Winning Streak Hits Five as Sounds Beat Cubs

The Nashville Sounds pushed their winning streak to five games with an 8-3 win over the Iowa Cubs in game one of a doubleheader Friday afternoon at Principal Park.
Ramón Laureano led the charge offensively with a 3-for-5 day at the plate as the Sounds collected six extra-base hits. Laureano sparked a rally immediately when he lined a base hit down the right-field line to start the game. The base knock extended his hitting streak to 11 games.
Franklin Barreto walked to put a pair of runners on base for Anthony García who hit a deep drive into right field. The ball was juggled and dropped by Iowa's Bijan Rademacher. The RBI double plated Laureano and an added miscue by the right fielder allowed Barreto to score and make it 2-0.
The Sounds never looked back as spot starter Dean Kiekhefer tossed three innings to lead three Nashville pitchers. Danny Coulombe followed with a pair of innings and Bobby Wahl followed suit with the final two frames.
In addition to Laureano's three hits, Beau Taylor went 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI and Melvin Mercedes went 2-for-3 with a triple, double, walk and two runs scored. Nashville took advantage of 10 hits and four walks by going 5-for-13 with runners in scoring position.
Game two of the doubleheader is scheduled for Friday night at Principal Park in Des Moines. Right-hander Daniel Mengden (1-0, 0.00) starts for the Cubs against right-hander Eddie Butler (0-2, 15.19) for the Cubs. First pitch is scheduled for 7:08 p.m.
Post-Game Notes
- With today's 8-3 win, the Sounds improved to 44-45 on the season.
- Five of Nashville's eight runs were scored with two outs.
- Right fielder Ramon Laureano extended his hitting streak to 11 games with a single in the first inning.
- Dean Kiekhefer started for the third time in his career (371 games) and threw a career-high 65 pitches. Prior to today, Kiekhefer's last start was with Triple-A Memphis on July 5, 2015.
The 2018 season is the Sounds' 41st in franchise history and fourth as the Oakland Athletics' top affiliate. Single-game tickets are available now by calling (615) 690-4487 or by visiting www.nashvillesounds.com.