrett Stallings on August 26, 2025.
UNEXPECTED REHAB: Major League Rehabber Quinn Priester made his first start of the season in Wednesday night's loss to the Knights but immediately got into trouble, loading the bases on walks and allowing four runs on just 29 pitches before Strzelecki came in for relief. The last time Priester allowed at least four runs in a game was last season on August 10 against the New York Mets when he was in Milwaukee and allowed six runs on 10 hits, including two homers in the process.