Sounds Drop Second Straight To Redbirds, 9-6
With the win, Memphis pulled within three games of division-leading Omaha, which lost in New Orleans. The Sounds (66-67), who fell below .500 for the first time since August 8th, remain 8 ½ games back of the Storm Chasers with 11 contests remaining in the season.
Redbirds right fielder Nick Stavinoha paced the visitors' 13-hit attack with a 4-for-6 evening.
The teams traded the lead back and forth in the early going before Memphis pulled away by scoring in five consecutive innings from the third through the seventh.
Catcher Martin Maldonado gave the Sounds a 2-0 lead in the second inning when he belted a two-out homer to left off Memphis starter Maikel Cleto, his sixth roundtripper of the year. Mat Gamel, who preceded the Nashville backstop with a single, also scored on the one-out blast.
Memphis responded immediately, taking a 3-2 lead in the top of the third with three runs off Sounds starter Josh Butler.
The Redbirds opened the frame by loading the bases on a Tyler Greene walk sandwiched by singles off the bats of Shane Robinson and Stavinoha, the visitors scored their first run on Mark Hamilton's RBI single to right and knotted the score when Greene raced home on a Matt Carpenter sacrifice fly. Later in the frame, catcher Tony Cruz staked the Redbirds to a 3-2 lead with a two-out RBI single to center to score Stavinoha.
The back-and-forth affair continued in the home half of the third as the Sounds plated two runs off Cleto to reclaim a 4-3 advantage.
Eric Farris tied the contest when he drove in Logan Schafer (walk) with a sacrifice fly to right. Taylor Green (2-for-4) followed with a go-ahead double into the right field corner that plated Caleb Gindl (2-for-4), who had singled earlier in the frame. It was Green's team-leading 35th two-bagger of the year.
Memphis responded in their next turn at the plate, tying the contest at 4-4 as a run scored for the fourth consecutive half-inning. Robinson drew a leadoff walk from Butler and later came home on Carpenter's RBI single to right, which chased the Nashville starter from the contest.
Butler took a no-decision after allowing four runs on seven hits in 3 2/3 innings.
The Redbirds pulled back in front with two runs in the fifth off Sounds reliever Mike McClendon. Pete Kozma's RBI double in the frame pushed the visitors back in front.
Memphis tacked on a single run in the sixth and added two more in the seventh to extend its lead to 9-4.
After some early troubles, Cleto (5-2) settled down and retired 10 straight Sounds batters at one point en route to earning the victory. The right-hander allowed four runs on five hits while striking out six batters in his seven innings of action.
Nashville drew back within 9-6 with a pair of eighth-inning tallies against Memphis reliever Cory Rauschenberger. Gindl, Farris, and Green opened the frame with three straight singles, the last of which plated Gindl with the first run of the frame. Farris then scored the night's final run on a Gamel groundout.
Memphis closer Victor Marte worked around a pair of baserunners to toss a scoreless bottom of the ninth and nail down his PCL-leading 27th save of the year.
McClendon (5-4) took the loss after surrendering three runs (two earned) on three hits in 2 1/3 innings of work in relief of Butler.
The teams continue the series with a 7:05 p.m. meeting on Friday evening. Right-hander Mike Fiers (5-0, 1.44) will take the hill for the Sounds to face Memphis right-hander Brian Broderick (7-5, 5.13).
The first 2,000 fans through the turnstiles will receive a complimentary Sounds hat, courtesy of Vanderbilt Sports Medicine. Following the game, all fans will be treated to the final Firestone Friday Fireworks show of the year.