Sounds Take Three Of Four From Reno With 9-7 Victory On Wednesday
Nashville (14-24) overcame two separate three-run deficits on the afternoon, initially trailing 0-3 and again at 4-7 entering the bottom of the sixth to take three of four from the Aces.
Seven of the Sounds' 14 victories have come when Nashville scores the winning run in their final turn at the plate. Twenty-three of the Sounds' 38 games have been decided by one or two runs, tied with Memphis for most in the PCL.
The Sounds went 7-for-11 with runners in scoring position in the game, with seven of their 13 hits coming from the 6-8 hitters in the lineup.
Third baseman Andy Gonzalez led the charge with a 3-for-4 performance with two RBIs. Outfielder Corey Patterson added two hits, a double, two stolen bases, and three runs scored. Catcher Martin Maldonado had two hits including a double and RBI.
Reno quickly took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning as Reno leadoff hitter Adam Eaton struck out, but advanced to third base on a throwing error from Maldonado. Eaton would score during the following play on a sacrifice fly from Jake Elmore.
Ryan Wheeler pushed the lead to 3-0 with a two-run blast in the top of the third. After a ground-rule double to right center by Elmore, Wheeler belted his sixth homer of the season over the right wall.
The Sounds got on the board in the next frame to trim the lead to 3-1. After Maldonado doubled down the left field line, Hainley Statia hit a deep sacrifice fly to center to plate the Sounds backstop.
Nashville plated three runs on a couple of crazy plays to take a 4-3 lead in the bottom of the fifth. Patterson scored the first run after working a five-pitch walk, swiping second base, advancing to third on a throwing error from the catcher, and coming home on a fielding error from the centerfielder.
Two batters later, Gonzalez tripled to right field and scored the tying run as pitcher Mark Rogers perfectly bunted between the first baseman and pitcher.
Rogers moved to second on a base hit from Statia and to third on a wild pitch before coming home to score the go-ahead run on an Eric Farris sacrifice fly. The inning ended as Statia was ruled out for leaving too early while advancing to third.
Reno re-took the lead at 7-4 in the next frame as David Winfree led off the frame with a double to remove Rogers from the contest. Reliever Robert Wooten entered for his Triple-A debut and gave up a game-tying RBI single to former Sound Cole Gillespie. Konrad Schmidt then gave Reno the lead on an RBI double.
Victor Garate relieved Wooten and fanned two batters, but also gave up a two-run double to right field by Elmore.
The Sounds scored their first of five unanswered runs in the bottom of the seventh thanks to three consecutive singles by Patterson, Gonzalez, and Maldonado.
Nashville erupted for the other four runs the bottom of the eighth to take a 9-7 lead. Shortstop Jeff Bianchi was hit by a Sam Demel fastball, stole second base, and scored the first run on a Jordan Brown bouncing double down the first base line. Sean Halton followed with a single to put runners on the corners and replace Demel with Jonathan Albaladejo.
Patterson followed with a game-tying RBI double down the right field line to score Brown while Gonzalez tacked on two more runs with a two-run dribbling single to center.
Rogers remained winless, surrendering four runs (three earned) on four hits and three walks in five inning pitched. The 26-year-old also fanned a season-high seven batters on 85 pitches, 43 for strikes in a no-decision.
Wooten was charged with two runs in a third of an inning for a blown save, while the Sounds moved to a perfect 5-0 when blowing a save this year.
Garate allowed one run in 2/3 of an inning. Mike McClendon pitched a perfect inning.
Johnnie Lowe (3-0) worked around two hits for a scoreless inning and the victory. With runners on first and third with one out, the Aces bunted into a double play to end the eighth and keep his scoreless streak intact. Jim Henderson earned his second save with a shutout frame and also extended his scoreless streak to 18 2/3 innings, best among PCL pitchers to open 2012 with a 0.00 ERA.
Zach Kroenke gave up four runs on five hits in five innings for a no-decision. Demel (0-3) was charged with the loss on three runs.
After a league-wide off day tomorrow, the Sounds embark on a nine-day, eight-game road trip at the Tucson Padres (AAA-Padres) and Las Vegas 51s (AAA-Blue Jays) of the PCL Pacific Conference Southern Division. Right-hander Wily Peralta (1-3, 3.69) will toe the rubber in Thursday's 9:05 pm CT road trip opener against Tucson right-hander Matt Palmer (3-2, 5.88).