Dodgers Write Final Verse Against Sounds

Nashville, Tenn. - After having the bases empty with two outs in the ninth inning, the Oklahoma City Dodgers rallied for two runs, and Alex Verdugo hit a game-winning double in a 6-5 win over the Nashville Sounds Monday night at First Tennessee Park.  
The Dodgers (46-36) entered the ninth inning trailing, 5-4. Nashville relief pitcher Jake Sanchez (1-2) struck out each of the first two batters to bring the Dodgers down to their final out. On top of that, the Dodgers had not had a base hit since the fifth inning, and the Nashville pitching staff had retired 13 consecutive batters when Bobby Wilson came up to the plate.
Wilson kept the game alive with a single and was replaced by pinch runner Tim Locastro. Drew Maggi came up next and sent a routine ground ball to third base. Yairo Muñoz fielded the base and threw to first base, but Nashville first baseman Jermaine Curtis missed the throw, putting runners at the corners.
Verdugo stepped up next and sent a line drive over the head of right fielder Mark Canha. In addition to Locastro, Maggi was able to score all the way from first base on the play as the Dodgers took the lead.
Dodgers reliever Joe Broussard - who retired the side in order in the eighth inning to keep the Dodgers down by just one run - retired the side in order in the bottom of the ninth inning to seal the win. Broussard (3-0) retired all six batters he faced with one strikeout and earned the win.
The top of the ninth marked the fourth lead change of the game, finishing a series that was filled with late-inning heroics. Each of the final three games of the series was decided in the ninth inning, and each of the last two games saw the winning team score the go-ahead run after having the bases empty with two outs.
For the second straight night, the Dodgers got off to a good start in the first inning. They tallied four hits in the opening frame, including three straight hits on 0-2 pitches by Kyle Farmer, Willie Calhoun and O'Koyea Dickson. Calhoun and Dickson each picked up a RBI, giving OKC a 2-0 lead.
The Sounds (40-43) took their first lead in the third inning, when Dodgers pitcher Fabio Castillo lost the strike zone. Castillo walked four batters in the inning, including each of the first two batters. Munoz scored the Sounds' first run with a RBI single, and Canha tied the game with a sacrifice fly.
After Canha's sac fly, Castillo walked the next two batters, including Beau Taylor with the bases loaded, bringing home the go-ahead run.
Jeremy Bleich replaced Castillo on the mound and got Curtis to ground out, thanks to a diving play by Farmer at second base.
The Dodgers went back in front in the fifth inning. Wilson was once again responsible for starting the rally, drawing leadoff walk. After a base hit by Maggi, Verdugo lined a RBI double to left-center field to tie the game.
Verdugo paced the Dodgers with three hits and three RBI. The outfielder has now hit safely in 22 of his last 23 games and has reached base safely in 28 consecutive games. Monday also marked his team-leading 13th game of the season with three or more hits.
Later in the fifth with runners at the corners and one out, Farmer hit a tapped a grounder back toward pitcher Kyle Finnegan. Maggi took off from third base on contact, and Finnegan flipped the ball with his glove toward home plate. Maggi slid head first and got under the tag of Ryan Lavarnway, putting the Dodgers up, 4-3.
Bleich had been on a roll since entering the game, retiring the first eight batters he faced before Taylor doubled with one out in the sixth. After a groundout by Curtis, Matt McBride connected on a go-ahead two-run homer to left field, giving the Sounds a 5-4 advantage.
After the home run, the Dodgers pitching staff ended up retiring 10 of the final 11 Nashville hitters, including the final seven straight.
The Dodgers finished their season series with the Sounds with an 11-5 record after splitting the four-game set. Monday was the team's third win this season when trailing in the ninth inning.
Monday's game was played in front of a record-setting crowd of 11,764 fans at First Tennessee Park, marking the largest attendance in the stadium's brief three-year history.
The Dodgers return home to face the Iowa Cubs for a three-game series beginning Tuesday night at 7:05 p.m., with gates opening at 6 p.m. Tickets for the July 4 game are very limited, but tickets for Wednesday and Thursday remain. Call (405) 218-1000, order through okcdodgers.com or visit the Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark box office on S. Mickey Mantle Drive.
Live coverage begins at 6:50 p.m. on AM 1340 "The Game," 1340thegame.com, or through the free iHeartRadio mobile app.