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Sounds Fall To Isotopes, 4-2

June 24, 2012
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - Scott Van Slyke's seventh-inning RBI double gave Albuquerque its first lead of the night and propelled the Isotopes to a 4-2 victory over the Nashville Sounds on Sunday evening at Isotopes Park.

The loss dropped Nashville (31-46) to just 2-15 in games decided by two runs this season. The Sounds had runners on base in every inning except the fourth but were only able to get a run to the plate in the third frame.

Logan Schafer continued his recent hot hitting for the Sounds, going 2-for-4 to produce his ninth multiple-hit effort in his last 15 games. Schafer is hitting .413 in June (31-for-75).

Shortstop Edwin Maysonet returned to the Sounds with a 2-for-4 evening after spending a month with Milwaukee and outfielder Corey Patterson stayed hot with the lumber, going 2-for-4. The veteran has recorded a knock in nine of his last 11 tilts.

Nashville missed out on an early scoring opportunity. After putting runners on second and third with only one out in the second against Isotopes starter Fernando Nieve, Dayton Buller struck out and Sounds starter Brian Baker grounded out to end the frame.

Baker returned the favor in the bottom of the frame, successfully working out of a one-out, second-and-third jam of his own. The right-hander popped up Brian Cavazos-Galvez then struck out Tyler Henson to keep it a scoreless contest.

The Sounds took a 2-0 lead against Nieve in the third without recording an RBI in the frame. Maysonet got things started with a one-out double to left and moved to third on a Schafer single. With Andy Gonzalez at the plate, Schafer stole second and Maysonet was able to score the night's first run when catcher Tim Federowicz misfired into center field. Gonzalez then singled to right, where former Sound Trent Oeltjen booted the ball which allowed Schafer to race home with the frame's second run.

Henson put Albuquerque on the board in the fifth when he led off the home half of the fifth with a solo homer to left off Baker The infielder's third big fly of the year halved the Sounds' lead to 2-1.

Baker, who took a no-decision, turned in an admirable effort in a spot start for Nashville, limiting Albuquerque to one run on five hits while striking out a season-high five during his 4 1/3 innings of action.

The Isotopes knotted the contest at 2-2 with a two-out rally against Rob Wooten in the sixth inning. After the right-hander retired the frame's first two hitters, he allowed back-to-back soft singles up the middle to Cavazos-Galvez and Henson before pinch-hitter Alex Castellanos drilled an RBI double to left-center that bounced over the wall, likely saving the Sounds a run. With runners standing on second and third, Wooten recovered to catch Oeltjen looking at a called third strike to escape the jam without further damage.

Albuquerque took its first lead of the night in the seventh against Sounds reliever Amaury Rivas. Matt Angle led off with a single to right and moved to third on a well-executed hit-and-run single through the hole at shortstop off the bat of Joe Becker. Scott Van Slyke followed with a go-ahead RBI double into the left field corner that gave the 'Topes at 3-2 advantage. After former Sound Luis Cruz was walked intentionally to load the bases, Federowicz lifted a sacrifice fly to the track in left-center that advanced each runner a base, with Becker trotting to the plate with an insurance run.

Rivas kept the Sounds' deficit at two runs by stranding runners on second and third as he induced a groundout from Cavazos-Galvez before striking out Henson to end the frame.

The Albuquerque bullpen closed out the contest with two scoreless frames to secure the victory.

Angel Guzman worked around a two-out Patterson double to toss a scoreless eighth.

The Sounds made closer Josh Wall sweat after he took the hill for the ninth, loading the bases on a hit followed by a pair of two-out walks before Wall converted his PCL-leading 17th save in 18 chances by inducing a game-ending groundout off the bat of Gonzalez.

Cole St. Clair (3-0), who worked a scoreless relief inning behind Nieve for Albuquerque, picked up the victory. Nieve took a quality-start no-decision for the 'Topes after holding the Sounds to two runs in his six innings of work.

Rivas (4-5) absorbed the loss after giving up two runs in his two innings.

Second baseman Eric Farris singled in the sixth inning to extend the Sounds' longest active hitting streak to six games and Jeff Bianchi went 2-for-2 to run his season-best hit streak to four.

The teams continue the series with an 8:05 p.m. CT contest on Monday evening. Right-hander Seth McClung (1-8, 4.60) will man the bump for the Sounds to face Albuquerque right-hander Will Savage (9-3, 5.15).